aomechmarine

Yes, most likely, it DOES read high at times, but it's simply a machine doing some averaging. It is not 100% exact. The 44.5 MPG or 45.3 MPG pics, is a specific trip, not a tank. However, you are comparing apples to oranges because your driving conditions and habits are most likely different then mine.

When i do the math, it is still much higher then what you are getting, or have gotten. I used to get similar numbers, It's most likely your driving habits or conditions. Truthfully, that probably has a bigger effect then the premium full synthetic oil and filter, that is is just squeezing out the most possible...I look at at a few different ways. I'm taking math classes and its decent "real world math" practice. Normally I refill my tank with between 10.5-11.5 gallons. I look at the receipt. I do the simple math of how many trips I have made to LA and back.

To make it very oversimplified tho, I actually DO use the same method you do. I live roughly 40 miles away from my college in one direction, so 80 miles round trip..... (5) days X (80) miles=400 miles... and yet my tank is STILL NOT EMPTY. It just says to refill at that point. I enjoy my weekend, I refill and i see I just loaded up (rough average) 10.5 gallons (+or-).... (400)miles / (10.5gallons) = 38+MPG per tank, AVERAGE... I can and do better, I just don't like driving like a grandma most of the time... i can also do much worse, if i feel like speeding or or just riffing through traffic... When I refuel, most of the time the MID will say I have a 396-398 mile range, or something past 400. and also when I say tank, I'm not literally bleeding the tank dry (MOST of the time)... longest I've pushed it was when I refilled 11.75 gallons... The city traffic is what lowers the MPG tho. I have to drive through city traffic in LA.

When I fill up and its a gas station next to the freeway, I jump on the freeway towards school and I'm getting 42-45+ MPG easily, when it's simply a straight shot. In fact, look at the picture where I had 42.3 MPG. I had driven 12.5 miles already and my fuel needle WAS STILL WELL PAST FULL. But your MPG will be different based on driving style and conditions, and maintenance and premium fuel choices.

Most of the time when my MPG is just under 40 on the IMID, it's on the way home, and that's just because there is a lot more traffic at that time, so I can't maintain as much of a nice steady clip.

As far as using premium fuel vs regular, the price is VERY negligible, its literally not even like a dollar more at each fill-up... and you will most likely actually save money in the long run by the car running the proper recommended fuel and running at its most efficient....because you will most likely run into less problems... plus you can enjoy more pickup and go...Along with the simple slippery slope idea... if you get the best full synthetic oil change and premium filter you can get, plus Eco friendly tires, you can get MORE and MORE MPG, man.


If you are getting 29MPG , and you were getting 31MPG......
Example: .... We'll use nice easy numbers.... Most likely your gas is actually way cheaper then mine is....
Lets say you run the car for 50,000 more miles.... Here in in my area, these prices are about right...Lets say premium is roughly $3.25 regular is $3.00
(50,000miles) / (31MPG) = 1,612.90 x ($3.25 premium fuel cost)= $5,241.94
(50,000miles) / (29MPG) = 1724.13793 x ($3.00) =$5172.41

$5,241.94 - $5,172 = $69.53 difference over 50,000 miles

If you drive less then 15,000 miles a year, you are literally saving around $20 a year by NOT using the CORRECT gas. I'm not trying to be a prick, but that's literally being a cheap ass, and YES in the negative sense. The car wants premium bro...

GIVE HER PREMIUM DUDE

schen72

For me, it simply boils down to this. The engine was designed with premium in mind. Running less than premium may damage the engine over long period of time. If you want to keep your car for 10+ years, go with what the engine specifies. If MPG and cost was really important to you, you should have bought something more economy minded. However, if you are sure you're dumping the car in only a few years, regular gas won't mess up anything in the short term.

I keep all my cars until they literally fall apart, so I'm looking at 15-20 years for each one. My previous TL was 18 years old and 300k miles on it before I got rid of it.

aomechmarine

Man, that's another reason I avoid buying a used car, or I don't buy it without having a mechanic look at it... Unfortunately a lot of people have a "fuck the next guy" attitude....

But really, they are also doing damage to themselves... At least financially... Cars usually don't change features too much over 5-6 years, mostly body styles. They'll be using the same engines and the same frames... at 7-10 years, probably some bigger changes, but maybe not even then... look at the ILX k24 motor... technically, that has been in Honda cars since 2001.. at least like variations. ILX and TLX are both still using k24's...

It is nice having a newer car, but it's a big money dump... When I worked at Honda selling cars I saw it everyday.... people just screwing themselves on car payments... SMH

Anyways, I probably won't convince the dude because he probably will not keep the car very long... But even then, in all honesty... CMON... about $100 total spent over the course of like 5-7 years for the average person... is that REALLY saving you money..?

A TL is a nice car, and if you had it for 18 years, you saved yourself at least 10+ years worth of car payments, even if you add in major maintenance costs... Car buying is a whole 'nother thread tho...

*** beating a dead horse, but my high MPG numbers are what the car is capable of, and if I'm mostly just driving back and forth to school, then it's whooping ass,... If I have mixed driving then Its lower of course, those are high points... Mixed driving I really don't get below 30MPG anymore tho, which is still great... I got 30MPG when I first got it, but once I started modding, numbers went all over the place, up and down, just depending how I drove it...

One of these days, I will drive to LA on like a Saturday morning when there is no traffic. I BET MONEY that I can get at least 46 MPG right now, on a 40 mile trip, I'll just have to drive slow as hell... Who knows how much better i can get tho...

schen72

I doubt most people are actively thinking of fucking over the next owner. It's more of, why bother putting in premium and spending the extra $3 per fill up when I'm going to get rid of the car in 3 years and upgrade to something nicer? For a lot of people, they are continuing to cycle of lifetime monthly payments. REALLY stupid people are rolling their negative "equity" into the next car, thus eventually ending in bankruptcy, unless they somehow increase their salary 200% in the next few years. I put equity in quotes because I don't believe any car has any equity or is an "investment" like some people like to say. I purchase cars like I purchase something at the store. I pay with a cashier's check, no financing. I only buy cars I can easily afford to pay for with cash. I've never had a monthly payment in my life. When I at the Honda dealer trying to buy a Civic (before I decided on the ILX) they pulled out the typical 4-square. I told the guy, please don't insult me with this garbage. I lean towards more conservative looking cars that will still look decent in 10+ years. Some of the really trendy looks might end up looking ridiculous in 10 years.

As for MPG, mine is pretty bad as I do a lot of city driving. And even when I'm on the freeway commuting to work, the bumper to bumper traffic makes it basically like city driving. I think you can easily get 46 MPG as long as you maintain a steady speed. I once got 40 MPG in the ILX in the city simply by coasting and anticipating traffic lights. I got lucky and didn't have to actually stop much. Getting back up to the speed is the MPG-killer.

nothome17

Squeaking brakes kinda added to customer dissatisfaction.

schen72

But the squeaking brakes had a TSB which fixes the problem.

nothome17

Pre TSB fix: If they would at least try to fix problems without customers forcing for it, even if doing so multiple times and failing, it'd be a pass in my books. It's the constant fighting that can turn people off, not very representative of a luxury brand.

schen72

Maybe since I bought my car only last year, and the squeaking brake issue was well known, there wasn't any issue for me. I told the dealer about the problem, and I taped a copy of the TSB to the steering wheel for the tech's convenience. I've also had the airbag sticker peel off the passenger visor. They ordered a new visor immediately. I don't have any complaints about dealer service.

unnamedny

I think the reason so many people complained about ILX was the initial issue with brakes and Acura failed to acknowledge the issue for a very long time. I'm still pissed about that issue and no, I don't think I will look into ILX again after my lease is over only for that reason. It's a shame that Acura let it happen and that's the reason it's haunts them.

schen72

All cars have issues. Even more expensive ones also have TSBs.

RDX10

Absolutely. All cars have issues, but you can't really fault anyone for what they personally consider to be big issues or small issues. My 07 MDX has a failed navi, failed bluetooth, various rattles, various interior led's burnt out and it has thrown me off the brand permanently. In other aspects I have owned 2 X5's and sworn off the brand. Lastly I have owned 3 touaregs (had major issues with the last 2, way bigger than the MDX issues) and yet here and there still find myself considering one from time to time.

So it really is personal. The other thing is that for example some people had issues with their TLX's where some had brand new transmissions installed and refer to it as "the only issue I had was with my transmision and it was replaced and now the car drives flawlessly" vs "My transmission has never shifted properly and I hate my car"...so how long the person had the issues also obviously affects their perception. Also how much the pros impact the cons. If I loved driving my MDX (I don't) I could probably overlook my cons. Sadly I hate it and the cons only outweigh the pros.

Joseph Park

Well Consumer Reports for the past couple years has really ragged on Acura and maybe rightfully so. The 2013-2015 Acura ILX like some have stated was a joke. It makes some sense since the ILX was launched in 2012 when America was coming off a recession, Clash for Clunkers pushed the idea of people buying smaller more fuel efficient cars, and every manufacture was infatuated with somehow capturing millennial buying power. So making a rebadged 9th gen Civic and calling it an Acura on paper made sense. The problem was that the 9th gen Civic IMO was one of Honda's most disappointing modern gen Civics and secondly Acura failed to realize that car buyers were looking for vehicles that were unique, personalized, crafted, luxurious, and performance oriented and the ILX was none of that.

So I do agree with the statements made by all CR subscribers about the 2013-2017 ILX and for me I really do agree that ride quality is subpar for a luxury car. I think this will be fixed on the 2nd gen since the 10th gen Civic has improved greatly and was benchmarked against the A3. None the less I find my 2016 ILX to be a tossable, high revving, fuel efficient, and so far reliable car. I think the elephant in the room is that Honda products are just as good when taking into account for price point if not better than Acura cars. Hind site is 20/20 but the 2016-2017 version is really what Acura should have launched with in 2012.

Like others have stated sales for Acura besides the MDX and RDX are way down so if you do like the current ILX you can get a great deal. I don't know if people want to acknowledge this but saving Acura might be too late. 2013 Acura was given $1 Billion from Honda to revitalize the brand, the problem is that so far that billion has created little innovation and really has done nothing for sales. Honda continues to prioritize their own cars over Acura. Until they view Acura as the pinnacle of their products and that Honda cars receive the trickle down effect from Acura then nothing will change. Acura will always be playing catchup to Honda and having consumers ask why not just a Honda? If they want to compete with Lexus they have to be like Lexus or even like Cadillac that has really strived to differentiate themselves from their lower GM brands. It wouldn't be out of this world for Genesis (a Hyundai company) to have more overall sales than Acura 3-5 years from now.

rocket354

I think that's the problem. The newly-relaunched NSX aside, Acura is never really at the forefront of new technology or features. I guess those weird-looking headlights. But when same model-year cars have more features as a Honda than an Acura, there's something wrong. And so I agree with you. Those people who consider Acura either say "why not just a Honda?" or "why not just a Lexus?" depending on which way they want to go, reliable good car with nice features or true luxury car.

kurtatx

That's how VW and Audi are too, though. You can get almost all the features of an Audi on a VW for a lot less. The difference is, the Acura is just too close under the hood to a Honda.

And before you discredit the tech, all the tech on the TLX is a lot cheaper than it was on my A4. The lack of tech isn't really the problem. It's the engine and lack of innovation under the hood.

Joseph Park

Kurtatx, VW and Audi are the pinnacle of mains stream brand meets luxury brand under the same umbrella. I am not sure if anyone does it better than them. If it were not for their higher maintenance and and lower reliability I would have gotten an A3. I don't think Acura and Honda are even close now.
Here's the thing whether it be an ILX-NSX you can make an argument that Acura provides a very strong value proposition, but what you can't dispute is the fact that the TLX and defiantly the ILX don't match the refinement and performance of the A3-A4. Simply VW to Audi is almost a change in lifestyle and tax bracket while Honda to Acura is a change in a trim at best. Nothing wrong with that but nothing compelling either. What makes it worse tech and performance wise is the fact that Acura has been getting updates way after Honda does, so on paper why would someone want a ILX over a Honda Civic Touring?

@Rocket354 My argument is that Acura isn't bad, just Honda's inability to separate the two brands and elevate Acura in meaningful ways has been shameful. So the Type R is an enthusiasts car and very few people are expected to it over the traditional Civic. The North American launches for the Type R should have been strictly for Acura. I get sharing the Si with Acura and probably the second gen ILX will share a similar power plant, but come on give us something special. Also the idea that Acura built a super* car and the tech from the NSX will trickle down to the lower end is stupid since some would argue that the NSX isn't even a great super car in the first place. Quite honestly I think Lincoln has done a better job differentiating themselves from Ford than Acura and Honda has done.

kurtatx

I agree. The fact is, I think Honda would have been better off making a Civic with a crazy engine with the exact same body and calling it the ILX than throwing updated cosmetic features and a DCT on a sport tuned Civic engine. I know that's a lot to ask, but Honda needs to let Acura be Acura. I think they're a little stuck, though, because Acura only competes in NA and China, which basically leaves out the Uber-competitive European market. To compete in Europe would almost require Acura to be more competitive.

usdmJON

On paper you are correct. In reality though I find the ILX far more appealing cosmetically. Frankly I think the brand new ILX looks like a boy racer hatch and I feel I have grown away from wanting a "hot hatch".

For you and I and many here we know on paper the Civic can be a greater buy for your buck. But the average person on the road doesnt see a Civic anywhere near close to anything Acura. I work with plenty of people that drive nice cars and since I keep mine clean they are always saying how nice it is and how "shitty" their Civic or Accord are. Now, we both know a Civic can be just as good and an Accord can easily be much nicer and quicker. But the the average person, they still see the ILX as a far nicer can than a Civic because to the average person a Civic is "just a Civic". For them Honda to Acura IS a lifestyle change. We know better though.

kurtatx

But if we put an "A" badge on the current Civic with no cosmetic changes and a better engine, you would achieve the same effect.

In fact, by your argument, if we put an A badge on the current Civic with no other changes, people will think the car is nicer. It's like we're back in 1990s General Motors.

usdmJON

I dont disagree with your logic. Though I wasnt arguing with anyone persay. Just explaining that the average person doesn't have a clue about what Honda/Acura is putting out. I get compliments from Honda owners all the time that assume my Acura is worth more based off the outer appearance and a general misconception they have with Honda and Acura.

Im just telling you how people not in these forums see it. I specifically said "we know better" as in you are completely correct and I agree with it.

Joseph Park

Spot on man. Couldn't agree more. I think what Acura has going for themselves is that for whatever reason naive consumers still believe Acura is a luxury brand and is leagues better than Honda. Give me a Civic Sport Touring Hatch over an ILX, give me a loaded Pilot for $10k less than a MDX, give me a V6 Accord Coupe over a TLX 4 cylinder any day, heck even the new CRV gives the RDX a run more its money.

@usdmJON you call the ILX too racer boy hatch yet you mod your car like your part of Toretto's crew. The fact that you had to mod your 2013-2015 ILX that much to get it not to resemble the rebadged Civic it is says it all. Don't get me wrong I like my ILX but the 2013-2015 ILX was a disgrace and should go down as one of Acura's biggest failures, at least w/ the 2016-2017 the car is competitive

RDX10

Could not possibly agree more with this. Has a multiple hybrid and non hybrid 2013-2015 ILX loaners and I was EXTREMELY EXTREMELY underwhelmed. I still maintain that it is the worst Acura product to have ever left the assembly line.

kurtatx

It did feel like Acura didn't actual try to build a good car with that thing.

RDX10

What gave it away? The old chrysler 200 looks, the shitty and sad tranmissions, or the engines that couldn't pull skin off of a custard? Seriously though (not trying to be a douche to you I promise) but they should be ashamed of themselves.

GrafZeppelin127

I must either be out of my mind, or a terrible person, or both.

I have a 2013 ILX 2.4M, and ... wait for it ... I like it. I like it a lot. I liked it when I first leased it, I liked it enough to buy out the lease at the end (abetted by low mileage), and I like it enough to want to keep it for the foreseeable future.

When I first leased it in 2013, It was a huge upgrade over the Saturn S-Series cars I'd been driving for nearly 20 years (which, I confess, I also liked). I was looking for a nice, semi-upscale small sedan with leather, a moonroof, five-spoke wheels, and a stickshift. The ILX more than fit the bill. When my lease was up, way under mileage, there wasn't anything out there that I really liked better, at the buyout price, so I kept it.

I enjoy driving it. I mean, I really enjoy driving it. The shifter is the best I've ever driven. It's a good-looking car, inside and out. I've gotten a lot of unsolicited compliments. This was, and is, the perfect car for me.

What a horrible person I must be -- stupid? ignorant? crazy? demented? -- for actually liking this terrible, awful, no-good car that everyone hates so much, and that may be the worst thing its maker ever produced. Shame on me.

RDX10

First off you mentioned an mt, from what I understand the MT is worlds apart from the AT and I have no experience with the AT. Second, coming from an ancient saturn anything will look and feel amazing (just how it works, not anything against either vehicle). Lastly it is just our opinion, who are we to tell you what you can and cannot like? Who are we to tell you it's a shitty car and think you should hate it too? We are simply stating our opinion and you are 1000% able to have/state your own. Nothing wrong with that at all.

GrafZeppelin127

That's my understanding as well, and was my understanding when I first looked into it and ultimately decided to lease the car. I've never actually driven a 2013-15 ILX automatic; I made it clear to the dealer that I was not interested in that. I actually drove a 2016 ILX as a loaner while the dealer was certifying my car for the lease buyout, and found that without the stickshift it felt like a very, very ordinary car.

In a way, the Saturn S-Series was similar, in that I only ever drove it with a manual transmission. The last one I had, a 2002 SC2 "3-door" coupe, had the most refined version of the 1.9L 124HP DOHC Saturn motor, and the 5-speed stick wrung every last ounce of power from it. I really loved that car -- put 103,000 miles on it in 12+ years -- and only replaced it because the trunk was leaking and would have required a lot of body work to fix.

The 2002 SC2 was, ironically, another car that I really liked but everyone else seemed to hate, because no one else drove it with a manual (and, by then, the S-Series was outdated).

RDX10

I'm willing to bet 100% that if I drove the MT I would be left with a completely different opinion of the car. My friend owns an MT 2004 Civic and that thing is down right zippy and very fun to drive. I am certain if it was an AT I would hate it. My biggest issue with the ILX is the transmissions, the 8DCT is an alright auto, but nothing like a manual in small zippy cars to bring out that engine power. I only drove the 2016 with 8 DCT maybe twice but my opinion was based on the AT 2013-2015 models.

holografique

I owned a 3G 2006 TL 6-speed for about 7-years and it is still by far the best car ownership experience I've had to date. A large part of that experience was the manual transmission, which was incredible.

Based on my ownership experience with the TL, my wife's previous 2013 ILX, my previous 2014 RLX PAWS Advanced and my current 2016 ILX A-Spec, while the 8DCT is not the equivalent of my old TL 6-spd manual, I will say it is one of the best automatic transmissions I've driven short of the one in the new 2017 Audi A4. The 8DCT in my 2016 ILX is very responsive and when used properly, it flies, and lets you really hone in the engine performance and RPM when you push it, just like a real manual. But you HAVE to do this while in Sport Mode. Any attempts to try and use the paddle shifters while in regular drive mode will get you unpredictable results. Sometimes it reacts, other times it's sluggish, sloppy and late to respond.

At first both me and my wife noticed our ILX transmissions to be somewhat jerky, as reported by others here. But now having around 11k+ miles on both of ours, the behavior has changed and the transmissions are very smooth. Possibly due to the programming behavior of the transmission and learning our driving habits? If so, why is it that other car manuf can get their transmissions to feel solid and smooth day 1, yet Acura transmissions are shit day 1 and require time to learn the behavior of their drivers? Better electronics by the competitors? Better programming and QA by the competitors?

Sometimes I just wonder why it's soo hard for Acura to get fundamental stuff like this right. You'd think they were a new company on the market building cars for the first time or something. Didn't they just have their 30-year anniversary?

kurtatx

Interesting. I'm seeing a similar behavior on my 7DCT in the A4. It's a little jerky to start but I'm either starting to get used to it or it's getting better.

Jason60121

I just can't stand the lag in acceleration when you step on it!

holografique

Interesting indeed. I test drove a couple of them (FWD and AWD) back in summer of last year and both had an extremely smooth transmission right out the gate, and both were brand new off the lot.

holografique

Yes, both our ILXs do this as well. Very annoying.