TSX69

2013 Acura ILX Hybrid: Driven

Though it has wandered through a handful of brand identities and images over the past decade, Acura continues to reinvent itself. This time, the next new thing is a hybrid using Acura's 1st ever implementation of Honda's familiar hybrid system (on a modified Civic platform) in the 2013 ILX.

Entry level, luxury, and hybrid are 3 words that aren't often said together, so the ILX comes out of the gate with a unique angle. The question, as ever, is whether it can live up to its promise. The answer, for the most part, is yes.

Also available as a 2.0-liter or 2.4-liter 4-cylinder in varying degrees of sport trim, the ILX most likely to interest the gas mileage-conscious shopper is the ILX Hybrid. The Hybrid uses a 1.5-liter 4-cylinder engine with an integrated 23-horsepower electric motor, a small lithium-ion battery pack, and a combined output of 111 horsepower and 127 pound-feet of torque.

Those aren't particularly impressive figures in terms of power, but given the ILX's 2,900-3,000 pound weight range (depending on trim) it seems like it ought to be enough to move it around in traffic right? It is--mostly--but at times, the ILX feels very, very sluggish, particularly with the ECON mode enabled, which widens the idle-stop window, retards the throttle response, and minimizes climate control loads.

Unfortunately, those times are often when least desired, like when pulling out onto a busy street with traffic flowing at 50 mph.

Add in the slight delay of re-firing the engine with the automatic idle stop (stop-start system), the very conservative throttle map, and the CVT's (continuously variable transmission) slight hesitation from a stop, and you have a recipe for some pulse-raising moments--when all you want to do is go about your day.

That said, the other 95% of the time, the ILX is essentially a transparently hybrid near-luxury sedan. The accommodations are nice, if not quite plush, with nice leathers, quality plastics, and good build quality--small gaps, no rattles or squeaks, and a general sense of solidity. It's a nice little car.

The ILX even handles pretty well, its inherent tendency toward lightness and a comfortable yet well-damped suspension delivering driving feel that's more engaging than many other affordable hybrids.

Unfortunately, the ILX Hybrid doesn't quite deliver on the gas mileage front, which is where a slightly underpowered, not-quite-luxury hybrid sedan really needs to step up and show its real worth. The EPA estimates the Hybrid's fuel economy at 39 mpg city, 38 mpg highway and 38 mpg combined.

CARB states will recognize it as an AT-PZEV vehicle. In the real world, 38 mpg is achievable, but so is 32 mpg, and so is 40 mpg.

It all depends on how you're driving it, where you're driving it, and when you're driving it, of course. Spend plenty of time in slowish traffic with enough acceleration/deceleration to keep the hybrid drive system charged and happy, and you'll easily meet the EPA estimates (or exceed them).

Hold a constant 80 mph on the freeway and you won't likely see 35 mpg, much less 38 mpg. But this is par for the course with any car--the problem is we're working in a range that's about 10 mpg below what it should be.

A nicely equipped Toyota Prius can offer much of the near-luxury feel and equipment of the ILX, for about the same price, while getting 51 mpg city and 48 mpg highway per the EPA. The Sonata Hybrid offers much better performance, a style some may find preferable to the ILX's, and very similar fuel economy of 35/40 mpg and 37 mpg combined. The list goes on.

But perhaps it's the blend of compromises in the ILX that makes it interesting; it's not as efficient as the Prius or as sporty as the Sonata Hybrid, but it's a notch more luxurious than either, for about the same price. It's gas mileage won't set hybrid-lovers' hearts aflutter, but it won't empty their wallets, either.

The 2013 Acura ILX is, ultimately, a compromised car in not just 1 aspect, but many. Whether those compromises work for your purposes depends on how much efficiency you're willing to sacrifice for comfort, how much acceleration and passing power your driving environment requires, and what your idea of image and aesthetics finds attractive.

For us, however, the ILX Hybrid leaves a bit too much on the table without offering enough value in other areas.

The 2013 Acura ILX Hybrid carries a base price of $28,900 (plus a mandatory $895 delivery fee), and the ILX Hybrid with Technology Package starts at $34,400--putting the latter vehicle at the very top of the ILX price range.

YeuEmMaiMai

i am pretty sure that even my vino 125cc can beat that time lol


I was hoping this car would be good but the TSX is a much better choice overall......

Mowgli

Even Buick is giving buyers a performance option, they just announced a 2.0t 250hp Verano will be available before the end of the year...

neuronbob

TEST DRIVE: Inhabitat Gets 44 MPG in Acura's first hybrid, the ILX-click Many pictures at the link...


We at Inhabitat love the new testing requirements which require manufacturers to list the mpg of cars at the dealership, but sometimes we simply can’t break through those numbers to achieve better mileage than we hoped for. So imagine how tickled we were to discover that we got 44 miles per gallon—that’s 5 mpg over estimated averages—without even trying in the new ILX Hybrid from Acura! And the best part is, we did this without sacrificing any performance.



We got early access to the ILX Hybrid when it hit the Detroit test fleets, and decided we would celebrate by taking the car over Michigan’s Blue Water Bridge to Canada, between Lake Huron and the river that leads down to Detroit, Lake St. Clair, and Lake Eerie. That is a bit of a drive for us, so we packed a picnic and set off on Detroit’s highways. Traveling at an average of eighty miles per hour, plus mixed city driving, we were surprised to see our mileage creeping up. Acceleration was great, the engine sounded a lot less boring than you would expect from a Honda, and we made it in record time to the bridge with 44 mpg blazing on our instrument panel.



Wait, what? 44 mpg? The car’s sticker says 39/38! And this was with the econ button turned off, not paying any attention to careful acceleration or braking. Also, many hybrids are really designed for city driving only, so driving as fast as we did for as long as we did could have killed our mileage. Not so in the ILX. And everything else you would hope for from Acura was there, too: heated seats, navigation, satellite radio, even manumatic paddle shifters for manually shifting gears from the steering wheel. Plenty of trunk space. Check. Good rear seat foot room. Check. Sunroof, media connectivity, and a good ride. Check. Go figure. The ILX Hybrid starts at only $29,000, too. We’re thinking a hybrid that lives up to its promises and offers luxury and good performance for a bargain price won’t be a secret for long. If you’re in the market for a hybrid sedan, definitely check this one out.

TSX69

Acura ILX:
Lower Expectations, Better Results

AN ONLINE OUTFIT named TheCheeky sells an anticheating wedding band; the inside of the titanium ring is engraved with the words “I’m Married,” in reverse, so that after a few months the words are indelibly imprinted on your finger.

Or you could drive this car.

The Acura ILX strikes me as a 2nd-marriage car. This, the brand’s new bottom rung ($26,795), is a roundly sensible, tolerably attractive little luxer with very decent build quality, diverting performance and a score or more of easy-to-use digital amenities. It also has a substantial pedigree for safety and reliability in the Acura name, which is spelled Honda in most of the world.

Note how very levelheaded and moderate those qualifiers are, how very selfless. The hottest engine you can get is a 2.4-liter, 201-horsepower 4-cylinder. This is the sort of ostentatiously rational choice made after long kitchen-table deliberations with your wife—your 2nd wife—and it represents a compromise along multiple axes. Not too spendy, not too flashy, safe and fun, but not too fun. There’s nothing extreme about this car, all well and truly between the margins. We’ve learned our lessons. The meds are working.

Your 1st marriage? That’s the 1 where you blew all your savings on a lifted and camouflaged Ford F-250 Super Duty with a folding deer stand in the bed. Money was an issue in your 1st marriage.

But there’s something else there, too. There’s a spark, a flicker of renewed optimism. As troubled a brand as Acura is, it still has some lingering aspirational heat. And it’s clear the kids in Torrance are trying to turn things around. One move the company is making, long overdue, is the effort to emotionalize the brand: Exhibit A, the NSX, reborn as a supercar hybrid and coming in 2014; Exhibit B, a product-placement deal with Marvel Studios’ “Avengers” film series, which is brazenly awesome and vice versa.

The other move is to reset the entry vehicle, and that’s where the ILX comes in. The ILX’s base price comes in $4,110 below that of the possibly departing TSX—a pretty big interval, and one that represents an obvious retrenching on Acura’s part, reflecting more sober expectations. In other words, Acura is kind of just starting out again, having been schooled in disappointment. I think it will appeal to people likewise situated.

Sure do miss that pickup, though.

You ordered nuts and bolts? The ILX is based on the Civic’s front strut/rear-multilink platform and built in the ancient Japanese enclave of Greensburg, Ind. The powertrain choices are three: a 1.5-liter, 150-hp 4 with a 5-speed automatic; a 111-hp hybrid with 39/38 mpg city/highway fuel economy; and, like our test car, a 2.4-liter, 201-hp, 170-lb.-ft. in-line 4 with 6-speed manual transmission, the very same powertrain as in the sporty and ornery Civic Si and the TSX.

There’s a relative shortage of fun, tossable entry-luxury cars with manual transmissions available, so the ILX with the stick wins happiness points on that score alone. The ILX’s program engineers also gave the car a more well-seated and refined feel in its ride and handling than the donor Civic. Among the upgrades are new, fancy dampers with 2-stage valving, providing limited damping in the 1st few centimeters of compression, then firming up for long-stroke events. The effect is subtle, but it’s there. The ILX also enjoys a higher-rate steering ratio for a crisper steering feel.

Also noticeable is the uptick in ride isolation, which is to say the ILX has less of the tactile and audible thrum of asphalt under-wheel than does the Civic. When the engine isn’t vocalizing, the ILX’s interior delivers a handsome amount of calm and quiet.

The front-drive ILX carries about 60% of its weight on the front wheels, so the grippier 17-inch, 45-series tires that are available with the 2.4-liter engine package are welcome. With the additional grip at the nose, the ILX bites harder and holds a cornering line longer before it starts to push off in mild and manageable understeer.

The 2.4-liter—beloved in the Si—is just about impossible to dislike. The revs and widespread torque come eagerly when you call them, the engine spooling furiously to its shouty, 7,100-rpm redline. A hard upshift into 2nd gear will coax a naughty little bark from the front tires. You won’t win many drag races in this car—0-60 mph is around 7 seconds—but the car has such a fervid, hustling personality, so much the dragonfly on a leash, you’ll hate to park it. I did.

The interior design is a multiorgan transplant from other Acuras. Here again the blithely futuristic switchgear and console, the same rotary controller in the center stack, the same twin-scalloped, ski-boat cockpit. Our ILX’s cabin was very nicely turned out with dense rubberized dashtop, stitched-leather seats and doors, alloy-like flourishes dividing the upper and lower dash and, in our test car, a lovely center-console fascia that I know can’t be metal but looks exactly like brushed anodized aluminum. Excellent.

Acura’s exterior design also resets with the ILX. These cars’ styling has been a strangely sterile exercise in modernism in the last few years, with a hard-to-watch identity crisis playing out in the nose-and-grille area. I believe I am the only human on Earth to like the Acura ZDX, including those who built it.

The ILX body shell puts a lot of visual distance between itself and the coupe-roofed Civic. The front overhang is more pronounced in order to visually lengthen the hood; and millimeters have been carved out to create a sedan-like trunk with a (very) short deck lid. The shape is more sculptural—there’s a pronounced lightline at the rocker panel and the beltline vigorously hitches itself up over the rear wheel arches—and yet more conservative. The ILX doesn’t require quite the explanation that other Acuras do.

So, we’re starting over, are we, Acura? Well, let’s avoid the mistakes of the past, stay positive, try harder. Love lifts us up where we belong.

2013 Acura ILX

Base price: $26,795

Price as tested: $31,675

Powertrain: Naturally aspirated DOHC 2.4-liter, 16-valve in-line 4-cylinder with variable valve timing; 6-speed manual transmission; front wheel drive

Horsepower/torque: 201 hp at 7,000 rpm/170 lb.-ft at 4,400 rpm

Length/weight: 179.1 inches/2,978 pounds

Wheelbase: 105.1 inches

0-60 mph: <7 seconds

EPA fuel economy: 21/32/25 mpg, city/highway/combined

Cargo capacity: 12.3 cubic feet

CGTSX2004

iTrader: (1)

^ Only Dan Neil could make this car sound like it's worth the money that Acura is asking for it.

TSX69

Compact Entry-Level Luxury Sedan Teeming with Acura DNA

Regular readers of this column might remember the recent review of the new Buick Verano compact entry-level luxury sedan. In that review, the only notable competitor was the Acura ILX, formally known as the Acura CSX, which was preceded by the Acura EL. With the Verano, General Motors is just catching onto the trend Acura started here in Canada back in the 1990s; build a luxury sedan that regular people can afford. The EL, CSX and now this 2013 ILX share the same basic formula of taking the Honda Civic platform and modifying it into something slightly more luxurious. The EL and CSX were thinly veiled Civic’s, meaning the changes were minimal, and in the case of the recent CSX, almost pathetic. This ILX is a much better attempt at developing a different car. It has a more cohesive design, engine options and a more refined interior, befitting the Acura name.

The Skin

From 10 paces the CSX was almost impossible to discern if it was an Acura or a Civic that it was based on. The styling was poor. That’s not the case with the new ILX, as Acura designers have done a wonderful job of grafting the Acura DNA onto the Civic bones. The front grille is similar to the bigger TSX; the sweeping roofline is stylish; and the side body accents dip just before the rear quarter panel, providing rear hips that give the ILX a sense of movement. The most elegant view is the rear, accented with flush-mounted tail lights. The base ILX starts at $27,790 and comes with 16-inch alloy wheels, moon roof and halogen headlamps. To get 17-inch wheels the Premium model at $29,990 needs to be ordered. Rounding out the ILX lineup is the Dynamic model ($29,990) with the same engine found in the Civic Si, and a hybrid ILX ($34,990), featuring the same drive train found in the Civic hybrid.

The Cockpit

The same attention to detail found on the outside is mirrored on the inside, with a vastly improved dash and finish. Gone is the cheap Civic interior, making way to a design that is used in all the Acura products. Each side of the dash has trim that accents the upper and lower section, which in turn is separated by a centre console that would look at home in an Acura TL. The dash, doors and touch-points are covered with top-notch, soft-touch materials and the contrast of chrome, brushed and coloured plastic makes the interior pop. What is noticeable is the rake of the front windshield and roofline, which I found rather low, making me recline the driver’s seat more than I would regularly do to add more headroom. A push button start is standard along with automatic climate control and Bluetooth. In order to get power, heated leather seats and backup camera, the ILX Premium trim needs to be ordered. The technology trim adds a navigation system, better stereo and larger centre screen.

The Ride

There are 2 conventional gasoline engines to choose from and a hybrid system. The car most people will purchase is powered by a 2.0-litre 4-cylinder with 150 horsepower, which is only 10 hp more than the Civic. And it requires premium fuel — not sure that the extra power is worth the added fuel cost. This model comes with only a 5-speed automatic, not a 6-speed as is the trend with the competition, especially the more powerful Buick Verano (180 hp on regular gas). The Dynamic model is fitted with the same 2.4-litre 4-cylinder found in the Civic Si, which is rated at 201 hp, but is only offered with a 6-speed manual. It is too bad an automatic is not offered in this trim. As mentioned, the hybrid is the same one used in the Civic and it uses a 1.5-litre 4-cylinder matched to an electric motor for a total of 111 hp. The suspension on the ILX has been modified, including a more refined shock absorber, closer steering ratio and more sound insulation. The quieter interior is welcome as the Civic is far too loud. The Verano by comparison is even quieter and smoother.

The Good, The Bad:

Good: Much better looking inside and out compared to the CSX.

Bad: The price might be high when compared to the very good Buick Verano.

Zack's Verdict:

The model tested here is the ILX Premium with leather interior, larger wheels and a 2.0-litre engine. The car handles well, the engine is lively and the changes to the chassis are noticeable compared to the Civic. The problem is that Acura doesn’t have this market cornered any more and the direct competitor, the Buick Verano, is a better car. It has more power, a 6-speed automatic, just as refined an interior, doesn’t require premium fuel, and fully loaded ($27,620) is cheaper than a base model ILX. Yes, many Acura buyers would never be caught dead in a Buick, but there are some who might consider it. Competition is good for the car market and this new crop of entry-level compact luxury cars is proof. The 2013 ILX is perfect for buyers looking for the reliability of a Civic, a more spirited suspension and a more youthful brand.

zack@motormouth.ca
© Copyright (c) The Vancouver Sun

gonzo08452

that is good because Dan Neil is the last person I would listen to when it comes to cars

TSX69

2013 Acura ILX
Skill ILS
Time to Graduate from a Honda but Can't Ball in a Bimmer, Benz or Bentley?
The New Acura ILX is Your Answer

Who remembers the 1st Acura they fell in love with? Maybe it was ’86 when they opened its doors in North America with the Integra and Legend. Or was it the early ‘90s when every kid dreamt of owning an NSX? Then there was the Integra Type R in ’96…Oh yes, Acura knew how to give us a woody with its sporty yet classy character, and this summer we have a new Acura to look forward to with the ’13 ILX.

Now we must admit the ILX isn’t going to drop any panties, at least right away. It’s not a car that’ll grab everyone’s attention at a stoplight. The ILX is for the person who needs a good clean car with a balance of style, sophistication, performance and fuel economy.

Underneath the fancy badge, the ILX is basically a sexier Honda Civic (similar to how the TSX is to the Accord). The dimensions, chassis and drivetrain are all based from the Civic except with a more premium fit and finish from top to bottom. At $27k, the ILX doesn’t feel “economy” and uses quality components that you won’t find in most entry-level cars. So to see what all the hype was about, we hopped on a plane to Arizona last spring for an advanced preview of these big boy toys.

The moment we stepped inside the ILX, it felt spacious and we had plenty of room within our own personal space. You wouldn’t have to ask us twice to accommodate 3 friends for a drive across country (or the four hours to Vegas).

For the 2 up front, the seats are ergonomic yet supportive. During harsh cornering, it feels stable and you don’t slide from side-to-side. There are also individual climate controls for each side, meaning you won’t have to fight with your girlfriend about how nippy it is.

In the driver seat, everything is pretty intuitive. There aren’t any confusing buttons or controls and the displays are easy-to-read. And from the touch of the leather steering wheel to the look of the metal trim, you get a sense that you’re sitting in something classy, not something budget-built. We also can’t neglect features like the push button start, text messaging, Pandora radio and USB/auxiliary plugs that put the ILX above the norm.

We were quite surprised how quiet and comfortable this sedan was. Acura spent plenty time and dough adding sound insulation, revising the bushings and motor mounts, adding its active noise control and perfecting the aero and shocks for the smoothest and quietest ride possible. You could illegally talk on the phone for hours while driving, but we recommend the Bluetooth setup.

The exterior was also on the same page. Although we don’t think it’ll swipe you off your feet, the ILX is a large improvement over the Civic and has a sexier physique with a lower roof line and ride height.

So how does it drive? We put all 3 variants to the test—the base 2.0-liter, the eco-friendly hybrid and the beastly 2.4-liter.

Besides the motor and drivetrain, there isn’t much that separates each model. They share the same construction and suspension components. Improvements over the Civic include a quicker steering ratio, adaptive EPS system to help with under and oversteer, lighter construction with a 62% steel chassis, aluminum hood and bumper beams, plus reactive dampers. In our joy ride through the back roads of the |Arizona desert, the ILX handled tighter and sportier than we anticipated. While it can be driven like a grandma in the city, the car has a hidden fun side to it once you get it loose. It corners graciously with precise steering and reasonably low body roll.

As far as power goes, Acura tells us its reengineered 2.0-liter delivers performance on par with the 2.4-liter TSX, but we must admit it can be a little underwhelming with 150hp and 140lb-ft. However, it uses modified gearing and software to give it a smooth and quick shift with less shock. It falls a few mpgs short of the Civic but it’s easily compensated by the quality feel and added performance.

If you’re really into lowering gas bills, the hybrid will tickle your fancy. While a little pricier at $30k, it’s for the owner who doesn’t care about its 111hp powerplant. The beauty is its 38mpg combined fuel economy which features a ‘econo’ button that dumbs down the hybrid even more to conserve fuel. While sharing the same system from the Civic, it uses a modified ECU similar to sport mode on the CR-Z that gives it a little more life around the city.

And finally, there’s the 2.4-liter, known to us as the K24. Priced the same as the hybrid, this is the trim we’re most excited about and Acura knows it too, making the 2.4 only available in a 6-speed manual. The motor is pretty much the same as the Civic Si and TSX with 201hp and 170 lb-ft of torque. We were caught off guard by the K-Series’ more pronounced sound and rev-happy feel. The gearing is a little better too (compared to the TSX) with a closer ratio in the 1st few gears to give it quicker acceleration while the 6th gear is higher for better mileage during highway cruising. The shift stroke is also shorter.

The K24 model lacks the limited-slip found in the Civic Si but that didn’t mean it wasn’t a complete bore. You could drive it restrained and steady on regular commutes to work but also let the dragon breathe when faced with empty roads in front of you. Unfortunately, there isn’t much physically that separates the 2.4 from the other models except the instrument cluster, silver-stitched seats and 17" wheels.

At the end of the day, the ILX offers a well-rounded package. It may not have all the bells and whistles of a full-on luxury car or high performance sedan, but it’s for the guy who is over the days of rolling a slammed Civic or 240 everyday. And although the K24 is available with a slew of parts available such as cams, headers, intake and a reflash, Acura didn’t intend it to be the next hot touring sedan (although we won’t hate if you try). It’s for the grown up kids and we all know someone who can appreciate a refined car like this.

RDX Remixed
While testing the ILX, we also put in work with new RDX. The ’13 model features new looks, engine, tranny and all-wheel drive system. The RDX goes up against the likes of the Audi Q5 and BMW X3—which we got to drive as well.

While the Audi and BMW feel very European and have a little bit more elegance, the Acura was better balanced and performed above expectations. It uses a new 3.5-liter SOHC V6 that packs 273hp and 251 lb-ft of torque. This was a surprise coming from the fun-to-drive turbo 4 in the previous-gen RDX, but this SUV has 33hp more than the outgoing motor. It even boasts impressive fuel savings thanks to the VCM-II technology (engine can run on 6, 4 or 3 cylinders to be more efficient, 22-23mpg combined). Finished off with a fluid exterior, plus more interior room, cargo space and a smoother ride, this entry-level SUV is winning.

That New Car Smell
2013 Acura ILX
The Sticker Pricing from MSRP est. $27,000
Engine 2.0L SOHC inline-4; 2.4L DOHC inline-4; 1.5L SOHC inline-4 with electric motor
The Power 150hp and 140 lb-ft (2.0L); 201hp and 170 lb-ft (2.4L); 111hp and 127 lb-ft (1.5L hybrid)
Layout Transverse-mounted front engine, front-wheel-drive
Transmission 5-speed automatic with Sequential SportShift (2.0L); 6-speed manual (2.4L); 7-speed CVT (1.5L hybrid)
Footwork & Chassis MacPherson strut front suspension; multi-link rear with constant-rate coil springs; 20mm front/14mm rear stabilizer bars (2.0L/2.4L); 19mm front/14mm rear stabilizer bars (1.5L hybrid)
Wheels & Tires 16x6.5" cast wheels with 205/55R16 Continental ContiProContact tires (2.0L/1.5L hybrid); 17x7" cast wheels with Michelin Pilot HX MXM4 215/45R17 tires (2.4L, option on 2.0L)
At the Pump (city/highway/combined mpg) 24/35/28 (2.0L); 22/31/25 (2.4L); 39/38/38 (1.5L hybrid)
The Competition Buick Verano, Audi A3, Volvo C30
Deep Thoughts We wish for more differentiation with the K24 model—maybe some new aero, 18" wheels, bigger brakes or seats. But overall, the ILX is a step in the right direction for Acura with a new entry-level car. Plus, it’ll impress your mom or nagging girlfriend.

terdonal

This reviewer saw what I saw in the ILX.

Markat

The 2.4 does indeed have bigger front brakes, 11.8 inches versus 11.1

TSX69

2013 Acura ILX Hybrid Track Test

Acura's newest model, the ILX, is aimed squarely at attracting younger buyers to the Acura brand. Acura's already attacked the drivers of the segment with the ILX 2.4 and its straight-from-a-Civic-Si powertrain, and now it's aiming at the green set with the 2013 Acura ILX Hybrid.

The Hybrid swaps out the fan-favorite 2.4-liter inline-4 and 6-speed manual transmission for a 1.5-liter 4-pot backed by an electric motor and a CVT (continuously variable transmission). This results in a 90-hp drop, but a significant improvement in fuel economy. The 2013 Acura ILX Hybrid returns 39 city/38 highway mpg and a combined EPA rating of 38 mpg.

But is it any good to drive? We took it to the track to find out.

Vehicle: 2013 Acura ILX Hybrid with Technology Package
Odometer: 2,876
Date: 7/3/2012
Driver: Chris Walton
Price: $35,295 (price as tested)

Specifications:
Drive Type: Front engine, front-wheel drive
Transmission Type: CVT
Engine Type: Naturally aspirated, port-injected inline-4
Displacement (cc/cu-in): 1,497/91.4
Redline (rpm): 6,000
Horsepower (hp @ rpm): 111 @ 5,500
Torque (lb-ft @ rpm): 127 @ 1,000
Brake Type (front): 10.3-inch ventilated discs with single-piston sliding calipers
Brake Type (rear): 10.2-inch solid discs with single-piston sliding calipers
Suspension Type(front): Independent MacPherson struts, coil springs, twin-tube dampers, stabilizer bar
Suspension Type (rear): Independent multilink, coil springs, twin-tube dampers, stabilizer bar
Tire Size (front): P205/55R16 (89H)
Tire Size (rear): P205/55R16 (89H)
Tire Brand: Continental
Tire Model: ContiProContact
Tire Type: All-season
As tested Curb Weight (lb): 2,960

Test Results:
Acceleration
0-30 (sec): 3.8 (3.9 w/ TC on)
0-45 (sec): 6.5 (6.6 w/ TC on)
0-60 (sec): 10.4 (10.5 w/ TC on)
0-60 with 1-ft Rollout (sec): 10.0 (10.1 w/ TC on)
0-75 (sec): 16.2 (16.2 w/ TC on)
1/4-Mile (sec @ mph): 17.6 @ 77.9 (17.7 @ 78.2 w/ TC on)

Braking
30-0 (ft): 31
60-0 (ft): 129

Handling
Slalom (mph): 63.6 (61.0 w/TC off)
Skid Pad Lateral Acceleration (g): 0.81 (0.77 w/TC on)
Db @ Idle: 38.0 (engine off)
Db @ Full Throttle: 74.1
Db @ 70 mph Cruise: 69.1
RPM @ 70: 2,250

Comments:
Acceleration: The ILX benefits only slightly from Trac Off and generous pedal overlap to keep the engine running at launch. Drive is the quickest/fastest mode — S and Manual shift modes are slower because they insert artificial gearchanges into the CVT's otherwise near-redline quarter-mile passes.

Braking: Normal jump-in with normal driving disappears with a "panic" stop where the car feels as if it didn't begin braking in earnest until 45-0 (just like the non-hybrid ILX). 1st stop was the shortest and the pedal went slightly softer by the 4th stop, where it tracked straight, but distance grew by 4-5 feet.

Handling:
Skid pad: With ESC Off, the ILX feels well balanced and begins a mild understeer condition that only requires throttle steering — I never moved my hands at all. Steering is pretty isolated with linear buildup, but doesn't feel like numb EPS per se. With ESC On it begins to allow the same amount of understeer, but closes throttle shy of howling tires.

Slalom: Slow-ish steering response (a little numb, too), moderate yaw reaction, but it feels stable and predictable nonetheless. With ESC Off, the car is neutral and wants to be chucked past each cone, but the tires won't cash that check and only allow predictable breakaway at a fairly low threshold. ESC On snubbed understeer with fairly heavy-handed (and loud) individual brake application. Effective but obviously conservative settings.

The manufacturer provided Edmunds this vehicle for the purposes of evaluation.

AcuraILX

Hello AcuraZine. There’s been a lot of interest on the specifications around here that deal with the new Acura ILX, and how it stacks up to the lineup. But enough speculation. Autoweek is hosting a series of Ride & Drive events to let you experience the ILX first hand. Check their site here to see if the five-city tour is coming near you and RSVP for this free and exclusive event. http://acurailx.autoweek.com/index.php

TSX69

AcuraILX

A number of people got a chance to test drive and experience the new Acura ILX in LA. Will you be joining us in city near you?

http://acurailx.autoweek.com/

Thanks to TXX69 for posting the video link!

DEman19901

IMO I think the ILX is the last of Honda's half arsed attempts. From what I've seen so far, the 2013 seems to be Honda returning to it's roots. I am hoping that after the Accord is released, it is a sign of the great products that are about to come.

rickpoole

We test drove an ILX Hybrid Tech, Prius V, and Camry Hybrid today (drove an ILX Tech last week). Here are our findings:

ILX Likes:
1. Styling
2. Options
3. Control layouts and functions
4. Sound system quality
5. Navigation System operation
6. Better steering and road feel
7. Loaner cars
8. Acura service (have owned 4 previous Acuras)

ILX Dislikes:
1. Mileage (ILX non-hybrid) plus requiring Premium fuel
2. Lack of smooth transition from gas to gas/electric (hybrid) on acceleration or deceleration - noticeable jerking as electric motor switched on/off
3. Navigation system lockout of function while vehicle is in motion (currently have a Lexus HS250h that locks out similar functions and make the nav unit virtually useless while the car is in motion when changes are needed due to lousy voice command reliability). Acura voice commands seem more reliable but still not anywhere near accurate enough to substitute for direct input. Not allowing passenger to directly input to nav unit while vehicle is in motion is inexcusable.
4. Hybrid Price compared to competition - even though the ILX is a more upscale vehicle than the Camry hybrid the much higher price just isn't justified (> $7K more comparably equipped).
5. Noisier ride than the Camry and maybe even noisier than the Prius V (couldn't tell for sure since we drove them on different roads).
6. Hybrid requiring premium fuel (or getting 10-15% lower mileage on regular) - this is assume the two local Acura dealers are telling us correctly. Hard to image any car designer thinks a hybrid using premium fuel is a good idea (the Prius and Camry use regular).
7. Lack of memory seats (neither the Prius nor Camry has memory seats)
8. No pass-through in rear seat (Prius seats fold down, Camry has a rear seat pass-through).
9. On the hybrid the A/C was barely useful while sitting at red lights (Dallas, summertime, 95+ degrees). Switching to non-econ mode helped but reduced the gas mileage by 15-20%. As a comparison our Lexus HS250h does not change the A/C when the car is stopped and only reduced the mileage by <10%.

Since we typically keep our cars for 10 years and as much as we'd like to stay with Acura the Camry hybrid is a much better long term solution when price is considered. At the present time we'd pick the Camry 1st, the Prius V 2nd, the Lexus CT200h 3rd and the ILX hybrid 4th. If the ILX Hybrid was $5K less it might end up in first place or second place.

So, what would we change?

1. Use regular fuel
2. Lower the price to be more competitive
3. Rework the gas/electric conversion to make the transition smooth enough to not be noticeable.
4. Rework the suspension, change tires, add the active noise cancellation system to the hybrid
5. Add an option to run the power train in a better econ mode that is more in line with what the Honda Civic can achieve with the same drive train. This would allow the drive a number of choices between pure econ and pure performance. Would open up a lot more markets.
6. Remove the navigation system function locks outs while the car is in motion and/or make the nav system a totally independent option with no other features bundled in. This would allow customers to not choose the nav system without giving up other options. With the shift to portable nav systems, then to phone based nav systems, in-car nav systems will probably disappear in a few years. Decoupling them from other options, dramatically lowering the price and not charging for updates is the only way for manufactures to keep selling them.
7. Add a rear seat pass-through in the hybrid like in the Camry hybrid.
8. Run the A/C compressor by only an electric motor.

TSX69

2013 Acura ILX Light on Power, Driver Enthusiasm

With summer barreling through the calendar faster than you can say "water wings," it's likely you have a family reunion looming on the horizon.

As friends and co-workers will tell you, there are generally a few minefields that are best to avoid at such potentially volatile family gatherings. These include the alarmingly yellow potato salad, political affiliations and showing up alone — again.

Maybe bring Acura's all-new ILX instead.

Consider what this compact, almost-luxury sedan comes with: a handsome exterior and manageable price tag to make your parents proud. A button-worshiping and tech-heavy interior so your oily-faced nephew finally thinks you're cool. And a lack of space, power and aptitude for fun, lest your Uncle Larry think you're getting too glib for your britches.

There's nothing like a neutered, well-made, conspicuously moderate car to bring the family together.

The front-wheel drive ILX starts at $26,795 and is more or less a bedazzled version of the Honda Civic. Thus the two share a trio of engine choices. Acura expects a vast majority of buyers to choose the base 2.0-liter 4-cylinder unit I spent most of my time in. Its displacement has been bumped up from 1.8 liters in the Civic and it now gives the ILX 150 horsepower and 140 pound-feet of torque.

As you may have guessed, 150 horsepower does not a quick car make. This ILX often felt underpowered, especially on the freeway. Acura does deserve some kudos for smoothing out the engine's character compared with the version in the Civic.

The only transmission available is a 5-speed automatic, and it's capable but not extraordinary. (The lack of a 6th gear shows the perils of relying too heavily on an economy car for your foundation.) Paddle shifters are a nice touch. This engine is rated at 24 miles per gallon in the city and 35 on the highway. In 220 miles of testing, I averaged 24.5 mpg.

The ILX's driving dynamics were similarly competent yet unenthused. It's perfectly capable of getting you where you need to go without fuss, but don't look to it for a particularly engaging experience. This seems like a lost opportunity to introduce the Acura brand as a product that's fun to pilot. Wind noise is nicely isolated, but the ILX clatters over bumps and potholes like its humble cousin and not the luxury car it wants to be.

More power — and fun — is available in the form of the optional, 2.4-liter engine ripped right out of the Honda Civic Si. It gives you 201 horsepower and 170 pound-feet of torque and is paired with a six-speed manual transmission.

Although I wasn't able to sample this power plant in the ILX, I've driven it in the Civic Si, and it's a rev-happy joy-machine. One has to wonder why Acura didn't just make it standard equipment on the ILX and skip the smaller engine altogether. After all, an ILX with the Premium package is $30,095, regardless of which of these 2 engines you choose.

Acura chalks it up to the smaller engine's (minor) advantage in gas mileage. Although that could be the case, it seems like Acura also didn't want the demi-luxury ILX to encroach on the territory of the larger TSX, which has that bigger engine as standard.

Finally, Acura offers the ILX with a hybrid powertrain, again from the Honda Civic. This $3,000 upgrade has 111 horsepower and 127 pound-feet of torque from a 1.5-liter engine and an electric motor. It's paired with a continually variable transmission and is estimated to get 39 mpg in the city and 38 on the highway.

Turning to the metal that's wrapped around these engines, Acura has done a great job of making the ILX safely handsome. Save for similar profiles that feature short trunk lids, you'd be hard pressed to see any resemblance of the lesser Honda in this Acura.

Thankfully, Acura also did away with the imprudent and garish metal grills of some of its other vehicles. Instead, the ILX is fitted with a much smaller chrome strip up front, which ties in well with a sleek and sporty visage that should appeal to a wide variety of buyers.

Inside, Acura has also nicely delineated the ILX from the Civic. The cabin is solidly bolted together and finished with a soft-touch dashboard. The seats are comfortable throughout, though in the rear they seemed to be more supportive than those up front.

The model I tested was the $32,295 ILX Tech, which adds options such as leather seats that are heated in the front, a navigation system with real-time traffic and weather updates, a 10-speaker sound system and a backup camera.

The systems worked well together, but the dashboard layout is plagued by a miasma of buttons orbiting around an enormous knob that serves as your primary controller. This made for a steep learning curve and a hunt-and-peck-style of finding the right button that made me feel like a toddler learning to type. A steering wheel equally festooned with buttons didn't help.

My only other quibble with the ILX interior was its tight visibility; this car felt small only when you were looking out of it. The A-pillar around the windshield seemed to cut into your sight lines when looking to the left and right, and a trio of headrests in the back seats cut into the already small rear window. Consider removing them entirely if your back-seat passengers are few.

You can choose a car, but you can't choose your family. As such, Acura's ILX excels at modesty. Its centrist compromises on horsepower and space are perfect for navigating the minefield that is a family gathering. Your ace in the hole is the fact that the ILX is assembled right here on U.S. soil, at Honda's Greensburg, Ind., plant.

That should get your sister-in-law to stop quietly judging you long enough to pass the watermelon. Now, who's hosting Thanksgiving?

david.undercoffler@latimes.com

TSX69

2013 Acura ILX Hybrid:
Weekend Test of Acura's 1st Hybrid

Honda has been building hybrid cars since 1999, but it's taken until now for the company to offer a hybrid model in the company's upmarket Acura brand.

We spent 3 days with, and covered 300 miles in, a new 2013 Acura ILX Hybrid 4-door sedan.

And we have to say, while we like the ILX as a car--and it delivers good gas mileage, averaging 41.4 mpg over our test--the 2013 ILX Hybrid suffers from the same challenges as the 2012 Honda Civic Hybrid.

The ILX is Acura's smallest model in several years, but underneath, it's very similar to the Civic. The 3 separate ILX powertrain options match those available in the Civic range. And it's assembled in the U.S. at a Civic manufacturing plant to boot.

Our ILX Hybrid had a 111-horsepower, 1.5-liter 4-cylinder engine with a 15-kilowatt electric motor sandwiched between the engine and Honda's continuously variable transmission (CVT).

The EPA rates the 2013 ILX Hybrid at 38 mpg combined, versus the 44-mpg rating of the lighter Civic Hybrid that shares the same powertrain.

There are also 2 more powerful models, one with a 1.8-liter 4 and the other with a direct-injected 2.4-liter--which we'll test later on.

The main challenge with the ILX Hybrid is its notable lack of power under some driving circumstances. It's decent off the line, with the mild-hybrid system restarting the engine fast enough to provide a manageable lag away from a stop.

But the ILX Hybrid falls down badly on power for acceleration in the critical 45-to-75-mph window. Whether it's accelerating to make a light that's about to change, or merging onto a fast-flowing freeway, the car simply doesn't provide the acceleration that a $35,000 near-luxury sport sedan ought to.

The styling of the ILX is modern and hits the latest Acura design themes. We're not entirely convinced we like the rising accent line on the sides, but overall, the Acura ILX is handsome without being particularly distinctive.

The interior is a pleasant place to spend time, with a far nicer interior than the widely criticized 2012 Civic interior. It has soft-touch materials on most surfaces, and our test car came with a fetching 2-tone interior and leather upholstery that felt luxurious for the size of the car.

The seats were comfortable and rear-seat legroom is adequate with a bit of horse-trading between front and rear passengers. Trunk space is good, albeit through a relatively short opening.

And we particularly liked Acura's central control knob for moving through the screens on its central dash display.

Our hybrid ILX (serial number 509) came with a buzz in the center console that appeared on a number of different road surfaces and grew irksome over 3 days. We could fix it by pressing hard on the top of the center stack, but it was an unexpected and disturbing quality glitch in a new vehicle.

We also noticed very occasional creaks from the braking system, but couldn't reliably replicate the condition.

Our test car was the 2013 Acura ILX Tech Hybrid, with a base price of $34,400. For the 1st time in years, there wasn't a single option; the sticker price had only the mandatory $895 delivery fee, for a total sticker price of $35,295.

neuronbob

But that's not what you buy a hybrid for. While I wouldn't buy this hybrid--my foot is way too leaden and I care way too much about acceleration--there are plenty who don't care about speed, only mileage and luxury, who would.

Colin

LOL, there are a lot of cars where the +15 mph over the traditional 0-60 test are the hardest to gain. Frankly in my neck of the woods nobody drives at 75 anyway. My last ticket was for 65 as they are really draconian here.

Anyway, I think I totalled my RSX a couple of days ago (waiting on insurance to inspect it) so I'm facing a huge dilemma on what to replace it with. A base ILX Hybrid is on my short list but I still struggle with the fact that our $21.5K CR-Z EX has more HP PLUS: HIDs, BT, and our beloved 6MT at a $5K lower price. In the ILX's corner, the fact that it's more heavily weighted towards using IMA power vs gas, means it should do better on fuel economy.

neuronbob

to your RSX. Glad to read you are OK enough to post after the accident.

TSX69

You Can't Beat it with a Stick

NOT many Americans still want a car with a manual transmission. And for the Facebook generation, a car with 3rd pedal near the floorboard (it's called a clutch) might as well be a Hudson Hornet.

For those reasons, fewer automakers -- even exotic brands like Lamborghini -- are bothering with stick shifts. So while a small cadre of enthusiasts can praise Acura for offering a 6-speed manual in its 2013 ILX , one wonders if the sales strategy will someday be studied in business schools as a cautionary tale of misguided marketing: the most powerful, desirable version of this compact sport sedan isn't available with an automatic transmission at all.

Essentially, if you refuse to wrangle a stick and a clutch -- or can't sell your significant other on the arrangement -- you may want to cross the ILX off your list. Save thousands and get a Ford Focus, a Mazda 3 or another sporty compact with a lot of features but no luxury pretensions. It's really that simple. And the problem isn't that the ILX is a bad car. The problem is that it is 3 cars.

1 of these is impressive, and the others are largely forgettable, all because of the sort of self-sabotage that we've seen too often of late from Honda and its upscale Acura division.

The good news is that although the ILX is a deluxe makeover of the Honda Civic, most people would never guess they're related. Once the most flavorful of compact cars, the Civic has been watered down like a cheap margarita. The ILX feels quite different: it looks better and drives sharper, and it is peaceful and pleasing inside.

Smart alecks will lazily accuse the ILX of being a Civic with leather seats, but 1 trip around the block would change their tune. The Acura's fine road manners recall the slightly larger Accord-based Acura TSX.

Drop in the TSX's 2.4-liter engine, which feels stronger than its 201-horsepower rating, and you have an under-the-radar sport sedan, a touch lighter and faster than the ever-reliable TSX. The base price is $30,095, about $5,000 more than you'd spend on loaded versions of everyday compacts.

And while a $30,000 compact sedan tends to set American eyeballs rolling, the combination of this engine -- still one of the world's great 4-cylinders -- and generous features makes this version of the ILX, the 2.4L, an attractive proposition.

But here's the catch: the 2.4L, the version that truly justifies its entry-luxury price, can be obtained only with a 6-speed manual transmission. Way to go, Honda: you just eliminated, oh, about 95% of the customers who'd even consider spending $30,000 or more on a small sedan.

Worse, when those manual-shift die-hards show up at the dealer, determined to get a top-shelf ILX -- with all the luxury goodies that help to justify the price -- they'll also learn that they cannot have a voice-activated navigation system, even as an option. That feature, the sales representative will be forced to explain, is available on only the base model and the Hybrid.

The 2.4L buyer is also denied the AcuraLink satellite communications system, real-time traffic and weather reports and 15 gigabytes of music storage.

That leaves the 2 other ILX models for the people who demand an automatic transmission -- pretty much everyone -- and the latest in-car technology. Yet both seem like shakier propositions, including the starter model, the 2.0L.

Priced from $26,795, this is the ILX that screams "compromise" at the top of its little 2-liter lungs, with standard cloth seats and just 150 breathless horses from a version of the Civic engine. The base model is a car that dogs will chase, sniff and recognize as one of their own.

And once you throw in the options that make a "premium" compact premium, the price of the 2.0L can reach $32,295. That's a lot for a sedan with an econobox engine and no more oomph than cars that cost around $20,000.

In comparison, the new Buick Verano offers a 180-horsepower 4-cylinder in its base model (with a 250-horsepower turbo version on its way), and the Audi A3 features a fat 200 horsepower from a brilliant turbo 4-cylinder.

Options on the 2.0L come in 2 straightforward groups.

The $3,300 Premium Package includes heated leather seats, a power driver's seat, 17-inch wheels, a 360-watt audio system, high-intensity headlamps, fog lamps, a rearview camera and active noise cancellation, which quells annoying sound frequencies that intrude into the cabin.

The package also features a Pandora Internet radio interface and a Bluetooth-enabled feature that can read incoming text messages out loud. It even lets drivers send 6 preset replies using voice commands.

Then there is a $2,200 Technology Package that adds the navigation system and surround-sound audio.

And while the ILX 2.0L is offered exclusively with an automatic transmission, it is the prosaic 5-speed from the Civic. You can get 6 speeds on any number of bargain-basement compacts.

There is a 3rd model, the ILX Hybrid, which seems to have the market potential of an Uggs store in Sudan. Starting at $29,795, or $3,000 above the base ILX, this model adopts the Civic Hybrid's 111-horsepower gas engine and gives it an electric motor assist.

Add on the Hybrid's $5,500 Technology Package (which includes every available feature save 17-inch wheels), and buyers are looking at $35,295 for a small hybrid that can't break 40 miles per gallon. (The government rating is 39 m.p.g. in the city and 38 on the highway. For comparison, the strikingly styled Lexus CT 200h tops the Acura with a 43/40 m.p.g. rating.

Asked about the odd lineup decisions, Acura executives said the 2.4-liter, manual-only ILX was positioned as the high-performance model. For customers who prefer an automatic, the executives added, there's always the TSX.

My hunch is that once its dealers' howls stop reverberating, Acura will relent and offer an automatic on the most desirable ILX, the 2.4L. While at it, Acura might drop the base engine entirely, along with the pretense, to establish what the ILX is supposed to be: an entertaining Euro-style sport compact.

For now, that ILX 2.4L is good enough to send people to remedial shifting school to brush up on their clutch work.

Across the line, Acura revamped the Civic stem-to-stern with a lighter and stiffer structure (including aluminum bits); more sound deadening, thicker laminated windows and aerodynamic covers below the floor; a nearly 7% faster steering ratio with more precisely machined gears; and a sportier suspension, including dual-stage shock absorbers and lower-friction bushings.

The stability system borrows advanced controls from Honda's Asimo humanoid robot, with faster reactions and an ability to make automatic steering corrections to counter skids.

The resulting car can't break-dance like the adorable robot, but it is handsome and entertaining. Even for those who choose the more frugal powertrains, the Acura feels like a legitimate entry-luxury car down to its smartly tailored cabin. Guiding the Acura over a gravel-choked road, its solidity and quietness made an instant impression.

Aging boy racers who loved their old Integras or RSXs may be let down by this more subtle approach. But the top-shelf Acura is no poseur, save for its modest all-season Michelin tires.

The Buick Verano is a stylish and reasonably charming car. But the Acura feels more fun and sophisticated -- as does the TSX compared with the Buick Regal. The ILX beats the Verano on engine performance, quick and sensitive steering, suspension and bump control and shifter feel. (The turbo Verano will have a chance to even the score.)

Honda recalled about 6,000 ILXs this month to repair a potentially faulty door latch, though no customers had reported a problem with the car.

Helping to wring every drop from the 2.4L's 7,000-r.p.m. engine and 170 pound-feet of torque, the Acura's shifter and clutch are the smoothest synchronized pair this side of a $100,000 Porsche 911S. This powertrain scoots the ILX from a standstill to 60 m.p.h. in about seven seconds, roughly two seconds quicker than the starter model.

But you'd better check your watch for the unhurried Hybrid, which arrives at 60 m.p.h roughly 4 seconds after the sporty ILX 2.4L.

The 2.4 engine does consume slightly more gas, with a 22/31 miles per gallon rating versus 24/35 for the 2-liter model.

I happened to drive the ILX back to back with Acura's redesigned RDX crossover. Both the sprightly RDX and high-end ILX chalked up all the performance and features you'd expect in their categories. Yet the RDX doesn't dabble in multiple powertrains or raise shifter barriers to potential buyers. It's a tremendously versatile crossover and feels like a clear bargain against rivals like the Lexus RX 350, Audi Q5 and BMW X3. As such, the RDX is just the kind of all-aboard winner that Acura needs to re-establish itself as a smart, practical choice among luxury brands.

But aside from hybrid fanatics with $30,000-plus to burn, the ILX seems limited to fans of shift-it-yourself compacts at a relatively high price. Because either group might struggle to fill a high school gym, Acura should act quickly to expand the appeal of the ILX before it slips through the market's cracks.

neuronbob

Agree to some extent. C'mon Earth Dreams drivetrains!

And the bean counter who decided that the 2.4 should be had without a Tech package should be fired for gross incompetence IMHO. I mean....really?

Colin

I know that we're only one store, but in the 2-3 years that the TSX was available in 6MT and Tech we sold exactly two. Seriously. Its simply impossible to inventory 6MTs in all the colors as it stands, so they were damned no matter which way they chose. In some respects, the best choice would have been to have a single 180 HP engine with 5AT and 6MT understanding that the 5AT would be replaced when ED comes out. This way they could have had the 3 trims and two transmissions plus the two hybrids. This is still a whopping 8 product lines but maybe the 6MT could only be on the Premium and Tech?

On a side note, the insurance adjuster just said his damage estimate is $11,000 so I'm thinking there is no way they'll fix the car. Now I have a big dilemma.

Yumcha

neuronbob

Point well taken. Wow. OK, I will take this as yet another example of enthusiasts asking for a model and then not buying it.

RSX. Sorry to read of it.

SSFTSX

Civic in Malaysia has been lunched with exact same 2.0 engine. but it includes push button start, HID, Auto leveling head lights, turn signals on mirrors, chrome plated door handles,chrome rings around fog lights, power folding mirros, 4 corner sensors, 8 way powe seats, 17inch rim standard on 2.0 engine.
Full modulo kit available on website for $1500 with installation.

http://www.honda.com.my/model/personalisation/civic/

Now there is very little chance of exporting ILX when Civic is so loaded.

Colin

They just called and offered $12,432. I think that's a little low considering that KBB says $14,559 with the mileage adjustment (car has 62K). Of course they're deducting for the manual transmission but we all know here that in the 'real world' of a pre-owned car it's really an add for the right guy!

The primary point of contention is the mileage adjustment. Their source says it's +$440 and KBB says +$2300.

Markat

I wonder if there's any chance of getting this (2.0 engine and/or those options) in the United States as the 2013 Civic redesign?

Colin

Well, it's not all 'their' fault. The problem (IMO) is that dealers generally stock 2-3X the number of new car sales per month. In our case, we keep 200ish cars in stock to sell 70-80. If you continue that ratio to keep a selection of manuals, we'd have to keep 10-20 to sell the 5-6. That's not practical across TL, TSX and ILX since a) they don't make that many and b) we couldn't possibly consider having 25-30% of the inventory in a manual. SO... when enthusiasts on forums complain that "I went to try one but they didn't have any..." they're right, but there is a reason. Finally, if you made an effort to inventory manuals, keeping this selection for months, would hurt your allocation of cars you do sell in volume.

I hadn't thought of that as a possibility, especially once the ILX moves to ED engines. However, this assumes that the Civic won't also move to the new engines when they're ready. I guess it depends on how many they can make as they ramp up production. As for the other options, I'd think they could be added as time goes by, but I think the "rushed" changes will be more basic like higher quality materials vs more gadgets (maybe MMC for goodies?).

TSX69

2013 Acura ILX Premium

You Tube

CNET Editors' Rating: 3.0 stars Good
$29,200.00
Review Date: 8/01/12

The good: The 2013 Acura ILX Premium's cabin features comfortable heated leather seats with power adjustment and a full array of digital audio sources. The 2.4-liter's performance is everything we'd expect from a car based on the Civic Si.

The bad: The ILX lacks the Civic Si's limited-slip differential. Its seats don't offer much lateral support. The tall dashboard is difficult to see over. The Bluetooth hands-free system features poor voice command. It's pricey for what's basically a Civic. There's no navigation available on the 2.4-liter model.

The bottom line: The 2013 Acura ILX offers everything that's great about the Honda Civic in a more luxurious form, but it doesn't really fix any of its tech shortcomings and is probably a bit too expensive.
MSRP: $29,200.00 Low Price: $29,200.00

Not too long ago, Acura decided to ax a sweet little sport compact called the RSX because it was simply too close to the Honda Civic, with which it shared its underpinnings. I was sad to see the RSX go, but even I had to admit that there was some logic there. Aside from having a radically different body style than its contemporary Civic cousin, the last iteration of the top-of-the-line RSX Type-S was basically just a Civic Si without a limited-slip differential. So, just 5 years after its introduction, the RSX was no more.

That was back in 2006. Now, fast forward 6 years to the launch of the 2013 ILX, a new entry-level Acura model that shares the underpinnings of its contemporary Honda Civic. Like the RSX, the high-performance trim level is basically just a Civic Si without a limited-slip differential. What gives? Is history repeating itself here?

Well, the RSX was designed to be a higher-performance version of the Civic. The ILX, on the other hand, heads in the opposite direction, justifying its higher price tag with more creature comforts, softer seats, and sharper styling. Essentially, it's the more luxurious, more expensive version of the Civic. When 1 of the Civic's major selling points is its sticker price, I'm not sure that more expensive is the right direction to head and can't help but wonder if we'll see the ILX meet the same fate as the RSX that came before it.

It's just like a Civic...

Let's start beneath the sheet metal. The ILX is available with the same power train as the Honda Civic. Prospective buyers are also given the choice of a 2.0-liter engine and a 1.5-liter Hybrid engine, but our ILX was powered by the 2.4-liter engine from the Civic Si. A typical, high-revving Honda mill, the 2.4-liter's maximum rated at 201-horsepower comes at a lofty 7,000rpm, but the full 170 pound-feet of available torque comes on at a more reasonable 4,400rpm. The optional 6-speed manual gearbox is the same and features the same effortless, snappy throw as the Si. Fuel economy is rated at 22 mpg in the city, 31 mpg on the highway, and 25 mpg combined.

The ILX's 2.4-liter engine comes straight out of the Civic Si. Its LSD, however, is curiously absent.
(Credit: Josh Miller/CNET)

The ILX's 105.1 wheelbase is identical to the Civic's, and the rest of its exterior dimensions are within millimeters of the Honda's (the variation coming primarily in from the differences in the sheet metal). The Acura sits on the same MacPherson strut front suspension and multilink independent rear suspension. Spec the 2.4-liter engine and the ILX 17-inch wheels are of a different design from the Civic Si's, but the P215/45-R17 all-season tires wrapped around those wheels are the same.

The throttle is the same drive-by-wire system, and the front wheels are steered by the same electronic power-steering system, but the steering ratio has been quickened to 15.11:1 versus 16.08:1. The ILX's steering is a precise point and shoot affair -- a rarity in front-wheel-drive cars these days -- but it lacks feel, feedback, and weightiness. Interestingly, the ILX's turning radius is about 8.4 inches wider than the Civic Si's. Despite its cushier cabin, the ILX only gains 83 pounds of curb weight over its H-badged cousin.

...but it doesn't look like a Civic...

Like the Acura RSX that came before it, the ILX is, of course, a bit more than just a rebadged Civic. There are a number of differences between the 2 models.

The primary difference is an aesthetic one. The ILX is wrapped in sheet metal that's slightly more curvaceous than its wedge-shaped cousin; its rump is rounded ever-so-slightly and its shoulders emphasized with a dramatic crease that rises over the rear wheel well and plunges to join the high beltline that runs the length of the vehicle. The side windows have been reshaped into something a bit more BMW-esque, and the overall vehicle length increased slightly with body work.

The ILX's sharp tail lamps tie together the sedan's round rump.
(Credit: Josh Miller/CNET)

The upgraded lighting is a welcome addition to the ILX's spec sheet, casting crisp HID illumination on the road ahead without blinding oncoming drivers. The lights feature automatic illumination, but don't feature any sort of lateral steering or automatic high-beam technology. I found the shape of the lights at both ends of the vehicle to be very handsome. The fronts complement the Acura corporate beak fantastically, and the rear tie together what could easily be a badonkadonk rear end.

From certain angles, the ILX looks downright classy, an improvement over the space cadet looks of the Civic. However, from other angles, the Acura seems a bit goofy. Most notably, the lower intakes of the angular, boat prow front bumper add an odd bulbous look to what is otherwise a sharply designed face. Overall, the ILX's design is decidedly "meh." It's generally inoffensive, but the styling takes so few chances that the result is rather anonymous.

As I already stated, beneath the sheet metal, most Acura ILX models are identical to their Honda Civic analogs. However, our 2.4-liter model differs from the Civic Si in 2 critical ways. For starters, it lacks a helical limited-slip differential (LSD) and the option for stickier summer tires isn't available -- both indicators that the ILX 2.4's primary goal isn't outright performance. A revival of the Acura RSX Type-S this is not, but I doubt most ILX drivers will even notice the omission.

...and it's more luxurious than a Civic...

Inside the cabin, the ILX receives a number of substantial "upgrades" over the Honda Civic as well. I put "upgrades" in quotes because whether many of these changes should be considered improvements is a bit subjective.

For starters, there's the plushier leather upholstery that wraps the new 8-way power adjustable driver's seat that comes as part of the Premium package. There's the new curvaceous, soft-touch dashboard that rises before you. Keyless entry and push-button start are my favorite new features. The Civic's bi-level digital gauges have been replaced with a more traditional dual analog, speedometer and tachometer gauge setup. Automatic climate controls do most of the HVAC fiddling for you and heated seating surfaces on the front buckets keep your rear end toasty in the wintertime.

Push-button start and keyless entry are among my favorite additions to the ILX's feature list.
(Credit: Josh Miller/CNET)

However, that tall dashboard means that I had to raise the seat a bit more than I was comfortable with to see out over the extremely tall hood at the center of the dashboard, which cuts into available headroom. The soft-touch, Godzllla-skin material that covers much of the dashboard just feels cheap and rubbery. Those more cushy leather seats don't offer very much lateral support during cornering. The ILX's cabin does look better than a Civic's on paper and in photos, but ergonomically, I think I prefer the cheaper model.

And then there's the cabin tech. Models, like our tester, that don't come equipped with navigation utilize the same 5-inch i-MID system that is found on the Honda Civic. The only difference is that now it's commanded with a large knob and button system found in the center of the dashboard, rather than with steering-wheel controls as is on the Civic. This makes it harder to work with while driving, since you have to take a hand off of the wheel.

The tall hood that covers the ILX's LCD information center cuts into valuable windshield space.
(Credit: Josh Miller/CNET)

In this configuration, the ILX features Bluetooth hands-free calling with address book sync, but the voice command system that controls the hands-free system doesn't feature automatic voice tagging or speech-to-text recognition. So, after syncing your address book, you'll have to go in and manually choose favorites to manually add voice tags for -- a tedious process that I'd rather just skip. Of course, the full address book can be browsed manually as well, but that requires using the big control knob and taking a hand off of the wheel and eyes, momentarily, off of the road.

The system also features standard Bluetooth audio streaming, USB connectivity for mass storage devices and iPods/iPhones, an auxiliary audio input, and the ability to interface with the Pandora Internet Radio app on a connected iPhone. SiriusXM Satellite Radio, AM/FM radio, and a single-slot CD player round out the audio sources that feed the Premium model's 7-speaker, 200-watt audio system (including an 8-inch subwoofer).

Although navigation is available on certain ILX models, this i-MID derived system is as good a the tech gets for 2.4-liter ILX buyers.
(Credit: Josh Miller/CNET)

There is a step-up Technology package available that replaces the 5-inch interface with an 8-inch AcuraLink navigation system with traffic, weather, and Zagat reviews. This package also upgrades the audio system to a 410-watt, 10-speaker ELS surround sound system with a more robust voice command system that lets passengers select from songs on a connected iPhone with the sound of their voice. This is probably the trim level to get because the Premium configuration already looks pretty dated compared to even the Hyundai Veloster. However, Acura doesn't offer the technology package in conjunction with the 2.4-liter engine, so you'll have to step down to the 2.0-liter model or up to the Hybrid to even have a shot at this.

...but, is it worth the premium price?

The short answer is "probably not."

The ILX starts at $25,900 for the 2.0-liter base model with the standard 5-speed automatic transmission. However, for $5,245 more than a Civic EX, you only get a 10-horsepower bump, less fuel economy, and an Acura badge. Even Honda's own vehicle comparison tool shows the 2013 Civic as the clear winner in this comparison.

As tested, our 2013 ILX 2.4 Premium's sticker price jumps up to $30,095 (including an $895 destination charge), a whopping $6,750 more than a fully loaded Civic Si sedan with navigation with which it shares its bones. For the extra dough, you get the leather trim with heated front seats, power adjustment on driver's seat, a slightly nicer stereo system, a rearview camera, HID headlamps, and, of course, an Acura badge. That may not sound like that bad of a deal until you realize that you're also losing the Si's navigation system, summer performance tires, and limited-slip differential. Whether you're comparing performance, cabin technology, or bang for the buck, at this trim level the Civic Si simply wins again.

1 could make an argument for the fully loaded, teched-out ILX Hybrid with Technology package with its AcuraLink navigation and ELS premium audio rig, but its $35,295 price tag ventures far too deeply into BMW territory for what is ostensibly still just a Honda Civic.

Tech specs
Model 2013 Acura ILX
Trim 2.4-liter, Premium
Power train 2.4-liter, FWD, 6-speed manual
EPA fuel economy 22 mpg city, 31 mpg highway, 25 mpg combined mpg
Observed fuel economy n/a
Navigation Available AcuraLink with traffic, weather, and Zagat POIs
Bluetooth phone support Yes, standard
Disc player Single-slot CD
MP3 player support Standard analog 3.5mm auxiliary input, USB connection, Bluetooth audio streaming, iPod connection
Other digital audio Optional SiriusXM Satellite Radio
Audio system 7-speaker Premium audio system with 8-inch subwoofer
Driver aids Rearview camera
Base price $25,900
Price as tested $30,095

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ShortList the 2013 Acura for Luxurious but Practical Driving

Let me be the 1st to say that I loved driving the 2013 Acura ILX times 2. Love it, really! In fact, I really didn’t want get out from behind the wheel.

Let’s face it, that’s saying a lot for someone who drives a different car every week.

This is on my shortlist of cars I would take home with me.

What really drew me to this car was the fact that it got good fuel economy, handled really well and felt like a luxury car since it was easy to drive, maneuver and navigate all around.

The 2013 Acura ILX is an all-new model for Acura, but I predict it will be a successful 1.

Competition includes other “new generation compacts”; look at the Honda Civic, Buick Verano, Audi A3 or the Lexus CT 200h.

Offered in 2 trims, you get the base or the Hybrid. The standard is the same for both with few exceptions including 16-inch wheels, a sunroof, power accessories, keyless ignition/entry, a leather-wrapped tilt-and-telescoping steering wheel, dual-zone automatic climate control, a rearview camera, and all the audio goodies like auxiliary audio jack, USB/iPod interface, and Pandora integration.

You can also opt for the Premium Package with 17-inch wheels, xenon headlamps, fog lamps, leather upholstery, heated front seats, a power driver seat, advanced rearview camera, and an upgraded 7-speaker sound system with satellite radio.

The Technology package, which you can opt for on the base or the Hybrid, but not on the ILX, comes with the 2.4-liter engine has everything you get in the Premium package plus a hard drive-based navigation system and surround-sound audio with digital music storage.

Under the hood the engine on this Acura is a 2.0-liter 4-cylinder engine with 150 horsepower and 140 pound-feet of torque and that’s with a 5-speed automatic transmission.

With the 2012 Acura ILX Premium package there is a 2.4-liter 4-cylinder engine option with 201 horsepower and 170 pound-feet of torque. On this 1, it’s a 6-speed manual transmission only.

The Hybrid trim has a 1.5-liter 4-cylinder with an Integrated Motor Assist, electric motor also for power boosting when needed and braking energy is used for the electricity as needed to recharge the hybrid lithium-ion battery pack. The gasoline engine will give you 111 horsepower and 127 pound-feet of torque. As well as a continuously variable automatic transmission is standard here.

Safety on the 2013 Acura ILX offers antilock brakes, stability and traction control, front seat side and side curtain airbags and active front head restraints. Of course, the rearview camera, which is a standard, also keeps things safe.

Inside was where I really felt at home and comfortable and the design inside is cool too. Techie goodies are the 5-inch display screen and all the knobs and controls are easy to find and use.

Special care was used in designing the seats to be supportive, yet not give the impression of confinement or hardness. The ILX is also spacious for a compact car with decent backseat space for passengers.

The trunk size is 12.4 cubic feet and the rear seat also folds down for hauling longer items, but not larger necessarily, because the backseat is not split. With the hybrid trim you lose 10 cubic feet of space due to the battery pack.

Acceleration is ideal even with the standard engine and that, coupled with an uber-comfortable ride, spaciousness and good price, well, all I can say, is sign me up now.

Should You Need to Know: It’s a reasonable starting price so it is hard to argue with that. Indeed, the Acura ILX sedan is for those car buyers who want something sporty and nice, but who don’t want the price tag of a luxury car just yet.

Miles Per Gallon: The Acura ILX, which I drove, got 24 miles per gallon in the city and 35 miles per gallon on the highway.

Cost: I drove the 2013 Acura ILX with the Tech package and it came in at $32,295.

Rita Cook is a writer/editor with has over 1000 articles to her credit in the past 13-plus years. She is a frequent auto and travel contributor on a radio show in Los Angeles called Insider Mag Radio at KPRO 1570 am on from midnight to 12:30 a.m. Monday mornings.

She also contributes travel and auto to the Anthony Duva show, which can be heard live from 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. EST every Sunday at www.unregularradio.com.

Cook is a member of the Texas Auto Writer’s Association, writes for the Dallas Morning News Green Living Section as well as artist profiles and www.greensourceDFW and spends much of her time on the road traveling or working on books.

Her latest book releases are both “Haunted Dallas” and “Haunted Fort Worth” from www.historypress.net. Her third book in the Haunted Series will be released in October “Haunted Bartlesville, Oklahoma.” Follow Cook at Twitter at @ritacook13.

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2013 Acura ILX 2.4

Timing may not be everything, but it counts for a lot. If Honda hadn’t 1st dumbed down its compact mainstay, the Civic, we might have expected more from a little Acura based on it. And if Acura hadn’t built this car once before, we might not have expected another good little sedan.

To Acura’s credit, the ILX reminds us more of the brand’s arguably most successful downsizing venture, the 1st-generation TSX, than of the dowdified Civic. On paper, the similarities between the original 2004 TSX and this car are too hard to ignore.

Same wheelbase. Same basic tires. Same interior volume, give or take a cubic foot. And a similar feel as long as you’re not pushing it. Or turning.

The ILX tested here even uses the 6-speed manual and VTEC-equipped 2.4-liter 4-cylinder from TSX v1.0, albeit with gearing variations and a slight bump in the compression ratio that yields a skosh more output. (The base ILX’s 150-hp 4 and the hybrid model—are decidedly less TSX-y.)

The 2.4 is still offered in the now-larger TSX, a car that has us asking: If a sedan bloats in the forest, how long until another small car takes its place? And will anyone remember its alphanumeric designation? But we digress. The 2.4-liter is also used in the latest Civic Si, where it replaces a rev-happier 2.0-liter—not necessarily what the Civic faithful wanted, but its smoother power delivery suits the Acura nicely. The ILX, sadly, does not inherit the Si’s limited-slip differential.

Whereas the original TSX begged you to play, though, the ILX asks politely, then keeps quiet when you show no interest.  Actually, it never quite keeps all that quiet. In 6th gear, the engine is buzzing like it’s in 4th. In 4th, it makes you want to hurry up and shift to 6th. The engine isn’t even halfway to its 7100-rpm redline at 80 mph, but the aural feedback suggests otherwise. It also suggests, inaccurately, that this engine has a turbo feeding it. Weirdness.

The ILX’s electric power steering gives a superb sense of straight-ahead, but there’s more oddity when you turn the wheel—everything goes light, then loads up unnaturally. A few sawing motions will send the slow steering, the front tires, and the rear end all out of phase, which only serves to highlight the comfort-oriented suspension’s disconnection from reality. And as with that original TSX, grip from a set of Michelin Pilot HX MXM4 tires falls off earlier than we’d like.

Dynamic malfeasance aside, we do have to thank Acura for thinking of real drivers when it came to configuring ILX variants. The 2.4-liter model is the only one that comes with a manual, and it comes only with a manual. The wonderful transmission borrowed from the Si is topped by that car’s beautifully precise little shifter, minus the red trim. There are no options here, either. You’ll get a nicely fitted cabin sans navigation and like it. Row your own gears and plan your own routes. Practically everything else in the cabin is powered and/or automatic, as it damn well should be in a car costing 30 large.

Ballooning mustn’t necessarily be followed by ballooning; this ILX weighs less than 3000 pounds while that 1st TSX was just shy of 3250. So, with the same basic engine, the ILX has an accelerative advantage—60 mph comes in 6.9 seconds instead of the 7.2 required of a 2004 TSX. Its braking distance from 70 mph is likewise better, by 7 feet. No doubt some of the mass shed was in the form of sound deadening; the original TSX was much quieter in all of our sound-level measures.

The TSX was lauded when it came out, and for good reason: It was good. This almost-2nd coming follows its path, if not exactly its footsteps.

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2013 Acura ILX Hybrid

With cars such as the RL, TL, and TSX, Acura occupied a very narrow band of the sedan market, but now the ILX extends the brand down toward the compact segment, giving buyers real model differentiation. And the ILX brings Acura its first hybrid car.

I spent a day with the 2013 Acura ILX Hybrid in that cauldron of cars, Los Angeles. My CNET colleague, Antuan Goodwin, previously reviewed the ILX Premium, the non-hybrid, top-trim version of the car. When we had that car in at CNET HQ, Antuan pointed out where its Honda Civic foundation showed through the Acura veneer.

That's right, the ILX is based on the Honda Civic. Although not a case of brand engineering, as the ILX has a different body than the Civic, much else is the same, including the power train options. The ILX Premium used the same engine and transmission as the Civic Si.

The ILX Hybrid and Civic Hybrid also share a power train, a 1.5-liter 4-cylinder gasoline engine complemented by an electric motor. The engine produces 111 horsepower and 127 pound-feet of torque, while the motor, powered by a lithium ion battery, makes 23 horsepower and 78 pound-feet of torque. The electric motor steps in to help the engine during acceleration and enables idle-stop, in which the engine shuts down when the ILX Hybrid is stopped in traffic. The power gets fed to the front wheels through a continuously variable transmission (CVT).

I like the looks of the ILX. The front end may be a little bland, but the rear fenders give it nice style. However, this exterior doesn't scream premium sedan, and would look perfectly fine on a Civic. The interior is where the real difference between Acura and Honda can be seen. The ILX Hybrid had power-adjustable leather seats and the complete electronics package, including navigation with traffic.

The ILX gets hybrid badges to denote the electrically assisted engine.
(Credit: Wayne Cunningham/CNET)

As I cruised around the streets and freeways of Los Angeles, the navigation system proved invaluable for route guidance, and I especially appreciated lane guidance when approaching a junction with 10 lanes splitting off in either direction. But the maps in this system suffer from the age-old problem with Honda navigation systems, where the street names are difficult to read due to jagged letters. The traffic avoidance proved of little use, too, the algorhythm not being bold or creative enough to steer clear of miles and miles of bumper-to-bumper traffic on the 405.

Unlike its Acura siblings, the ILX does not get an ELS audio system. Rather, the premium audio upgrade adds a subwoofer, making for a total of seven speakers, and a 360-watt amp. That would be the same system as found in the Honda Civic Si, which is an area where the Acura slides too close to its economy brethren. With a USB drive full of MP3 files plugged into the car, this system sounded good, but it did not deliver what I would consider premium audio. The highs in particular were short on clarity.

A clear Acura cue was the big dial/button/joystick in the center of the dashboard, surrounded by far too many buttons. Having used this interface in Acura vehicles for about 5 years, I consider myself a pro. As such, it was easy to enter addresses and select music from the stereo.

With the ILX Hybrid's electric power steering and CVT, driving is an unengaging task. The wheel turns easily, accompanied by the electric whirr of the steering boost. Throw the shifter in Drive and the car rolls unconcernedly forward. But as a hybrid, the car shows a few quirks.

The rear seats do not offer a lot of room in keeping with the car's compact dimensions.
(Credit: Wayne Cunningham/CNET)

The aforementioned idle-stop feature shut off the engine whenever I held my foot down on the brake, at either a stoplight or in slow traffic. Releasing the brake caused the engine to crank up again, with the abruptness of a waking giant. The operation of the hybrid power train is the same as in the Civic Hybrid, and includes the same amount of roughness. There is no means of disabling the idle-stop feature.

Accelerating the ILX Hybrid means a tortured grind from the engine as the tiny mill runs up its revolutions. At only 127 pound-feet of torque, this engine should not be able to move the somewhat plush ILX very well, but the additional twist from the electric motor makes for enough pickup to keep from being run over.

I was amused to see paddle shifters on the ILX Hybrid's steering wheel, which let me choose seven virtual shift points for the CVT. As a premium compact focused on fuel economy, the car has nothing sporty about its handling or engine performance. I would expect these paddles to go largely if not completely unused.

The ILX Hybrid carries a little more weight, about 100 pounds, more than the Civic Hybrid, which does not entirely explain the fuel economy difference. The Civic Hybrid gets 44 mpg in city and on highway, where the ILX Hybrid only gets 39 mpg city and 38 mpg highway. In my driving, which was biased toward traffic-heavy freeways, the trip computer ended up at about 36 mpg. Although, below the EPA estimates, the ILX Hybrid still showed itself to be frugal with the gasoline.

The base ILX Hybrid, without navigation, goes for $28,900, but the Technology version I was driving has a price tag of $34,400. That price seems a little high, especially when the audio system is not really an upgrade over what can be had in a Civic. And the ILX Hybrid has to face off against the Lexus CT 200h, a more economical car that feels a little more luxurious in the cabin.

Colin

Huh? The Tech model he drove has ELS. It's astonishing how he could miss something so simple. Did he actually drive the car?

terdonal

I was thinking the same thing.

Acura_Dude

Colin

Were you also thinking, "huh, there is traffic rerouting available"? Now, whether that should be enabled by default is another question altogether, but it is available in the setup screen.

rxj27

http://atlanta.cbslocal.com/2012/08/20/video-2013-acura-ilx-test-drive/

2013 Acura ILX

I drove the ILX for a week and my conclusion is yes. A big thumbs up for this small luxury car.
This is the brand new, entry level Acura that comes with three engine choices: a 150 horsepower engine and five speed automatic, which I drove, a hybrid that gets around 39 milespergallon, or the 201 horsepower Civic/Acura with a six-speed manual. This engine will squeeze out 24 miles per gallon in the city and 35 on the highway. And it’s quite peppy connected to the automatic transmission with sequential sports shift.
The interior is handsome and well done. Good solid and soft materials, a great navigation screen and rear camera. There’s no trace of the low rent materials found in the Honda Civic. The seats are very cushy and supportive and the tech package includes seat heaters.
The rear seating is roomy for a car this size and the flat four makes riding shotgun a pleasant experience. The trunk is large enough for golf clubs and a Costco run. All the controls have a solid feel. This is a very nice steering wheel and the mounted controls are well laid out.
To power up, you push a very classy start‐stop button. The ride is smooth thanks to the four‐wheel, independent, double‐wishbone front suspension and the four-wheel disc brakes are more than competent. The new corporate grill is a step in the right direction. Overall, this Acura ILX with a $31,000 sticker price just might win over the 20 to 30 year old, ‘youth with maturity,’ market. That’s what Acura is betting on.
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Mike West has been on the air in Seattle for more than 30 years as part of Seattle’s best morning show teams. He also did mornings on KLOS Los Angeles for a little over a year before returning to Seattle. He currently hosts Breakfast With The Beatles every Sunday morning on the CBS Seattle station KZOK, 102.5 FM.




Golf clubs and Costco runs? How many bodies can you fit in it?