Long-Term Road Test Intro
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Trying to combine luxury with the Civic Si.
Months in Fleet: 1 month
Current Mileage: 2162 miles
Average Fuel Economy: 27 mpg
Average Range: 356 miles
Service: $0
Normal Wear: $0
Repair: $0
Just over a decade ago, Acura’s lineup included the NSX and the Integra—both among the most fun-to-drive cars in their segments, and two fairly iconic pieces of machinery. Since then, Honda’s luxury brand has introduced a line of funky-faced, tweener-sized cars that James Spader talks up in TV ads. Away from the sound booth where Spader records his solicited praise, however, the reality is that Acura’s lineup isn’t quite what it used to be.
But things may be looking up. Acura soon will bring us a new NSX, it currently offers one of the few sporty wagons in our market, and it has delivered a new entry-level sedan, the ILX. We knew the latter wouldn’t be another Integra, but one ILX in particular—the one that shares the Civic Si’s 201-hp 2.4-liter four-cylinder and six-speed manual—had us interested enough to order an example for a 40,000-mile test.
A Fairly Large Kitchen Sink, But No Drain
A recap of the ILX line: Box stock, the base model—motivated by the Civic’s 150-hp, 2.0-liter four-cylinder tied exclusively to a five-speed automatic—starts at $26,795. A hybrid also is available, and borrows its engine/electric-motor combo from the Civic hybrid. All ILX models include USB and auxiliary jacks, keyless entry and start, dual-zone climate control, and a power sunroof as standard.
Cars like ours, with the Civic Si powertrain, come one way, combining the above kit with the Premium package, which adds an eight-way power driver’s seat, heated front sport seats, leather upholstery, a seven-speaker audio system with satellite radio, a rearview camera, 17-inch aluminum wheels, fog lamps, and xenon HID headlights. The 2.4 is the only ILX that’s available with a manual, which should explain by itself our choice of long-term trim. Our ILX is therefore both as barebones and as loaded as it can be, and stickered at $30,095.
You may notice one item conspicuously absent from our otherwise well-equipped car: a navigation system. Nav is unavailable with the hottest engine, being restricted to the 2.0-liter and hybrid models’ Technology package, which also includes a fancy stereo, a GPS-enabled climate-control function that accounts for the location of the sun (!), and voice controls.
At least time spent lost is spent in comfortable and supportive front seats, and the six-speed manual’s short throws and the 2.0-liter’s enthusiasm to zing through its powerband—typical Honda, in other words—have been universally praised. Sprints to 60 mph pass in 6.4 seconds, the quarter-mile is reached in 15 seconds at 95 mph, and the ILX tops out at an electronically limited 138 mph.
Hoping Something Grows On Us
We have logged several demerits. The ILX lags behind its powertrain partner, the Si, on the skidpad, achieving 0.81 g compared to the Si’s 0.88, and several of our tribe have bemoaned the soft tires and squishy suspension on this sportiest of ILXs. The steering is very light and loads and unloads unpredictably as you dial in lock, while quick requests for directional changes can send the rear end into a corkscrewing motion. (These and other dynamic quirks were noted in our test of a different 2.4-liter ILX, too.)
Rear riders have voiced complaints about the roominess of their accommodations. Our plain-jane infotainment setup is like those in most current Acuras and Hondas in that it largely feels outdated, with one logbook scribbler being “amazed at how well the center screen renders album art from an iPod but otherwise suffers from an interface that looks and acts 10 years old.” And after a day spent baking in Michigan’s hot summer sun, the cabin starts to smell like someone’s storing leftovers under the driver’s seat. Not pleasant.
Finally, a semi-aggressive exhaust note is joined by a tiresome buzziness from the underhood during top-gear 80-mph cruises, at which point the engine is spinning at 3500 rpm or so. The sound isn’t as refined as it ought to be in this segment; luxury—entry-level, sporty, or otherwise—doesn’t sound like the Civic Si. Perhaps this has caused some short-shifting among our usually redline-happy drivers, as the ILX has returned 27 mpg combined so far, just four below the 31-mpg EPA highway rating.
The preeminent question concerning the ILX 2.4 is whether it can successfully blend Civic Si fun with a near-luxury experience. Thus far we’d say “not quite,” but the car has 38,000 miles to change our minds.
Specifications
VEHICLE TYPE: front-engine, front-wheel-drive, 5-passenger, 4-door sedan
PRICE AS TESTED: $30,095 (base price: $30,095)
ENGINE TYPE: DOHC 16-valve inline-4, aluminum block and head, port fuel injection
Displacement: 144 cu in, 2354 cc
Power: 201 hp @ 7000 rpm
Torque: 170 lb-ft @ 4400 rpm
TRANSMISSION: 6-speed manual
DIMENSIONS:
Wheelbase: 105.1 in
Length: 179.1 in
Width: 70.6 inHeight: 55.6 in
Curb weight: 2970 lb
PERFORMANCE: NEW
Zero to 60 mph: 6.4 sec
Zero to 100 mph: 16.7 sec
Rolling start, 5–60 mph: 6.9 sec
Top gear, 30–50 mph: 9.0 sec
Top gear, 50–70 mph: 8.9 sec
Standing ¼-mile: 15.0 sec @ 95 mph
Top speed (governor limited): 138 mph
Braking, 70–0 mph: 184 ft
Roadholding, 300-ft-dia skidpad: 0.81 g
FUEL ECONOMY:
EPA city/highway driving: 22/31 mpg
C/D observed: 27 mpg
Unscheduled oil additions: 0 qt
WARRANTY:
4 years/50,000 miles bumper to bumper;
6 years/70,000 miles powertrain;
5 years/unlimited miles corrosion protection;
4 years/50,000 miles roadside assistance
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