The TSX is a five-seater, but pity the fifth person. The driver gets all the luck. There's plenty of bolstering in the eight-way power seat, the rubber-coated pedals feel good, and there's a solid dead pedal. The 8000-rpm tach is as big as the 160-mph speedo, because the TSX is all about using the tach. The bright red needles give it just the right neon touch.

Still for the driver, there's a tidy three-spoke steering wheel, wrapped skin-tight in perforated leather, just small enough. The shift knob is right, blending function and style with leather and polished aluminum, without compromising the function. The seat fits great and there's good legroom. You got the E-brake lever at your side, a nice deep console bin, your cupholders and changeholder right there. A fingertip away is a 360-watt sound system with a six-CD player. You've got a moon roof, you even have heated seats. The TSX calls out: "Road trip!"