Hi all,

New member looking to buy a nice car but also one that makes sense for the amount of driving I do for my work.

I'd say I drive about 90% Hwy/10% city and I typically drive at 72MPH (65MPH zone) and 82 (75MPH zone). I live in Houston, TX and drive south to Victoria, TX almost every day. I would say on average I drive anywhere from 3,000-4,000 miles a month. Currently I drive a 2007 Mitsubishi Outlander and get about 22.5 MPG (about 360 miles on a 16 gallon tank).

If you were me, would you buy a 2014 Acura ILX Hybrid? How many miles could I expect on each fill up? Is it even worth getting the hybrid or should I just buy the 5-speed automatic?

Any thoughts are appreciated. Thank you in advance for any responses/advice.

 

I have a 2013 hybrid tech and will say it is just okay. What I like about the car are all of the features it has and the mileage I get, but what I don't love are the ride and handling of it. It lacks power, but its a hybrid so what do you expect?

I am in the DC area so our weather is a bit different than yours. In the summer I average about 41-42 mpg and in the winter probably about 37-38 mpg. I would say I am 50/50 highway/city driving.

I had a Lexus hybrid before the ILX but the lease was up and Lexus stopped making the HS250 that I had so I went with the ILX. It was the only similarly priced "luxury" hybrid that wasn't a hatchback so my choices weren't so great. I must say I like the Toyota/Lexus hybrid system a lot more than Honda's. Plus the lease deal I got was very good so it made my choice pretty easy.

Unless there are major changes to the car for the 2016 model when I am due for a new lease I will probably be looking at a different car.

Are you set on either model of the ILX or are you considering other cars? Since you do a lot of highway driving have you considered getting a diesel?

 

If the majority of your driving is highway and not city, a hybrid does not make sense. Hybrids are better at improving mileage in the city because they can take advantage of the electric motor more often and are able to utilize regenerative braking to replenish the power supply.

Instead of a hybrid, you should consider either a high MPG gasoline powered car or perhaps even a diesel. You would still get the high fuel economy you are looking for, but then do not have the penalty of the extra weight and usually slow powertrains that come on hybrids.

 

If you are driving that much, go get a VW TDI (jetta or golf). much better fuel economy than the ILX.

Hybrids are not worth the money unless you do mostly city!

 

Thank you for the replies.

@tsxinva - I did think about diesels but nothing out right now interested me in the "luxury" car market. The 328d is only one really. I know Audi is supposed to come out with an A4 diesel, but not sure when.

If I'm not looking at the hybrid and the 5-speed automatic, then I might consider the CLA. But I don't really want to be driving a Mercedes around when I drive to some not so great areas sometimes for work.

@CGTSX2004 - any suggestions for a high MPG gasoline powered "luxury" car - without breaking the bank?

@x95zsk - I also figured that would be the answer regarding hybrids, thanks for confirming

not a huge fan of the design/body styles of VWs...any other suggestions?

 

*meant to say the following in the previous post: "If I'm not looking at the hybrid and *instead looking at* the 5-speed automatic,"

 

I guess that depends on your definition of luxury.

If you're looking for a good all-around car that delivers luxury touches in around the same price range as the ILX, I would think that the Mazda 6 or Mazda 3 are both worth a look. They deliver excellent fuel economy and have many of the nice luxury features that people want these days (e.g. heated seated, touchscreen navi, leather seating, etc.) and offer good driving feel.

You can read my thoughts on the Mazda 6 here.

Willing to spend a little more or lease instead of buy? Then maybe consider a BMW 328i. Good fuel economy, all of the brand cachet of a BMW, and it still drives decent. You may sacrifice some features to keep the price down, but overall, a feasible option if you are a bit frugal with your choice of equipment. Plus, you can look at a 328d with the diesel motor.

You can read my brothers thoughts on a fully loaded 328i here.

A slightly less endorsed option is the CLA250. I found it less enjoyable to drive, but it has a surprisingly large trunk, given the coupe shape, and the motor and transmission are clearly geared towards fuel economy and not so much driving enjoyment. Still, it's a stylish car and hard to pass up at least a test drive.

Further thoughts on the CLA250 can be found here.

And finally, you should give serious thought to the new Accord. Not as much brand cachet, but all of the luxury equipment is there and the 4-cylinder EarthDream direct injection engines are severely underrated in terms of power output and performance. Best of all, they are pretty frugal on gas and the CVT does not suck as much as other CVTs in the business.

Thoughts on the Accord Sport 6MT can be found here.

The good news is that there are lots of options on the market today. The bad news is that there are way too many options on the market today. It is hard to buy a truly terrible car (stay away from Nissan though) and it really is just a matter of what is important to you.

 

I find your last line ironic. I wouldn't consider an ILX (or any present gen Acura) a thing of beauty. The TDI Jetta would compare quite favorably to it. Also, remember that VW and Audi share much (including interior design to some degree I would guess), and I have no doubt that the Jetta interior would beat the ILX hands down. Your description of what you need (that's need, not necessarily want) is a text book description of what diesel's excel at.

 

I would like to add that while Toyota's hybrid systems work best in the city, Hondas IMA system provides benefits on the highway. Because the electric motor is attached to the flywheel it can directly assist the gasoline engine any time additional power is needed. Ultimately the biggest limitation is the smaller electric power output that does not allow the IMA system to power the car and "electric only" mode. This is why the Honda system doesn't do as well in the city as the Toyota system does.

However, having said that, at the speeds you are proposing, I don't think any vehicle will yield outstanding feel economy. As many have suggested, perhaps the diesels might be better for that type of cruising. Or, you could consider a new Accord Hybrid. This system is all new and one notable feature is the ability to have the gasoline engine directly power the wheels at speeds above 80 miles an hour.

 

You could always get a 2.4 premium

Getting 30+ mpg on the highways and mind you I am sitting in bumper to bumper traffic 50-60% of the time..

 

Check out the new Accord Hybrid. It uses Honda's new Hybrid system which is more like the Chevy Volt and much more efficient than the IMA system. The problem is they are in short supply due to a shortage of batteries. But I'd expect the TLX will come in a Hybrid version as well if you can wait that long.

 

I currently have a 2013 ILX Hybrid w/ Tech and put 20k miles on it in 7 or so months. Overall, you're MPG will depend on your driving style. Whenever on the highway, I use cruise and I can get around 45-47MPG going between 60 to 65 around 42-45MPG going around 70. The few times I was driving for extended periods of times around 85mph, I was getting around 38-40 MPG. For the 20k miles I have driven so far, I have averaged 40.5 MPG, and my best tank (Springfield, MA to Washington, DC w/ minimal traffic) was 51MPG (going around 60 the whole way w/ cruise)

These are on relatively flat highways from Hartford area of CT into Queens, NY using cruise. If I'm weaving through cars and constantly on & off the brake/accelerator, I will get closer to 35-37MPG. I thought that it was worth it for me, since the difference in price was ~$2500 for me when purchasing, and I drive around 35k-45k miles/year, and figured I could make my money back.

Note I did have 2 breakdowns and 1 flat with the car since I have gotten it, and the car had to be towed all 3 times. The hybrid does not have a spare and the tire basically got shredded. The other two times was at ~16200 miles and 16350 miles. Dealer stated it was the hybrid battery pack and replaced the hybrid battery pack under warranty & had no problems since.

 

Hi all, new to the forums, Owner of a 10' TSX (wife's) and 13' Hybrid ILX Tech. And previous owner of a 2011 TSX.

I just purchased an ILX Hybrid Tech a few weeks ago. I already put around 1500 miles on it (I drive 110 a day). I have not been able to get better than 35MPG driving around 75MPH for 25 miles then a steady 55MPH for 30 miles each way. I am very disappointed with that and the car. I would not recommend this car to anyone, and even more so if you were a prior TSX owner like myself (2011). Driving this car is a step down from the TSX and I regret the purchase in every way. I was getting 32MPG on this same trip with the 11' TSX. But it's not just the MPG, it's the handling, performance, interior, the horrible blue tooth, and more. Acura made a mistake with this car and it is way overpriced for what it is. NO WAY does my car look or drive like a 34k car. (I got it for 24k with 10k miles on it). I plan to get rid of it when the warranty is up, very unhappy with this car. I guess I was spoiled with my TSX. That car was and is an absolute pleasure to drive.

 

^^ Sorry to hear about your experience but I am not surprised at all. I think anyone on this forum would have cautioned you about trading a TSX for a hybrid ILX.

Hopefully you can make the best of your vehicle until you can trade it with minimal loss.

 

I dunno what's up with people thinking they are going to get stellar gas mileage on a machine that isn't even broken in yet....not to mention at 75plus mph...give it some time to break in before you start sampling mileage...

 

The car has 12,000 miles on it. I never heard of having to break in a car to get it's advertised gas mileage. But either way my car is more than broken in.

 

Then you don't know much about engines. However, at 12,000 miles it is fully broken in. You might check the "Average Miles Per Hour" setting in the MID to see what you're really doing speed-wise. You might find that you actually drive in the city more than you think (ie. average speed of 35-40 mph). Other considerations would be tire pressure, under inflating can easily cost you 2-3 MPG. Finally, I'm not sure where you are, but I hear that "winter blends" of gasoline can also cost a couple MPGs. I could easily see your car being a 40 MPG car which (IMO) is within expectations.

 

I don't and thank you for the advice. I will look into all.

 

So the ILX Hybrid still comes with the IMA system? I wasn't too sure checking out the acura.ca website.

 

as someone said, check out the Accord Hybrid. Better MPG along with more power (close to 200 hp).

The Infiniti Q50 Hybrid has nice power but it is going to run your 50k US after you add options.

 

Sorry to kinda hijack this but my local dealer has a 2013 hybrid & is willing to take $5k off - is that a good deal? Or do you think that they can go lower.
Thanks!

 

per Edmunds:
non-tech version has a true value of $27,453 with no options
Tech version has a true value of $32,424 with no options

You can also check out BJs, Costco, AAA, and True Car. I think AAA uses True Car's service. These should give you fair market prices to compare against.

It is also possible that the hybrid engine may be changing in the near future for the next year's model so the dealer just wants to dump the old one since it will be obsolete once the new version arrives. If the potential new engine will have an output similar to the Accord hybrid then it will be a huge difference.

 

Update on my hybrid MPG.

Since starting my new work project I am now averaging around 600+ miles a week and 2400+ miles a month. Serious mileage after flying 300,000+ miles over 21 months straight. Driving is now 85% highway 15% city and I do not use econ mode. I can average 38mpg without even trying and going about 80mph on uphill and downhill freeways. On a flat highway I can achieve 39-41mpg maintaining 75-80mph.

Best fuel economy so far on a tank has been 47mpg, occasionally averaging 50mpg when going around 60-65mph with light acceleration behavior, and of course on flat highway. With that kind of mpg, I think I got like 550 miles out of the tank before refueling!

 

You probably aren't considering the car anymore - But not a good deal IMO - I bought my 2013 Hybrid Tech for $30500 (~$5k off) back in May 2013 - I would say a "good" deal for me would be $28k and $27k would be stealing it off their lot

My best tank yet was my last one (A little less than 26k miles on the car now) I achieved 49.4MPG on a tank going back and forth from New Haven, CT and Queens, NY with no stop & go traffic

 

I decided against it when I discovered that they were taking $4k off 2014s so $5 off 2013s seems like a bad deal. Ultimately, I also decided to keep waiting on the RLX hybrid but that is about to change to as I get impatient for any kind of update.

As for the ILX hybrid - I will say that I think that the changes to rims & fog lights look a lot better than the regular version.

 

I agree - Honestly - at that price point, is the Lexus ES300h on your radar at all? Or maybe (depending on how much freeway driving you do) Audi A6 TDI? Toyota's hybrid system is far superior to the Honda/Acura ones (I haven't tried the Accord Hybrid yet, but has gotten some negative MPG reviews from Consumer Reports today). I drove the Prius, Camry Hybrid, and RX450h over the last year and I'm really disappointed in the Acura's smoothness of hybrid power train... I would argue that even the Chevy Cruze and Buick Regal mild hybrid power trains are better than the one in the ILX. But I was in a rush (had 36 hours to research & take delivery of a car)

I wish the ILX hybrid's wheels were a bit larger in diameter.. Also they are a pain to clean between the spokes... I think that the hybrid rear spoiler just completes the look of the car - the gas ILX look off to me w/o the spoiler

 

Mine! Civic Si 17" wheels make a huge difference.

 

looks nice on the car ^^^