Exactly what I wanted - until it died at 3 weeks.

December 2008 Update:  OK.  I gave up.  The passenger window stopped rolling down.  The button didn't respond in cold temperatures.  Then the bluetooth wouldn't respond.  I suspect I got the one and only lemon in Acura history.  The straw that broke the camel's back?  The paint was chipping like crazy.  The hood on a 1-yo Acura looked as bad as the hood on a 7yo Accord.  I'm not sure what they changed, but it's not holding up.  I made them a deal, and I'm in a tricked out Honda CRV now and happier than ever. 

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FEB 2008 UPDATE: It's been 4 months since the infamous computer failure and the car has had no further issues. Acura has been in contact since nobody can explain what happened. There appears to be some research going there.

UPDATE: The first 3 weeks were great. But no car is worth a good review if it won't run. At 1012 miles the car stopped running. It had to be flat-bed towed back to the dealership. Apparently, the onboard computer failed and that shut everything down leaving me stranded in the middle of the highway outside Washington D.C. My confidence in the car is shattered. Considering that my 2001 Accord never once saw a repairman, but my Acura won't even start, I have serious regrets about buying this car now. They said "well, things break." No - not on an Acura. I don't accept that. I bought the Acura because I didn't WANT to be stranded in the middle of the highway. I could have bought a Hyundai and gotten that. We are NOT happy shiny Acura owners.
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I am every salesman's worst nightmare. I know exactly what I want and how much I don't want to pay. I take multiple test-drives and change my mind dozens of times about whether to buy a car and then take even longer to decide which car I want.

For years I have lusted after a BMW 3-series. Along the way I have owned a VW Jetta VR6 and a Honda Accord V6. Both cars together set a benchmark in areas for every other car to meet. After 7 months of revolving test drives, I settled on the TSX and I have loved everything about it.

1. Performance. I believe the preference between FWD and RWD is a matter of personal taste. I confess, I hate (HATE) RWD cars. They remind me of my 1979 Buick Regal. FWD cars a tighter and zippier in my opinion. Then there's the "torque factor." You would think that a 4cyl Honda product would be peppy, but not impressive. I have never been more wrong. My wife, who still has not forgiven me for trading her beloved Jetta VR6 for an Accord said "THIS is fun. Buy this and I'll forgive you." That was in D4. When I put it in D3, she giggled in a way that I haven't heard since the moments when she banked her Jetta on off-ramps. It's not polite to tell you about the "manual" shifting option. Even I liked it. Overall - the car has amazing punch, a smooth engine and tight handling. Engine noise is much less than what I'm used to. It accelerated like a Jetta, but sounded like - well - an Acura! The gas mileage is surprising. Without delays, I have been getting 32mpg on the highway. In the heaviest Washington D.C. traffic, I get just under 28. You would have to floor the car from light to light across Manhattan to get 20mpg. I've never gotten less than 27. The one problem? The instant "mileage-o-meter" is addicting. It's easy to get hooked on light-pedal driving as you watch your gas mileage climb higher and higher. It's a competition for me - to see how high I can make it go!

2. Interior. I maintain that few, if any, companies can beat Honda/Acura on interior styling. Compared to the horrific BMW 3-series with the inverted armrest, inaccessible window controls, and circa-1984 GM-style dashboard design, the Acura is almost unsportingly better. It's like these are competing in two difference markets. Everything is sharp, tight, intelligent and attractive. I'm partial to the parchment interior, as I like light interiors. The wood trim is enough without looking pimped. The Navigation system is typically Honda-intelligent, intuitive and beautiful. Honda was bright enough to keep traditional dial-controls in addition to on-screen controls, allowing the driver to make adjustments to stereo or other system controls the traditional way, or by using the touch screen. The voice controls are fun, but not perfect. God help you if you have children. My 6yo son likes to yell "FIRE TORPEDOS" when he hears the beep right before I speak a command. I call the disembodied woman "Hillary" since she's trying really hard to do what I ask, but she just doesn't seem to understand me. ;-) The leather is soft but firm. The mats are thick and lush. The interior has a surprisingly European feel - even moreso than BMW or Audi, who feel more like they were slapped together in Detroit.

3. Exterior styling. I hate flare lights. I always have. The long, narrow lights on the TSX just look more severe to me than the clownish light design on newer Accords or BWMs. I also want to thank Acura for not using unnecessary indentations or grooves in the body to provide visual interest. For those of us who like a clean/waxed car but have jobs and families who compete for our time, trying to deal with those "design features" was maddening. I can wash and wax the TSX in record time.

4. Safety - the tests speak for themselves. Xenon lights are something that annoy me, but Acura has done a good job of keeping them under control. I am continually amazed that the "line" that forms when my headlights are on is always just below the sightline of oncoming drivers. So I know I'm not blinding them. Seatbelts are easier to access and the LATCH clips are also easier to access than most cars I've tested. Considering that the single greatest safety feature on a modern care is STILL the seatbelt - ensuring that these are easy to access and use is critical. The belts are far enough apart that the typical childseat or booster seat doesn't sit on top of them. BMW - take note!

Overall - I honestly don't have any REAL complaints. The colors are limited. I prefer the color selections for the Accord or TL better, including the Carbon Bronze, darker reds and the gold/beige colors. Since I like the parchment interior, I'm limited to black, navy, "slut red" or white. I took a huge risk by getting the white car, but it was the least painful choice in the long run. Black and navy are going to show every rub and scratch. The red - well - it's just TOO red. It was a fun color for a Firebird when I was 25. It's not for me now that I'm closer to 40 with two small kids. So - we did white. I will spend the next 10 years washing my car at all hours of the day and night...

Beyond that, I might add automatic lights, improve the volume of the disembodied voice for the Navi system, and put at least one power jack in the back seat. A passthrough in the rear armrest should be standard. Quirky things? I would shorten the Emergency Brake Handle by about 1 inch because it blocks the view of the heater button for the driver's seat when you're moving. And why does Honda refuse to put the back-seat mirror on ALL of the sunglass compartments? I would love to have this on sedans as well as the CRV and minivans. I would like the option of Acura-approved body-side molding as well. Those tall, flat door panels are just aching for some Ford Winnebago driver to slam their oversized doors into my little car.

Something odd about these cars. You can program the User Information to your specific name. Instead of User 1 and User 2, you can be "Buffy" and "Spike" according to the computer. But when you use the remote entry, it still only recognizes "Driver 1" and "Driver 2." What would it take to interlink the Information Display in speedometer with the Navi/Audio System so that it reads "Welcome Buffy" instead of "Welcome Driver 1." Besides, with the disembodied voice, how much fun would it be to re-enact 2001-A Space Odyssey? You open up the car and it greets you? "Good Morning Dave..." It's obvious that the Information Display and the Navigation Information Screen are separate and don't talk to each other.

Compared to the Camry, it's more fun to drive (and Honda doesn't nickle-and-dime you to death on options.) Compared to the BMW, it's more comfortable, and for you FWD fans - it's more fun. Compared to the Lexus IS - it's a real car, not a pretend 4-door with an imaginary backseat. (Not to mention trying to jam golf clubs into the trunk of an IS350.) Compared to VW, Audi or Mercedes, it's going to run forever, as opposed to the checkerboard reliability history that those two companies developed in the last 10 years. (The 2000 Jetta with the 2-year warranty should have earned VW a place in the hall-of-shame.)

In the end - no car is everything to everyone. But if you like Honda reliability and comfort with VW fun - you will love this car.