Acura CSX 2 month report: gas mileage improving

Just to remind people that this is not my car, but my wife's daily driver. Just the same, while she is not commuting, I do spend a good deal of time behind the wheel.

First, gas mileage is definitely improving as the engine breaks in. We are now seeing 9 L/100 Kms (about 25 mpg) for the last 2 fillups. This is mainly urban driving with a bit of highway, but offset by the idling waiting to get on the bridge during the 2 way commute. Impressive, given that the car has an automatic transmission, weighs 1300 kg and while mainly driving with the air conditioning on. To drive this point home, my brother in law's Mercedes B200, which is direct competition to the Acura CSX, gets a bit worse mileage from its 134 HP (vs the Acura's 155) and requires super unleaded gas.

I am getting used to the two-tier instrument panel dash and actually starting to like it,  A LOT. I have the impression I am driving a motorcycle with a fairing, which is not unpleasant. And unlike most Hondas I have driven (I have owned 3), I can easily find an ideal driving position that seems a bit far away at first. It wasn't until I used the dead pedal to get my seat adjustment right was I finally comfortable in a more Italian arms-stretched position (intentional on my part, the steering column is telescopic).

One thing is the seats are quite firm, but this is not unpleasant as the seats are supportive in all of the right places. I only realized this when driving the old 2000 Focus, which feels like sitting in a big comfy chair by comparison. I would imagine that larger people (e.g. wide bottoms) might not like the CSX seats precisely because they seem a bit narrower due to the bolsters.

I am also getting used to the electric steering. It does not progress in the same way as hydraulic steering when going off center. This is just different, not bad, and does take some getting used to the type of feedback it gives. The steering wheel is also quite small, which might have something to do with it.

Ride comfort is quite good, but deteriorates quite fast with back seat passengers. I am convinced that a larger rear sway bar is the answer for both the understeer and the weight shift problem that we are experiencing. We are still a couple of months away from our first service, but I am going to see what it would cost to replace the rear sway bar for the beefier one on the Type S. Back seat passengers find the ride and space quite remarkable, but those taller than 6 feet find head room very tight.

So far the wife loves her car as it responds to her needs quite well. This comes down to its futuristic styling, responsive engine and transmission (approaching perfection), nicely weighted steering, good sound system and a bright, gorgeous interior that is further enhanced by the sunroof. As much as I have grown to like the CSX, I still prefer the road manners and the stiffer chassis of my Mazda6 even though the car seems quite dated by comparison to the Acura.

This is like going to a trendy restaurant where the food is good (Acura CSX), vs. going to an unpretentious eatery where the food is fantastic (Mazda6).