I was a very happy owner of a 2005 TSX, which never gave me a bit of trouble--and which I fully intended to keep for at least five more years. That was until some jerk side-swiped me, leaving no note, and ended up busting the frame to the tune of a $9000 repair bill. Reluctantly, I figured it was time for a new car.
Ideally, I wanted a car exactly the same as my TSX--peppy, quiet, with a great "solid" feel. For whatever reasons, Acura eliminated the model this year (my Acura salesman told me, though it's hard to believe, that it was discontinued because "it was too good a car and there wasn't enough business in terms of servicing."). Even if they hadn't, I'd heard that the TSX was nowhere near as good as my first generation model, and it had certainly gotten bulkier.
So I decided to take a look at the two models which seemed to be a replacement--the 4 cylinder TLX and the 2016 ILX. Our first test drive last week clearly showed their differences. The TLX was as quiet as a tomb, but seemed agile and fast, though without the TSX's "peppiness." While the car was clearly more luxurious, a lot of that seemed a bit superfluous--and I found the navigation system, with its two screens, anything but intuitive (as many commentators have noted).
I wasn't even aware of the ILX upgrade with the 2016 version, but when I saw it in the showroom, it rang lots of bells since its size was so much like my 1G TSX. The drive was a very different experience than the TLX--speedy, more feel of the road, but much noiser in comparison.
What puzzled me more, as I noted in a previous thread, was the difference in pricing between the two cars, in terms of the Tech Package. The TLX clearly offered much more bang for the buck in terms of features--but its larger size (nearly 10" more in length) was a problem, particularly since I park on the street, and spaces are tight and cramped. Given this, I spent the next few days gravitating more and more to the ILX, reading every review (mostly favorable) and feeling that even though I'm decades older than its target demographic, its size and feel was much more what I was used to.
So I went back today for another comparison drive. This time the differences seemed far more dramatic. The TLX a.) didn't seem quite as large as I remembered it b.) provided a fabulous ride--quiet, but with enough feedback from the road to not feel like a Buick c.) had strong acceleration when needed, and d.) offered a greater feeling that the $35,900 price tag was worth it in every sense. The ILX, by contrast, was a tremendous disappointment. Even though I had every hope this would be my TSX replacement, I was shocked at how noisy it was (far noisier than my 10-year old TSX). Acceleration seemed to shake the car, and the suspension was alert to every bump (and pothole) on the road. The car's "feel" also seemed a downward move from the 2005 TSX, with less solidity in everything from the feel of the door when closing to the seats and interior.
Sad as I am to have to make the move to a larger car, the TLX's superiority was very apparent, making the price difference seem like a real bargain.
Much as I've enjoyed being on this board, I guess I'll be moving to the TLX section once I get the car next week.

 

Congrats on the TLX purchase next week!

 

quintno: Congrats on your new car! Hope you'll show us pix and continue the review over in the TLX section. I'm really torn between the two as well, and so your analysis of the differences is helpful. Thanks.++

 

They're both great cars, glad you found the one you liked best. Nice to see you stayed loyal to the brand. Enjoy!

 

Great post, and congrats on the TLX! I think your review hits a big strength of the TLX, at least from my perspective -- excellent suspension tuning that provides a very smooth, quiet ride with some traditional Honda agility and a slight sporting edge. I'm not surprised the ILX seemed rough and noisy by comparison, because most cars will.

 

I've driven a 2.4L TLX Tech for almost 5k miles now...give it some time to break in and drive as you want, hard or light, and you will see how much pepper it actually feels than the TSX as it breaks in. I didn't think of my car as quick at first, and now I definitely do. It absolutely is.

The silence and quietness throws you off at first. As the car breaks in, it only feels faster and smoother, and the 8-speed DCT is incredible. Love it daily.

The 2016 ILX feels smaller, tighter and firmer with the same great power train, just in a sportier smaller package. The TLX is a very different luxury and performance vehicle, while the ILX leans more toward small sport.

Congrats either way

 

It's always interesting to see how priorities, tastes and values work in other people when it comes to purchasing similar cars.

I had a 2-year lease on a 2014 ILX coming to an end.

So, I test drove the TLX (6 and 4 cylinders) and the 2016 ILX. While I loved the 6 cylinder TLX, the payments were higher than I wanted to spend for my commuting car. So, I drove the 4 cylinder version. I was impressed, but felt that it was completely stripped down compared to what was available at the same price point in the new ILX. So, I drove that.

I was blown away by the responsiveness and the power of the 2016 ILX compared to my old 2014. It was an ENTIRELY DIFFERENT car. I felt (almost) like I was driving my first Acura again (2003 CL-S) which I loved! For roughly the same payments, the Premium ILX came loaded with standard features that stood apart from the base TLX. Did I want a stripped down shadow of a greater car, or a top notch version of the car I had been driving for the past 2 years?

I decided on the 2016 ILX premium.

I've had it a week now, and I don't regret my purchase at all. As much as I wanted a TLX, this car is just more fun (than the base 4 cylinder TLX, that is). I'm sure in 2 years I'll trade it for the 6 cylinder TLX... but for now, it's perfect.

Go test drive the new ILX. I'm telling you... it's awesome!

 

Give us pics then!

 

I agree with quintno. I had the same feeling as well. The 2016 ILX is sportier than TLX. SInce ILX offers more rood feedback and is a smaller car (with the same engine as the base 2015 TLX), it feels sportier. One day last week, I strained my back and went to test drive the ILX and I felt the bumps little bit, and I am rethinking my decision to go for ILX (vs TLX). If you have a healthy back and like a sportier car, ILX is the way to go. If you are leaning towards smoother ride, TLX is better choice. One thing I notices is that the Transmission for 2015 TLX is made in USA, whereas transmission for 2016 ILX is made in Japan. I am not sure why. But in sport mode, I saw some roughness at times with the 2015 TLX (on the 8 speed DCT). . And another thing was the 9 speed DCT on the 2015 TLX was on recall. So, I am thinking if the 2016 ILX is a safer bet , though Honda will fix if you have problems on the TLX too.

 

I also think the TLX has low speed adaptive cruise (it will stop and then continue if the car in frontof you stops ). The ILX does not do this. It disnegages Adaptive cruise if the vehicle slows down below 25 mph. Don't quote me on this though. This is based on my reading on websites.

 

9 speed is an automatic not DCT; and it's in the 6 cyl only.

 

Thanks for the review. One thing the TLX has me nervous about is the transmission. The 9 speed for the V6 engine. The tranny on the ILX has me nervous also, but less so. I wish I wouldn't have to worry about transmissions all the time like with Toyota/Lexus.

 

Can you send me link saying ILX DCTs are made in Japan? It makes no sense to me, since ILX and TLX are produced in same Ohio plant.

 

In the dealer store, they had the 2016 ILX A-spec on display inside the store. On the spec sheet with options (struck on the window) , it said that the country of origin for Transmission is Japan, and engine is USA. That is my source of information. Thanks.

 

Was tsx last Acura to be built in Japan ? All built in Ohio now ?

 

RLX still built there for now. The RLX is supposedly going to be built in the NSX factory once that gets up and running.

 

New nsx factory in Ohio ?

 

Yeah, called "Honda Performance Center" or something like that. Focuses more on high end, individually customized cars. Not really a traditional factory in the Honda sense.