We went in to test drive TSX and ILX 6mt this weekend. They got in 9 ILX's on Thursday and 6 were already gone including the 6mt so we ended up testing tech packages instead. I was quite impressed with the car and the overall package. It was quite peppy considering it was the 2.0 auto.

The stereo is quite nice though not as good as in my ZDX. The Navi was nicer and more up to date than the ZDX in looks and performance. Took it on a nice little run up and down some steep hills, some rural streets, a little bit of highway that was congested because of construction, gave it some good throttle a few times and got 7.4L/100km. Took my ZDX on the same loop and made virtually every stop light in the ZDX, which we weren't able to do in the ILX, no booting it and got 10.6L/100km. This was quite flattering for the ZDX actually and the TSX was 8.8L/100km.

Both my wife and I liked the lines of the ILX better than the TSX and overall they are quite close in physical size though the ILX is smaller overall. The ILX interior is quite nice for a car of this size though the TSX probably looks a little better overall. The TSX has a bigger trunk of course but the ILX isn't a bad size and I liked the split fold down seats in the TSX better than the whole back seat folding down in the ILX.

The TSX has more power of course but the overall driving experience wasn't that much superior in the TSX over the ILX. They both handle well with the edge going to the TSX but it wouldn't be that noticeable in daily driving imo.

The cover for the spare tire in the trunk of the ILX is pretty tacky imo but they all pale in comparison to how nicely the ZDX is finished. I would get the trunk mat to cover it anyway.

Up here there is a $5700.00 price difference in the TSX tech vs the ILX tech and as a result with our 12% tax that makes the difference $6384.00, which obviously comes into play deciding between the two. Having said that there is a rebate of $2000.00 on the TSX for a cash purchase that has just started.

He is getting a ILX 6mt in today and he is going to prep so that we can drive it tonight.

To be honest I was more impressed with the ILX than the TSX to this point and my wife also liked the ILX better than the TSX as well but admits she is spoiled by the ZDX.

Anyway just my 2 cents worth but I think some of the naysayers are being a little hard on the ILX just as they were on the ZDX which in my opinion is a great looking vehicle that rides and handles beautifully and is finished very nicely.

Terry

 

Please do post your impressions of the 6MT ILX, that would be helpful to those of us (raises hand) who are looking at it as a potential option.

Are you going to trade in the ZDX or is the ILX/TSX for dear spouse?

 

I agree. I think the 2.0 and 2.4 I drove were both very nicely done cars. I'm guessing the naysayers were hoping for a return of the small, sporty Integra, but it's not really that kind of car. Judged for what it IS, rather than what some people wanted it to be, the ILX is quite nice.

I'm curious what you'll think of the 2.4 too. It was certainly much peppier than the 2.0, but I thought it a bit loud too. Not a bad kind of loud, it's a nice growl, but maybe a little aggressive for a semi-luxury sedan?

Oh, and if you remember... can you see if you notice any rev hang with the manual? I forgot to pay attention for it, though I guess the fact I don't remember it means it wasn't that noticeable, if it exists at all.

 

I will give feedback on the 6mt and any other things that may come up that I might have forgotten.

I am just weighing my options. My 2 year lease on the ZDX is almost up but the buyout is quite good, as I got a very good deal on the lease and actually have equity in the car. I got $16,000 off the ZDX plus new Michelin snow tires when I got it so I could run 2 sets of wheels. He said he will work equity into any potential deal if I decide not to buyout the ZDX but I know it won't be a ton of money, we will see. It will be a hard decision to make as we are both spoiled by the ZDX. I love it for its uniqueness and I keep it shining all the time. Washed and detailed it twice since Thursday, darn rain.

I am retired and my wife is retiring in 4 months and the $85,000 a year drop in income is making me look at further ways to reduce expenses that I haven't already looked at. For eg. premium gas up here is $1.50/L which works out to $6.84/imp gal and the ILX or the TSX would consume a lot less than our ZDX and the insurance would be cheaper as well. Of coursae my wheels and snows won't be transferable which is a pain. Also I know the ZDX is a hard sell due to its less than stellar popularity and now might be the time to let go but it will be hard to do. We will see how I like the 6mt and what kind of a deal he is willing to do so that I can weight the options.

Terry

 

Just a question, have you considered the TL SH-AWD (6AT or 6MT)? Since it's an older design I'd imagine there's going to be some discount on it. It also has SH-AWD just like your ZDX now. The interior is probably more comparable to the ZDX as well.

 

Yes, I did briefly think about it but it makes more sense to keep the ZDX as there is no financial savings, it would actually cost me more as my buyout is lower than a TL SH-AWD even without Tech. They do have a $4000.00 discount for cash but still no monetary savings for me. Gas mileage and insurance would be pretty close to the same. Yes, the SH-AWD would be something I would miss for sure.

Thanks for the thought.

Terry

 

I wonder if they have these as loaners? my local Acura dlr has a huge fleet of all Acura models. I have an appointment on July 6th for service and they reserved me a loaner. I'll ask.....OP, thanks for the review.

 

Okay we test drove the ILX 6mt yesterday. My wife says if we are to move from the ZDX to the ILX the 6mt is what she would like. She is willing to forego the Tech goodies for the bigger engine and as we can both drive stick no problems there. It is a very smooth shifting 6mt but the car is nosier in a good way. The engine and exhaust note are more noticeable than in the ILX tech and even turned the stereo off just to listen to it.

The stereo is not as good as the ILX tech and most certainly no where as nice as in the ZDX. Obviously the bigger engine and 6mt change the driving feel and performance of the ILX but the handling is the same as the tech though the brakes are a bit bigger in the 6mt pckge.

This ILX 6mt had 14km's or 8miles on it so it was very tight but amazingly doing the same route as I did in the ILX tech and my ZDX I averaged 6.8L/100km in the 6mt which is almost 1L/100km better than I did in the auto tech. That is not supposed to be according fuel consumption on Acura site. See my original post above for the other gas comparisons. This of course is not necessarily going to be indicative of day to day gas mileage but is does shed some light on the possibilites.

I did not baby the 6mt nor did I wring it out afterall it is not mine and it is not broken in but I did hit 6000 rpms a couple of times. I can see that mileage dropping if it was mine but still inidicative of what it could be as I think that I am pretty good with a manual transmission. I have been driving for 49 years and too embarrassed to say how many cars I have had, most of which were mt. Does it handle as well as my 2 first gen TSX's or my RSX typeS, no! But not that far off the pace, a little more body roll but it holds it well. Does it feel as peppy, probably, but that was a few years ago and the mind dims over time. Does it ride better in straight driving, most certainly. Does it have more tech, of course even in the 6MT or Dynamic package as they call it. Contrasting stitching is nice on the leather, and the steering wheel, metal racing pedals (they call it racing, not me), red backlighting on the gauges as well though I didn't notice it in the daylight.

Now comes the decision time. Did he make me a good offer? In my estimate yes! Knocked over a $1000.00 off the msrp, I won't say how much but gave not bad equity in my ZDX lease against buying the ILX. He will also probably throw in rear flaps and cargo tray. He will make me a deal on my wheels and snow tires from the ZDX, amount yet to be determined.

I can pay cash for the ILX or buying out my ZDX today but he suggested that I can have a 3 year loan with 1/4 percent interest which is virtually nothing in interest. This would allow me to leave my money in the CU and make several thousand dollars or more off it over the 3 years of the loan.

Do I want to move from the ZDX, which I love, not sure yet. I would miss the sh-awd, the stereo, navi, comfort, carrying capacity, and it performs very well for a large vehicle. I would not miss the gas mileage and the fact that is a large vehicle. Much larger to drive than my RDX's ( I have had two 1st gen RDX's). I was reminded of that when I had a 2011 RDX for a loaner when in for service 2 weeks ago, countinually reminded when I park it. Getting in and out, good question. The ZDX is a little harder getting into the seat but going up into the ZDX versus down into the ILX, not too sure which would win there. Probably a matter of getting used to it I suppose.

The economics that I mentioned in my second post above with my wife also retiring in 4 months started me on this road. If we go with the ILX instead of buying out the ZDX we could ultimately end up with, I estimate, well over $7000.00 in our pockets. This is not including the savings on gas which depending on how many miles we put on in retirement would be a minimum savings of $50.00 dollars per month and probably quite a bit more as we don't intend to hibernate.

So did we like the ILX 6mt, most certainly. Do I cross shop other vehicles, no. I have driven Acuras for 20 years and all from the same dealer so I read about the competion but I don't pursue them. Am I missing something by not doing that, probably. Does it matter to us, not so much.

Have I (we), made a decision yet, no. My wife says it is up to me, she loves the ZDX as well but also realizes the economics of possibly doing this but would be more than satisfied with the ILX 6mt if we go that route.

I have probably forgotten some things so feel free to ask, thanks for reading.


ps
Markat, I didn't notice any rev hang but I might have been too enthralled in the drive.

Terry

 

Sounds like you've got a sound financial plan. So do it! Be the second ILX owner on the forum. Actually, you'd be the second 6MT ILX owner.

I'm looking at leasing a 6MT through my practice, so I appreciate your opinion.

 

Our 6MT was the first to sell, most of our first batch is gone (~10 cars) including our only hybrid. We just received another 6 cars so I think there is about 8 on hand now. Unfortunately, of the 8 ILXs, six are Black w/Ebony. Not much color selection now.

 

You only live once, I say go for it

I love our MDX, but the size and the gas mileage have made me think about doing exactly what you are about to do.....but my wife would not go for it, and I can't say I blame her, as it is her dailey driver and she only drives it about 5k miles per year, the goodies on the MDX/ZDX are so awesome and I would miss them badly. Good luck and keep us posted on your final decision.

 

No more black cars for me.

 

I test drove a GLM 6MT ILX today. Liked it a lot. Overall a great looking car, inside and out. My favorite color combo.

My likes:

Buttery-smooth clutch. Even better than the TSX (at least my '09)
Styling, particularly the rear end & taillights
Push-button ignition
Better front seats (less bulkier/more sportier vs. TSX)
Lines on the car are SHARP
HIDs (I miss the most)
Steering was above average for a sedan. Not too bad of body roll.
Sportier steering wheel
Sportier instrument cluster vs. TSX
Sunroof nice and big (seemed wider dimensions vs. TSX)
Backup camera is not a big deal to me but was pretty cool

Dislikes:

Clutch is a little too "light" for my taste (especially now since I'm used to my Prelude's heavier clutch)
On the ebony interiors, the headliner is still a lighter grey tone (donno why they keep doing this)
No sunglasses holder (WTF???)
No center dash lower cubby holders like in the TSX
Still a bit overpriced in my opinion
Dash material looked good, but seemed like it was cheaply constructed

If money grew on trees, I would buy for the overall look and efficiency of the car, but alas, I am still a slave to the man. Overall a great car, but I will likely pass for now.

 

that color scheme makes the interior feel airier. in general, lighter color on top = space appears bigger than if you were to have a darker color on top, or if ceiling and side were the same color.

next time you walk into a room that has paint that isn't white, there's a good chance the ceiling is either white or a lighter shade than the wall paint.

 

This would be the case for TSX SE

 

The deed has been done. 6mt, colour pmm (Polished Metal Metallic). Actually got it on Monday but still in a bit of denial that I no longer have my beloved ZDX. I haven't driven it since Monday myself other than to back it out of the garage to wash (darn rain) but my wife is enjoying it.

Had to get the optional wheels though, oops, there goes some of the savings I mentioned above. Now I have to buy a GPS, probably $200-300, oops, there goes some more of the savings. Have to buy snow tires, probably around $900 for Michelin Xice2, more gone, yikes. Having said that another good thing they did was have me put a stop payment on the last lease payment I made so that will cover the GPS with several hundred to spare and don't have to make the last 4 lease payments, which would have been over $2000.00

We still have to work out what he is going to give me for my wheels and snow tires so that will help. Going in tomorrow to work that out with him. Wasn't too happy to find out they don't have TPMS on the ILX up here. Found that out when I asked to make sure the ILX OEM wheels had TPMS in them as I get the OEM wheels back so I can mount my snows on them. Getting those wheels included saves some money as I always run two sets of wheels, one for summer and one for winter. That saves me putting out another $1000 or so.

The good thing though is we have averaged 7.8L/km since we got it and that includes my wife going back and forth to work for the last 3 days. The ZDX would have been over 12L/km and at $1.50/L here that savings will mount up.

Thanks all for your interest and if you have any questions just ask and yes I am still in my mourning period for my ZDX.

Terry

 

Don't forget to post in the ILX owners' sticky at the top of the forum.

Owner #2! Woot!

 

neuronbob, I am in.

 

We just traded our 09 RDX for a white ILX Tech. It had to be ordered as there are apparently no white ones anywhere in Ontario or Quebec. We liked everything about the car. It's going to be my wife's daily commute car which is all stop and go. The RDX was too expensive to operate for pure city driving. It's 3 1/2 years old so still has some warranty. The ILX Tech has all the extras that were on the RDX Tech. It is a more quiet ride than the RDX and is not nearly as harsh a ride. We will miss the AWD and the performance of the RDX but not for long. In my opinion, SH-AWD is a waste of money on an SUV. Acura has done the right thing with the AWD on the new RDX. I think they should consider removing it from the MDX and knock down the price a bit. When we get the ILX in a few weeks, I will post again

 

Congrats, I hope she enjoys it. Will be nice to see it in white. I was interested in the white but they had no idea when they would be able to get a 6mt in white.

 

^the white ilx's are hard to come by because I heard that issue with the paint. I haven't seen 1 on a dealer inventory list since the day the car was produced...There will be one available in the tri-state in september, tho.

 

I was told by the dealer that the darker colors were produced first and there just haven't been many white ones come off the line yet. Our current date is Oct 2.

Terdonal, I almost bought a ZDX last year. Would you get another one? Was there anything you didn't like about it?

 

The ZDX seems quite large when parking or turning a corner, that was the only thing that slightly bothered me. I loved that car, it is the nicest I have ever had and it handled so well for its size on the road, the shawd works very well in this car. For its size the gas mileage was pretty good but nothing like the ILX. Would I get it again, YES!

 

^2013 makeover is coming soon!

 

Another ZDX owner here.

So I just bought 9th gen Si which is exactly the same as ILX 2.4 but less upscale and more raw. i beleive they have more dampering which may help handling and certainly the look and interior is upscale. I can tell you that my 2.4 Si with 6sp is a BLAST to drive so if you are more inclined with luxury you will have the best of both worllds.

Now- here is my thing. i took the ZDX in for service and ILX was not on my radar screen. Wandered into showroom and sat in 2.0 and was smitten with inside and outside. But i wondered about power. so i rented a civic with the similar engine for a few hours (zipcar) and thought the power was more than adequate.

so now crazily thinking of trading my wonderful, fast ZDX for something like ILX for fuel efficiency. man i am crazy!!!

 

^should have purchased a 2013 ilx with the 2.4, the quality is so much better than the si, and I was about to pull the trigger on an si too!

 

There is no LSD in the ILX dynamic package. Any idea why Honda would bother leaving that out. same drive train as the Si no?

 

it's an $800 part and the car uses the same suspension as the base model...given the fact that it's not tune for sporty handling, probably didn't see the logic in adding a lsd since it helps with handling.

 

Thanks, very informative. The Dealerships in TN can not keep them in stock.

 

Hello all. I've been lurking around acurazine since the ILX went on sale and just decided to join the forum.

I went to the auto week ride and drive event for the ILX in philly several weeks ago and drove the 2.4L 6MT as well as the 2.0L 5AT. I currently drive a stick shift so I definitely preferred the 2.4 model. It was quite nice. Reminded me a bit of the first generation TSX that i drove quite some time ago before buying my current car (accord ex-l). Looking forward to possibly purchasing one in the near future.

thanks for all the great info guys!

 

Welcome to Acurazine!

 

Goodluck with your purchase. I personally would grab the TSX, the ILX is still in its R&D stages, if you know what I mean. Either way, both are very slick vehicles and the current leasing rates on the ILX are better than good.