MM Review: 2013 Acura ILX
07-30-12, 02:29 PM
#1
Lexus Fanatic
Thread Starter
MM Review: 2013 Acura ILX
A Condensed-Review of the 2013 Acura ILX
http: http://www.acura.com/ModelLanding.aspx?model=ILX
IN A NUTSHELL: The new entry-level American-market Acura four-door sedan, but it drives more like an upmarket Civic than a premium-sedan.
CLOSEST COMPETITORS: Buick Verano, Audi A3, Infiniti G25, BMW 1-series, Lexus CT200h
(2.0L four)
(Black Interior)
(Beige interior)
(Trunk with rear seat folded)
OVERVIEW;
Acura just recently released its all-new compact ILX sedan in the American market. I hadn't planned on reviewing one just yet, but last Saturday afternoon, late in the day, I was on my way to meet some friends for a birthday dinner (not, not mine). I had finished what I was doing earlier (some auto research), and had a couple of hours to kill before dinner. So, as traffic wasn't too bad at the moment (it's often murder in the D.C. area), the heat/humidity was uncomfortable but bearable, I was near a small-to-medium-sized Acura shop, and they had a few ILX models in stock, so I said, heck, why not? I'd stop, take some time, and at least do a condensed-review. In fact, the ILX will compete against a car I am very interested in...the Buick Verano. In the showroom, they had a black-on-black ILX Tech-Package, and a similiarly-equipped white one on the lot with the two-tone black/beige interior. So, I (comfortably) static-reviewed the black one in the air-conditioned showroom, and then went test-drove the white one on the lot. I listed the specs and data for the black one, but the white one was pretty much the same car mechanically.
Since the ILX is all-new this year, and this is somewhat of a condensed-review, I won't take the time like I usually do and go into the car's (or Acura's) history. With the introduction of this all-new ILX compact, Acura seems to have repositioned the (former) entry-level TSX slightly upmarket, increasing its price some and giving it more options, such as a V6. The TSX, of course, has the Sportwagon option that the ILX lacks (more on that later), but the ILX, in turn offers a gas/electric Hybrid that the TSX lacks (also more on that later). The TSX and ILX, at first glance, look very similar-sized, as though they are two Acura compacts competing against each other, at least between the ILX and lower-line TSX models. I remarked about this, but the Acura people there pointed out that the ILX is six and a half inches shorter than a TSX sedan. Figures don't lie (although liars sometimes figure), so I guess they have a point...the ILX is now sized (and priced) as the entry-level U.S.-market Acura vehicle.
For 2013, three basic versions of the ILX are offered in America.....the ILX, ILX 6MT, and ILX Hybrid, although Premium and Tech-packages (as is the usual Honda/Acura practice) are also sold as trim-levels instead of stand-alone options. Regular ILX models come with a 2.0L VTEC four with 150 HP and 140 ft-lbs. of torque...not very impressive, IMO, for a car of this class. 6MT models come with a larger 2.4L VTEC four with 201 HP and 170 ft-lbs. of torque (now that's more like it), and, as the name implies, a conventional three-pedal 6-speed manual (that should satisfy the enthusiasts). Hybrid models come with the Honda IMA (Integrated Motor Assist), using a wimpy 1.5L gas-powered four of 111 HP and 127 ft-lbs. of torque and electric back-up motor...but the web-site and specs are unclear if this includes the electric motor's added torque or not. Electric motors, of course, typically make maximum-torque at very low RPMs close to zero. Base prices start at $25,900 for an ILX automatic and run to $34,400 for the hybrid. Only one body-style is offered...a four-door sedan.
MODEL REVIEWED: 2013 Acura ILX Tech
BASE PRICE: $31,400
OPTIONS:
None
DESTINATION/FREIGHT: $895 (more than average for a vehicle this size)
LIST PRICE AS REVIEVED: $32,295
DRIVETRAIN: FWD, Transverse-mounted 2.0L DOHC i-VTEC in-line four, 150 HP @ 6500 RPM, 140 Ft-lbs. of torque @ 4300 RPM, 5-speed Sport-Shift automatic transmission.
EPA MILEAGE RATING: 24 City, 35 Highway, 28 Combined.
EXTERIOR COLOR: Crystal Black
INTERIOR: Ebony Leather
PLUSSES:
Fairly good gas mileage for this class.
Adequate, but not strong, base 2.0L four.
Fairly good steering response.
Little body lean on corners.
Good wind-noise control.
Fairly good ride comfort except over sharp bumps.
Responsive but somewhat spongy brakes.
Excellent underhood layout (unusual for an upmarket-brand car).
Superb paint job....even in jet-black.
Dull but fairly-classy-looking paint colors.
Precise, tank-solid door-closings.
(Mostly) good interior materials and trim.
Nicely-padded dash.
Superb primary and secondary instruments.
Back-up camera markings easy to decipher.
Soft, comfortable front and rear leather seats.
Comfortable, well-done steering wheel (except for the sharp leather stitching).
Nice fore/aft-motion shift lever.
Good but not killer stereo-sound.
The usual Honda/Acura well-done/solid, easy-to-use buttons/controls and hardware.
Convienent remote rear-seat release back of trunk.
Low base price.....but major-packages can add quite a bit.
Swiss-watch precision assembly from the factory.
(Likely) excellent reliability.
MINUSES:
Audible road/tire noise on many road surfaces.
2.0L four could use some more low-RPM torque.
5-speed Sport-shift automatic lacks a gear compared to many competitors.
Firm impacts on sharp bumps and road-irregularities.
Not all paint colors available in all trim-levels.
Manual underhood prop-rod.
No body-side mouldings for parking-lot protection.
Overly-tight front/rear-seat headroom with sunroof.
Very tight rear-seat room.
Cheap-feeling sun-visors/headliner and some plastic door-trim.
Seat leather (though genuine) feels more artificial than real.
Uncomfortable steering-wheel-rim stitching.
No wood-tone trim option inside (I generally prefer wood-tone or carbon-fiber to silver-metallic).
Rear-seat only folds in one piece....no split.
Temporary spare tire.
Unimpressive cargo-area trim for this vehicle-class.
EXTERIOR:
After the criticism that Acura has taken in recent years for the awkward styling of a number of its vehicles, the new ILX seems much-subdued, especially compared to the (IMO) goofy-looking TL and ZDX. The brushed-metal parrot-beak grille and shallow-V-shaped grille-opening are still there, but both are much less angular than in Acura's recent past. Likewise, the headlights and taillights are also more-subdued and somewhat more conservative. Still, one glance, and there's no doubt that it is an Acura product. The sheet metal seems of decent thickness, and two things on the outside really stand out....the precise, tank-solid thunk of the doors closing, and the excellence of the paint job.....even the jet-black paint is almost totally mirror-like and free of orange-peel, which is often difficult to do. Seven rather dull but still classy paint-colors are offered...but, in typical Honda practice, not all are available on all of the ILX versions. The twin-side mirrors twist and snap/swivel-lock with the usual Honda/Acura slickness. All of the exterior trim and hardware is first-rate. The black showroom car I looked at had smart, well-finished dark-gray alloy wheels. So, great job on the exterior, Acura. IMO, there was little to complain about except for the usual (for today) bean-counting lack of a body-side moulding for parking-lot ding/nick protection.
UNDERHOOD:
Open the rather solid-feeling hood, and one must fumble with a manual prop-rod instead of nice springs or gas-struts. An insulation-pad is attached under the hood. I was pleasantly surprised by the underhood layout, since, in premium/upmarket vehicles, I've come to expect a complete mess of large plastic covers everywhere and most components being hidden from view or blocked, which makes it a nightmare for do-it-yourselfers. Not so with the ILX. The transversely-mounted 2.0L four, of course, is rather small to start with, so it doesn't take up a whole lot of underhood room, and he underhood space itself from the front-end styling is also pretty good. This leaves room to reach components and rather easily work in most of the space around the engine block. There is a plastic cover on top of the engine, but it is not overly-large, and doesn't impact on very much space around it. Most of the underhood components are easy to reach, and the battery is up front, on the right, exposed without a cover, and easily-reached. All of the dipsticks, fluid-reservoirs, and filler-caps are easy to reach.
(The rest of you luxury/premium-vehicle automakers....are you listening? Here's your prime underhood-design example, right here....take note)
INTERIOR:
Generally, IMO. a good job done on the interior, though all is not perfection. It was markedly better and less El Cheapo than the disappointing interior of the new Honda Civic. Part of that, of course, is the ILX's added price, but Honda did take a lot of criticism for the new Civic's interior, and I don't think that Acura wanted a repeat of that for the ILX. Still, there were some bean-****ing touches...I'll get to those in a second. In general, as usual with most vehicles, I liked the beige/black interior better than the all-black, which is a little too monotone for my tastes. Most of the hardware/controls/buttons/*****, as in usual Honda/Acura practice, are solid-feeling, first-rate, and easy to use. The superb primary and secondary gauges are simple and clear enough for a monkey to read them (hey, you never know who's buying a car nowadays). The seats, by today's standards, felt soft and well-padded, especially the rear seat...in this world of overly-firm seats today, it's not easy to find seats that offer both a modicum of support and cush your tush at the same time. The stereo sound quality was decent, but not what I'd call a killer. The upper dash was very well-padded with a soft, nice-feeling material....so nice it almost felt like it didn't need air bags.
But the bean-counters were not left entirely out of the picture, either. The sun-visors, while thick and solid, had hard, cheap material covering them. The headliner felt cheap...and, with the sunroof housing, the heads of tall persons were in constant contact with that headliner unless one first lowered the seat cushion all the way and then added some seat-back rake as well. The seat leather, which the Acura specs say is true leather, did not feel like true leather. It reminded me of some of the fake stuff found in some recent German vehicles, and wasn't up to the nice Nu-Luxe fake-leather that Lexus uses in the CT200h, either. The door-panel trim was of mixed-quality....some soft, nicely-trimmed part-panels combined with a couple of thin cheap hard-plastic ones. Rear seat legroom, as well as headroom, is tight for many adults. And, while the steering wheel was well-shaped and used nice leather-wrapping, the rather sharp exposed leather-stitching could be mildly uncomfortable to grip....an inexpensive aftermarket steering-wheel cover might help a little.
CARGO COMPARTMENT/TRUNK:
Open the solid-feeling trunk, and the ILX's cargo area is reasonably roomy for its size. But, IMO, it is rather poorly-trimmed for a vehicle of this class. It looks and feels more like that of a base-model Honda Civic than an Acura. Hard blackish panels line both walls, and the trunk floor is covered in a thin cheap-looking/feeling fabric. The web-site and sales-brochure list all-weather floor-mats and trunk-tray as accessories, but seem unclear if carpeted ones are available and if standard or an accessory. Underneath the trunk floor is the ususal temporary spare tire instead of a real one. One nice feature is the remote-release lever for the rear-seat-drop that you can pull while standing behind the car, but the seat itself is not split like many other vehicles today, folding only in one piece. It also lacks a center-seat pass-through for long narrow objects like skis or fishing rods. The ILX Hybrid model, as with many other hybrids, does not have a folding rear-seat (the seatback is fixed in position), since the large battery power-pack takes
up some of that space.
ON THE ROAD:
Start up the small 2.0L four with a nice engine START/STOP button and a proximty key-fob. The engine comes to life the way it usually does in Honda/Acura products....smooth, quiet, and refined, and basically stays that way on the road, though the engine's 140 ft-lbs. of torque is not quite what you would expect in this class of sedan. It is adequate for most normal driving, lightly loaded, on more-level terrain (I didn't have it in the mountains to check), but it is not what one would call a powerhouse. For those who want (or need) more power, and are willing to row their own gears even in heavy traffic, consider the 6MT version with the 2.4L four and its 210 HP and 170 ft-lbs. of torque.....still not drag-strip material, but a significant upgrade. The obvious solution, IMO (if Acura is listening?), is to offer the 2.4L with the automatic......Acura does not say why this is not an option.
The fairly smooth 5-speed Select-shift automatic (I say fairly smooth because sometimes the shifts are noticeably firm, and not always silky) lacks a gear compared to some competitors, yet is still fairly flexible and adaptive. I list the lack of a sixth gear, IMO, as a minor complaint, not a major one. The shift-lever, as does most Honda/Acura products, has a nice fore/aft motion instead of those annoying zig-zags common to a number of Japanese and Korean-designed vehicles.
The chassis is pretty well-done, and does almost everything except road-noise control with at least fairly good competence. Steering response is fairly quick, and body lean is minimal. Wind noise control is pretty good (those aforementoned tank-solid doors probably help in that department), but road/tire noise, like on some other Honda/Acura products, though not excessive, is audible enough on a number of road surfaces to be a weak point. Ride comfort, despite the rather low-profile tires, is fairly comfortable and not bad at all on smoother surfaces, but sharp bumps and road irregularities are both felt and heard. The brakes were generally responsive, though the brake-pedal effort was not linear, and there was a slight, but not bad, sponginess in about the top half-inch or so of pedal-travel. The pedal itself was located fairly well for my big size-15 circus-clown shoes, but I still had to take at least some care, when lifting my foot off the gas, to not catch the edge of my shoe on the underside of the brake pedal. And, when in reverse, I liked the design and operation of this particular back-up camera display and its yellow-markings. It was easier, IMO, to dechipher and manuver with than most others I've tried, though, with most vehicles I can usually back up and park fine without any camera-assistance myself. Having driven a lot of different vehicles and flown some airplanes, I tend to have good co-ordination with controls.
Still, despite the basic decentness of the chassis, the ILX, in my opinion, drives more like an upmarket Honda Civic than a true entry-level luxury-car....which, to some extent, was one of the things I also noted about one of its competitors, the Lexus CT200 hybrid. I thought, when I reviewed the CT, that it drove and felt more like a small Toyota hatchback than a true Lexus....I have the same impression, to a slightly lesser extent, with the ILX and Civic.
THE VERDICT:
The ILX, like virtually all Honda-Acura products, is exceedingly well-built and well-assembled at the factory. Its doors, in comparison to those on most new cars today, shut like bank-vaults. The paint, even in black, is like a mirror. Almost everything inside and out is assembled like a Swiss-Watch. Its leather seats, despite a imitation-leather feel, are generally soft and comfortable, yet supportive (many car seats today are overly-firm). Despite its brand-newness and a lack of a prior track-record, it will probably turn out to be reliable. It will certainly be considered a "safe" new-car purchase, without taking a lot of chances, for those who don't like to gamble on how they spend their new-car dollars.
And, yet, the ILX is still disappointing in some ways. It is classed, marketed, and sold under a premium/luxury nameplate, yet, IMO, drives more like an upmarket Honda Civic than a true entry-level luxury-car.....lacking, for instance, the ultra-quietness and comfort of the competing Buick Verano. The ILX, like a number of Honda/Acura products, could use some more sound-insulation from road-noise, and, like its brother TSX, lacks the 6th-gear for the automatic that even some base-level subcompacts have today. The ILX interior is, admittedly, much nicer than that of the frugal, cost-cutting new Honda Civic, but, of course, at $30,000-plus, it should be.
So, if it's a wagon that you need for more cargo space, or a high-mileage gas/electric hybrid, then shuffle on down to the other end of the Acura showroom and check out the TSX Sportwagon or the ILX hybrid. But if you want a reasonably nice, well-built small upmarket sedan, and are willing to live with what faults and limitations it does have, then consider the ILX sedan. You probably won't be wasting your money.
And, as always, Happy Car-Shopping.
MM
http: http://www.acura.com/ModelLanding.aspx?model=ILX
IN A NUTSHELL: The new entry-level American-market Acura four-door sedan, but it drives more like an upmarket Civic than a premium-sedan.
CLOSEST COMPETITORS: Buick Verano, Audi A3, Infiniti G25, BMW 1-series, Lexus CT200h
(2.0L four)
(Black Interior)
(Beige interior)
(Trunk with rear seat folded)
OVERVIEW;
Acura just recently released its all-new compact ILX sedan in the American market. I hadn't planned on reviewing one just yet, but last Saturday afternoon, late in the day, I was on my way to meet some friends for a birthday dinner (not, not mine). I had finished what I was doing earlier (some auto research), and had a couple of hours to kill before dinner. So, as traffic wasn't too bad at the moment (it's often murder in the D.C. area), the heat/humidity was uncomfortable but bearable, I was near a small-to-medium-sized Acura shop, and they had a few ILX models in stock, so I said, heck, why not? I'd stop, take some time, and at least do a condensed-review. In fact, the ILX will compete against a car I am very interested in...the Buick Verano. In the showroom, they had a black-on-black ILX Tech-Package, and a similiarly-equipped white one on the lot with the two-tone black/beige interior. So, I (comfortably) static-reviewed the black one in the air-conditioned showroom, and then went test-drove the white one on the lot. I listed the specs and data for the black one, but the white one was pretty much the same car mechanically.
Since the ILX is all-new this year, and this is somewhat of a condensed-review, I won't take the time like I usually do and go into the car's (or Acura's) history. With the introduction of this all-new ILX compact, Acura seems to have repositioned the (former) entry-level TSX slightly upmarket, increasing its price some and giving it more options, such as a V6. The TSX, of course, has the Sportwagon option that the ILX lacks (more on that later), but the ILX, in turn offers a gas/electric Hybrid that the TSX lacks (also more on that later). The TSX and ILX, at first glance, look very similar-sized, as though they are two Acura compacts competing against each other, at least between the ILX and lower-line TSX models. I remarked about this, but the Acura people there pointed out that the ILX is six and a half inches shorter than a TSX sedan. Figures don't lie (although liars sometimes figure), so I guess they have a point...the ILX is now sized (and priced) as the entry-level U.S.-market Acura vehicle.
For 2013, three basic versions of the ILX are offered in America.....the ILX, ILX 6MT, and ILX Hybrid, although Premium and Tech-packages (as is the usual Honda/Acura practice) are also sold as trim-levels instead of stand-alone options. Regular ILX models come with a 2.0L VTEC four with 150 HP and 140 ft-lbs. of torque...not very impressive, IMO, for a car of this class. 6MT models come with a larger 2.4L VTEC four with 201 HP and 170 ft-lbs. of torque (now that's more like it), and, as the name implies, a conventional three-pedal 6-speed manual (that should satisfy the enthusiasts). Hybrid models come with the Honda IMA (Integrated Motor Assist), using a wimpy 1.5L gas-powered four of 111 HP and 127 ft-lbs. of torque and electric back-up motor...but the web-site and specs are unclear if this includes the electric motor's added torque or not. Electric motors, of course, typically make maximum-torque at very low RPMs close to zero. Base prices start at $25,900 for an ILX automatic and run to $34,400 for the hybrid. Only one body-style is offered...a four-door sedan.
MODEL REVIEWED: 2013 Acura ILX Tech
BASE PRICE: $31,400
OPTIONS:
None
DESTINATION/FREIGHT: $895 (more than average for a vehicle this size)
LIST PRICE AS REVIEVED: $32,295
DRIVETRAIN: FWD, Transverse-mounted 2.0L DOHC i-VTEC in-line four, 150 HP @ 6500 RPM, 140 Ft-lbs. of torque @ 4300 RPM, 5-speed Sport-Shift automatic transmission.
EPA MILEAGE RATING: 24 City, 35 Highway, 28 Combined.
EXTERIOR COLOR: Crystal Black
INTERIOR: Ebony Leather
PLUSSES:
Fairly good gas mileage for this class.
Adequate, but not strong, base 2.0L four.
Fairly good steering response.
Little body lean on corners.
Good wind-noise control.
Fairly good ride comfort except over sharp bumps.
Responsive but somewhat spongy brakes.
Excellent underhood layout (unusual for an upmarket-brand car).
Superb paint job....even in jet-black.
Dull but fairly-classy-looking paint colors.
Precise, tank-solid door-closings.
(Mostly) good interior materials and trim.
Nicely-padded dash.
Superb primary and secondary instruments.
Back-up camera markings easy to decipher.
Soft, comfortable front and rear leather seats.
Comfortable, well-done steering wheel (except for the sharp leather stitching).
Nice fore/aft-motion shift lever.
Good but not killer stereo-sound.
The usual Honda/Acura well-done/solid, easy-to-use buttons/controls and hardware.
Convienent remote rear-seat release back of trunk.
Low base price.....but major-packages can add quite a bit.
Swiss-watch precision assembly from the factory.
(Likely) excellent reliability.
MINUSES:
Audible road/tire noise on many road surfaces.
2.0L four could use some more low-RPM torque.
5-speed Sport-shift automatic lacks a gear compared to many competitors.
Firm impacts on sharp bumps and road-irregularities.
Not all paint colors available in all trim-levels.
Manual underhood prop-rod.
No body-side mouldings for parking-lot protection.
Overly-tight front/rear-seat headroom with sunroof.
Very tight rear-seat room.
Cheap-feeling sun-visors/headliner and some plastic door-trim.
Seat leather (though genuine) feels more artificial than real.
Uncomfortable steering-wheel-rim stitching.
No wood-tone trim option inside (I generally prefer wood-tone or carbon-fiber to silver-metallic).
Rear-seat only folds in one piece....no split.
Temporary spare tire.
Unimpressive cargo-area trim for this vehicle-class.
EXTERIOR:
After the criticism that Acura has taken in recent years for the awkward styling of a number of its vehicles, the new ILX seems much-subdued, especially compared to the (IMO) goofy-looking TL and ZDX. The brushed-metal parrot-beak grille and shallow-V-shaped grille-opening are still there, but both are much less angular than in Acura's recent past. Likewise, the headlights and taillights are also more-subdued and somewhat more conservative. Still, one glance, and there's no doubt that it is an Acura product. The sheet metal seems of decent thickness, and two things on the outside really stand out....the precise, tank-solid thunk of the doors closing, and the excellence of the paint job.....even the jet-black paint is almost totally mirror-like and free of orange-peel, which is often difficult to do. Seven rather dull but still classy paint-colors are offered...but, in typical Honda practice, not all are available on all of the ILX versions. The twin-side mirrors twist and snap/swivel-lock with the usual Honda/Acura slickness. All of the exterior trim and hardware is first-rate. The black showroom car I looked at had smart, well-finished dark-gray alloy wheels. So, great job on the exterior, Acura. IMO, there was little to complain about except for the usual (for today) bean-counting lack of a body-side moulding for parking-lot ding/nick protection.
UNDERHOOD:
Open the rather solid-feeling hood, and one must fumble with a manual prop-rod instead of nice springs or gas-struts. An insulation-pad is attached under the hood. I was pleasantly surprised by the underhood layout, since, in premium/upmarket vehicles, I've come to expect a complete mess of large plastic covers everywhere and most components being hidden from view or blocked, which makes it a nightmare for do-it-yourselfers. Not so with the ILX. The transversely-mounted 2.0L four, of course, is rather small to start with, so it doesn't take up a whole lot of underhood room, and he underhood space itself from the front-end styling is also pretty good. This leaves room to reach components and rather easily work in most of the space around the engine block. There is a plastic cover on top of the engine, but it is not overly-large, and doesn't impact on very much space around it. Most of the underhood components are easy to reach, and the battery is up front, on the right, exposed without a cover, and easily-reached. All of the dipsticks, fluid-reservoirs, and filler-caps are easy to reach.
(The rest of you luxury/premium-vehicle automakers....are you listening? Here's your prime underhood-design example, right here....take note)
INTERIOR:
Generally, IMO. a good job done on the interior, though all is not perfection. It was markedly better and less El Cheapo than the disappointing interior of the new Honda Civic. Part of that, of course, is the ILX's added price, but Honda did take a lot of criticism for the new Civic's interior, and I don't think that Acura wanted a repeat of that for the ILX. Still, there were some bean-****ing touches...I'll get to those in a second. In general, as usual with most vehicles, I liked the beige/black interior better than the all-black, which is a little too monotone for my tastes. Most of the hardware/controls/buttons/*****, as in usual Honda/Acura practice, are solid-feeling, first-rate, and easy to use. The superb primary and secondary gauges are simple and clear enough for a monkey to read them (hey, you never know who's buying a car nowadays). The seats, by today's standards, felt soft and well-padded, especially the rear seat...in this world of overly-firm seats today, it's not easy to find seats that offer both a modicum of support and cush your tush at the same time. The stereo sound quality was decent, but not what I'd call a killer. The upper dash was very well-padded with a soft, nice-feeling material....so nice it almost felt like it didn't need air bags.
But the bean-counters were not left entirely out of the picture, either. The sun-visors, while thick and solid, had hard, cheap material covering them. The headliner felt cheap...and, with the sunroof housing, the heads of tall persons were in constant contact with that headliner unless one first lowered the seat cushion all the way and then added some seat-back rake as well. The seat leather, which the Acura specs say is true leather, did not feel like true leather. It reminded me of some of the fake stuff found in some recent German vehicles, and wasn't up to the nice Nu-Luxe fake-leather that Lexus uses in the CT200h, either. The door-panel trim was of mixed-quality....some soft, nicely-trimmed part-panels combined with a couple of thin cheap hard-plastic ones. Rear seat legroom, as well as headroom, is tight for many adults. And, while the steering wheel was well-shaped and used nice leather-wrapping, the rather sharp exposed leather-stitching could be mildly uncomfortable to grip....an inexpensive aftermarket steering-wheel cover might help a little.
CARGO COMPARTMENT/TRUNK:
Open the solid-feeling trunk, and the ILX's cargo area is reasonably roomy for its size. But, IMO, it is rather poorly-trimmed for a vehicle of this class. It looks and feels more like that of a base-model Honda Civic than an Acura. Hard blackish panels line both walls, and the trunk floor is covered in a thin cheap-looking/feeling fabric. The web-site and sales-brochure list all-weather floor-mats and trunk-tray as accessories, but seem unclear if carpeted ones are available and if standard or an accessory. Underneath the trunk floor is the ususal temporary spare tire instead of a real one. One nice feature is the remote-release lever for the rear-seat-drop that you can pull while standing behind the car, but the seat itself is not split like many other vehicles today, folding only in one piece. It also lacks a center-seat pass-through for long narrow objects like skis or fishing rods. The ILX Hybrid model, as with many other hybrids, does not have a folding rear-seat (the seatback is fixed in position), since the large battery power-pack takes
up some of that space.
ON THE ROAD:
Start up the small 2.0L four with a nice engine START/STOP button and a proximty key-fob. The engine comes to life the way it usually does in Honda/Acura products....smooth, quiet, and refined, and basically stays that way on the road, though the engine's 140 ft-lbs. of torque is not quite what you would expect in this class of sedan. It is adequate for most normal driving, lightly loaded, on more-level terrain (I didn't have it in the mountains to check), but it is not what one would call a powerhouse. For those who want (or need) more power, and are willing to row their own gears even in heavy traffic, consider the 6MT version with the 2.4L four and its 210 HP and 170 ft-lbs. of torque.....still not drag-strip material, but a significant upgrade. The obvious solution, IMO (if Acura is listening?), is to offer the 2.4L with the automatic......Acura does not say why this is not an option.
The fairly smooth 5-speed Select-shift automatic (I say fairly smooth because sometimes the shifts are noticeably firm, and not always silky) lacks a gear compared to some competitors, yet is still fairly flexible and adaptive. I list the lack of a sixth gear, IMO, as a minor complaint, not a major one. The shift-lever, as does most Honda/Acura products, has a nice fore/aft motion instead of those annoying zig-zags common to a number of Japanese and Korean-designed vehicles.
The chassis is pretty well-done, and does almost everything except road-noise control with at least fairly good competence. Steering response is fairly quick, and body lean is minimal. Wind noise control is pretty good (those aforementoned tank-solid doors probably help in that department), but road/tire noise, like on some other Honda/Acura products, though not excessive, is audible enough on a number of road surfaces to be a weak point. Ride comfort, despite the rather low-profile tires, is fairly comfortable and not bad at all on smoother surfaces, but sharp bumps and road irregularities are both felt and heard. The brakes were generally responsive, though the brake-pedal effort was not linear, and there was a slight, but not bad, sponginess in about the top half-inch or so of pedal-travel. The pedal itself was located fairly well for my big size-15 circus-clown shoes, but I still had to take at least some care, when lifting my foot off the gas, to not catch the edge of my shoe on the underside of the brake pedal. And, when in reverse, I liked the design and operation of this particular back-up camera display and its yellow-markings. It was easier, IMO, to dechipher and manuver with than most others I've tried, though, with most vehicles I can usually back up and park fine without any camera-assistance myself. Having driven a lot of different vehicles and flown some airplanes, I tend to have good co-ordination with controls.
Still, despite the basic decentness of the chassis, the ILX, in my opinion, drives more like an upmarket Honda Civic than a true entry-level luxury-car....which, to some extent, was one of the things I also noted about one of its competitors, the Lexus CT200 hybrid. I thought, when I reviewed the CT, that it drove and felt more like a small Toyota hatchback than a true Lexus....I have the same impression, to a slightly lesser extent, with the ILX and Civic.
THE VERDICT:
The ILX, like virtually all Honda-Acura products, is exceedingly well-built and well-assembled at the factory. Its doors, in comparison to those on most new cars today, shut like bank-vaults. The paint, even in black, is like a mirror. Almost everything inside and out is assembled like a Swiss-Watch. Its leather seats, despite a imitation-leather feel, are generally soft and comfortable, yet supportive (many car seats today are overly-firm). Despite its brand-newness and a lack of a prior track-record, it will probably turn out to be reliable. It will certainly be considered a "safe" new-car purchase, without taking a lot of chances, for those who don't like to gamble on how they spend their new-car dollars.
And, yet, the ILX is still disappointing in some ways. It is classed, marketed, and sold under a premium/luxury nameplate, yet, IMO, drives more like an upmarket Honda Civic than a true entry-level luxury-car.....lacking, for instance, the ultra-quietness and comfort of the competing Buick Verano. The ILX, like a number of Honda/Acura products, could use some more sound-insulation from road-noise, and, like its brother TSX, lacks the 6th-gear for the automatic that even some base-level subcompacts have today. The ILX interior is, admittedly, much nicer than that of the frugal, cost-cutting new Honda Civic, but, of course, at $30,000-plus, it should be.
So, if it's a wagon that you need for more cargo space, or a high-mileage gas/electric hybrid, then shuffle on down to the other end of the Acura showroom and check out the TSX Sportwagon or the ILX hybrid. But if you want a reasonably nice, well-built small upmarket sedan, and are willing to live with what faults and limitations it does have, then consider the ILX sedan. You probably won't be wasting your money.
And, as always, Happy Car-Shopping.
MM
Last edited by mmarshall; 07-30-12 at 03:05 PM.
07-30-12, 02:51 PM
#2
Great review Mike. I personally have not driven one yet despite being 500 feet from our Acura dealer (my office is in our Lexus dealer). I have seen it in person however and like you say it's classic Honda in assembly. Most materials are good too save for a few small cheap touches. Still don't understand Them putting a 6 speed auto into the car. I'm sure it would eek out at least an extra 2 or 3 mpg across the board.
Although I don't see it happening, I wish Acura would add Type S models again. I'd love to see this litt car with the now defunct 2.3L turbo 4 and AWD. Anyway wishful thinking
Although I don't see it happening, I wish Acura would add Type S models again. I'd love to see this litt car with the now defunct 2.3L turbo 4 and AWD. Anyway wishful thinking
07-30-12, 03:07 PM
#3
My only issues:
No tech package allowed with the 6MT edition. Same with the TSX, and similar to how you can't get the Advance Package on the 6MT TL... I guess Acura figures manual transmission buyers don't want navigation or fully loaded options.
Why the one piece folding backseat when the Civic offers the much better 60/40 option. But at least they offer it I guess. Missing option on most japanese luxury vehicles.
Agree with Hoovey, Where's the 6 speed auto?
No tech package allowed with the 6MT edition. Same with the TSX, and similar to how you can't get the Advance Package on the 6MT TL... I guess Acura figures manual transmission buyers don't want navigation or fully loaded options.
Why the one piece folding backseat when the Civic offers the much better 60/40 option. But at least they offer it I guess. Missing option on most japanese luxury vehicles.
Agree with Hoovey, Where's the 6 speed auto?
07-30-12, 03:10 PM
#4
Lexus Fanatic
iTrader: (20)
a solution looking for a problem.
07-30-12, 03:21 PM
#6
Lexus Champion
a 2013 car without at least a 6 speed auto tranny = a joke.
that plus just plain dumb or lack of options in certain models make this a fail.
This car is what the Honda Civic SHOULD HAVE BEEN
that plus just plain dumb or lack of options in certain models make this a fail.
This car is what the Honda Civic SHOULD HAVE BEEN
Last edited by bagwell; 07-30-12 at 04:13 PM.
Trending Topics
07-30-12, 04:59 PM
#10
Lexus Fanatic
Thread Starter
Originally Posted by blacksc400
Yeah, they are not competitions. The CT200H is much better car.
As far as the other cars go, I have to at least partly disagree. It's true that none of these cars (even the Verano) are necessarily perfect or mirror-image competitors. Again, it depends on the context of how you use the term. That's why I said that, in the American market, they were probably the ILX's closest competitors, not necessarily a bunch of other peas in the same pod.
One could, maybe (?) also include the Lexus HS250 as a potential rival, except that the HS may not be around much longer (it's not on the Lexus web-site any more), and, like the CT, it only comes in a hybrid-form. And that would, of course, compete with the ILX hybrid.
Last edited by mmarshall; 07-30-12 at 05:15 PM.
07-30-12, 05:09 PM
#11
Lexus Fanatic
Thread Starter
Agreed that it should have a 2.4L/6-speed auto as an option, at least....I said so in the review. (The Verano, BTW, comes that way....with a 2.4L /6-auto). Acura seems to be mum on why they don't.......perhaps a hardware-alignment problem where the tranny-mounts won't fit the engine's?
That sometimes is the case.
But that doesn't necessarily mean that there's no chance for the ILX with the existing drivetrain options.....let's wait and see what the sales figures are. Those predicting a classic fail may (?) be a little premature.
That sometimes is the case. But that doesn't necessarily mean that there's no chance for the ILX with the existing drivetrain options.....let's wait and see what the sales figures are. Those predicting a classic fail may (?) be a little premature.
Last edited by mmarshall; 07-30-12 at 05:15 PM.
07-30-12, 05:21 PM
#12
Lexus Fanatic
Thread Starter
I won't got that far in my description, but I'l admit that, as I mentioned in the review several times, it seems to be more of a classier, more-upmarket Civic than a true entry-level compact sedan.
And its overall build-quality seems anything but a joke. This car is not just tossed together hapazardly at the plant, but assembled with real care and precision.
And its overall build-quality seems anything but a joke. This car is not just tossed together hapazardly at the plant, but assembled with real care and precision.
07-30-12, 05:56 PM
#13
Lexus Fanatic
Thread Starter
Thanks, Hoovey. 
From a driving-point of view, you're probably not missing a whole lot. It has a decent chassis but a rather ho-hum powertrain, and, in general, drives like an appliance with just the slightest touch of sport.
Yep, that is where the car shines. You don't have to be drinking Honda/Acura Kool-Aid to appreciate how well this car is assembled. 
Like I mentioned in some other posts, it could (?) be a hardware-matching problem, such as the engine/transmission mounts. Can't offer an option if it simply won't fit.
From what I remember, the Type S models were nice cars, but didn't sell very well in the American market (I test-drove both a CL and TL Type S, and did a full-review on the TL). Many of the potential buyers who would have bought them, instead, ended up going to BMW and Audi shops.
I personally have not driven one yet despite being 500 feet from our Acura dealer (my office is in our Lexus dealer).
I have seen it in person however and like you say it's classic Honda in assembly. Most materials are good too save for a few small cheap touches.
Still don't understand Them putting a 6 speed auto into the car. I'm sure it would eek out at least an extra 2 or 3 mpg across the board.
Although I don't see it happening, I wish Acura would add Type S models again.
07-30-12, 06:05 PM
#14
Lexus Fanatic
Thread Starter
Yes and no. I partially agree. The former entry-level model in the U.S. market (the TSX) did have a couple of problems. The Sport-wagon version wasn't selling; the wagon didn't offer a V6 like it should have for the added cargo-load, and there was no TSX hybrid version. But, instead of simply addressing these TSX problems, the wizards at Acura marketing decided to do an all-new vehicle instead, to undercut the TSX. That, of course, allowed them to reposition the TSX upmarket a little, and .......(you got it).......raise the TSX pricing. 
07-30-12, 06:06 PM
#15
Lexus Test Driver
As always, great review ! I have a friend looking at this class of car right now, so would you choose the Acura ILX or a Mazda 3 S Grand touring? Both with auto and tech pack.