I'm going back and forth on the Civic Si and 2.4ILX. The main advantage the Civic Si has is its limited slip diff. I'm a moderate driver so I wouldn't be needing an LSD for performance, but I wonder if it would be useful for traction in snow/ice/mud/rain and other hairy situations.

I can recall 2 times where I got stuck in mud and probably could have used a limited slip diff in my Integra.

A lot of Civic Si people say that it helps them get going in snow and rain without slipping. I wonder if ILX owners with they had it or if it's unnecessary.

 

I don't think you'll miss it except for the few times you power through some turns.. I am skeptical on it's helpfulness in weather situations. I'd note also that both front tires are powered. It's not peg-legged.

 

Yea, I had the lsd on the 8th gen civic and I literally did not feel any difference in everday driving. In bad weather, the civic wasn't that great until I upgraded the tires. LSD is overrated in the real world.

 

I proved the ilx isn't peg-legged and it does put just about all the torque to the ground with that open differential haha. IMO if your guna be driving through snow, mud, ice... Get a 4wd truck. It sounds like you'll be driving off-road since your getting stuck in giant mud puddles and worrying about the snow.

 

Ha, I definitely don't go off-roading, but I have had a less than stellar record of getting myself stuck in mud because of stupidity. And, I live in Virginia so we do get enough snow such that I should be considering how well my car can handle snow on the road those 3 or 4 days a year that it needs to. I guess the LSD can only help, although I suppose it's possible it can make your tail overspin.

 

FYI, if you're leasing, ilx is the way to go...it was like the same monthly payment otd as when I shopped for a 2012 si (the 13s are even worse lol).

 

As spdandpwr said, I myself own an 8thcivic and didn't even miss nor feel the difference not having LSD.

^ yea that!

 

I dont mind not having the LSD, if it had it that would have been cool but it is far from neccesary. The ILX does not have TQ steer issues the way a lot of the older Civics and Integrsa used. I have not lqaunched the car but I do tend to have a heavy foot and I have felt a little TQ steer but its nothing like Ive ecperienced on older Hondas even with a lot less power than the ILX.

 

I found the ILX 2.4 mt to have virtually no torque steer and I can't say the same for my TSX Aspec 6mt.

 

If it would have cost more than no. Already a 32,000$ car. Don't need LSD.

 

The more I think about it, the more I'm of the opinion that the ILX could use some more work. At its core, it's the same Acura that I know and love - proven powertrains, rock solid reliability, somewhat conservative design.

What turns me away each time is how it seems incomplete. The 2.4L has no LSD, no nav, same suspension as base model, and no automatic/paddle shift option. It's like it's dipping one toe in luxury and the other toe in sports sedan, but doesn't want to commit to either side. It wants to be cheap enough to appeal to Gen-Yers like me, but doesn't want to be so sporty that it attracts the Integra-tuner crowd all over again. Yet, it only has a manual option (which isn't a big deal to me because that's what I prefer), but it shows that it doesn't know what it is. If you're only providing a manual, then you might as well sell out on being a sports sedan and put an LSD on it.

All of this is just my opinion.

 

Where do you draw the line when you're Acura? They're pound for pound trying to be the cheapest luxury car to value..

So, by your logic I ask.. where do you draw the line?
Add a sporty suspension, LSD, and Nav.. is it still a 30K car? Why stop there.. Well then it wouldn't really be all that cause it'd still be FWD.. so why not RWD or AWD.. then 200hp probably isn't enough... why not Turbo/Super charge it..? Well then we need forged internals for an OEM build.. Oh well.. slap a 40K price tag on it.

People already complain about the 30K tag is my point and they're not Audi.. so you do not have the same demographic.. The Integra constantly being brought up into these arguements has already been addressed. We can all stop pretending the Integra was the God of all FWD Honda/Acuras now.. My 2 cents.

Not being a Acura fan boy may have something to do with it but the Integra was not a great looking car and it did not have a phenominal interior no was it all that luxurious.. it was just a cheap, fun and slightly superior to the Honda counterparts.. I feel Acura pretty wheel completed the job with this car. I personally would like a stiffer suspension but then you can always say that doesn't fit in the luxury class.

Bottom line.. unless you're putting down more power you're not missing the LSD too much.. My car is making 20+ to the wheels over stock and still no torque steer really and on the street I don't find myself powering through too many turns like a race car driver.

 

Disclaimer.. I do wish I had a LSD just for my future goals with the car but it's a problem with a solution.

 

Si Swap!!!!!!!!!
living in texas, I always want to say Yes.

is that the new Civic yes with the k24!?
did you see the new pepsi yes can!?

 

Regarding everything discussed that's non-lsd related, what's the point about complaining about things that you'll inevitably replace.

Suspension: most tuners swap it out
Exhaust: everybody replaces that
No nav: A garmin is much better and, if you don't like that, use your phone and connect the audio via bluetooth

As a disclaimer, I do wish Tech was offered.

 

Agreed with everything trent said minus the integra comment. Integras are the king of fwd small liter engines because they did it better and more affordable at the time. Go integra!

 

An interesting and little-publicized fact about the 1995–2000 DC2 Type R is that Honda lost money on every single vehicle sold, even though extra dealer markups sometimes made for excessive dealer profit. Honda produced the DC2 Type R for homologation purposes to meet FIA certification of the motor and the chassis changes to make the car more competitive in N-series and World Cup racing. The details required, hand tooling in early versions and finishing the product through the use of various small fabrication shops in Japan made for increased costs in manufacture that could not be made up in the list price of the vehicles. Honda (and Acura in the US) deemed the car important for the marque's image and important for the racing programmes of the era, and the parent company therefore accepted a financial net loss on each vehicle sold.

 

Valid points. Just to clarify, if you read my posts you'll see that I never once mentioned that the Integra was the god of small FWD cars. Everything is always golden in hindsight, but at the time Acuras were criticized for the same things they are criticized for now. I always felt Hondas took on the underdog role, and that hasn't seemed to change. I bought up the Integra to point out that Acura seems to want to get away from the Integra.

About where I'd draw the line; it's not about drawing a line on what features to add and what not. The point is that Acura needs to define very well what they are trying to do with a car, and it seems they are not doing that with the 2.4ILX. The Civic Si knows exactly what it is, it's a sports coupe/sedan and its job is to be a sporty fun ride with typical Honda reliability (IOW conservative design).

The 2.4ILX doesn't know what it is. It wants to be fast, but it doesn't want to be too good around the track so it skips the LSD. It wants to be luxurious, but it won't come with nav or auto trans. Is there any luxury car out there that doesn't have nav & auto trans? If I'm getting an Acura, I want to be sure that I'm not getting any less of a car than its Honda counterpart, and I don't get that feeling with the 2.4ILX.

In my opinion, the problem isn't the execution of the 2.4ILX. It looks to be classic Honda/Acura quality. The problem seems to be that Acura forced themselves into a tough corner when defining this car. This may have been why they seemed to be so reluctant to follow up on the RSX, because building luxury at the 30k price point is kind of a winless endeavor.

 

Too bad I owned a 94. Hahaha Sucks

 

While I get your points I just don't think Acura is the brand to get if these are items you require. Honda builds manual transmissions that people rave about and other manufactures wish they could get that kind of feel in their transmissions. While I'm confident they could build an auto trans with shift levers... In reality their auto transmissions have never been strong nor have ever been praised for feeling even remotely sporty, reliable yes able to take added power and abuse... Not so much. I love manual transmissions and really can't stand driving automatic. I will fight owning one as long as possible, call me old school but shift levers and techtronic shifting just isn't real driving the the 370 Z has an amazing rev match capability and can shift fast and smooth, it still makes the car a lot more boring to drive unless there is gobs of horsepower.

As for not having a true identity it was never supposed to, it was ment to appeal to both the entry level luxury buyer and to the sport lux buyer that wants a safisticated yet sporty car. I think they did a great job and I love the fact they won't let the manual trans die try and find a manual in other similar cars. Also people complain to much about the price a BRZ has close to the same numbers and a way cheaper interior and comes in at just 2000 less than the 2.4 ilx. Just my 2cents take it for what it's worth.

 

Oh yeah... While I love integras... 99/2000 Si was hands down my favorite of the late 90's Hondas and Acuras

 

Not fair. Rear wheel drive. Of course it's more fun than a fwd integra.

 

A lot of Honda's auto transmission woes are because they build their transmissions and motors were most companies outsource..

 

I was referring to 99/2000 Civic Si's which are fwd... I think you thought i was referring to S2000's? And rwd is a lot if fun to me fwd is fun too just a different experiences. Most will agree and say red is by far the best, but I like fwd too. I liked my Evo and WRX they were a blast but was is the most boring out of all three to me was just does so much of the driving for you it takes some of the fun out of it. Good thing they were all making over 300hp to help keep the fun factor up.

 

Wow. Yeah I totally read S2k... the 2000 and the SI so close together must have thrown me off! But hey, we've got the Civette and Cibaru! haha

I guess you would like the 99-00 civic si the best. Same reason Im about the Integra.
Civic always had a place in my heart, love the simple coupe design. Hated the EKs but the older EG or newer EMs were great. I just like how different the Integra looked with those so ugly their legit head lights. lol!

http://www.autotrader.com/research/a...-for-30000.jsp

Just found this ^^
How can you go Civic when the ILX is competing with BMW, Lexus, Audi, etc, AND WINNING is some critics eyes.

 

I agree. The ILX identity is probably someone young, but more mature than the Civic Si driver. That means a quieter ride is preferred, no LSD required, but fun must still be built in.

There's no nav because the ILX driver is comfortable with their iPhones and Androids and will prefer Google Maps or Waze which are continuously updated.

Missing auto trans does appear to be an oversight and was probably a tradition continued from the Civic Si.

That's the best I can do. The ILX 2.4 is a very nice car overall, but I can't see anything special about it -- nothing to brag out loud about or feel good inside about.

 

I love my car. Its a 2.0 tech. Yall are haters.

 

Lol!!! ^

 

lol All I see is people hating on the 2.4 for this and that. Man, I'm rockin less horsepower and still lovin the shit out of this car.

Integra was slung low and loud as fuck. Got attention everywhere. But I just feel so at home in the ILX. I like being inside it more than my own room. lol

 

I agree Jon, I love the car it's exactly what I wanted sport lux and room for me and the family can't wait to upgrade the suspension, intake and exhaust and maybe some wheels... And other little things as time goes by

 

That's the beauty of it all. From my point of view the ILX seems misplaced, but for some people it may be exactly what they need and/or want. We all have different priorities.

I think Acura/Honda has always kind of done their own thing. They don't necessarily try to straight up outdo the next car. They offer a unique package and in due time people come to appreciate the car for what it is, not how it stacks up against its competition.

If the Civic Si wasn't out, I might not have the same criticisms of the 2.4L.

 

The way I see the contrast between the Civic Si, the ILX 2.0, and ILX 2.4 is pure sport to luxury.

SI is the sporty choice. Not as many luxuries, still not all that sporty but more than the latter.
ILX 2.0 takes away the sporty feel of the Civic SI and replaces it all with luxuries.
ILX 2.4 MT brings some of that sporty feel back without losing similar luxuries.

Thats my best 2 cents.

 

OP

I'm debating the same thing, I'm trying to convince myself the ilx 2.4 is worth the 6.5k premium but I don't know, the SI is winning the debate today!! I can afford either car but I have a feeling the SI might end up in my driveway! Way to go honda for overpricing the ilx!

BTW, before some tells me the price difference is x or y, these are prices I was quoted after dealer visits and test drives in my area.

 

According to some reviewers on youtube, dealers sometimes sell the ILX for 4-6k less than MSRP while the Civic Si is usually more like 1-2k less than MSRP. The ILX isn't selling well so dealers are willing to slash the prices quite a bit. So in theory we could possibly get a 2.4ILX for around 25k, best case scenario. The best case scenario for a Civic Si may be around 21k, not a huge difference in price between the two, especially considering some people may pay close to 25k for a Civic Si with nav.

Price aside, the Civic Si just feels more exciting to me with its spaceshipiness. In 10 years I may wish I had an Acura, but right now the Civic Si does it for me.

 

I came from an 08 Si, and when I was looking at a new car, my top 2 picks were either the Si, or the ILX. I test drove a 12 Civic SI, and the 13 ILX 2.4MT in Nov 12. I really liked the Si, especially that surge of the engine when the vtec kicks in and that digital speedo. I did not like the interior that much because it felt cheap (more so than my 08). I know that they fixed a lot of that for the 13s, but the carbon fiber dash just killed it for me. When I drove the ILX, it just drove home that cheap interior feeling of the Si, coupled with smoother experience of the ILX. The ILX is also a little more soft, more forgiving on poor roads, and it feels a little more refined. The Vtec kick is much less pronounced, the engine noise is smooth and sexy. I liked the whole experience more with the ILX than the Si.

But to answer your specific question, I wish that the ILX came with a LSD. I will be correcting that oversite sometime soon when the funds allow it. I notice it missing when I accelerate through turns, and on the rain/ice. Is it needed, no. The car is pretty stable without it. I got spoiled with it in the Si.

 

'13 SI sedans are going for 21k in my neck of the woods, non-nav

shit if i can get a ilx for 25k, hell even 26k, i would have bought one last month! they have a few 13s that they might let go for a nice discount but they are in the low 27k here for best case scenario...

so about 6k difference...

 

I drove both a 13 SI and ILX and almost bought the SI had it not been for my wife talking me out of it. She really wanted me to get a more grown up car and felt the SI was to kiddish + she really does not like the front of the new Civic SI. I really did not care much at the time, but now that I have been driving the ILX for a bit I am really glad I went with it over the SI.

I will be modding it as I would have the SI and making it my own but I really enjoy the fact that there are not a ton of them on the road, with the SI I see them all over that cant be said with the ILX. Plus the interior is a lot more safisticated and I was never a huge fan of the two tier dash. I like having the niver interior, HIDs and the front fascia of the ILX I do like the rear bumper and incorperated diffuser on the SI though, but I like the trunk and tailights on the ILX better.

I also did not notice any difference in the way vtec engaged??? both cars felt the same to me?