Test Drive: 2019 Acura ILX Premium A-Spec

When the Acura ILX first debuted back in 2013, Acura touted it as the "return of the Integra." What we were supposed to get was a compact, sporty, Civic based sedan with an injection of luxury to separate it from its parent company sibling. Instead, what we got was a dud. Bland design, an under-powered and wheezy base engine strapped to an ancient transmission, a painfully slow hybrid with barely any fuel economy advantages, and Civic Si powered version that didn't sell because it only came with a six-speed manual (which was admittedly good for us enthusiasts). Acura tried to turn the ILX around in 2016 after three years worth of poor sales. The first refresh saw an updated exterior and interior, and a very slightly de-tuned drivetrain lifted straight out of big brother TLX. Sales initially surged for a few months but quickly dropped again.

Test Drive: 2016 Acura ILX Tech Plus A-Spec

When Acura announced it would be refreshing the ILX last year, I was actually excited, but skeptical at the same time. As was mentioned in our reviews of the ILX, it is a car that I want to like, but find it difficult to like. The 2.0 liter inline-four equipped model was extremely underpowered for its own good, and the 2.4 liter equipped "performance" version was basically just a tarted up Civic Si. Looking to further differentiate itself from its parent company's vehicles, Acura made some major changes to the mid-cycle refreshed ILX. What I wanted to know was whether or not these changes would be enough for it to actually compete in the growing entry-level compact luxury car segment.

Drawing Board: Acura Integra/RSX

Image courtesy of Car Domain

A rumor out of the SEMA Show in Las Vegas says that Honda could be working on a successor to the much loved Acura Integra and RSX. During the Acura panel at SEMA, head design honcho, Dave Marek, kept bringing up the Acura Integra of the 90s. No one is completely sure what to make of this, but if Honda really is working on an Integra/RSX successor, they are going to have their work cut out for them.

When the ILX made its debut two years ago, Honda and Acura fans had thought that it was going to be the second coming of the Integra sedan: an affordable and practical Acura with an injection of sportiness and luxury. Unfortunately, the only version of the ILX that could even be remotely considered related to the Integra is the 2.4 liter equipped "performance" model. While the performance of this particular variant was decent, it only came with the six-speed manual and its overall packaging was not enough to differentiate it from a Civic Si. As sales numbers have shown, the ILX was far from a success and Acura needed to fix it. At this year's Los Angeles Auto Show, Acura introduced the all new, refreshed 2016 ILX that fixed the biggest issue with the car: the engine that everyone wanted was now actually equipped with an automatic (the TLX's eight-speed DCT technically). With all the new technology stuffed into the ILX though, it is still missing a coupe version to truly make it a successor to the Integra.

Test Drive: Entry-Level Engagement Comparison

Remember a time when the words "entry-level luxury" were muttered, images of the Mercedes Benz C-Class or the BMW 3-Series came to mind? That actually was not all that long ago, but because our cars continue to grow in size, what was once considered "entry-level" and "compact" has now grown to "mid-size." The prices of these cars have also followed along with their size, growing with each successive generation. So what is a luxury car maker to do in order to get young people interested in their brands? Introduce a whole new entry-level luxury class.

What we have here are three of the many entry-level luxury cars currently on sale. You can read their individual reviews in the links below:

2013 Acura ILX
2015 Audi A3
2014 Buick Verano

Why these three? These particular cars have something that not many of the other entry-luxury cars have: underpinnings that belong to a cheaper vehicle from a parent brand. Entry-level luxury cars are all about providing luxury for a lower starting price, and what is a better way to cut costs than to use an existing vehicle's architecture? The Acura ILX shares its platform with the Honda Civic, the Audi A3 shares its platform with the Volkswagen Golf, and the Buick Verano shares its platform with the Chevrolet Cruze. Underpinnings aside, which of these three shared platform vehicles offers the best luxury bang for the buck?

Editorial: Entry Level Luxury Cars Just Don't Seem Worth It

In the last couple of months, I have been looking to a adding a third vehicle to my garage. Being a young professional, I started by looking at the new crop of entry level luxury cars as they are mostly marketed towards the young professional crowd. After getting the chance to look at three entries in the entry level luxury segment (the Acura ILX, the Audi A3, and the Mercedes Benz CLA250), I am starting to feel like this segment of cars does not seem worth it.

Allow me to explain.

Brand Profile: Acura

This post marks the start of our brand profile series of articles. Each post takes an in-depth look at a single brand that sells vehicles in the US market and shares not only some of the history of the brand's vehicles, but also the brand's current standing through the lenses of enthusiasts. We start with a brand that is near and dear to our hearts and, as they recently reminded us for April Fools, alphabetically first. Our family has owned 16 Acura cars since 1992 with everything ranging from the smallest 2-door Integra to the 7-passenger MDX. Our relationship with the brand has long been based on the value proposition of excellent, well-equipped cars for significantly less than the competition. However, as the years have progressed, our own impression of the brand have also changed.

In March of 1986, Acura sprung forth from the minds of Honda's executives and became the first Japanese luxury marque to be introduced in North America. Acura started with two vehicles: the Legend sedan, and the Integra, which was available as both a five-door and three-door hatchback. Eventually, that grew into a full line-up of cars and a few SUVs. Over time, the brand evolved from a distinct premium brand into what felt increasingly like upscale Honda vehicles, especially as the engines and platforms were shared across the two brands.

Image courtesy of Drive to Five

Always taking a different approach to engineering than their competitors, Acura focused on cars that were fun to drive, even if they did not fit the definition of a traditional performance car. The Acura Integra, a small front wheel drive hatchback that also spawned a sedan, quickly gained a following among the tuner crowd for its easy tunability and surprisingly capable chassis right out of the box. The Legend, especially the second generation coupe, showed that a luxury car did not have to give up any driving dynamics to coddle its passengers in total comfort. To demonstrate just how capable their cars were, they also introduced the world to the NSX, the first all-aluminum supercar that could be daily driven with the reliability and ease of repair of a Honda Accord.

Drawing Board: Acura ILX

As car enthusiasts, we tend to look at a car's features and specifications and wonder what could be done to a car to make it better. Sure, there are some cars out there that do not need much improvement, but there are also cars that have a lot of potential, but are handicapped by poor planning, lack of clear direction, or are simply trying too hard to be too many things to too many people. Starting with this post, we will start a series of "what if" articles, focusing on what changes we would like to see on certain cars that we believe would make the car perform and sell better.

Our first specimen for this series is the Acura ILX.

Test Drive: 2nd Look at the 2013 Acura ILX

A couple of months ago, we test drove the 2.4L version of the Acura ILX. Fitted with a 6-speed manual transmission, that car offered an odd blend of decent power with mediocre steering feel and a middle of the road suspension that had us questioning whether or not it was worth the money over the latest Honda Civic Si. More recently, we had the opportunity to spend some time with its 2.0L-powered sibling for an extended test drive and we wanted to briefly revisit our thoughts on the ILX.

Test Drive: 2013 Acura ILX 2.4L 6MT

The ILX is Acura’s attempt at moving further down-market, offering a car that will, in theory, appeal to a younger, upwardly mobile, audience that is looking to get their first taste of luxury as a part of their increasingly affluent lifestyle. Acura calls this, “Moving up without settling down.” Based on the ninth generation Honda Civic’s chassis, the ILX does not actually share much with its Honda sibling, save for the 2.4 liter inline-4 sourced from the Honda Civic Si, as well as the 1.5 liter hybrid powertrain sourced from the Civic Hybrid. But is the ILX a compelling enough entry level luxury sedanto be able to convince potential buyers to choose the Acura brand over such competitors as the Audi A3 and even Honda’s own Civic Si?

The ILX presents and aggressive and handsome fascia

The Good
The version we drove is the ILX 2.4 Premium, which comes with a 2.4L inline-4 mated to a 6-speed manual transmission that is exclusive to this trim level. Since the Premium package is the only available package on the 2.4 model, standard equipment is quite generous. Items like keyless entry with push button start, multi-angle rear view camera, heated leather seating surface for the front seats, xenon HID head lamps, and a whole plethora of tech goodies all come standard on this car. And for about $29,000, it seems like a pretty good deal. This is the same 201 hp, 170 lb./ft. 2.4 liter from the ninth generation Honda Civic Si as well as the ILX’s big brother, the TSX. The extra torque in the lower reaches of the tach really does help with daily driving and the extra mid-range punch makes passing less of a chore compared to some of the older, high revving Honda motors. In fact, we feel this motor is well-suited to the ILX as its intended audience will want a car that is easy to drive, but will provide power when needed.

From the rear, the resemblance to the Lexus IS is uncanny

One of the ILX’s best features is that wonderful 6-speed manual transmission. With a snick-snick motion reminiscent of a rifle bolt sliding into place and matched to a well-balanced clutch, this transmission is an absolute masterpiece, making the experience of rowing your own gears ever more enjoyable. The fact that this excellent example of the manual transmission will only account for a miniscule fraction of ILX sales is a travesty, but it guarantees that those who select this trim option will see them command a slight premium on the used-car market due to their rarity. Now if they would only include the limited-slip differential that comes standard on the Civic Si, the drive train would be one of the best combinations on the market.

The ILX chassis soaks up bumps surprisingly well and tracks quite well, exhibiting ride that is noticeably stiffer than the TSX. Steering feel is roughly the same as the Civic Si, though I find the steering to be a little more boosted than in the Si, resulting in a slightly artificial sensation when turning quickly. Brakes provide strong feedback, but just average performance, a characteristic that shows itself in nearly every other Honda/Acura product we have driven (with the exceptions of the TL Type S and the S2000).

The center console is clean, simple, and attractive

On the outside, the ILX bears a resemblance to the outgoing Lexus IS from the rear, but is all Acura up front and carries what may be one of the best executed versions of the Acura “power plenum” grille. It is clearly different enough from its Civic sibling that the average person would never know that beneath the skin of the ILX lays the same foundation as the lowly Honda Civic. The premium package’s 17” alloy wheels fill out the wheel wells nicely and the overall stance of the car is surprisingly aggressive.

The interior is nicely appointed with nice quality leather and soft touch plastics in all the right places. The center stack is actually fairly clean and organized compared to some of Acura’s previous offerings. The iMID display is nice and useful, but still feels about one-generation behind the competition in both size and function.

The Bad
Unfortunately, for $29,000, the ILX comes up a bit short on value. Since the Premium package is the only package available for the 2.4 liter model, you will never be able to get the high-end, ELS sound system or the hard drive-based navigation system. Also, if you have no clue how to drive a manual transmission (you should probably learn!), you're out of luck as the larger 2.4L motor, as mentioned earlier, only comes as with the excellent manual transmission. Can't drive a stick? Then you are stuck with the incredibly anemic 2.0L, or the wheezy 1.5L hybrid. Acura promised that once the Earth Dreams series engines were ready, they would go straight into the ILX, and frankly, they cannot get here soon enough.

The interior is typical Acura and feels right for the class

Handling, while decent, is nothing special. For the trim that is being marketed as the “performance” version of the ILX, one would expect it to demonstrate handling characteristics that at least better the base model and hybrid siblings. Sadly, that is not the case as the ILX has the same suspension tuning all around, regardless of trim or engine size. This is not to say the car handles poorly, but an opportunity to provide a truly engaging driving experience was squandered here.

Summary
To be completely honest, the ILX is a car we want to like. We really wanted to like it enough to take it home to complement an S2000 as a daily driver. In the end, there are just too many small shortcomings to the ILX, many the result of Honda's marketing decisions about this car. When test driving the car, we could not help but wonder, “what would convince someone to spend an extra $5000 over a fully loaded Civic Si to get the ILX?” The Acura badge alone does not carry the brand cachet to drive those extra sales. By the end of our test drive, we still could not answer that question. The ILX 2.4, for all intents and purposes, is a dolled up Civic Si, but without the optional navigation system and limited slip differential. Hopefully, once Acura starts including the different variations of the K24W Earth Dreams engine from the 2013 Honda Accord, the ILX will be a more compelling vehicle. And if we hear another Acura salesman tell us that the ILX is better than the Civic Si “because it's an Acura,”we might just punch that salesman in the face.

View from the East
As I currently own the TSX, it was natural for me to make the comparison between the ILX and my daily driver. I found the steering shockingly light, comparatively, but there are genuinely a lot of things to like about the ILX and I think there is a market out there for this car. If they can fix a few things, especially as a true sport model, they would be able to rekindle some of the lost magic from the days of the Integra. Right now, the ILX feels just a tad flabby in certain places and is, in my opinion, not nearly as good a driver's car as the TSX. Acura, please do something to make this car better; make it the awesome entry-level sport sedan that it has the potential to be and would make it a serious contender in the marketplace.

View from the West

To be completely honest, the ILX is a car I want to like. I really wanted to like it and take it home to supplement my S2000 as a daily driver. It is hard not to compare this car to the new Civic Si, which with the recent redesign, is a much more attractive option than in prior years. I just am not seeing what the extra $5,000 you spend on the ILX buys in terms of standard equipment, technology, or even driving enjoyment. Acura seems to have realized that the 2.0L version of this car is downright anemic and should be adding the new Earth Dreams engines to the line-up soon and will likely be making the automatic transmission available with the 2.4L as well. Perhaps that will be enough for the average driver, but for me, it just is not enough.