The Acura CSX is a model that is unique in the Canadian market, and shares more than a passing resemblance to the Honda Civic big sale. CSX is the very definition of a luxury vehicle, entry-level – a low-cost car with a luxury badge in front – you have to get customers in the chairs of the manufacturer of these products with the hope the customer shift to more expensive vehicles on that machine line until he or she will grow and earn more money.
With nav systems becoming more and more eye-pleasing and user-friendly, the one used in the CSX has graphics that look akin to a computer game from the ‘80s. Being forced to use a tiny joystick and buttons in place of a touch screen makes it difficult to use, too.
Simply having four doors instead of two makes it easier for up to five passengers to get in and out. Room up front is very good, with the standard tilt/telescoping steering wheel helping the driver out a lot. Room in the rear is fine for two average size adults and trunk space is also generous, with split-folding 60/40 rear seats allowing for added cargo when the need arises.
Acura’s Canada-only CSX is a significant evolution from the EL it replaces. Both are based on the Honda Civic, but whereas the EL used the standard Civic drivetrain, the CSX starts with the engine from the RSX sport coupe, and offers a five-speed automatic transmission with shift paddles to supplement the conventional manual five-speed.
The Acura CSX, or Honda Civic for the Japanese domestic market (JDM), is Acura's entry-level luxury car exclusively designed for the Canadian market. The CSX is the first Acura model with two predecessors, the Integra sedan (1986–1996) and the EL (1997–2005). Like the EL, it is only available in Canada and built in Alliston, Ontario, Canada.
The CSX is not a rebadged JDM Honda Civic, rather Honda Japan chose the Canadian-designed CSX as the template for the JDM Civic. Externally, the CSX shares its cab forward architecture with the American-market Civic. Differentiating the Acura from its mainstream North American counterpart include a slightly longer nose with shaped headlamp clusters, a full-width lower air intake and a slight crease up the hood's centreline. At the rear, jewelled taillamps and the shaping of the trunk's sheet metal contrast the upscale-marketed CSX from the Civic.
Elegant Silver Acura CSX Front view
