2016 Acura ILX Arrives at Dealerships on February 10 | Edmunds.com

Edmunds.com

2016 Acura ILX Arrives at Dealerships on February 10 | Edmunds.com

The upgraded 2016 Acura ILX sedan arrives at Acura dealerships on February 10, American Honda Motor Co. confirmed for Edmunds on Tuesday.

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vrooomf1

What's new? Not much... same ugly front, same engine... Honda/Acura speaks volume nowadays but where is the innovation, design and sport? Ho yes the NSX is coming and no doubt it's a great car and it's good for the brand image but at $175K what does it really bring to us? Dreams? As far as I'm concerned I live in the reality Honda and you got nothing for me right now.

thenewsupreme

The front end is different, and it has a different engine and transmission, I would love to continue, but you cant start with two valid points...

subatomic

I was disappointed to find out that the manual transmission will no longer be offered on the ILX. This was the very last manual transmission to be offered in an Acura product (including the new NSX). But it should come as no surprise. Americans are lazy and more interested in eating, drinking, text messaging, and playing with the infotainment system while driving.

lions208487

@vroomf1- The engine may have the same displacement, but it is not the one in the Si. This 2.4i is the new engine in the TLX, with DI and more torque. I will agree that the styling is not exactly innovative, but now the interior is on par with the CLA and A3 it competes with. In addition, if the larger heavier TLX i4 can get to 60 in 6.8 seconds, I am pretty sure this will be around 5.9 to 6.1, which is plenty quick for the class. If anyone is looking for a 228i, A3, or CLA, this may actually be the best overall choice, and obviously it will be the most dependable.

dfelix70

@subatomic - it's more than just about "being lazy". Today's automatic transmissions perform better and are more fuel efficient than manuals. It used to be the other way around. Frankly, the move away from fun, (relatively) affordable, manually-transmissioned cars started ages ago. The hot-hatch segment used to dominate and now doesn't exist much. GTI, Focus ST, and Fiesta ST don't make a segment. The disappearance of the Eclipse, Prelude, Probe, MX-6, etc occurred many years ago. It's the evolution of the car. It's no different than evolution in any industry.

subatomic

@dfelix70 - You are correct. Today's automatic transmissions rival or exceed their manual transmission counterparts in performance and fuel economy. In spite of this, I still like to see manual transmissions offered at least as an option on cars that are intended to be sports oriented. On cars that are intended to be basic transportation, todays more advanced automatics are more than acceptable. Aside from performance and fuel economy, I find that manual transmissions are more involving, more fun, and contribute to forming a special bond with the car. In my opinion this might be relevant on a performance/sports car because these types of cars are emotional purchases and not rational ones, but I realize that not everyone feels this way.

benjaminh

I think the souped up ILX has the potential to be a hit. With the new 2.4 direct injected engine and 8 speed dual clutch transmission, this car will be a real performer. As has already been mentioned, this engine and transmission make for nice performance combo in the larger and heavier TLX. Since the ILX weighs about 500 pounds less than the TLX, I think we could be looking at some pretty exhilarating performance. If, as expected, the list price starts around c. $28k or so, this car will be a great value too. Competing cars like the Audi A3, when comparably equipped, list for thousands of dollars more. The ILX should not only be significantly faster than the A3 1.8, but will also get higher mpg. And, in terms of long term trouble-free ownership, I'd go with Acura over Audi.

I might consider an ILX myself as a replacement for my 2008 Accord EXL someday....The only thing is that my Accord, which I've owned since new, has been so reliable there's nothing wrong with it. Hard to make a case to myself, let alone my wife, to buy a new car under those conditions lol....

wheelmccoy

subatomic said:

@dfelix70 - You are correct. Today's automatic transmissions rival or exceed their manual transmission counterparts in performance and fuel economy. In spite of this, I still like to see manual transmissions offered at least as an option on cars that are intended to be sports oriented. On cars that are intended to be basic transportation, todays more advanced automatics are more than acceptable. Aside from performance and fuel economy, I find that manual transmissions are more involving, more fun, and contribute to forming a special bond with the car. In my opinion this might be relevant on a performance/sports car because these types of cars are emotional purchases and not rational ones, but I realize that not everyone feels this way.

Manuals also dispense with the need for silly sport and extraneous eco buttons. How you shift determines whether you are enthusiastic or eco. Also, there has been no documented case of unintended acceleration in a manual. And manual drivers tend to be more alert, aware, engaged, and thus better drivers than their automatic counterparts.