It's been exactly 1 year since I got my 2013 ILX Hybrid Tech and put around 25k on it. Overall, I like the car a lot (coming from a 2008 Honda Accord LX-P, which currently has 190k on it)

Pros:
-Great gas mileage. With this hybrid, I have consistently achieved around 43MPG on the freeway (avg 60-65MPH) and around 38 in the city (41 to 42MPG overall
-Looks great - the Hybrid spoiler just finishes it off for me - regular ILX's look off to me
-Good fit and finish - still no squeaks/rattles with 25k miles & frequent trips into Manhattan - Can't say the same about my Accord
-Not exactly a pro, but very very few ILX's in my area, making it easy to spot in parking lots (Can't tell you how many times I've tried to get into someone else's 8th gen Accord by accident)

Issues/Problems:
-The "ILX" stitching on the driver floor mat came undone - replaced under warranty
-I have had the car towed 3 times. twice for a failed battery (turns out bad Hybrid batter - replaced under warranty) and once for a flat tire (no spare)... Each tow from Acura had me waiting for at least 2 and a half hours
-Passenger side seat recline is broken (Have to bring it to the dealer soon)
-Rear armrest w/ cupholders fell off - Dealer popped it back in in 30 seconds

Features that should have made it into the ILX in general
-Power passenger seat
-Backup camera with trajectory lines that move as you steer (Even my parent's 2006 Infiniti M35x had this)
-Side mirror integrated LED turn signals
-Remote Start standard on tech - A Chevrolet Cruze 2LT ($23k sticker) I rented a week ago had this standard
-Blind spot camera/detection (like the one in the higher trim 2013+ Accord) - My buddy's 2014 Civic EX-L navi has this feature


I did have it appraised @22k miles, mint condition in & out (Was considering buying a TL SH-AWD Advance b/c a dealership was basically giving them away) - Was offered only $21k at my Nissan dealer, $20k CarMax, and $18750 at my Acura dealer, and $18k at my Honda dealer - Not exactly the best resale value considering the car stickers for $35k, and I paid $31k. The general consensus at dealerships was that simply nobody [i]wants[i] an ILX Hybrid

I'm interested in what other ILX owners think about their car & if I'm just being picky with my wants

 

Dang, towed 3 times in the first year? That's not saying a lot for reliability. You've racked up a few miles though. Thanks for the detailed report. Similarly, I've been compiling my lists of good & bad over the last nearly two years since I've had my 2.4 (currently @ 78k). You're spot-on with the needed features. It's interesting that your "ILX" floor mat stitching is coming undone -- The "I" on my driver's side OEM rubber all-weather floor mat keeps popping out too.

 

I had the bad battery issue on my hybrid too. Was terrible over the brutal winter when you come back to a dead car week after week coming back from business travel. I agree with many of your pluses. I get better than expected MPG return on city and highway when driving reasonable speeds. At 75-80mph on up and down hill routes to work I average 38.5-39.9 mpg.

In addition to the negatives which I too agree with, I'd like:
1) sunglass holder
2) larger cubby under the radio (fits my 180gb old school ipod but not much else with the cord)
3) faster bluetooth connection? I notice a lag when streaming my BT from iPhone to stereo
4) reduced road noise
5) noise cancellation on the mic

I have rattles in the driver side door and had to have the whole door panel already replaced under warranty. Battery was replaced.

I agree, not too many ILX's on the road, and def not of the hybrid variety. CT200h is killing us. Better mpg and storage capacity. I would've gotten that instead in retrospect.

 

The appraisal thing is way off man.If you want the most money, you'd have to go private party. You shopped it to dealerships, of course they lowballed you. They need to sell it and make money. I bought mine used for $21,500. But they were originally selling it for $27,000. They kept dropping the price because (im not joking) no one could drive the stick shift. I got if from a BMW dealership, so I showed interest, but did the whole game thing where I walked away until they gave me the lowest price possible. They actually lost money on the car, they took it as a trade in valued at $23,000.

 

yeah, actually the first three times in my life I've ever needed a tow But the two times was for the same issue (battery) and the third time was me hitting a pothole and getting a flat with no spare in the back 78k miles? wow... I did maybe 20k between May 2013 and August 2013, noticed how many miles I was putting on, and wanted to slow down (for value's sake and b/c the hybrid battery warranty), so started decided to start driving my 2008 Accord LX-P far more, esp on the freeway. ILX Hybrid is a great car, but probably one I'll try to dump when its 3 to 5 years old because of the relatively unproven Honda hybrid drivetrain.

Didn't think about the sunglass holder - I always use the cup holder or passenger seat Bluetooth has a noticeable lag, but I didn't really notice a difference in the lag of the unit in the ILX compared to many of the rental cars I've driven (i.e. Camry, Prius, Cruze, Altima, Optima, Elantra, etc) but now I guess I'll keep an eye on it so I can complain about it The CT200h is definitely killing the ILX hybrid, and the Merc CLA and Buick Verano are no doubt murdering the regular gas versions..
Well, private party will definitely get the most money, but I need to spend a decent amount of time with tire kickers then wait on financing, etc. and would rather not deal with that. Had a bad experience in 2010 when trying to sell my 08 Nissan Sentra with 85k miles... Best cash offer I got was $5500... Ended up selling it to my Nissan dealer for $9k in 2011 (after Japanese earthquake/tsunami).. I bought it new in 09/2007 for around $13k+TTL, so 3.5 years of driving + 90k miles @ trade in for $4k was a good deal for me Selling a car isn't easy.. Pair that with driving almost 5k miles per month, and it's not even worth the effort.

Not a bad deal you got on yours... I get emails from an Acura dealer in the DMV area (largest in the US) and they have been offering crazy deals on Acuras. The other week they were advertising $24k for a brand new 2013 ILX Tech... Maybe around a month ago, a brand new 2014 TSX for $23k, and in December 2013, they had brand new 2014 ILX's for $21k... Granted you need to add TTL, destination, and $500 doc fee, but still these prices are really good compared to prices up in the New York Tri-State.. Wonder how much hold back/bonuses they are getting on each car sold at the end of the year

 

I've had mine for 11 months and only have a few minor complaints. One is that I couldn't get the color I wanted, but that was just the luck of the draw at the time, not anything wrong with the car per se. None of the issues I have with the car are major, but they're worth mentioning.

1. Although I'm fine with using my smartphone for navigation, and may even prefer that, I think it's absurd for any model of any luxury brand to not have navigation as standard equipment, let alone not available at all. This wasn't a deal-breaker for me, obviously, but it seems like it is for a lot of people, and I admit it did give me pause. (Along the same lines, not having an automatic transmission available with the top-line engine is also a potential deal-breaker, although this didn't bother me one bit....) It just makes no sense to not even offer the full Tech package in any Acura vehicle; if not standard, it should be available in every Acura.

2. Another absurdity is for a car of this quality from a brand of this reputation in the 2013 model year to not have a 60/40 folding rear seatback. I drove Saturns, three of them, all S-Series compacts, for almost 20 years; good cars, but comparatively cheap, and they all had 60/40 rear seatbacks. Luxury cars in 2013 should not be lacking in features that could be found in vehicles half as expensive in 1994.

3. More sound-deadening would help. This car is nowhere near as noisy as a Saturn, but again, this is supposed to be a luxury brand, and the tires really wail at highway speed on concrete. As one reviewer put it, "No $30,000 car should be this loud."

4. I would like it if the Bluetooth call button on the steering wheel had the ability to activate Voice Commands on an Android phone. The standalone Bluetooth car-speaker devices I used before (e.g., the Motorola Roadster) would do that when you pressed the call button; the Acura's call button, on the other hand, takes you to the car's own internal speed-dial function, wherein you can only voice-dial a limited set of pre-programmed numbers. I programmed some of them in when I first got the car but couldn't be bothered to do it all over again when I replaced my phone. Of course there's a way around this; I can just go to Voice Commands on the phone itself, which is fairly easy when I have it mounted on the dash for navigation, but not so much when it's in my pocket or in my briefcase in the back seat. I'd prefer it if the steering-wheel call button could be programmeddo that.

5. I kind of wish the screen display (menus and audio) was more colorful, or at least offered more color-theme options that weren't all so monochromatic. Typically I use the Red theme (which matches the dash gauges) but all of them are rather bland and cheap-looking. The only time I see any color (apart from the backup camera) is the album art when I play music off the iPod, which I rarely do. (Along those lines, I'd like to see album art displayed when I use a non-iPod device such as a thumb drive.)

5. I'd love it if carmakers incorporated the foot-activated liftgate feature that some minivans now have into the trunks of sedans. While we're at it, a built-in vacuum would be nice too.

 

Wow quite a list you got there However just some feedback on some points

1. Don't a lot of luxury brands not have navigation standard? If I remember correctly, many other brands don't, esp on their entry level cars (i.e. Infiniti, Lexus, Merc, BMW, Buick, etc) Though I agree a nav should be available as an option in all categories - and the 2.0 in the auto should be either turbo or a 2.4 IMO as well

2. I believe Merc E class charges like $700 for the option

5. Auto trunk is not an option on most sedans yet - Mostly on flagship or higher end models like the LS, E Class, S class, etc. However I did read that the next gen Sonata is supposed to get that option among a host of other nice luxury goodies. Give it a few years for the auto industry to follow... Then another few years for Honda to follow

 

I guess we're not at the point where it's standard yet; I overshot there. Heck, air conditioning was not standard on a lot of cars when I got my first Saturn in 1994. We'll get there eventually.

Also, seriously? 60/40 is an option in 2014 on a car that starts at $51K? Wow.

 

As of 2013, a local VW dealer manages to get their hands on stripped down Jettas (versions not even showing on the VW website) that they sell for $11,999 incl destination. Went to check it out - turns out there was no radio of any sort, no A/C, or anything... I was surprised that the light bulbs were standard feature on that thing... Same with last gen Altima 2.5 - They had models without radios to promote a cheap price to get people in the door

Even push start is a $650 option on all E Class (although every E class I saw had it... When I was negotiating a deal for my parents last December, decently loaded E350 ended out to sticker around $62k (around $57k + TTL selling price) once things like navi, push button, and a few nice goodies were added... They opted for a 2013 RLX Advance for $49k + TTL ($61k MSRP)

 

Wait whats this about stripped down jettas? Only new ones?
No way in hell theyd have a Harlyquinn? Id sell my ILX and my first born for one.

 

As whack as a stripped one would be, id take it over a used car if I was broke. But damn, thats really, really stripped....

 

Not exactly sure what you're asking, but they were brand new...

Hmm... not sure if I could agree with you there... If I was broke, I wouldn't go anywhere near a German car Personally would look into getting into a new Versa, which can be had in the $11k + TTL range in the DMV area and also has A/C and bluetooth.

If you guys are interested in reading about the car, there were some people talking about it here... Seems like the OP of that thread lives in CT (As I do) and seems to most likely be talking about Balise VW in RI, which is where I went to check out the Jetta.
http://forums.vwvortex.com/showthrea...-Stereo-No-A-C....

Heres a listing for the identical car that I saw last year. Seems like they only get brown ones (less popular?) as when I was there last time, they had 2 of these, both brown. It's currently priced at $14k, but they mark it down to $13k and $12k regularly depending on the month/incentives.

http://www.balisevolkswagenri.com/ne...74f7904c9e.htm

 

For me so far it is:
1. Less road noise, overall need better NVH
2. Needs that 8AT DCT
3. Less engine vibration - I have the 2.0l, engine vibration during idle & throttle lift is overly noticable, seems like engine mounts were designed for responsiveness and not comfort.

 

My list so far through seven months and a bit more than 5,000 miles...

-Better ride quality. I'm generally happy with the levels of road noise and vibration, but I would expect superior ride dampening in a Civic... or a Fit, for that matter, nevermind an Acura. Honda has lost the tune in this regard compared with my 1992 Accord, and not just because of its move away from double wishbones at all four corners.

-The 5AT has started to "lug" some downshifts, which makes me a bit nervous given Honda's past problems with its automatics.

-Acura's styling language is growing on me, but from some angles (3/4 rear, for one) the car appears quite ungainly.

-And good Lord, the voice command system is ridiculous. If I'm already playing my iPod, I should not need to preface commands with "iPod Search," then wait several seconds, then hit the damn button again to tell it what to look for. I came out of a 2012 Ford Escape with SYNC, and that system is far superior to the HondAcura process.

 

You should contact apple then. Not auras fault with that last con.

 

It's what the dealer showed me, and it's also the process described on Page 36 of the Tech Guide.

http://techinfo.honda.com/rjanisis/pubs/QS/X813TEQS.pdf

 

What I mean is apple probably helped develop something with ford because they opted into an exclusivity plan. Acura was maybe more on their own with the ipod integration therefor its not as great. Hence its not acuras fault if apple cared more about ford.

 

Off topic I know but.......Only 5000 miles after 7 months!?!?!?!?!? I WISH

Im already at 10,000 and Ive only had it 4 months. Do you even drive this car??

 

I'm at 6,000 after 11 months. Monday through Friday I only drive it to the train station and back. But all that will change after I move to L.A........

 

Versa sounds good as well if was a broke college student or something. I guess you're right. You definitely convinced me. I can respect that you dont want to deal with tirekickers and bullshitters and lowballers. Getting less cash but keeping it simple, smooth and timely is definitely preferable. Shop around tho, some dealer will probably offer a little more. I suspect your car is in excellent condition, I mean you are on acurazine.

 

Ah, I understand now. Given that the iPod remains the dominant MP3 player out there, though, I think the blame still falls on Acura for not integrating things better. (SYNC is a Ford/Microsoft creation, so I doubt there was much collaboration with Apple there.)


I used both a Sansa MP3 and the iPod in the Escape, and without question the iPod performed far more smoothly. Basic SYNC (not MyFordTouch) is a pretty impressive system.

LOL - I guess I shouldn't add that the car already had around 725 miles on it when I got it, huh? I work from home, and with the exception of a 1,200 mile trip to Vegas and back, the longest trip I usually make in the Acura is the one hour drive to Santa Fe to fly. I also regularly swap out the Acura to drive the Spyder around, especially now that the weather is warmer. There was a time when I'd put close to 40,000 miles a year on my car.

 

Mint condition aside from a couple rock chips on the front end (didn't invest in a clear bra). My local Nissan dealer is really generous in trade-ins... They took over a lot of a Chrysler/Dodge/Jeep dealership that closed, a Subaru dealership that relocated, and expanded their main lot twice already (they built & opened in the around 2002 or 2003 I believe). I always check Carmax and such, but this Nissan dealer sells used cars at such a premium and always beats CarMax/other dealer's offer by $1k (not to mention they are less than 2 miles away from me )

But buying a new car is no longer something I'm actively considering... At least until it comes time to replace my 08 Accord (eying the 2015 Sonata and Camry )

 

Another issue that I just remembered this morning. The key fob. A $35k car has a key fob with the silver paint scratched off almost completely from daily use. Looks like it is for a 10 year old car.

 

Yeah the key fob gets beat real quick... but there are really nice leather fob covers on the aftermarket. Most people went with black with red stitching and snap closure. But there are also a few available with zippers and different color leather (brown looked super lux).Or you could get the silicone jacket one that I ended up getting. I had to add a tiny amount of hot glue gun (can peel it off no prob) to the side of the fob to make it fit snugly. Works great tho. Fob is more grippy now.

 

Bringing back an older thread I started with problems. Wanted to update the issues I've had and the outcome.

Was passing by a Honda dealer when my service light came on. Went in for express service on a whim to the Honda dealer since it is the same dealer group as my Acura dealership. Was informed that I had no more brake fluid. They suggested bringing it to Acura for inspection. Honda dealer topped off brake fluid and I went directly to their sister Acura dealership and got a 2013 TL Special Edition for a loaner. Told them all the problems I stated before with my car.

-No more brake fluid: Topped off with brake fluid said let's see what happens...

-Bumper clip seems broken, bit loose: Dealer said it's not under warranty, insisted that I had to get a whole new bumper.

-Rear center armrest broken: dealer repaired under warranty

-Navigation missing entire sections of towns: Dealer said that navigation seems fine based on a couple block radius test drive... Well no shit, never had problems near the dealership - not fixed

-Navigation says I'm ~1/4 miles to the left or right of where I was when I'm on the highway: Dealer said no problems around dealer - yes, I've never had problems around the dealership either...

-Front passenger seat does not recline: Told me that the front passenger seat wasn't designed to recline.... uhm....

-Rear suspension thumping on bumps: Said that they didn't experience it on a test drive around the block... All the roads surrounding the dealership was repaved ~1 month ago, no potholes in the area.

-Car creaking when turning into a driveway/parking lot that has any form of incline: Claimed to hear nothing.

They called me back around 3 days later to come pick up the car. When they informed me AFTER driving 45 mins to get to the dealership, they told me they found nothing. I took a service advisor on my own route test drive to point out thumping noises and creaking noises. Claimed that it was normal. Then took one of their identical 2013 ILX Hybrids they just bought at auction on the same test drive with none of the noises in my car. They reluctantly took my car back for a few more days to "repair" I come back a few days later, and what do you know, they didn't touch my car.

I took back my car and vowed never to service my cars at any of their locations or buy another car from them again. Took it to another Acura dealership near my house and they took it in and said they would fix the issues. This is the dealer that I was avoiding because the sales manager wouldn't let me test drive an ILX Hybrid tech because they basically thought I was too poor to afford one (Went to the dealer after purchasing to show the sales manager).

 

The passanger seat thing makes no sense. I would get the name of that person and push that assholes name as high up the latter as possible. Blatant lie to your face claiming the seats don't recline. I would have demanded themail manager come out and I would have video tapped that retard lying in front of his GM then post it to youtube.

I'm shocked you even took their response without throwing something through their display window. I would have literally started telling customers that they are thieves until they figured my shit out.


As for the navi, that area of your town could not be updated.
Oem navis are set at the time they are made. They sent upgrade with time or new developments. You have to pay good money to update the system.

As for it saying you aren't on the road your on... I get that every once and a while by my work. I drive on an unmarked road next to the freeway. Every so often it thinks I'm on the freeway verse the unmarked road.

 

Seriously. Go back to that stealership and video tape the fool claiming your seat with reclining levers wasn't supposed to recline.
Then post it on reddit.
Then go back to the dealer and tell them you'll remove it once they fix your issues. Hell I'd demand a brand new 2014 with the interior still wrapped.

 

just returned from first road trip in my new 2014 ilx tech. Dallas to Branson Mo. NOT a comfortable ride... it needs lumbar support.
the road noise got to be very annoying.
the going up mountains was bad. it somehow sucked in exhaust fumes when ever we were climbing up. on level grounds and going down was fine. I made sure I had it on max air, recirculating on. but going up hill we would get a funky smell, like exhaust, and my wife was getting headaches.

 

On the plus side, you could have a $45K TL and would have the same problem. Hopefully the new fobs from the MDX and RLX will become more widespread in the future.

 

I had number of issues while having ILX as daily commuter for last 16 months;

1. Battery and/or starter

Happened four times actually, out of no reason, car didn't start. First time, car battery died, and had to boost, although I had nothing left on. I originally thought it's weather issue; it was hot humid summer day.

Second time, I briefly parked my car on the street for less than two minutes, then the car wouldn't start. Message board said "Check starter system", so I thought "Haha it's f battery again, so did battery boost, and did not start. Ended up towing the vehicle to dealership to get checked out and they said it's faulty battery, so replaced with new one under warranty.

Third time, it did not start either, so called tow truck again and sent to dealership, couldn't find the problem. Rep said if it happens again, they will contact Honda Canada to deal with it.

Last time happened, it was when the weather dipped to -23 C, and Honda gave excuse saying it's because of the weather...I didn't believe it but car started with booster so decided to keep my mouth shut.

2. Speedometer rattling

Dealership found out the problem. Screw that was holding speedometer came off so they reinstalled it

3. Steering wheel creeking

Dealership found out that strut tower screw was loose...so they re tighten it...

4. Driver seat making clunking noise

I could not duplicate the problem at the dealership so waiting out until it happens more frequently.

Honestly, I'm very disappointed with Honda...at the moment

 

At that point I was frustrated and just took the car, especially since I had to get to a job interview (plus not wanting to deal with this auto group any further).

I live in a populated area (for the Hartford, CT area anyway) and never go off road. Driving on a hwy, it has told me I was driving through the CT river and then straight through neighborhoods. Same thing happens randomly in other places. For the missing areas, if it was a fairly newer area, I would understand the navi issue, but at least 10 sq miles was completely missing and that entire area was built between 1930 and 1970 so idk why it wouldn't be there :/ I know that my parent's previous 2006 Infiniti M35x and 2004 Lexus RX330 had that section of town in its maps...

YES! I'm pretty sure even Elantras and other compact cars have at least manual lumbar

true true, but just a bit odd IMO that they give the 2013 Accord a nicer, longer lasting fob while giving the ILX a crap one

 

Well, the Accord is Honda's bread and butter; the ILX (and much of Acura, at least until recently) is pretty much an afterthought. Sad but true.

 

True true, but other competitors like Lexus and Infiniti have the new things in the luxury brand first and then it trickles down to its mainstream brands... seems to be the opposite w/ honda & acura

 

Yep, agreed. I'm at a loss to explain a lot of HondAcura's decisions over the past few years, though the brands seem to be coming around again.

 

Probably because the ILX inherited the TL's painted fob which debuted in 2009, long before the Accord. So in a sense, the trickle down happened but within the brand. The RDX uses the same fob. The new generation fob debuted with the RLX and then went to the MDX. Hopefully the ILX/RDX will get it (or the Accord style) soon.