[car fanatics]

Car Fanatics Forum
Photo: Copyright 2012 Vic Handa / Car Fanatics Forum
By: Michael Stuart

Without a doubt, this is the most difficult review I've had to write so far. I've come down fairly hard on Acura in the past for being overpriced, not particularly attractive and simply not competitive with its peers within its market space. This car is the successor to a couple of efforts in Canada, first the EL, then the CSX, but represents its first foray into the U.S. market. They needed to nail it.

Honda took it on the chin when it released the new Civic on which this vehicle is based. This has apparently prompted a very early refresh. After spending time with this particular (tech) model, I have to argue that the same needs to happen with the ILX if they hope to achieve both the sales numbers they want, and the lure of new buyers to the brand.

Now, I obviously can't speak for the model offering the 2.4 with the 6 speed transmission, but other mags have held nothing back about pointing the enthusiast in that direction. This model had the 2.0 with the 5 speed automatic, and frankly, that's where the trouble starts.

Exterior

I can't fault this part of the car one bit. From the 'Audi-like' rear end to the much more tasteful version of the beak, this car was described as 'a pretty little thing' and was generally considered attractive by all that viewed it. The 17 inch wheels with 5 spoke rims didn't quite fill out the wheel wells, which appear to be designed for larger rims (maybe a more extreme version on the way?). Though based on the Civic, they significantly straightened up the windshield which gives better proportions in my opinion and also gets rid of the huge dash that adorns the Civic. Overall, it looks mature, poised and luxurious. The paint was absolutely top notch, black with just a touch of metallic fleck. HID headlights round out the upscale look, though we noticed that the fog lights look very much out of place with their yellow hue. Shut 'em off if you want to look extra fetching at night.

Interior

Again, I can't fault the interior in any significant way except to say that it's a bit tight and the seats are not as comfortable as the RDX. Materials all appear to be both durable and of excellent quality but the glaring omission here is the horrible USB port that looks utterly like an afterthought. It's the same in the RDX - I have no idea what they were thinking there. At least you can close everything up in the console so no one can see it.

The tech package included a large navigation screen which included all the ipod information, though I wasn't able to determine if you could go 'split screen' like the Fords. This one gets the shuffle right all the time and doesn't have the propensity to select Led Zeppelin as often as the Fords.

Display options are prompted by buttons on the center stack which are easy to navigate. The large center knob is twisted to select various options in the menu and is relatively intuitive. Thanks to the fine army of lawyers out there, you have to acknowledge every single time you start the car that you're paying attention to the road instead of the screen. Pretty soon we'll receive warnings that it's a good idea to breathe from time to time. The car was also equipped with a backup camera which automatically comes up when the car is put into reverse - this I very much approve of as rearward visibility suffers in favour of styling and aerodynamics.

The cabin is relatively free of engine/drivetrain noise, but quite a bit of tire noise seemed to intrude which may simply be a function of everything else being, well, quiet.

Performance

Before anyone says I've got it in for Acura, head on over to the RDX thread and witness the praise heaped upon that effort far more worthy of the brand. This car on the other hand has been dragged down by an entry level engine/transmission combo that is not up to the task. Rated at 150 hp at a lofty 6,500 rpm (it redlines at 6,800) the 2.0 is outgunned by Ford's 2.0 which offers 160 hp. With torque at a modest 140 lb.-ft. way up at 4300 rpm it's again at a disadvantage to Chevy's 1.4 turbo which produces 148 lb.-ft. at a much lower 2500 rpm. The kicker here is that it requires premium fuel - to do precisely what?

Mated to the 5 speed which has much lazier gear ratios than the 6 speed, it's simply dead off the line. A Focus would humiliate this thing and that's a shame because the 2.0 is smooth as silk and lacks nothing in refinement. The car feels like it should be so much more fun to drive.

I jumped on Ford about the transmission offerings in the Focus and I am doing the same here. To be competitive in this market you need to offer at least a 6 speed auto and manual across all models in the lineup. This is particularly critical in the entry lux market where your buyers are likely to be far more picky/fickle for the kind of money they are laying out. With that 6th gear not there, the car runs at about 2,700 rpm on the highway and yielded a decent 33 mpg on my trek back from the cottage, but it doesn't hold a candle to the 1.4 in the Cruze which achieved 39 mpg.

The suspension and brakes are very good and again leave you feeling like this is a chassis in search of a drive train. The only flaw I found here was navigating my local grocery store parking lot and its charming speed bumps. I took one at what I thought was a reasonable speed, but the suspension let out a resounding crash as though it had hit the end of its travel before the tires came back to the ground - it's maybe a little too tightly set up there.

Once out on the road though the ride was smooth and composed, though I never quite shook that 'nervous' feel that I described in the initial thread. It felt like it would give up to understeer early, but that's purely subjective since I didn't take it on any road/handling courses. Steering was smooth, linear, with reasonable feel and I absolutely loved the feel of the steering wheel with those paddle shifters placed just right.

Sensory overload

I'd be remiss if I didn't report the nerve wracking part of the drive. About 10 miles in on my return trip (which was around 150 miles) the display lit up with a series of ominous warnings - Check Transmission, Check Emissions System. I was probably at least 50 miles from the nearest Acura dealer, and it was 6 in the morning. Not good. I pulled into the nearest coffee shop, shut it off and checked the manual. Since the check engine light was not blinking, it suggested that I'd be OK if I took it easy and got to a dealership as soon as possible. I chanced it and headed home. Once the car was restarted, the 'Check Transmission' light went out, and by three more ignition cycles, the 'Check Emissions System' light also went out.

I can only guess what the problem was but I'm reasonably certain it was just a faulty sensor. I will see if Acura has a response about whether they checked the car once I returned it and confirmed if this was the problem.

Conclusion

As I said in the main thread, I wanted to like this car, I really did. To be blunt, after the week I had it, I didn't like it. There is no way I'd spring over $30,000 for a product that has a drivetrain this far behind the times.

I may be overly harsh in this respect, but given the initial sales of the car, it appears the market is receiving it in roughly the same manner.

That being said, it's not a total loss for Acura. If they promptly give it the updates it needs, namely upgrading the 2.0 with a dose of vitamin hp or dropping it in favour of the 2.4 and substituting the 6 speed auto for the 5 speed, they will have a winner on their hands. For now, I have to stay, put it back in the oven, it's not done yet.

[jaybird]

Sort of makes you wonder why honda didn't just wait for the rush civic re-fresh before releasing this car.

This reminds of the old GM, get it out to the market and we'll fix the problems later. Not a good thing to do in today's marketplace. Everyone has just too good of product.

Plus, nice write up!

[REVolution]

Excellent review, and excellent pics once again.

Style wise, this car isn't bad to look at, but I guess its just not great at any thing. Fuel economy isn't so good for a small 4-cyl and it doesn't seem as refined as it could be.

[nell_z]

What I get from this is, if the market could be like it was circa 2005, this ILX would actually be a pretty acceptable choice, pun intended. But in a world where even the Koreans can knock your dusty pannies off in the looks and drive department, the ILX is multiple steps behind where it should be. Pure beauty won't sell in a market where beauty exists even in the sub-15 grand department.

[Dequindre]

Great review! Those pictures are AMAZING! CarFanatics has a better photographer than MT does!

[nell_z]

Dequindre;225736 Wrote:Great review! Those pictures are AMAZING! CarFanatics has a better photographer than MT does!

Now if we could just all consolidate to one place....

[Dequindre]

nell_z;225738 Wrote:

Dequindre;225736 Wrote:Great review! Those pictures are AMAZING! CarFanatics has a better photographer than MT does!

Now if we could just all consolidate to one place....

Do you mean forum members? If so, then yes! We'd have the best of MT, CF, and RCT.

[nell_z]

[AlwaysSmooth]

ILX. Hmm. Honda's rushed/mismanaged new baby that's good to look at, but ultimately what should've been a Civic from the get go. It's supposedly getting the new Earth Dreams engine in the future, but why not wait until then? And then there's a new Civic coming next year too. Maybe it was a test run to see how it does while they figure out what to do with the TSX, which seems to be merge with the TL next go round. Not sure.....but I have seen a few on the road.

Excellent review. Gorgeous pictures.

PS: Thank God this cars uses existing stuff and not all new cause it would be even more fail then. But, in the future I know I can get a nice one used for a good price. Flop cars make good values!!!

[G8mike]

Thanks all, I wouldn't call it a flop, but I'd say it's a base hit when they needed a home run.

[BasiliskSt]

Handsome styling with an under powered and mismatched drive line to the task of entry level sport luxury. Good summary.

Acura faces new competition from Buick. Buick's Verano hits the target better, but carries less brand recognition as an entry level sport luxury model. It will be interesting to watch this dual. So far I'd easily pick the Buick.

Honda is developing a reputation among afficianodos as the brand that can't shoot straight. So far it hasn't hurt sales as much as I'd expect, but even CR is piling on the Civic as a popular car that people shouldn't buy. (There are some other prime targets for CR including a couple of key Chryslers so domestic fans shouldn't get too smug.)

Excellent photography by the way. The shots really render the ILX very well.

[G8mike]

For July, the Verano is giving it a solid thumping - I believe the Verano sales were 4,235 to the ILX's 1,400, give or take. That's with the Verano turbo not even out yet.

[BasiliskSt]

I've seen several Veranos. I have yet to see an ILX in the wild (off the dealer lot).

[SRTChallenger-Man]

I like this car, it looks great, but i will say again needs the 2.4 with a 6 speed auto along with theyou manual as the standard engine, and then offer up a type-s as a hot version. Honda really needs to develop a turbo 4, they cant continue to rely on high revving torque less engines to get the job done as the rest of the industry ramps up their powertrains.

Also great review and fantastic pictures!

[redsky]

Nice and very informative review. And great pics too.