ILX moves upscale
Overdue infusion of luxury helps distinguish Acura sedan from its ubiquitous Civic stablemate
It’s a good question: Why buy an Acura ILX when a Honda Civic is priced lower, yet it’s more or less the same car?
Because the Civic is the dandelion of the automotive world. Everyone owns one. They are everywhere. Five new Civics and two old ones are parked on your street right now. Even though you have a unique personality and looks and character like no other, you are, fairly or unfairly, lumped in with those whose fashion sense is more the others. The Civic, as good as it is, has no room for your signature.
The Civic is not a luxury car. The Acura, on the other hand, leaves room for some stamp on the world. And while content has gone up considerably for 2019, it leaves room in the bank account because the price stays the same at $29,990 to start before fees. It’s not the same as a Civic anymore.
Taking on the look of its much more expensive siblings, the 2019 Acura ILX suddenly looks more comfortable in its own skin, no longer the awkward, ungainly sister to the Civic. Compared to the outgoing model, the 2019 ILX is downright smart, possibly the best interpretation of Acura’s family look because the design fits so well with the car’s smaller proportions.
It drives surprisingly well for an entry-level four-door sedan. Mash the throttle and there’s some growl from the carry-over 2.4-litre four-cylinder engine that charges hard to its 7,000 rpm redline in what seems like a determined mission to deliver 201 horsepower and 180 pound-feet of torque through the front wheels, with barely noticeable torque steer. There is no option for a manual transmission anymore, but banging through the eight-speed, dualclutch automatic with steering wheel-mounted paddle shifters at full throttle is plenty of fun — and it gets this car into licence-losing range quickly. There’s not a lot of coarseness from the engine, although it’s no BMW.
But then again, a 2-Series costs more money.
Into the corners, lean is limited and the brakes deliver good bite from a firm pedal, although the brake pedal was positioned a tad too high for me. A sculpted hood carries a couple of obvious creases that can be seen while driving, adding a bit more character, and visibility is very good. Rear-seat room is about what you’d expect for a car in this class — neither expansive nor pinched.
All 2019 Acuras will be offered in a sporty A-Spec, and the $33,900 ILX A-Spec looks especially good in this trim. It can also be had in that beautiful Apex Blue pearl paint option seen on the RDX and MDX, along with several other new colours.
New from the A-pillars forward, the ILX wears a face that looks a lot like the TLX and RLX, replete with Acura’s signature diamond pentagon grille and framed by those brilliant “jewel eye” LED headlights to go with LED tail lights, although the rear turn signals are not LED as the front turn signals are. Why not go all the way?
The rear has been cleaned up, though, with a new trunk lid, fascia, and lower diffuser with single chrome exhaust tip. The A-Spec package adds dark chrome trim for the front grille and lower fascia, LED fog lights, darker headlights and tail lights and a glossblack deck lid spoiler. New wheels include 17-inch split five-spokes with trim-specific finishes. A-Spec gets an exclusive 18-inch wheel in “Shark grey.”
The interior takes a big leap forward, too. No, it’s not going to match the elegance and sophistication of the new Mercedes A-Class cabin, and it does feel more Honda than haute couture. But knowing how reliable Hondas are goes a long way to finding comfort in here.
We only drove A-Spec versions and only for a short time, but its new sport seats in red leather with black suedelike centre panels felt comfortably firm. Dash trim in graphite silver and chrome doesn’t look garish, and the machine-finished ignition button looks like it came from the NSX, as do the aluminum sport pedals.
The leather steering wheel feels good, but has a lot of controls on it. Centrally, a dual-screen interface is said to be some 30 per cent faster, and the seven-inch primary touch screen is supposed to be more responsive to the touch. Updated graphics, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are standard. And every ILX comes standard with the AcuraWatch bundle of safety assists.
In showrooms early November, the ILX has always tried to outshine its less expensive Civic sibling. But with the closest comparable Civic now coming in at more than $30,000 with a less powerful engine, the 2019 ILX looks as though it finally has the means to proudly stand up for itself.