Toby123

A couple of shots from last week in the mountains.

Toby123

And one more...

usdmJON

Those are some great pics op! Im jealous of your skills.

I have to say such a bad move by Acura not including the a-spec kit with the a-spec ILX. I keep opening threads expecting the a-spec kit when the title says A-Spec then just finding a-spec wheels/spoiler but no front or rear kit.

CLtotheTL32

iTrader: (3)

Gorgeous shots!

Flipster23

iTrader: (15)

Those shots..

Chan_Mike

Amazing pics. Love it!!!

silverTL6

iTrader: (2)

Guessing this was done to keep everyone happy, as some may find the kit too aggressive. Sorta like Bimmers with M performance parts, not the full-on M-Sport models. Having options is better than none, though they do cost an arm and a leg

I can imagine Acura discussing this in their boardroom... "we can't call it a Type-S as there are no engine upgrades, and we need to reserve Special Edition for final model year shenanigans"

usdmJON

Yeah I guess. If I was controlling these decisions the Aspecs would all have the aspec kit. If you dont like the aspec kit then you can buy the ILX with Tech Plus Package. It's more expensive than the first aspec option but cheaper than the aspec with tech and plus.

Seems to me they had thought that out already then just decided "eh fuck it make them add the kit to all model levels. We'll make more money."

Thmanx

Right?!



But i guess that makes the fully A-Spec'd out versions that-much-more-rare.


People always stop and stare at mine at a stop light, like they don't quite know what they are looking at at first. It sets it a apart from the rest of the Acura line up, I'd argue with the full aero package its probably the most aggressive looking Acura in the current line up.


Where as their 'flag-ship' RLX just seams to blend into the rest of everyone else. When ever I actually spot on I'm like "Ohh dang... there one goes... never see any out here"

Rdub81

These are amazing photos!

speedracer_2020

Looks fantastic! Great work!

usdmJON

See for me it does the opposite. An A-Spec has ZERO performance benefits. The only difference is cosmetic.

This is a list of the A-Spec features from Acura:

So what does it have even over a 2013 non aspec? 18in wheels (subjective but I find them hideous), spoiler (much better than the previous year spoilers I will say), sill extensions (whatever those are), Suede seats (Id rather the full leather I have), and a black headliner. The rest can be found on any MT ILX.

Like seriously? That is all it takes to call the car an A-Spec. That's laughable at best.

So, IMO, to not give the aspec the biggest cosmetic upgrade ijust makes zero sense. People can call it an aspec all they want but anyone with a brain knows that means nothing. A-spec TL, now that was a new car. A-Spec ILX is like selling snake oils... or a Cali Edition TL.

So for me I look at an aspec without the kit and Im just thinking "so wtf makes this an aspec?" Where as if it has the kit I can think "sweet Aspec." But really nothing more.

Personally Id rather own a non aspec tech ILX over a premium aspec. Tech aspec would be the best 2016 out there. But IMO the best ILX ever would be the 2013-15 2.4 Dynamic... i.e. a 2.4MT with all the tech goodies.

Thmanx

This is true, the A-Spec in its 'base' form leaves more performance to be had.

Which is why I intend to perform the required performance boosts as soon as they become available to make my Aspec true to its name.

The sway-bars already helped a lot in the turns and improving driving feel. Handing wise all it needs now is some wider-stickier tires.


And on the performance side, as soon as a supercharger assembly becomes available I'll be one of the first on the list to pick one up for sure. Give that 2.4 DI engine some boost and a tune, and it'll be a hoot.

Kraftwerk's has a kit for the similar K24W1 DI engine found in the Accords. I've got good ties with the folks over at Group-A, so Im sure they will share some love with me once they get tinkering with the ILX.
All waiting on someone to crack the ECU and get a tune solution for them.

usdmJON

I feel like acura could have easily thrown on 2-4mm thicker sway bars. Stiffer springs that drop it like half an inch max.

That alone would make for a nice upgrade. Maybe even upgrade the pulleys or just open the exhaust up. Done.

You can do this yourself and then that would be a proud aspec!

Rae Rad

Awesome pic.

Comfy

These amazing photographs have the touch of a professional. Please tell us you didn't shoot it on your own unless you are a professional yourself. If you shot those pictures yourself then I'm truly impressed by your skills. Anyway great looking car, fantastic location and absolutely stunning photos. Congratulations.

Rae Rad

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Rae Rad

I agree that the Aspec trim should had been offered with the full Aspec aero kit and not just half of the kit only offering the side sills. But i also agree with Thmanx statement the full Aspec kit might be too aggressive for the less enthusiastic buyer that may still want some sportiness but not going that far. It will also make your full aero kit stand out from the rest of the Aspecs on the road.
They should had made the top tech plus Aspec have an option of the full aero kit, although this can be negotiated with the sales rep During the deal

usdmJON

I get that idea. In theory its great. But when taking away the kit leaves you with literally some fog lights, sills, and different colored head liner/stitching. There is no "sportiness" about that. You have wheels that ultimately weight more. Fogs which add weight in the front. Sills extensions which I assume also add a little weight. Rear spoiler adds weight.

Frankly, in the end all you have done is slowed the car down by adding some cosmetic touches that will add some weight to the car (minimal but still) without adding ANY performance qualities.

I do agree with Thmanx the car just needs a couple performance boosts to make it true to the aspec name. A SLIGHT spring drop, slightly thicker sway bars, and some new bushings. Maybe replace a couple pieces with lighter parts to contrast with the new aspec cosmetic pieces and it would be a PERFECT A-Spec ILX. But frankly until then I am still sort of laughing at the whole Aspec thing.

It is a process though to piece together all the aspec pieces.

In the end Im just jealous I cant throw A-Spec badges at my car and claim its an A-Spec ILX. What? It has upgraded 18in wheels. Plenty of interior luxury options. Some better than the Aspec. Ive got more of the OEM kit than some of the Aspec owners and some performance mods. Yet its not "a-spec".

usdmJON

If you want to quote someone else it is easier to quote their entire post then respond after the quote ends or if you want to respond to each part then you have to recreate each quote. The way you did it makes it look like you're quoting me quoting you and I cant pull up your quote. It only gives me a period to respond to. lol

Anyway...

For the wheels.
I clearly put in parentheses that it is subjective but I find them hideous. We've had this conversation before. Its a personal opinion but I frankly cant stand the whole two tone wheel look honda and acura have been using. The new ILX prototype wheels look even worse. Last few honda wheels have been just as bad. Honda/Acura need to pick up their wheel game IMO. But frankly. A lot of people really do like the wheels. Not a lot of people here or any other car forum I am on where people actually mod their cars. But the general public is really liking them because they are aggressive when a few years ago wheels on most cars used to look anything but aggressive.

Sill extensions.
I had some words with someone else about these when the aspec was first announced. We argued over what you are buying with the aspec kit and what these sills are in fact. Let me just show you this GIF of what happens when you click to add the full aspec kit to the already aspec ILX...



See how when you click the aspec it actually adds a skirt onto the sides. You can tell the extension is there because it is not in the non aspec version. You click aspec and it gives you the extension. You then click to add the aspec kit and it adds those skirts. The same skirts from the 13-15 ILX optional kit. And along those line of using pieces of a kit from a previous ILX. The front nor rear will fit due to the new bumpers. BUT. The spoiler will as the trunks are the same. So they reused the hybrid spoiler as an aspec spoiler. THe aspec literally got hand-me-downs from the previous non aspec ILX and acura just slapped aspec baged on it.

I still am waiting for someone with an aspec with sill extensions to go to acura and see if they can still purchase what their site shows to be the aspec skirts.


Seats
While I am sure the two tone look may looks cool. Id just prefer to have full leather seats. I dont need suede. To me it feels like a step down as growing up I just always loved the leather seats youd find in BMWs. As for leaving an ass print. My seats still look near perfect after 3 years of use. Sure thats only 3 years but we have no idea how well these seats will hold in comparison to yours. Not yet anyway. You may be very right there in the long run.

Headliner
Sure Id like this. But it in no way justifies the up-charge for the aspec or the name aspec itself. Hell, headliner replacing is super easy. In the future I plan on replacing mine with a black diamond stitch pattern so the fact that mine is two tone right now doesnt mean much. I agree its not that great looking.

Also I find it funny that you love your two tone wheels and two tone seats but dislike the two tone headliner. It is what it is. I dont like any of the two toned shit myself.

Contrast stitching and aluminum pedals...

Check it out homie. A 2013 6speed MT with aluminum pedals and grey contrast stitching. You said that can not be found on a 2013 MT but oh hey there it is.

As I have been saying. The aspec does not deserve the aspec badge until its got some of the kit and IMO some sort of performance upgrade. Even if just the sway bars as Thmanx did.

Rae Rad

it was my first time using those quotes and its gonna be my last i must had edited that post 5 times trying to get it right smh im not messing with quotes nomore

Anyway

Dude that pic of the 13 6mt did u photo shop that shit? lol jk my last visit to the dealer about 50% of their used car lot was 13-15 ILX's , i sat in a couple of them looking for differences and the headliner, contrast stitching, suede inserts sport pedals and obviously the dual screen layout was what i notice in all of them , but they all must had been the 2.0 i did notice the red instrumental cluster.
the light color headliner made the interior feel more bright, the black on black feels more sporty although i love two tone and if i had the two tone I probably wouldn't care too much but if i had a choice... its all black on the inside please.!
The sill extensions... Really? In that photo it looks like the 13-15 side sill on top of the 16 side sill, too much, too much
The seats... i always loved leather seats. love that leather smell.. mmm mmm luxury smells so good. But having the inserts is better! not a downgrade. Its the bests of both worlds! i still get that leather luxury smell without sitting on a deep freezer in the winter and without cooking ass cheeks in the summer.
The wheels.. Maybe if it wasn't a directional wheel? The TLX Advanced package wheels how do u feel about those? They not directional but still sit nicely two toned.
I definitely agree with you the A Spec should had provided at least 1 performance upgrade + the Aero kit and selfish as it sounds they shouldn't had made the jewel eye headlight standard and only offered it in Aspec, would had made Aspec more special. But you not being able to call ya 13 an Aspec is a bummer. I wouldn't care too much about that tho.

4cruizn

Just now seeing this post, Chris. Pics are awesome!

Thmanx

Its like Acura needs to do to the ILX, what they did with the RSX-S. (not counting the engine change obviously, I feel the 2.4DI is a pretty damn good engine as is. really its like a freebie that every ILX comes with it).

But when you compared everything else between a Base RSX and a Type-S... the Type-S did have a bit of a factory drop with stiffer springs, and genuinely more sporty driving dynamics. They even did some changes in the last few years (based on consumer feed back), to stiffen the Type-S springs even more, and adjust the roll bars + tire combo.



Granted, we keep forgetting, the '16 ILX IS a Mid-Cycle Refresh. Its still based on the 9th gen chassis, but its such a drastic change it feels like a new car. I doubt it'll get a second refresh.


It probably boiled town to a decision in the financial department. I'm sure there were a bunch of people in that board room who wanted more sporty-ness in the Aspec trim, but sales were so stagnant with the earlier model, they probably didn't want to invest too much into it and end up having another possible dud in the market place.


I'm sure the 'true' 2nd generation ILX will be offered in both a plush-comfy base trim as well as a properly equipped A-Spec/Type-S model. Customer feed back has shown a majority of drivers are very happy with the '16 changes, and the enthusiasts want a little more. But then again, I knew this from the get go.

This is why I bought an ILX in the first place, I knew it was still underneath it all (and this is a good thing) a Civic. Which means I could tinker and make it truly my own just as usdmJON has done with his. You can make it what ever you want with nothing but some hand tools and some free weekends of time. Tweaking and improving it bit by bit till it becomes more then just an Every-Day Type-S car off the lot, but something you can really be proud of. It becomes Your A-Spec, and it sets it apart from every other one out there. Plus its fun being on the fore-front of a vehicle line. Very few people have modified them yet, so no matter what you end up doing, you can say your one of the pioneers instead of another fad follower.

Cant wait to make my Type-S a M3 fighter with some extra power =D especially when it has a good 500lb less to lug around then a similarly equipped 3 series does. It'll happen, just give the industry time to catch up.

Rae Rad

Screen shot For jon boy... This is one of my favorite journalists from redline reviews and his input on the Aspec trim.

Rae Rad

A-spec badge is for styling upgrades and Type S badge is for performance upgrades

usdmJON

This man is talking about "power" upgrades.

First off, his terminology leaves me wondering if this is in anyway more than just a job for him.

Second. Sure if you call them "power" upgrades the A-Specs in the past didnt get any. But that is not what we are talking about here. I am saying the A-Spec needs a performance upgrade and you can easily do so without adding power.

He is right. A-Specs in the past have not created more power. What he fails to mention is that A-Specs in the past DO PROVIDE performance upgrades... i.e. the A-Spec TL gets a sport tuned suspension that sits lower than the base TL. That alone would have made the ILX a worth while A-Spec.

Third. He also fails to mention you still need to add the A-Spec kit for $900 ontop of the $2G to upgrade to aspec. Just look at the GIF I posted earlier. That is an A-spec that you already had to pay an additional $2G for but you still have to add the kit for $900. So honestly now I just dont think that reviewer had any idea what he was talking about. He must has assumed clicking the aspec model which is $2G more already came with the kit... he is wrong.

As for cost. He says all that will cost you 4G to add on. Acura charges you 2G for all that. (I already said this was wrong because that 2G does not include the kit but I'll humor him so lets see what you get for the 2G)

As I said before; I would not be happy with the A-Spec package for 2G.
For $2,000 you are getting:
black headliner (to which I would still replace in the future)
18in wheels (to which I would still replace in the future)
Sill extensions (I like these but would still rather the full skirt and need to add it in the future)
Contrast Stitching (available already to the previous MT ILX and again something I would replace)
Cluster Accents (available on previous MT ILX but I frankly dont care for the color red)
Suede Seat inserts (some like it. I prefer full leather)

And as I stated, you still need to add the kit for $900 as the 2G upgrade cost he mention does not include the kit. Just the above list I provided which is all something I would replace.

Rae Rad

His name is Sofyan Bey, he owns redline , he does great car reviews on youtube look him up, his personal car is a 13 ilx 6MT

Rae Rad

Towards the end of the video he speaks about performance upgrades for the ilx

usdmJON

Yeah I know Sofyan. He had the blue 13 ILX. He did the vtec decals and yellow fog overlays the same time I did. He also was one of the first to try to add a muffler tip to the ILX. If you follow him on IG though you'll see he sold his ILX a while ago and picked up a mazda.

That being said, without trying to sound like I am passing judgement on his style or taste. Performance isnt something he seems to very interested in. Well, not in modding or upgrading it anyways. So his opinion verse my own, to me, is like your average driver's opinion verse someone that plans on modding almost everything on the car they own.

Everything he has said about the ILX is true FOR YOUR AVERAGE BUYER but I, and most of us here, are not your average buyers. We are a small niche group that enjoy modding everything under the sun on our cars. That is where my opinion comes from.

So while I am not trying to say his opinion is wrong, but it is just that, an opinion. It does not reflect my feelings on the whole aspec argument.

And actually this argument has come up once before where many TL heads popped in to give more examples of the upgrades the aspec gets. Most felt the ILX aspec didnt live up to the TL aspec.

IMO the ILX aspec if more like the "California Edition" 4th Gen TL. That TL didn't get any performance upgrades but it got the full kit, spoiler, wheels, etc. And actually that TL came with the full kit so even the Cali Edition TL comes with more than the Aspec ILX.

It's just a matter of opinion. The title Aspec for the ILX to me is just fluff to sell more units and it's starting to get annoying because I honestly expect a fully kitted ILX whenever I see someone put ASPEC in the title. But I suppose that is my own fault.

Acura could have called the 2013 MT ILX an Aspec. It has everything the aspec has plus it actually has more HP over the other trims but no one felt the need to call it anything other than the 6MT.

Rae Rad

I hope he is right i would like to see a 2.0 turbo and a Paws and the next gen ILX