spdandpwr

It's a very driver oriented layout, with all of the controls angled towards the driver. I like that sort of cockpit feel.

ddantzler

I'm late to join everyone, just wanted to say hello and post similar info to what's been discussed so far.

I'm in Columbia, SC. Bought an ILX AT Tech in Polished Metal on November 20. Was driving a 2009 328i prior. I'm 29, married with a 8 month old son. Work as an IT Professional by trade, specifically web development and SharePoint. Also teach college level IT classes.

I bought the ILX to get out from under the BMW maintenance cost and high monthly payments. I got the car with negative equity and had a pretty steep payment. Warranty was up, and the car was having problems.

Three window regulators failed ($450 each). Needed new tires every 6 months ($1600). Oil pan gasket leak, broken head bolts found in oil pan ($3000).

This was my third BMW (2001, 2006, 2009 3-series), and each time beyond the warranty period I was faced with this. Finally gave up, and also with the little one and being that I've been married for two years, I needed to make a more effective and efficient purchase.

So far I like the ILX better than any of the BMWs that I have owned. I feel that the ride is quieter. Also I feel that the interior more luxurious. BMW interior is overdue for some improvements. The value that you get from Acura is unbelievable when compared to any of the other premium manufacturers.

ddantzler

Also wanted to add that I have not seen a single ILX in Columbia, SC in the wild.

spdandpwr

First, welcome to the community. Second, I have to agree, I never thought BMWs were worth there salt in terms of interior design / luxury feel. But alas, they played a better game with respect to building a brand. I'm hoping you'll like your ILX and I'm sure you'll appreciate the gas mileage.

terdonal

Imo artist renderings and often photos don't give you a true feeling for the looks until you see a vehicle in person. The ILX for eg imo looks much better in person when you can see the actual flow of the lines and view from different angles.

It will be interesting to see the RLX in person for me. From the artist rendition of the Civic the angles shown make the front end look very short but I am sure in person it will look different. I don't really like the looks of the Si with that big spoiler. The interior seems a little improved and the red is an interesting colour but the LSD is the only thing that would be important to me. I like my vehicles to look understated myself.

terdonal

First of all welcome, did sign in on the owners thread? Polished Metal Metallic here as well but I have the 6mt.

Interesting how you feel it might be quieter than the BMW while some others have claimed how noisy it is. The 6mt is a little noiser than 2.0 mt but I found the 2.0 to be quite quiet myself. Nice to see a previous BMW owners thoughts on the ILX.

Trentimus

I was never impressed with BMW interiors either.. But they make up in "driver experience" so they say. I really agree Acura is the best bang for the buck.

Back to that Si.. I love the ILX in comparison to that refresh. I was scared it was gonna be such a big difference the ILX would of been a mistake but after seeing that I am satisfied still. The suspension would get swapped Si or ILX so that part makes no toll in it for me.

Trentimus

Er.. and WELCOME! I also have a "PMM" 6-Speed though

spdandpwr

I was about to get a PMM, glad I ended up with black, though my paint is in shoddy condition because of a dealer wash -- despite my request for them not to wash.

pabarile

Welcome! I'm new here as well (although i lurked around several months before buying the ILX). I'm a couple years older with a 7 month old daughter. Some friends of mine gasped when i bought a compact sedan versus a behemoth SUV to commute/travel with a baby, but, i find we get a long just fine!

Nice to hear your impressions too as a previous BMW owner. A have a friend with a 2008 335i and he anxiously extended the warranty after 4 years when the free maintenance period ended as his car was always in the shop (and still is). With that said, the handling is extremely sharp, and its insanely powerful, but, its just too fussy for me.

I went to a BMW driving event over the summer and asked one of the event guys about the reliability of the new 3 series. He happily and confidently told me its been great, and that the cars here (the ones available for me to test. they had around 2-300 miles on them) have only had minor issues like blinkers not working and other "minor" issues. I feel like a brand new car shouldn't have electrical issues as it roles off the assembly line.

Not really bashing BMW, just more saying I love Honda/Acura reliability. At least for me, over the past 12 years its' been great.

pabarile

Sounds like you have the same problem i do! Going back tomorrow to see how they plan on fixing this (and to get the plates put on, and the salesguy owes me a tank of gas as a courtesy for having to wait what he deemed too long to take delivery of the car).

Trentimus

I'll sock the dealer in the mouff if they try to wash my car with their scratchy auto-wash..

Only thing I'll let them do is Auto Butler.. but that machine is expensive so it benefits them to keep it clean and working properly.

I really thought long and hard about black.. glad I went PMM, I also live in Texas so you have to keep the sun in mind when making color decisions lol

rxj27

Haha, I'm glad I'm not the only one on here with responsibilities! Welcome and please post some pics when you both have some time.

ddantzler

My daily commute includes of about 10 miles of really bad concrete interstate on I-20, with a lot of potholes around the seams (or whatever you call the spot where the concrete sections meet).

To me the ILX handles this type of concrete pavement way better than the BMW did (clunk-clunk clunk-clunk). The noise cancellation seems to do the trick.

As far as general cruising cabin noise from the engine, I would say that they are about equal to me. Although what sound the ILX 2.0 engine makes understandably sounds puny compared to the BMW.

Of course all of this is subjective. I'm happy with it though!

Thanks for the welcome.

Deron

ddantzler

Pft. Should have quoted my reply. That was for terdonal. Unfortunately don't have edit privs.

spdandpwr

I wonder if there is a way to measure how quickly this forum grew as compared to other Acura forums. I know the TSX crew took a while to burgeon.

That notwithstanding, I'm eager to see November sales figures!

ddantzler

True. I didn't mention that my choice was extremely difficult at the dealer. There are still a lot of the 2012 TSXs on dealer lots that they are motivated to move. I could have gotten the Tech model roughly 2 grand cheaper than the ILX. Each car has their benefits, but I went for the technology, fuel economy, and the newer model/design instead since the forthcoming TLX will presumably borrow from ILX design cues.

rxj27

You guys are really killing my fantasy of owning a BMW in the future...

spdandpwr

^ever since I drove my dads 2011 bmw x5, I thought that I never wanted to drive a BMW again. Steering is too heavy, the interior lacked any sense of luxury, the ride was too firm, and the exhaust note was a bit rambunctious despite it note being a sport edition of the car.

rxj27

Reminds me of this Top Gear. Pretty much the worst review possible for any SUV...stuck in the mud!

spdandpwr

Yea, top gear loves Range Rover / Land Rovers:

ddantzler

Here is one photo with the iPhone, I cannot post in the gallery just yet. I'll bust out the DSLR after I get the splash guards and take some clear shots.

rxj27

The Brits are sure objective...I always hated how Top Gear paned the 5 series as an ugly sedan in favor of a Jag.

Great color DD! I am seriously jealous of the tan leather. My black leather shows every stain. At least I don't have to worry about sun tan lotion smears during the winter!

rxj27

The sales numbers are going to take a dip with the new Civic coming out. Pretty impressive tech available in it. If the exterior works for you then it's looking like a solid car... But you are already familiar with its strengths over the ILX...

Switt23

I chuckled because the gas cap on my ILX went faulty after 1900 miles. Check Emissions Systems light came on so i took it to the dealer.

While I waited for the new gas cap to be installed I sat in the gallery cars (TSX and new TL). Both had the scuff marks down the door panels from people kicking the doors getting out.

robtroxel

I looked at the new 2013 Civic pictures and realized they still had the cheap-out fixed window triangles in the front doors so they could use cheaper glass in the drivers and passenger doors, so that did not change from the 2012.(the 2012 Civic was a discontented mess so they had to act quickly on the 2013 Civic ) Our 200s had a fixed triangle glass but that was beyond the door glass by the A pillar to provide some additional sight lines to the front) The Civic will have a smaller base engine 1.6 vs 2.0 on the ILX. Finally, the ILX has lots of upscale features you won't see in the Civic. I hope Honda sees the light and works on the sound abatement on the 2013 Civics. We traded in a 2009 Civic Leather with Nav that we loved >> that is after we spent a couple hundred putting in Fat Mat sound suppression mats all over the car. Even then, it was never a really quiet car but far better than from the factory. The ILX as it comes from the factory is far more muted on the road, but we will go the extra yard and add Fat Mat to that car too and it should be even better. I'll report back on that job when the weather gets warm enough to do it.

rxj27

Base engine will be 1.8L and they claim to have stiffened the civic "with more high-strength steel, side pillars have been upgraded, and thicker windshield and front door glass have been applied—as well as more soundproofing for the dash, floor, doors, and rear tray." Plus it (maybe only available in the hybrid) gets goodies not available yet in the ILX like "SmartVent airbag design—like what’s been introduced in the 2013 Accord—and [...] Forward Collision Warning (FCW) and Lane Departure Warning (LDW) systems".

http://www.thecarconnection.com/over...civic-sdn_2013

That's a lot of value in this car...

Are aesthetics, dual climate, ELS, better sound insulation, active sound control, Acura badge, and a negligibly bigger base engine worth the extra $10K?

Trentimus

I think the point is the Civic has and always will be an affordable car.. It's not a luxury car.

The ILX uses the Civic as a basis to meet the Luxury term by using a positive foundation.. it doesn't make the ILX a Civic.

robtroxel

If you look at a 2013 Honda Civic EXL with Navi, I' guessing it will sticker at over 26 K so the spread is closer to 5 to 6 K IMO between the ILX tech.

terdonal

You can go with price spreads on dozens of cars, models, makes and it is always a personal decision as to whether or not the price difference on any car is worth paying hundreds or thousands more for one over the other.

iVtecOften

Actually it starts at $23,765 compare to $31,400 for the ilx.
I like the ilx BUT I still think its way overpriced for a dressed up civic.

In regards to the new SI, I much rather get that over the ilx, bc of the same reasons spdandpwr mentioned, I rather pocket the 7k different and have standard LSD over leather and HIDs.

And Acura service isn't anything different than Honda, at least in the Boston area. Friend bought 2 Acuras and he says there's nothing special about the service experience. I've had service work at both BMW and Lexus and both especially Lexus were worth the 'Premium' $ of ownership. Maybe it's different at other locations... /shrug

And for RXJ27, I have over 50k on my E90 and besides a blown fuse, it has been flawless.

rxj27

Well coupled with the strong aftermarket support for the Civic, it will for sure dip into ILX sales. But I don't think any Honda execs will lose a bit of sleep over that!

Congrats on the ultimate driving machine!

tsxinva

My Acura dealership (Chevy Chase Acura) gives free oil changes for life. Or at least for my entire lease term.

terdonal

There is no $7000 difference up here. The difference including taxes as
purchased with the same options Si 4dr vs ILX 6mt is $2729. Of course the Si has navi and LSD which is probably worth about $1500. The ILX though has day night mirror, leather, HIDS which is probably a wash dollar wise.

I like the looks of the ILX more myself, there is a little more room, it is quieter and a little smoother ride. Service I can't really comment on though I get fantastic service myself.

Each to their own though, these are just my thoughts.

spdandpwr

The ILX also has push button start, heated seats, and keyless entry, which I don't thing that even the '13 civic si has.

Trentimus

If you wanted a Civic why were you ever at the Acura dealership?

With y'alls logic there would be no purpose to look at a ILX, TSX, TL or RDX.. I can just go get a Civic, Accord, Accord, CR-V and save thousands.

What would the purpose of Infiniti or Audi be? You can go get the Nissan or VW variant.

Sorry, I may be wrong but it seems like y'all are having a little remorse about this whole Civic comparison. Correct me if I am wrong, but I would be hardpressed to think you bought the car not knowing what a Civic was. You got in the ILX, drove it and immediately felt it was worth the difference.. nothings changed. And, the new Civic is ugly outside of concept pictures.. that's my 2 cents. Sorry, if I mistakenly read something here.

terdonal

Does the SI have hill assist? Haaven't been able to find it in the specs, it should be. This is another great feature I like with the ILX.

rxj27

This might open a can of worms...but I don't think Acura has the same customer base as other top tier luxury car makers. Tltrigirl posted on another thread that (and I'll just paraphrase) "Acura owners tend to be more pragmatic and value conscience".

http://images.forbes.com/forbesinsig...ook_report.pdf

I think quite a few Acura interested people will cross shop Hondas...just look at some of the threads on the TSX/TL forums about the new Accord. Or even the new Accord thread on this forum...

That said, I completely agree with you on the new Civic.

Trentimus

I agree and understand that too.. I am just saying if you were really that value minded you wouldn't of ended up in an Acura over a Honda. Let's be honest..

rxj27

Playing devil's advocate here...isn't the failure of Acura to launch a true flagship sedan in direct comparison to other Tier 1 luxury car companies a reflection of the value mindedness of Acura consumers?