More Power, Bang for the Buck Elevate ILX

CALISTOGA, CA – The Acura ILX entry-luxury sedan launched three years ago and had two major drawbacks out of the gate: It was underpowered and overpriced.

The base grade offered a 5-speed automatic transmission and 150-hp 2.0L 4-cyl., or in the words of one Acura official here at a media preview, “not the most performance-oriented powertrain we’ve ever offered.”

Its $25,900 starting price was steep compared with similar models offering more power, such as the $22,585 ’13 Buick Verano, with its 180-hp 4-cyl. and 6-speed automatic.

You could get more power in a ’13 ILX, but it would cost you.

Equipped with a 201-hp, 2.4L direct-injected DOHC 4-cyl. the ILX stickered for $31,400. However, you would have to shift gears yourself. Yup, a 6-speed manual was the only transmission for the 2.4L.

Now, after three years of underwhelming sales, Acura has gotten the formula right with the refreshed ’16 ILX, now at dealers.

The brand has ditched the 2.0L and made the 2.4L the only engine, pairing it with an 8-speed dual-clutch transmission. It’s the same engine/transmission combo as is in the new Acura TLX sedan, and it puts the ILX on par with entry-luxury competitors such as the Audi A3 and Mercedes CLA, which from the start had more advanced powertrains.

Instead of being one of the worst deals in the segment, the ILX now is one of the best.

The 201-hp engine and DCT can be had for a reasonable $27,900, less than the $29,900 outlay for a base ’15 Audi A3 with a 170-hp 1.8L and 6-speed DCT.

The ILX has seven less horsepower than the CLA with its 2.0L turbocharged 4-cyl., but the Mercedes is nearly $4,000 more to start, $31,500.

Packaging, Pricing Not Only Changes

But packaging and pricing aren’t the only changes for the ILX.

Acura designers have added a 3-dimensional grille, larger lower intakes and LEDs with a continuous light pipe. These changes give the car the much-needed road presence it sorely lacked.

Perforated faux-suede seats, aluminum pedals and stitching on the steering wheel and parking-brake lever – all part of a new A-Spec package – spice up the inside, although not too much. Overall, the ILX still has a tame interior (black-and-grey, black-and-black or black-and-beige).

A large touchscreen replaces a dated knob controller. In mid and high trim levels, the car features a 2-screen center stack, with a non-touchscreen up top detailing navigation information. Normally more information is better, but the two screens are confusing, and the setup is akin to Honda center stacks. A luxury car shouldn’t share an interior scheme with an Accord.

Changes beneath the surface are harder to discern in a test drive of a ’16 ILX.

Acura engineers added a bigger rear-member upper in the front subframe to give the car’s steering a more direct feel.

But in back-to-back jaunts with old and new models, the steering seems just as firm in the ’15 ILX, although neither car provides the feel of BMW.

Acura boasts of a 0-60-mph (0-97-km/h) time of about 7 seconds, 2.5 seconds quicker than the ’15 ILX with a 2.0L. But because the ’16 model has a less aggressive tip-in, it actually feels slower off the line.

And while the 2.4L provides 40 lb.-ft. (54 Nm) more torque vs. the outgoing 2.0L, 180 lb.-ft. (244 Nm), like so many Honda engines the 2.4L lacks mid-range power. Peak torque doesn’t arrive until 3,600 rpm, so winding up is necessary to pass slow-moving vehicles on the 2-lane roads in Napa Valley.

For torque, the ILX lags the CLA (258 lb.-ft. [350 Nm]) and A3 (200 lb.-ft. [271 Nm]), both of which hit their peaks much sooner thanks to forced induction.

The ’16 ILX ranges from its $27,900 starting price to $34,890.

For just under $35,000, a buyer gets a lot of content, including a Tech Plus package (navigation, Acura ELS audio system, Acuralink telematics system, collision mitigation braking and lane keep assist) as well as the A-Spec package with the nicer interior elements and a decklid spoiler and 18-in. sport wheels.

The styling and ride and handling changes to the ILX may not be as big a motivator to potential buyers as the lower cost of the 2.4L engine, but they help further Acura’s mission of closing the luxury gap with the Germans and transforms the car into more than a warmed-over Honda Civic.

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'16 Acura ILX Tech Plus Specifications