http://blogs.insideline.com/straight...-vehicles.html

Found this to be interesting.

 

Sounds like this may be a hit for Acura.

 

That's indeed interesting. I have been hearing news that the ILX isn't selling........but I guess not!

 

Might have something to do with availability and inventory levels than actual sales- I'm going to hold for a few more months before I start thinking whether or not the ILX is successful.

 

This is very surprising. Do they count preorders?

 

Agree. Let's see how it is doing in a few months. I'd like it to be a hit, but we'll see how much people are willing to pay once the newness wears off.

 

Should be successful. When I went looking, sales said that Acura plans on pumping out a lot more of these and expects to sell just as much, if not more than the TSX.

I'd be all over it but I'm just a poor boy nobody loves me...

I'd only get it in the 6MT... the other two models just won't cut it for me.

 

X3 I hope it does well.

 

I would expect it blows the TSX out of the water. Less money for similar features and much better fuel mileage. Sure, enthusiasts care about HP numbers, but the overwhelming majority of people out there couldn't care less about a cars 0-60 time.

 

I agree, HP and 0-60 are a little 'over prioritized' on this site, but that's expected. However, that statement does ignore the fact that a prospective buyer may care what their car 'expert' friends think about a purchase. IMO, not many people want to be the Zune advocate in a world of iPods and for those that do, are they Acura customers?

That said, the car is better overall than most give it credit for. Its a more 'mature' car than the Integra (or RSX) was and it could really take off if the ED engines provide the (expected) 10-15% increase in power and fuel economy. I'm also 100% sure that this would have launched with the new engines if not for the tsunami and flooding setting them back 1 year.

 

So why launch with old engines? If they were set on using a 2.0 engine, why not the previous Civic Si's? How I wish I could've attended the product planning meeting that determined a 150hp 2.0 engine was "sufficient"

By the time it gets the ED engines, I seriously doubt anyone will care anymore.

 

The K20 has been out of production for a while now, the R series is a current motor so it makes sense. Also, if the EDs come next year, I think thats hardly 'too late' for anyone to care... you make it sound like people only buy cars in the first year...

 

^^ That might have sounded a little harsher than I intended. To expand on it, many people replace cars when they need replacing or when a lease ends. This can happen at any time during the ILXs (expected) 5 year lifespan.

 

Yes. That was stated in one of the 3 major automotive magazines (I don't recall which one) about the tsunami. And if Acura holds true to implementing the ED series as soon as they're available like they've said, it could be a running model change this fall, or at the latest, for the 2014 which would be out next year. This is what I'm waiting on seeing before I open my wallet. (that, and I'm also curious about the 2014 A3 sedan, but that's for another topic)

 

Part of me wants Acura to do this, then I wonder about the 1st year buyers who now have the one year with the "inferior" engine. So then this begs the question, with the better ED engines do they raise the price even further? Or give the 2nd year buyers a free upgrade. I guess we'll see.

 

On the one hand people always show up here to complain that Acura is 'falling behind' and on the other, if they improve something, someone will complain that they improved something after they bought it.

I agree with the dilemma you're expressing. However, nearly all consumer products advance, so at some point the buyer has to 'pull the trigger' and risk that next year's product will be better.

 

^yea, exactly. There's a new iphone almost every year. Tech and the competition move to fast to worry about people being upset over year after year revisions.

 

It's all good Just frustrating when Acura doesn't explain the reasoning for these things. Like if they confessed that they didn't want an ILX 2.4 auto stepping on the TSX auto's toes until the ED engines were out, that'd be fine. Or why they couldn't offer the ILX 6MT with tech, when it was always available with MT-equipped Civic Si, TSX, and various TL's.

 

lol, yeah. Unfortunately it happens. Ford re-designed the Mustang for 2010. How many people went out and got the new body style? A bunch. They never made any mention of the fact, that for 2011, after just 1 year, the 6-cyl. was going from 210hp to 305hp, and the V8 from 315hp to 412hp. Both of which I believe, better fuel economy numbers to boot. They know they need to be somewhat hush about it, or interested parties, such as myself, might hold off and wait. The price increase, from what I read, was $1,250. Sure, Acura and Ford have nothing to do with each other, but just using it as an example. So if price does creep up for the new ED tech, my guess is when that comes into play, is when the TSX vanishes. All speculation of course.

 

^yea, and the 2013 mustang gt make even more power -- 420hp

 

Oh I know. I only used the Mustang example because, in addition to being an ex-Mustang enthusiast myself, my brother also just picked up a 2013 Boss 302.


I'm not that concerned with the ILX HP numbers (but hey, if I can have more, why not?) but the DI technology, that will be around for a long time to come. And also, I'm not that thrilled with the 5 spd. auto that's currently in my TSX, so a new trans option would be nice as well.

 

6spd/7spd auto please. Maybe that'll give a good kick in mpg along with DI.

 

Oh, I would much rather have a 6spd. auto vs. a CVT setup, but as the CVT is coming in the new Accord this fall, and I can only speculate that same trans will end up in the ILX. The other thing I find odd is the 2.4 direct injected engine is supposed to be 181hp. Yes, less than the current 2.4. Will be interesting to see the final specs.

 

The CVT in the Accord is a big gamble for Honda. They can't afford to screw up the new Accord with a bad CVT. But I'm thinking in general the CVT might be a short lived tech and 7, 8, even 9 speed dual-clutch autos will provide the same benefits without the annoying aspects of the CVT.

 

I hope it succeeds. HP and 0-60 times are so over done these days....they are nice, but what about the overall package? Sometimes weird combination create surprising results.

 

Early reviews of the new CVT seem to be on the positive side, with no negative effects associated with a typical CVT.

The way I see it is that, CVT works well for engines with not a lot of torque (say 200lbft or less). If one were to make a 7, 8, or 9-spd AT, might as well go for CVT for best efficiency. There are some DCT systems that are actually slower than a convention AT, namely, DCT from Hyundai.

 

The ILX is a nice looking car. It has potential but I just do not get the engine that Honda puts in it's premium models. Why still use an ancient 5sp automatic transmission. Most premium brands have 6 standard with many having 7. Plus it is less than 200hp. Forget about it, this is either a chick car or caters to those in the 18-28 demographics.

 

As you already know, JABOO, the 5AT is a short-term drivetrain and Earth Dreams is coming. Acura clearly wanted release now to fill showrooms. This is America and businesses have a right to run any way they want to, even if sometimes that way doesn't make sense.

I have a sneaking suspicion that this will be like Scion--a brand meant for youngsters but with an average transaction age in the 40's-50's.

 

^This. Hence the reason why I'm thinking Acura is going through a split (age-wise). I'll explain. Toyota has Lexus which caters to the luxury market, but has different models for different age groups (simply put demographics). I.E. IS, ES, and even GS, w/out forgetting the LS. I see plenty of people in their 20s/30s driving around in an IS, which may be true, but the average age of the consumer is still over 40-50+. Same with Honda/Acura. Acura caters to the more luxury side, BUT with the ILX they're hoping to pull in younger buyers (same can be said for the TSX), but still the average transaction says someone 40-50+ are mostly buying Acuras. IDK if that made much sense to you guys, but it was just a thought I had.

 

If the car was released at the end of May (May 23rd), that doesn't give a very good gauge at at all of how the car is ACTUALLY selling. By later today or tomorrow we will see how many units of this vehicle was actually sold last month. I would be shocked if it is anything over 1500 units. If you look at its inventory within each Acura dealership, each and every dealership has at least 20-40 units in inventory. By huge contrast, within the first month after launch of the new RDX, the average units in inventory was 1-5, or even 0 in some cases. These ILX cars are NOT turning that quick. I purchased my RDX on June 1st and that dealership (high volume) sold only 1 ILX, and it had like 15 in inventory at the time. See how it drops this month. Honestly, the only thing that can save this car is a premium version of the 2013 Honda Accord's 2.4 DI Earth-Dreams engine paired with at least the option of a 6AT. (215-225 HP, 200-210 Torque) This would probably bring fuel economy to about 24/35, about the same as now with this pitiful 2.0 5AT setup, plus more importantly, acceleration under 7 seconds, which is the standard of cars in this price range. 9-10 second acceleration is only acceptable in a hybrid engine...In this car, its an embarrassment.

 

The ILX sold 1,081 in its 1st full month. Not horrible but definitely not encouraging either since the goal was 40,000/year. Still a little too early to determine much ... most dealers in my area only had 2 or 3 up until about a week ago when they all got ~15. Next month will paint a better picture ...

 

Interesting you'd say this, because I went to a dealership to check out an RDX and an elderly couple probably in their 50's were loving the ILX. They had a 3G TL and loved the mileage numbers on the ILX hybrid. I was wondering if they'd still like it after feeling its acceleration, but maybe they wouldn't care. Who knows.