Id I was in your boat and had some cash to burn for fun I'd get a TL-S. I love the smoked tails and gunmetal wheels.... but I see the hole in the dash you are talking about and would get an Accord for the reliability and the comfort it gave you. The premium Accords are very nice and Acuras are just a Honda taken a step further.

 

TSX - well, it's only available as a 2.4 liter 4, and since my #1 priority is quiet smoothride, I'm guessing that's not going to do it for me - though I have not tried it. I'm sure the TSX is a super-fun ride, great to take on a spin through the hils, etc ... but that's not what I'm looking for. Maybe I should go burn some more valuable time and test drive one!

TL-S - since the base TL is a tad firm for me, the TL-S is going in the wrong direction. But yes, it looks gorgeous, as does the base TL. The headlights, tail lights, and overall profile of the TL is just superb. And I do have a hard time differentiating TSX's from the TL's at first glance,so the TSX does hit the spot from that perspective too!

Buick ... ... since another key priority is reliability ... let's not go there .... Don't get the wrong impression - I'm not looking for a soft slushy ride. Even the '04 Acura RL was too soft for me (that was my first choice in this search), and the current Camry is too soft too; both are probably way more firm than most US cars, especially Buicks! (I did happen to rent a lincoln MKZ two weeks ago from hertz, and it was a surprisingly good ride ... but the looks ... ugghhhh ... and reliability ... no thanks).

The ride of the Accord is, I'd say, 95% of what I'm looking for, so I'm willing to live with it I think. I'm looking to 'tweak' that last 5% to get perfection, since there is no car out there that will satisfy everything.

Quick aside ... leather - I've currently got black leather, which hides a multitude of sins. But the 'Ivory' in the Accord looks pretty decent. Does it clean up pretty well from coffee spills, and other misc. driving incidents? Black sure does get hot ...

 

I have ivory leather in mine and it cleans up pretty well. I use Meguiar's Leather Cleaner/Conditioner wipes and it works great....

 

I just bought an '07 Accord EX-L with the I4. You will be surprised how quiet it is. (I actually drove it for awhile in third gear at highway speeds and didn't realize it - it's that quiet.)

We were going to get the V6 but the I4 was more than powerful enough for us and the fuel economy is markedly better (plus the Canadian EX-L comes with navigation system with the I4, but you can't get the V6 with a nav system unless you get an automatic transmission instead of the 6-speed manual).

 

i would agree. dont discount the tsx just cause of the 4.