Remaining virtually unchanged from the previous year, the 2013 Acura TSX—the carmaker’s entry-level luxury front-wheel-drive sedan and wagon—is still able to hold its own against the likes of the Audi A3, BMW 1 Series and Volkswagen GTI in the sedan market and the Audi A4 and BMW 3 Series in the sport wagon market.

The 2013 Acura TSX is available in five sedan trims—Base, Base with Tech Package, Special Edition, V6 and V6 with Tech Package—and two Sport Wagon trims, one with the Tech Package. The Sport Wagon trims, along with the Base and Special Edition trims, are powered by a 2.4-liter DOHC 16-valve inline 4-cylinder engine (I4) that makes 201 hp and 170 lb-ft of torque. The V6 trims are built with a 3.5-liter SOHC 24-valve VTEC V6 engine that achieves 280 hp and 254 lb-ft of torque.

All engines are mated with a 5-speed automatic transmission with sequential paddle shifters, with the exception of the Special Edition, which can be paired with a close-ratio 6-speed manual transmission. When configured with the automatic transmission, the 4-cylinder engine is rated to get 22 mpg city/31 highway, while the manual transmission is rated at 21/29. The V6 engine is rated at 19/28.

Packed with numerous standard amenities, the 2013 Acura TSX is sure to please buyers looking for their first luxury vehicle or one that isn’t quite so big and bulky. All TSX trims come factory equipped with a dual-zone, dual-mode automatic climate control system, cruise control, perforated leather seating surfaces, an 8-way power heated driver's seat, 4-way power heated front passenger seat, keyless remote, 7-speaker 360-watt premium audio system with AM/FM/XM, in-dash CD player, MP3/WMA player and 8-inch subwoofer, Xenon HID headlights and 17-inch, 5-spoke aluminum alloy wheels.

Options available include leather seating surfaces with perforated suede inserts, racing pedals, silver-plated paddle shifters, a leather steering wheel and shift knob, 10-speaker 415-watt premium audio system with AM/FM/XM, in-dash CD/DVD player, MP3/WMA player, 15GB hard drive disc memory and an 8-inch subwoofer, navigation system with rear-view camera, voice recognition for navigation, audio and climate controls, moonroof and 17-inch 5-spoke polished wheels or 18-inch 4-spoke aluminum alloy chrome-look or ebony-look wheels.

For safety and security, the 2013 Acura TSX is well represented as well. All trims come equipped with 6 airbags—two front airbags, two front-side airbags and two side curtain airbags—as well as 4-wheel antilock disc brakes with electronic brake distribution and brake assist, vehicle stability assist, a tire pressure monitoring system and an ignition-disabling security system.

Finding itself in the fifth year of its second generation, Acura has no current plans to significantly revise the TSX in the near future. Some industry buzz suggests Acura might combine the TSX and TL platforms in the future, creating what would be called the “TLX,” but Acura officials have remained silent on any potential changes. In the meantime, Acura’s entry-level luxury vehicles, which offer decent gas mileage and numerous standard amenities, remain a good value.