Topic: First Drive: 2013 Acura ILX

[Jaeger]

Seems to be aimed at the increasingly small number of blinder-equipped Honda loyalists. As others have said, it makes the Verano look like a steal.

i believe everyone agreed the Verano is an excellent vehicle from the General...in fact, likely one of the only vehicles i would consider buying with my own money...at least currently.

Even in a thread where the Honda product has been almost uniformly criticized, he still has to rant about blind Honda loyalists.  I wonder who is really wearing the blinders here?    Wasn't he one of the ones telling us that only GM products get ripped on this forum?     I guess some just never let reality intrude upon their pre-conceptions.

Jaeger

[whaddaiknow]

The ILX makes a great case for buying a Verano, its main competitor.  The Buick starts at 23k$, and you have to load it to the gills to reach the Acura's base price.

The only way for Honda to get a winner out of the ILX is to:

- add a manual to the base engine;
- replace the Acura beak with a Honda grille;
- cancel the current Civic "tribute-to-2002-Camry" sedan and replace it with the ILX, what the Civic should have been in the 1st place.

What sold the CSX in Canada was value, and at 30k$, it's not there anymore.

Almost completely agree. The manual should beadded to all engine choices, though. And the Tech package shoould be offered on all trim levels. A good friend of mine is shopping for a premium car and loves everything about the TSX except one he wants doesn't exist on the Acura menu! I would also look and a fully loaded TSX with a manual but I guess Acura doesn't want my business.

I kinda like the ILX beak more than the Honda grille but agree ILX is what Civic should have been and the CSX value isn't there anymore.

Starting at 30k for a 2L engine with half the options found in the Elantra? Seriously?

[hemusbull]

Well, I do thing all of us as a fans symply put the bar for Acura higher than for others! Simply talking, Honda engineering must be exceling, not good or even mediocre...

[aquadorhj]

i say we should just let the expectation and high hopes fall and die re: Honda..   some car companies reach greatness, some never do..  Honda already had its moments in the 80's and 90's..   it's desperately trying to cling to its fame and glory, but if you went to your local car show, you would know it's got nothing on its competitors.   

FCX Clarity was pretty cool, but it's not even for sale... and honda probably lost money on every one it sold.

it's time for new champion of people's car.  it may be temporarily a korean brand..  but there's chinese and indian car companies that hasn't had its day in the spotlight.

i say let's just leave the honda/acura to it's declining fame and its mediocrity.

[whaddaiknow]

I don't.

One can't criticize the ILX for being a "Civic knockoff" without conceding that the Verano is a Cruze with leather and some soundproofing. And we're also criticizing the ILX for not being sporty - the last time I checked the Verano has a 180-hp engine and NO options...at least the ILX is available with a more powerful 2.4L engine, even if it is paired with a transmission that nobody will buy.

Is Cruze available with a 2.0T
Civic is available with a 2.4L too just like ILX, it's called Si.

Verano is way more than just a dressed up Cruze, ILX is not. IMO

[aaronk]

...
i say let's just leave the honda/acura to it's declining fame and its mediocrity.

What!? The Honda Accord is still one of the best selling cars on the market and has been on Car & Driver's 10-Best list (including 2012) for like the past 10 years. Want to know another car that meets nearly universal praise? The Honda Fit, also a 10-Best since its introduction and continually rates ahead of the competition - even the highly praised Korean cars. The Honda Odyssey is arguably the best minivan on the market in North America, and the CR-V tops the sales charts in its segment. I'm not sure where "declining mediocrity" has anything to do with Honda.

Acura is less successful than other premium-brand offshoots, but it's headed in the right direction. If the NSX comes back and makes a proper halo car for the brand, some of the trickle-down technology should be pretty cool and may make efficient driving fun...something that doesn't currently seem to exist or at least isn't commonplace.

[Gardiner Westbound]

The Honda Odyssey is arguably the best minivan on the market in North America, and the CR-V tops the sales charts in its segment. I'm not sure where "declining mediocrity" has anything to do with Honda.

Ya, it's a pip!

That was my first clue that there was something terribly wrong with Honda’s Canadian-built minivan. There’s a glut of online complaints about the Japanese automaker’s big van, which the automotive press had breathlessly endorsed.

http://www.wheels.ca/News%20and%20Features/article/800577

[PhiDelt]

Just bring back the 2004-2008 TSX and call it the ILX. Pretty close to the same size. And just offer the 2.4 Its thats simple

[aaronk]

Just bring back the 2004-2008 TSX and call it the ILX. Pretty close to the same size. And just offer the 2.4 Its thats simple

Amen to that, problem solved!

[Mike]

I don't.

One can't criticize the ILX for being a "Civic knockoff" without conceding that the Verano is a Cruze with leather and some soundproofing. And we're also criticizing the ILX for not being sporty - the last time I checked the Verano has a 180-hp engine and NO options...at least the ILX is available with a more powerful 2.4L engine, even if it is paired with a transmission that nobody will buy.

Is Cruze available with a 2.0T
Civic is available with a 2.4L too just like ILX, it's called Si.

Verano is way more than just a dressed up Cruze, ILX is not. IMO

Cruze is a 1.8 L and 1.4 L Turbo.

Verano is a 2.4 L and soon to be a 2.0 Turbo (220-230 hp) with either a manual or an automatic.  It already has a base version and a fancy version.  Haven driven the Cruze and Verano, they are very different.

I drove the 2012 Civic so I am not intrigued by the ILX as comparison

[Benhaze]

The Honda Odyssey is arguably the best minivan on the market in North America, and the CR-V tops the sales charts in its segment. I'm not sure where "declining mediocrity" has anything to do with Honda.

Ya, it's a pip!

That was my first clue that there was something terribly wrong with Honda’s Canadian-built minivan. There’s a glut of online complaints about the Japanese automaker’s big van, which the automotive press had breathlessly endorsed.

http://www.wheels.ca/News%20and%20Features/article/800577

Ouch!!!!!!!!!!!     This article almost makes the Windstar a... star!      

[Seafoam]

Seems to be aimed at the increasingly small number of blinder-equipped Honda loyalists. As others have said, it makes the Verano look like a steal.

i believe everyone agreed the Verano is an excellent vehicle from the General...in fact, likely one of the only vehicles i would consider buying with my own money...at least currently.

Even in a thread where the Honda product has been almost uniformly criticized, he still has to rant about blind Honda loyalists.  I wonder who is really wearing the blinders here?    Wasn't he one of the ones telling us that only GM products get ripped on this forum?     I guess some just never let reality intrude upon their pre-conceptions.

Jaeger

Yes and who do you think he really is? Roots are starting to show.
 

[Oldsguy]

Roots are starting to show.

I wish. All you see on my head is something resembling a cueball. The follicles gave up the ghost a long time ago. No worries about roots showing.

[Waterlooresident]

In my opinion, the ONLY people who are going to be purchasing this Acura ILX are simply the people who wanted to buy a HONDA CIVIC but they could not stand the BI-LEVEL / SPLIT-LEVEL digital dash that was pulled straight out of a STAR-TREK television prop somewhere.  At least this Acura LOOKS NORMAL inside.   THAT is why people are buying it even though it is basically an over-priced Civic.

[mmorriso]

used 2013 ILX base has same asking price as 2013 Civic EX in GTA...thoughts?