2014 Acura TSX Sport Wagon offers upscale elligance and utility

Perhaps “sport” is a bit of a stretch when describing Acura’s only wagon entry. However, we find that one of the last remaining wagons in the segment comes with a handful of pleasantly surprising attributes.

I state without shame that I’m an unabashed wagon fan. O.K., I said it. And Acura offers a rather stunning non- Crossover or SUV Urbane hauler in the manifestation of arguably one of the finest looking Euro-Wagons on the planet. Saturday found this writer admiring a 2014 TSX Sport Wagon in a Eugene, Ore. area shopping center.

When one first sets gaze upon a TSX Sport Wagon, a double take is necessary to place the lineage of this stunning Acura.The transcending roof and body sideline swoops down to a sculpted liftgate. The “A” pillar is immense and continuous. The snub-nose grill impressive with no excuse needed for the headlight and taillight integration in this wind-tunnel tested wonder.

The TSX Sport Wagon looks stunning front to rear deck.

In this case, black on black with minimal chrome trim and aerodynamic door handles accentuates a brushed aluminium rim sporting high speed rated tires. This wagon lives large as a thoughtful body-line pulls the overall wagon to the ground in a near car-show stance.

The mystery continues as one notices twin exhaust tips protruding the rear cowling of the car. Could it be a sport 6 cylinder or a V8? I’m a car guy and detail is my thing. Acura has accomplished a visually appealing package here that exudes confidence through assumed acceleration, while remaining stationary.

Just another station wagon?

While the 2014 Acura TSX Sport Wagon is not your grandmother’s Ford LTD Country Squire Wagon, it does fall short of meeting the off-the line performance of a TSX V6 Sedan. Simply put, the iconic V6 is not offered as an option in the Sport Wagon. However, the car does retain the handling characteristics of the sedan while offering the utility of an estate wagon

Speaking with Alice Kramer of Eugene, while her TSX will not blow a Cadillac CTS off of the light, it does handle as well as her previous Audi A4; while offering more than adequate power via the 201 horsepower i-VTEC 4 cylinder gasoline engine. Mated to a very smooth 5 speed automatic with wheel mounted paddle shifters, the car is a pleasure to drive.

Alice was kind enough to allow Torque News to take the TSX for a short spin. We were impressed by the available power, braking and handling of the wagon and found the road and engine noise level to be non intrusive. Could the TSX Sport Wagon benefit from the addition of an optional V6 and manual gearbox? It doesn’t need it...

Why the dual exhaust? We’d have to ask Acura engineering about that, but it looks cool. There’s something to be said for a general purpose estate wagon, people hauler the exudes Acura class.

The Acura TSX Sport Wagon marks the return of the Honda Accord Wagon not seen in North America since 1997. It was a good looking car then and remains so today.

It’s not small.

While classified as mid-size car in North America, the European Accord based Acura TSX Sport Wagon measures 3.5 inches longer than the TSX Sedan and weighs in at 3599 lbs.

However, the Sport Wagon offers 26 cubic feet of hauling space behind the rear seat while averaging 30+ mpg on regular gasoline. In a recent issue of Car and Driver, several owners reported real-world freeway mileage approaching 40 mpg.

The interior of the TSX is all Acura and nicely appointed with a reasonably suggested MSRP of $31,985. Acura offers only one option for the TSX in the form of heightened electronic, personal communication interface and docking. Really Will Robinson?

The TSX with Technology Package will set you back $35,635. That’s as fully loaded as you can go in a high-tech, low maintenance, cost of ownership Urbane hauler.

Talking around the water cooler, we believe the TSX Sport Wagon to be a very viable alternative for those urbane Gorillas not requiring all wheel drive; 4 wheel drive; neck snapping acceleration and a Godzilla sized SUV.

There is something to be said for a utility transformer that looks great while hauling everything from groceries to nursery goods on the way to soccer practice or the office.

That’s what the Acura Sport Wagon was designed for and it does it very well at a reasonable price-point.