We'll be honest. When Honda debuted the new 2010 Accord Crosstour, we (and many other journalists) were confused as to why the Euro-spec Accord Tourer (pictured above) wasn't brought to America as a sort of useful Honda hauler. Honda has their own reasons for doing the lifted Crosstour (stay tuned for our full review to hear why), but on the Acura side of things, it looks like we might get some station wagon love, after all.

It's no secret that the Acura TSX is essentially a rebadged Euro Accord with better interior refinement and slight styling tweaks, so it makes a bit more sense that the Accord Tourer would come over as the TSX Sport Wagon, set to debut in the fall of 2010. We would assume that not much will change in the way of powertrains or equipment levels (though a big helping of Acura's Super-Handling All-Wheel Drive would be nice), and we'll have more details as they emerge.

Click through the post to read Acura's very short/sweet press release.

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Opening the office door onto the parking lot, we shivered just a bit. It may have been the fall weather descending upon us, but the face of the Acura TL SH-AWD, it’s imposing, angular slabs of sheet metal glaring at us from under the slanted headlights and diminutive badge, probably contributed to our brief shudder. Having already seen, addressed, and come to terms with the TL’s appearance, we armed ourselves with the keys and got in.

Starting up the car, the feeling of the clutch is the first tactile sensation to grab us. The uptake is so smooth, it’s difficult to feel when the clutch is engaging. As we lift our foot, we feel for that telltale tension in the pedal that tells us something is happening. Instead, we feel nothing, and we have to listen very carefully to the engine, and feel from our seat, to know how quickly to release the clutch. Granted, all this happens in a matter of moments, but these are moments we are used to experiencing mostly through our foot. Not so with the TL.

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—Beverly Hills, California

For Drivers. Whether you catch it on the front page of every issue of Winding Road or not, that simple statement of purpose helps to frame every review we write, comparison test we formulate, or opinion piece we collectively espouse. In practice, it tells us that when we encounter a new vehicle the driving experience should be at the heart of what we communicate to our readers. Our credo does occasionally put us in the slightly sticky position of finding favor with a new car or truck that isn’t particularly riveting to drive. Enter stage right, the 2010 Acura ZDX.

Before we inflame the ire of the Acura aficionados too quickly, allow us a few sentences of clarification. The ZDX—as true a “four-door coupe” as we’ve seen since the ad men invented the mildly heretical term—is not a “bad” driver’s car, as bad driver’s cars go. Acura’s extraordinarily competent Super Handling All-Wheel Drive (SH-AWD for those outside of the know) does fine work delivering grip on dry pavement, and (we safely assume) should offer sure-footedness aplenty in the slick and the snow. The trick system can deliver torque on demand, splitting thrust between the front or the rear, and the front or the back, as demanded by the conditions undertire. That said, the default split is heavily front-biased (90/10 to the front wheels), and power delivery is less smooth than it could be in a rear-drive vehicle as a result.

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It's been a couple of months since our initial first drive of the Acura TSX V-6, and we now have a test car (the same one we drove at its launch, actually) in our Ypsilanti fleet for the next week. We're interested to see how the TSX fares in our everyday driving habits and see if it's really a worthy competitor to the Audi A4 and Lexus IS.

Click over to our Ask It forum post and let us know what questions you have about the six-pot TSX. We'd be happy to spend some time behind the wheel to answer your queries.

+ NextAutos Forums: Ask It: 2010 Acura TSX V-6

We love wagons, and we're glad to see that automakers are starting to offer more and more of these useful vehicles in North America. Cadillac is making a big statement for the 2010 model year with the launch of its all-new CTS SportWagon, the BMW 3-Series and Audi A4 are holding strong with a proper boot and liftback, and more rugged vehicles like Subaru's Outback round out this whole segment.

Now, reports are saying that Acura might be joining the mix, bringing over a TSX Wagon based on the Euro-spec Honda Accord estate (pictured above). This would give the Acura a bit more leverage in order to really compete with other entry-level luxury offerings. No word on what powertrains would make their way to our shores, but we'd expect the 2.4-liter four and 3.5-liter six to be up for grabs, though if we've learned anything from our first drive of the TSX V-6 sedan, Acura had better get smart and put some all-wheel drive chops on a station wagon TSX.

What's interesting, though, is that the new Honda CrossTour will be available next year, in a more Yankee-friendly crossover-like guise. If the TSX wagon comes to our shores, will it take this shape? We certainly hope not, especially since Acura has that funky new ZDX to try and sell.

+ Autoblog: Report: Acura considering TSX wagon for the U.S.

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—Washington Township, Michigan

Long before a V-6 was ever in the cards, Acura told the world that its four-cylinder TSX was perfectly equipped to do battle with entry-level luxury sedans like the Audi A4 and BMW 3-Series. Sure, it had the looks, the technology, the interior refinement, and the size, but when it came down to performance, the 201-horsepower, 2.4-liter inline-four running through only the front wheels just couldn’t hold its own. So in a segment full of six-cylinder (and turbo four) engines and rear- or all-wheel drive, the TSX sort of became the bargain basement choice in the class.

Acura is hoping to change all of that in the 2010 model year, because the TSX now gets a 3.5-liter V-6 which produces a healthy 280 horsepower and 254 pound-feet of torque, all starting at a price point of just $34,850. For those keeping track, that’s much more powerful than the BMW 328i, Audi A4 (2.0T and 3.2), Mercedes-Benz C-Class, and Lexus IS250. What’s more, the TSX is cheaper than a few of these stable-mates, as well. But before Acura claims a victorious checkmate, we must remember that the TSX is still only offered in front-wheel drive; and when we hit the open country roads in and around southeast Michigan’s Macomb County, a whole barrel of flaws were exposed.

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Yesterday, we had the chance to sample three of Acura's 2010 model year offerings -- the revised RDX, MDX, and TSX V-6. And while the TSX receives the biggest change for 2010 (our full review is coming soon), the pair of Acura crossovers receive a host of updates to freshen things up. Most noticeably, the RDX's front fascia now mimics the corporate Acura face of the TL and TSX, while the MDX receives some new air intakes and a revised bumper to bring it more in line with the automaker's portfolio.

The RDX still uses the well-liked 2.3-liter turbocharged four-pot engine, but while this vehicle was previously only offered in an all-wheel drive layout, a new front-drive model will be added. Adding a FWD RDX allows Acura to lower the starting price point of their X3 fighter ($32,520 not including destination), and since only the front two wheels are routing the power to the ground, fuel economy improves to 19 miles per gallon in the city and 24 on the highway.

Moving up the chain, Acura's larger MDX goes largely unchanged in terms of design and performance, though an all-new six-speed automatic transmission has been added -- Acura's first. Look for this tranny to make its way into the rest of the automaker's lineup throughout the rest of 2010 and into 2011, next debuting on the ZDX coupe-crossover this Fall. Additionally, Acura's new Song By Voice technology (similar to Ford's SYNC, only not as good) is packaged into the MDX's tech interface, allowing drivers to speak their audio commands on the go. No official pricing has been released for the 2010 MDX, but we can expect to see the first 2010 models hitting showrooms this Winter.

For the full details, click through the post to read Acura's full press releases, and have a look through our gallery of live images above.

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Acura's genre-bending ZDX debuted in prototype form earlier this year at the New York Auto Show, but parent company Honda has officially spilled the beans about the ZDX's inner workings, along with releasing a few production photos. Not much has changed from the original prototype shown in the Big Apple, save the natural toning down of concept-happy lighting.

Powering the ZDX is Acura's 3.7-liter V-6 used in the TL sedan, producing 300 horsepower and 270 pound-feet of torque, mated to an all-new six-speed automatic transmission. This power runs to the ground via Acura's Super-Handling All-Wheel Drive, and we think the ZDX will look quite handsome traveling down the road on its standard nineteen-inch wheels.

For the full details, click through the post to read the official press release.

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Those of you who have been dreaming about a competitor for the BMW X6 can now rest easy. Acura has officially debuted their ZDX Concept, a five-passenger "four-door sports coupe" which, according to Acura, "blurs the distinction between coupe, sedan, and sport utility vehicle." How nice. Obviously, Acura's corporate face is very much present in the ZDX's grille, though twenty-inch wheels and a clean, flowing roofline give this vehicle a much sleeker shape than the current RDX crossover, standing true to a coupe's design language.

The interior is executed in a way to focus on the front two passengers. A hand-stitched leather dash and instrument panel swoop down, forming a dual cockpit design, and highly bolstered, leather front seats accentuate the sporty, premium feel of the ZDX. Powering this concept is an all-aluminum VTEC V-6 mated to a six-speed automatic transmission and Acura's Super Handling All-Wheel Drive.

Expect to see the production model in dealerships this fall. You can read all of the fine details in the press release, available if you click through the post. Be sure to see the concept from all angles in our gallery above, too.

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If you discuss the TSX with the Acura product planners, they say that it directly competes with the likes of BMW's 3-Series and the Audi A4. We've often referred to the TSX as a sort of "entry-level luxury car," because it's four-cylinder power and front-drive-only setup always left a little to be desired when our minds pondered over premium sport sedans.

However, we now have a reason to start taking the Acura folks seriously in their claim. For 2010, the TSX will be outfitted with an optional 3.5-liter V-6 engine, producing 280 horsepower. Sadly, this engine will only run through Acura's five-speed automatic, and front-wheel drive will be the only available drivetrain. Additional new features for the V-6 TSX include eighteen-inch wheels, and a double-wishbone front and multilink rear suspension. A V-6 badge will be slapped onto the trunk, but a slightly revised front fascia will set this TSX apart from its four-banger brethren.

Scroll through the images above to see the six-cylinder TSX in all its glory and click through the post for Acura's press release.