In contrast, the transmission is brand new to Acura. It’s an eight-speed dual-clutch unit with paddle shift, capable of perfectly-matched, lightning-fast shifts every time, all with absolutely no interruption to the pulling power for change-ups. It changes gears with urgency and shift speeds in the same ballpark as a good Audi or BMW DCT, which is sweet.

So, an old-school snarly, peaky pull complete with new-to-the-brand blink-speed shifting breaking up the sound effects and helping make even better use of the engine’s output.

This is a unique experience indeed at full throttle.

Further, and unlike many DCT transmissions, the ILX’s unit is uncommonly smooth and refined when taking off and stopping in stop-and-go traffic, since it has a torque converter, which most DCT’s don’t. With the best parts of an automatic and DCT transmission combined, the ILX’s transmission performs with smoothness in virtually all situations.

Ride and handling are balanced mid-pack between sporty and luxurious. The ILX’s suspension feels well damped, solid, and thick when travelling on rough roads, with only nasty surfaces coaxing unwelcome sounds and sensations from beneath the car. The setup feels taut and agile after an initial thin layer of softness is overcome. In all, a driver after a car simultaneously ready for energetic browsing of empty backroads and comfy long-haul drives should feel nicely backed up.

Steering is quick and light. Though the system isn’t enormous on feel or feedback, the fast ratio and fairly light effort required at the wheel adds to a feeling of playfulness when tossing the ILX about on an empty, winding road. Torque steer is all but a non-issue here, and never felt as anything more than a slight tug at the wheel when full throttle is applied at low speeds on a flat surface. Internet haters besmirch front-wheel drive on account of at-the-limit understeer, (this is often caused by the driver, not the car), and unless you plan on drifting around corners on your daily commute (which you don’t), the front-drive setup here takes little from the experience.

Other notables include great brake pedal feel – the calipers start biting hard and fast with minimal effort at the pedal, and emergency stops saw the ILX pull down from speed faster than expected. If you’ve got a sudden stop in your immediate future, you’ll feel well supported in getting stationary, fast.

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