I can't believe no one has started this thread yet...

Civic SI w/NAV MSRP is $6K less than the ILX 6MT.

So, has anyone cross-shopped yet and determined that the additional refinement, leather, and HID of the Acura 6MT is worth 6K and lack of Nav? The sound systems on both cars seem to spec out the same (no ELS on ILX Premium), which just leaves lack of leather and HID on the Civic.

The press has beat up the new Civic's interior for being too cheap, and Honda has promised to rectify it (possibly with the next MY). I think Honda is in a quandary of the Civic stealing sales of the ILX if they make it too refined, and the ILX stealing Civic sales if they lower the price. So they'll do the moronic thing: Keep the Civic SI unrefined and under-featured compared to its competition, and overprice the ILX. They should fire the MBAs in their marketing department.

This is not the first time Honda backed themselves in a corner with sub-optimized products in both markets out of fear of dilution. We ended up replacing an Odyssey with a Durango R/T because the D has more features than an MDX Tech at a cost lower than a Pilot EXL (so much lower that we decided to risk not having that great "Honda reliability and resale"). If Honda hadn't sub-optimized the Pilot for fear of diluting MDX sales and made it ride and steer as well as an MDX and put the MDX 6-speed with the Pilot's 250hp engine (which they could easily do given the shared architecture), we may have gotten more serious about the Pilot (even though we would have been at the limit of its towing rating for what we're pulling).

If Honda is serious about "value-luxury" in defining Acura's market niche, the ILX 6MT price point must include ELS and Nav. Either that, or I'm just not John Q Public as defined by marketing executives as someone who wouldn't dare cross shop a Civic with an ILX because they are "classes apart". To me, those marketing elites are doofuses (or is that doofi?). I think the younger enthusiast buyer they are after with the ILX 6MT is an educated consumer who looks for driving fun and value over brand cache...The ILX 6MT fails my value equation: Acura brand equity plus additional refinement over the Civic SI Nav, minus ELS, minus Nav is significantly worth less than $6K.

I admit I haven't driven an ILX 6MT yet....(and last Civic SI I drove was the last generation prior to the 2.4 6MT change for 2012), and I did buy a 2010 TL SHAWD 6MT over an Accord V6 EXL w/Nav for about 10K more...so SHAWD plus 6MT (which you couldn't get on any Accord V6 sedan), plus HID, plus ELS, plus nicer leather and a bit more refinement did tip my value-o-meter in favor of the Acura. Those were big enough differentiators to make the TL SH AWD 6MT an entirely different car in my eyes. IE, I'd probably never buy a fwd AT TL over an Accord V6 EXL w/Nav for $4.5K more.

 

I'm stuck in-between the two.

The Civic Si is a bit too youngish for me with all the "boy racer" stuff like VTEC stickers, Power Monitor and other flashy stuff.

But the 2.4 ILX seems confused as to what it is, since it has the Si's engine, but no LSD, no Nav and the same suspension as the efficiency model. It's not really a "sports sedan," but just a peppier base model.

Strip the boy racer flash off the Civic Si, and I might buy one.

Give the 2.4 ILX Nav, a sports suspension and maybe an Automatic... and I might buy one.

But as it is, it's difficult to justify.

 

get rid of all the Si/Vtec stickers. Slap on some Hybrid stickers and install a set of Hybrid specific wheels. Have fun!

 

And also replace all Honda badges and logos with the Acura ones. Then the econo-brand Honda Civic can act like the premium, upscaled Acura ILX.

 

I meet the target demographic and considered cross shopping the models, but ended up getting the tsx. Yea, the civic is quicker and sportier than the acura offering (and for less money). But after years of driving like a moron, you quickly lose interest in that scene and decide to move on, hence the ilx or tsx. I saw the ILX in person and I can say that the interior, coupled with the back up camera, push button start, hids, etc...make it worth the premium. Its styling is more refined and sophisticated, emanating luxury as opposed to boy ricer sportiness.

Honda did not dull down the civic in order to make the ilx a better seller, and, just on looks alone, the ilx feels like it can command a premium. Lots of companies have cars that overlap; I mean, if you think about it, why buy a Nissan Maxima, when the Altima is only a little bit smaller and costs significantly less, but has roughly the same features? Or better yet, why buy a BRZ over an FR-S? Just because the cars a similar to a certain degree, doesn't necessarily mean that people won't choose one over the other. Don't forget a lot of people care about appeal and luxury over value...have you heard of keeping up with the jone's? Its the reason why you buy a Lexus over a Toyota, a Nissan over an Infiniti, an Audi over a VW.

 

I would also expect the ILX to have a much quieter ride on the highway than the Civic Si. That would matter to me, because I commute on the highway, some of which is noisy concrete, and use my car for family road trips. However, handling dynamics and steering feel matter even more, so if choosing between the two I'd have to balance all the factors. The new Civic Si has less of a "boy racer" look than most sport compacts, and I'd have no problem with it.

 

Variations in a design can be a big difference maker with a customer.

 

Si all the way. just do what people said above and dont add any stickers lol.

 

LOL, well they come standard as a feature. They have to be removed somehow. Hair dryer I hear might work.

To be fair though, without the VTEC stickers it's a reasonably classy car from the outside, basically being a Civic with nicer wheels. And you get the LSD. And can get Navigation. So it IS tempting as an alternative.

The ILX is supposedly quieter and rides nicer, but is it THAT obvious? I dunno, I've driven both, but too many months between the test drives to compare.

 

The two different cars allow someone to pick according to their priorities. If you want the performance at the cost of near luxury and you have a lower budget you have a choice. Or if you need built in nav. But if you want a more upscale ride you have a choice, just can't get Nav or you bring your own... and more money.

I wonder if the LSD can be retrofitted into the 2.4L ILX? Won't be long til someone tries.

 

I think Acura is still struggling for it's identity as a brand to be coveted by anyone other than Honda owners looking to move up. Lexus has enough of it's own individual platforms (other than ES and RX shared with Camry and Highlander, respectively) like IS, LS, GS, that they can pull it off like BMW, Mercedes, and Audi. I like that Acura made some kind of press release in the past that imply they are wanting to create a "value luxury" niche all their own rather than compete on price par with the Germans; and I'm just saying that an ILX 6MT (entry sports sedan) that lacks the Civic's LSD and doesn't offer Nav (like the Civic SI) or ELS is lacking in the value luxury equation to justify the price premium from a feature for feature perspective.

I do, however, agree there is a large crowd that won't compare the two and will go for the "upmarket" brand. I just happen to think 6MT buyers are a more educated bunch when it comes to value-comparisons. If I were in the market, I'd cross-shop with the upcoming Verano turbo 6MT (potentially huge trade-off there is the beam rear axle), but 250 hp, 260 torque and a bunch more features at the same price makes for a very interesting comparison.

 

My son is in the middle of making this decision now, Si or ILX 6MT. He's asked me to tag along for advice. Will let you know how it all turns out.

 

Well, if you're into leasing, the ILX is wwwaaayyyy better. I was quoted 374 for an si lease with 15k miles with 1k down. Meanwhile, the ilx is offering a 0 down lease for 310 a month for 10k miles. While the ilx lease spans 3 more months, I still think the ilx is a better value in that regard.

 

You get this price for the 2.4 6 speed or the 2.0?

 

the 2.0, dealer said they could get me really close to that on a 6 speed. They owe me a favor, tho.

 

^I got the lease rate for the auto applied to a manual transmission. Some people said that they got low rates on the Si, but I haven't found a dealer who was willing to give me 310 with 0 down before tax, title, reg, and fees. I'm happy with the ILX, I went in the Si the other day and was so glad I didn't pull the trigger.

 

Bbbbbut, you're missing out on the god-almighty-limited-slip-differential!?????? How will you ever live without it!?????

 

Because NOT racecar...besides, I can check to see if I can swap it in.

 

I wrote this on another thread and thought it was worth posting here:

I test drove the Si, the interior wasn't nearly as nice, the lease rates were higher, the car didn't have SMS text message integration, no push button start, no keyless entry, no hids, no rearview camera, no leather, no heated seats, no heated side mirros, no auto dimming rearview, and no cache...trust, I'm a civic si fan, but the ILX came in at a better deal, all things considered.

 

And don't forget the things under the skin! You also have: An aluminum hood, aluminum bumper beam, 59% high strength steel (vs. 50%), acoustic front windshield and active sound control. Also dual zone a/c, one touch directional signals, and the expanded view rear view mirror.

 

The side view mirror also has a little tilt to it for seeing blind spots and greater body rigidity

 

BTW, how are you doing with the expanded view mirror? I find it a little distracting cause I see it out of the corner of my eye and things in it move 'differently' than the rest of the mirror.

 

I quickly glace at it and look the other way...its one of those things that if you look at it too long, you go crazy. Besides, I always look over my shoulders so I don't rely too much on side views...just a quick check every 30 seconds or so.

 

stock 12 si sedan (lighter) vs stock 14 ilx sedan (heavier)

 

fkx racing's factory tuned suspension ilx 2.4...

 

Since people are drudging this up - I got a great deal on the ILX - Mine was used. I payed 21500 for her, and that was at least 5000 below the current bluebook value (at the time). I hard balled the dealer, and momney talks. Believe it or not , the dealer had the car for 2 months and was desperate to sell it (it was a trade in). The reason - they couldn't get anyone to buy the stick shift! NO ONE KNEW HOW TO DRIVE STICK! But thats exactly what I was looking for. Originally they were selling it for $26,500(i have pics to prove it), lowered the price to $23500, and then I came in and offered $20K (lowball obviously). They actually showed me the paperwork (pics to prove it), that they were actually selling the car to me at a loss, they took the car for $24000. Anyway, I was actually getting good prices on the SI, even an HFP model or 2, but wanted something more "grown up". I do think it comes down to the prices you're getting. At msrp price, i think the SI is a better value, but who pays msrp?

 

I agree that the ILX is a better option than the SI. IN Canada, our ILX manual has lots of goodies too that the US models don't have which is a plus.

That being said, the active sound control is not powerful enough to drown the rear shock noise though *lol*

 

Wasn't aware of that. What are the differences?

I got my ILX Dynamic new for $26990.. For me it was an obvious choice over the Si, however the Civic is a great car as well.

 

^^ We have access to the premium package in the manual too....at least, that is my understanding

 

ilx 2.4 + navi is only available in canada because luxury compact sedan segment is a proven category.

 

it's actually 55% for 9th gen sedan & 56% for 9th gen coupe, 50% is 8th gen

 

If one of you guys up there find a wrecked dynamic ILX , pm me***** I want dat nav !

 

^^ will do

 

All I can says is my 2016 ilx destroyed a 2015 civic si the the other day on the highway