The Acura CSX is a model that’s exclusive to the Canadian market, and shares more than just a passing resemblance to Honda’s big-selling Civic. The CSX is the very definition of an entry-level luxury vehicle - a low-cost car with a luxury badge on the front - that exists to get customers in the seats of said automaker’s products in the hopes that said customer will move up to more expensive vehicles in that automaker’s line-up as he or she ages and earns more money.
Anyone who truly pines for the chance to drive a vehicle with a luxury badge on the front can have a CSX - even a souped-up performance-minded Type-S version like our tester - for under $30,000.
That’s all fine and well, but just like the Type-S we drove when it debuted in 2007, the 2010 version shares just a little too much with the Civic Si. It’s a perfectly acceptable vehicle, but being an entry-level luxury car doesn’t mean it can skimp on the extras.
Compare the Type-S and Si side-by-side on a sheet of paper and there’s not a whole lot setting them apart. They use the same engine and transmission and have almost identical dimensions, along with things like a limited-slip differential, low-key rear spoiler and two-tier instrument panel.
For around $4,000 more, the Type-S offers - among other things - leather seating surfaces, a premium sound system with satellite radio, a grille that features the chrome bar found on all new Acuras, HID headlights, navigation system, brake assist and a security system.
This doesn’t always feel like a luxury car though. Considering this is the performance trim of the CSX, the front seats have very little extra bolstering. That, exacerbated by the leather seating surfaces, means you’ll be slipping and sliding around even tame twists and turns.
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