 2006 Acura CSX. Click image to enlarge |
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By Chris Chase
The Honda Civic-based Acura CSX is the most recent of the brand’s entry-level offerings, following the 1997 1.6 EL and 2001 1.7 EL; previous to the EL, you can count the Integra, which was part of Acura’s original line-up in 1986, as one of the CSX’s ancestors, too.
Where the 1.6 and 1.7 EL were mechanical twins of the different generations of Civic they were based on, the new-for-2006 CSX differed, with a base engine that wasn’t available in any North American Civic model, a 2.0-litre, four-cylinder (155 hp; 139 lb-ft) shared, mostly, with the RSX.
In 2007, a Type-S variant was added, powered by the same 197-horsepower version of the 2.0-litre engine as the Civic Si, with a six-speed manual transmission that was the only one offered with the high-po motor. The base engine came with a five-speed manual, or an optional five-speed automatic. The 2009 CSX got the requisite mid-model makeover, the most significant cosmetic element of which was the addition of Acura’s trademark “power plenum” grille.
In the base car, Natural Resources Canada’s fuel consumption ratings were 8.7/6.4 L/100 km (city/highway) with the manual transmission, and 9.5/6.5 with the automatic. The Type-S was rated 10.2/6.8 L/100 km.
 2006 Acura CSX. Click image to enlarge |
The CSX’s reliability follows in the Civic’s footsteps, in that this too seems to be a generally solid little car.
There’s a common problem with the Type S’ (and Civic Si’s) transmission that causes grinding and hard shifting into third gear, and a shifter that pops out of third. This prompted the folks at 8thCivic.com to draft a (poorly written) petition in an effort to get Honda to acknowledge the problem. The company eventually did, by issuing a Technical Service Bulletin (TSB) advising dealers on how to fix the bad transmissions.
A popping sound from the front suspension, a problem that appears to affect mostly 2006, 2007 and a few 2008 models, is caused by an incorrectly manufactured bump stop. Honda/Acura addressed this in 2007, with the TSB that can be found here.
Some Civic Hybrid owners complain of bad rear suspension control arms, but whether it affects the CSX and non-hybrid Civics isn’t clear. Read about it here.
