Beginning of a luxurious life
The Acura ILX is a compact luxury car, which has been produced since 2012 by Acura (Japan), Honda’s luxury car division. It is available as a sedan. There are hybrid modifications. In 2021, the buyers can purchase the first generation car after the second restyling in 2018.
The manufacturer believes that the Acura ILX is designed for people aged 20-30 years, quite successful or considering themselves to be such, but in any case, able to buy a luxury car by the famous brand, however, relatively inexpensive. The ILX just meets all the conflicting requirements. So you can safely choose this car to start your dizzying journey to Rolls-Royce cars that are as long as a freight train and cost as much as a small African state.
The first generation
The first generation compact luxury sedan was produced from 2012 to 2018, and was restyled in 2015. The first Acura ILX was based on the very successful Civic, especially in terms of its design. The Acura definitely looked expensive and solid, but still a little rustic for a luxury brand. More precisely, the car design was too technological. Surely, when developing the exterior, all the latest automotive industry achievements of that time were taken into account, which made the ILX flawless from a technical point of view, but its exterior couldn’t be called outstanding.
The first generation Acura ILX had a quality, well-equipped interior that was elegant, spacious and somewhat sporty. Like every high-quality representative of the luxury segment, the car had a full range of various options, including a standard keyless entry system with smart entry and start button, internet, heated seats, a rear-view camera, active noise cancellation system, etc. Plus, there were many additional options and trim levels offered.
The first generation Acura ILX comes with three powertrains:
- 2-liter 4-cylinder engine with 150 hp, coupled with a 5-speed automatic transmission;
- 2.4-liter engine with 201 hp, coupled with a 6-speed manual transmission;
- ILX Hybrid system, consisting of a 1.5-liter in-line engine and an electric motor combined with continuously variable transmission (CVT).
The manufacturer believes that the Acura ILX is designed for people aged 20-30 years, quite successful or considering themselves to be such, but in any case, able to buy a luxury car by the famous brand, however, relatively inexpensive.
The chassis of the first generation ILX was equipped with the then leading MacPherson front strut suspension and multi-link rear suspension, as well as specially designed Amplitude Reactive Dampers that could operate in two different modes. The safety system was based on the highly robust and stable Advanced Compatibility Engineering body structure. All of the safety options available at the time were standard on the Acura ILX, plus advanced 4-channel anti-lock brakes and vehicle stability control.
The 2015 restyling was not very dramatic for the Acura ILX, since the sedan was originally cool. But some changes were still made. The car became longer and wider, acquiring a more eye-catching and modern design. The entry-level sedan was equipped with 17-inch alloy wheels, a sunroof, dual-zone climate control, and a 5-inch display. The car could also be equipped with xenon headlights, fog lights, an auto-dimming rearview mirror, and an advanced navigation system. In terms of safety, the restyled sedan started featuring traction control, active front head restraints and a variety of airbags.
2018 restyling
In 2018, the model underwent a serious restyling, which even made some people believe that this was the second generation. The sedan has acquired a modern exterior and started looking more like a luxury car. The 2018/2019 Acura ILX started featuring advanced and even pretentious sports seats, including those with an adjustable lumbar support for the driver’s seat.
In addition to all the cool options initially offered by the car, there is also an upgraded dual-screen interface for the new infotainment system, compatible with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. The new software is tuned to reduce the responsiveness of the control system, the same goals are pursued by the intuitive menus and command structures. According to the manufacturer, the new multimedia responds 30% faster than the previous generation system. And let it be some milliseconds, but at high speed, which is implied for the ILX, they can save you in a difficult road situation. The improved 7-inch touchscreen features a capacitive display that is more responsive to touch and is located within the reach of the driver and front passenger.
All the second generation models (in addition to the engines borrowed from the first generation) feature a 2.4-liter naturally aspirated 4-cylinder 16-valve DOHC i-VTEC engine with 201 hp, coupled with an 8-speed dual-clutch transmission (DCT) with quick shifting gears and paddle shifters. The 2019/2020 Acura ILX comes standard with an active safety package and a variety of electronic driver assistance technologies, including collision avoidance with forward collision warning, lane keeping assist, adaptive cruise control, and lane departure warning systems.
