I agree, otherwise I'd be telling my mom to get it. She's absolutely unwilling to learn a manual transmission. And yet she wants a car that has economical and has good torque AND an automatic :confused: :rolleyes:. I think the only 4 cyl that has geninuely good punch is the 2 litre turbo 4-cyl FSI in the Audi A3 and A4. But today Audi got wiped off our list completely simply because I've had it with the spotty dealership coverage and low inventories. The line "Oh we just got our '08s in yesterday so we can't allow test drives" just doesn't work for me, especially when we drove 35 miles just to get there. :thumbdown

I have no idea what car is going to work for her as our Civic replacement. Perhaps the 128i, but I dunno if she's willing to put up with a coupe. It may end up being a used E46, which would be odd because I want a used E46 next spring.

I like the TSX a lot too. It's a great car, and I've heard that the auto isn't that bad. So why not a TSX? It's not like she'll be street racing. (I hope).
My SAAB 9-3 gets 25 mpg, with a 2.0 turbo, 210 hp. It's fast, faster than my X5 by a smidge. Although reliability sucks. The VW Jetta and Passat also have a 2.0t. There's also the Subaru Legacy, with out the turbo I think it makes 175 hp, AWD, auto, safe, etc.

If she's gonna be the primary driver, and doesn't care about how fast the car accelerates, who cares? The thing handles well, is reliable and gives great fuel mileage.

Naw. I'm sure it'll be *okay*, but in today's world of distracted, rushed drivers driving hulking SUVs and minivans, response and power are a priority around here. Our X3, while short on power and high on weight, has surprising "seat-of-the-pants" torque and revs quickly through each gear. I'm sure on paper the 164 lb/ft torque and torque curve looks decent for the TSX, but Honda 4 cylinders absolutely must be paired with a manual.

-----------------------------------(off topic, short rant)--------------------
As you may know, my mom currently drives a '07 Civic EX AT (which we just bought in December). While it's not bad, we're looking for a potential replacement over the horizon since it just doesn't work for medium to long trips. The acceleration on a hot day, 2 passengers, and some luggage with the AC on is just insufferable coupled with the tall gearing. For a turn or lane changes, I have to mash the gas pedal and pray to god I don't get run over by that Dodge Ram or BMW X5, because the gearbox takes 2 years to downshift.........one gear at a time. It doesn't have that responsiveness I've come to experience from my BMW X3 or even my '96 Lexus ES. Now I know both are 6 cylinder cars, but even the Mazda3 2.3i was better geared and had broader shoulders. As a city car and grocery getter, the Civic performs it job admirably. It's even good-mannered and well planted on the backroads. But I had suggested the Civic back in Dec '06 because there was the plan to buy an '07 328i thru ED this summer. But the 328i never happened. So now the Civic is often made to do what I hadn't expected........longer journeys. Had I known this would happen, I would never have suggested the Civic. This may just be our shortest-lived car (the record is 13 months).