Car Fanatics Forum

Ventured to Honda's office in Markham this morning and picked up this little beast:







Initial impressions are pretty good. The paint is of very good quality and has just a hint of metallic fleck. It's so bright today it was difficult to get good shots as the light reflects off everything. The photo shoot is planned for Saturday a.m. and we'll definitely need to find some shade.

The interior is nice, if a bit small but the seating position is easy to find and the wheel tilts and telescopes over a wide range. The wheel itself is small and of excellent quality.









The exterior, especially the rear, reminds me of Audi, and the front is a fairly subtle take on the Acura beak - much easier on the eyes than the TL.

This version is the 2.0 Tech with the 5 speed auto, and right away my feeling is that it would be far more entertaining with the 6 speed manual. The 5 speed has some power gaps between cogs that take the urgency out of its forward progress. It doesn't feel as strong as the Ford 2.0, and it's not - down by 10 h/p despite apparently needing premium gas. I'll confirm that later.

The stereo is excellent, though we found working through the menu more cumbersome than other cars we've had so far - my co-pilot had to do that for me so I could keep my eyes on the road...

The brakes are fantastic - very strong and very easy to modulate. The handling is firm and feels a bit nervous - the same slight 'twitchiness' that I felt with the Focus.

The interior is tight, similar to the Focus, but the trunk is a good size and will be put to the test this weekend for a road trip.

Lots to report on as we go along, but as always, let me know if you have any questions or have specific things you'd like me to go into detail on.

This would make a good comparison against the Verano.

NY Times did a review of it this weekend and ripped it apart.

Rev, that's what I was thinking too. The Verano handily outsold it in June - over 4000 units to just over 1,400 for the ILX. Jay, what did they knock it for?

This model will probably take a while to gain acceptance in the U.S., but up here it has two predecessors that go back to just after the demise of the Integra. First there was the EL, then there was the CSX, which were only sold in Canada. This one is by far the best of the lot in my opinion.

One thing that really stuck out, the USB connection is just at the end of a cable. The cable is hidden inside a compartment in the dash which handily will fit the ipod, but it looks way downmarket relative to the rest of the car. We'll get a shot of that on picture day too.

The centre screen for the nav is excellent - very large and very easy to read. It's just a bit of a challenge to figure out how to work through the options for what can be displayed on the screen.

Mostly that the packages and options make no sense for the avg driving public. Like you can't get Nav with the 2.4 but you can get it with the base model. Also that the 2.4 only comes in a manual.

Here is the link:

NY Times ILX Review

From the review:

Priced from $26,795, this is the ILX that screams “compromise” at the top of its little 2-liter lungs, with standard cloth seats and just 150 breathless horses from a version of the Civic engine. The base model is a car that dogs will chase, sniff and recognize as one of their own.

And once you throw in the options that make a “premium” compact premium, the price of the 2.0L can reach $32,295. That’s a lot for a sedan with an econobox engine and no more oomph than cars that cost around $20,000.

Interesting read. They have chosen an odd strategy.

0 - 60 in 9 seconds or so feels about right for this car, but with a 6 speed stick I'll bet the 2.0 could knock at least a full second off that time.

I came down a bit on Ford for their tranny choices on the Focus, and I have to say the same for this car. Chevy lets you get a 6 speed auto or a 6 speed stick for any version of the Cruze...

This one only has 1500 km (less than 1000 miles) on the clock so it's pretty green. They usually get quicker once they get a decent amount of miles on the odometer.

I thought you couldn't get a manual in the LTZ trim on the Cruze.

That's a good looking car. I have liked Acura for a while, (not a fan of that beak front end!!!) but I really think they need to do more to distinguish themselves from a loaded Honda. Audi and V.W. found a way. That would IMO bring them back to what they should be. Cant wait for the full review.

RotaryKing aka Rev;222823 Wrote: I thought you couldn't get a manual in the LTZ trim on the Cruze.

You're right. Looks like they get a smack for that too then.

G8mike;222833 Wrote:

RotaryKing aka Rev;222823 Wrote: I thought you couldn't get a manual in the LTZ trim on the Cruze.

You're right. Looks like they get a smack for that too then.

Focus now has a manual available on all models and has a trim with absolutely no automatic option whatsoever... the ST.

so does this offer any more appeal, seems like its just a civic with luxury looks

This car has grown on me I really like the way it looks. I just wish Acura would offer wood trim in cars other than the MDX.

I haven't liked very many recent Acuras since the beak era. This ILX is relatively clean looking. I like the steering wheel and the simple spoked wheels. I don't think it looks as elegant as the Buick Verano but it looks tight and athletic. Looking for a good report. I can't see where ILX is a better name than Integra. Anything that starts with IL sounds like ill to my ears. Don't see that as a good naming scheme.

Not worth the money and MPG is dismal considering.

A Challenger R/T comes in at a sticker under $30k.

I actually find this car quite good looking, and am a fan, the interior looks nice as well. However the 2.4 should be able to be had with an auto as well, and with the 2.4 i would expect simliar performance to the civic si, same engine, so it would be a decently quick little car.