The market: It's getting crowded. BMW and Audi already have compact wagons, and the Lexus CT 200h hybrid may be a hatchback, but shoppers probably will cross-shop it. Acura plans to market the TSX to Generation Y, who Acura product planning executive Vicki Poponi says "are not scrawny teens playing video games anymore. One-third are already parents."

The 2011 Acura TSX Sport Wagon is the brand's entry into the wagon segment. The responsive and aerodynamically fit Acura offers enough space for plenty of baby gear and amenities to keep parents content.

8 out of 10

The 2011 Acura TSX is the essence of what the brand should be: compact, light, efficient, and user-friendly—not to mention fully equipped.

The TSX is, some might say, old-fashioned despite changes for 2011. That is, it pre-dates the complicated-is-good theme of electronic gadgetry, and the over-accessorized engines and gazillion-speed transmissions that reign today. We applaud that, and credit it for much of what made the TSX sport wagon test car a delight every mile.

Our test car, equipped with the Tech package (which includes navigation, a rearview camera, a 10-speaker premium audio system with a 15GB hard drive and the power liftgate), rang up a $35,470 total. That pricing positions the TSX Wagon at the bottom end of the luxury crossover spectrum and a few hundred dollars more than a similarly equipped Toyota Venza.

And by our measure, that's exactly where it should be. It's not powerful enough to compete with more expensive luxury crossovers, yet it's more appealing on the inside than your average Equinox or Venza. Acura isn't expecting big sales numbers and neither are we. Still, we're glad to see it offer this wagon anyway, as it's only a little more power and a better transmission away from being truly desirable.

So Sporty You Forget It's Practical

So has Acura taken a big risk by launching a luxury sport wagon in a small market of stubborn holdouts? No, Cadillac did. They brought a spanking new CTS Sport Wagon last year and the maniacal 556-horsepower CTS-V for 2011. Acura imported the European-market Honda Accord Tourer, flipped the "H" logo upside down, and called it a day.

In doing so, they created a stylish wagon that's $8,000 less than a CTS and $6,000 off the tiny BMW 3 Series wagon and Audi A4 Avant. The slim, taut body looked especially fit in our tester's Vortex Blue Pearl paint, and even made Acura's unloved chrome "beak" handsome. In price, the 2011 TSX Sport Wagon is right with the Volkswagen Passat wagon and Volvo XC70, although there is no six-cylinder engine or optional all-wheel-drive, both potential drawbacks in the luxury segment.

Our 1st drive revealed the 2011 Acura TSX wagon to be quite the charmer, and the car has grown on us since, especially from a styling standpoint. The public agrees. Nearly every reaction was some variation of “Wow, the wagon looks even better than the sedan.” Credit the uptick in visual appeal to the long, tapering line of windows; the retention of the sedan’s muscular wheel arches; and the long rear overhang, which fairly shouts, “I’m a wagon and damn proud of it.” Particularly in dark colors, the TSX wagon looks good.

Zero to 60 mph: 8.1 sec
Zero to 100 mph: 22.3 sec
Street start, 5–60 mph: 8.6 sec
Standing ¼-mile: 16.4 sec @ 87 mph
Braking, 70–0 mph: 180 ft
Roadholding, 200-ft-dia skidpad: 0.82 g

The Acura TSX Sport Wagon is a wagon for everything else. But it is derived from the notion that responsibility need not be limiting in the pursuit of happiness on the road. Thus, it is sleek in the manner of sport coupes and sedans in exterior styling. It is "fun to drive," blessed with the ability to turn daily errands into pleasant road trips. It is designed and engineered for young people who have accepted the truth that aging - and all of the joys, duties and woes that come with it - is inevitable.

I would give the wagon five stars for its solid build, overall quality, and easy handling. It would work in an upscale neighborhood where the kids are off to college and dad and mom really don’t want an SUV or crossover vehicle like the ones that populate every other driveway on the block.

The soothsayers at Acura say they believe their Sport Wagon will account for about one in 10 of TSX sales. It's a modest hope. In 2010, TSX sales totaled slightly more than 32,000, so if the new wagon tallies anywhere near 4,000 annual sales it will be perceived as a success.

This Acura’s success will come down to good old-fashioned car salesmanship combined with inflatable wavy-arm guys and free hotdogs. They will need to get shoppers on the Acura lot first and sell them the TSX before they have the chance to look at anything else. It’s a decent car, but there is nothing about it that would make me need or even want to have one. The driving experience is just OK. The backseat will work for people with small kids only. Performance is adequate but again not great. At $35,000 or even below, I could list a dozen cars I would buy first. Acura really needs to give this car an identity, a reason to exist. Maybe I’m missing something, but a Sport Wagon with little sport, no room, bad mileage and no real stand-out features doesn’t appeal to me.

Acura could be just in time with its wagon. There is a trend of consumers downsizing their vehicles but not wishing to downsize in amenities and features.

For those in the market for a compact wagon, Acura's TSX will hold just about everything except foolish pride.

Our editor at large, Ron Kiino, after 10 days with the Acura Wagon: "I gotta say, I really, really like this car. I might even go so far as to say I love it." Ron goes on, "Relative to its competitors, the TSX SW is a bit low on power, but you wouldn't really know it from behind the wheel. The 5-speed autobox, like the power output, is lagging against the competition, but again it performs well enough that I never yearned for a 6th gear."

Assistant art director William Walker says, "Winding quickly through canyon roads as well as a couple hundred highway miles reconfirmed how much I enjoy sporty wagons. I also think the Acura gives the Audi Avant a run for its money on style. Overall, it's great." I couldn't agree more, and eagerly look forward to the next 12 months.

The good: Voice command in the 2011 Acura TSX Sport Wagon lets you select songs from an iPod or the car's hard drive, and dial phone numbers by name. The wagon body style is very practical.

The bad: The automatic transmission is only a five speed, and the engine tech is only average.

The bottom line: The 2011 Acura TSX Sport Wagon boasts a very practical body style along with a modern cabin tech suite, but the power train doesn't take advantage of recent efficiency innovations.