2017 Acura ILX Review and Price

Back in April 2012, Acura was releasing the ILX entry-level luxury sedan which is basically a Civic with an improved running gear, better interior components, and a more polished ride quality. This is a car that worked for Acura as it offers all the bells and whistles of its more expensive models at a fraction of the cost. The 2017 Acura ILX is their latest offering, a slightly updated car which will continue on the market for at least a couple more years. This is a bit surprising considering that Honda already released their new Civic but the Acura is still a great car for the price and it wouldn’t make sense to change anything.

2017 Acura ILX Price 

As we previously mentioned, the car is in fact based on the older Civic platform. While currently outdated, thanks to the fact it uses a new suspension system the ILX still feels as capable as ever. It is also greatly helped by the fact it starts at little under $28,000 which is considerably better than some of its competitors. The 2017 model is already available for sale in the US and it should become available quite soon elsewhere. The running gear has been left untouched since the last update but that’s to be expected considering its older platform.

2017 Acura ILX Review

The 2017 Acura ILX looks as good as the 2016 car and that’s because nothing really changed between the two. Somehow Acura managed to capture the way the TLX looks and translate it on the Civic platform. On top of that, they also added in the mix a bit of aggressiveness so the ILX looks on par with any of its rivals. The front features their already well-known LED headlights with 10 individual LED clusters.

The tail lights are also fully LED lit which is quite unusual, especially at this price point. The front bumper features a small center intake flanked by two larger ones which make us think of the old RSX. The back is also quite smooth and it manages to complete the design of the car really well. One of the only griefs we have with it is its wheels which are a bit too narrow and don’t really give it justice.

Interior

So far one of the largest problems with the ILX has been the infotainment system. This is because it uses two separate LCD screens which might get a bit too confusing sometimes. However, leaving this aside, the build quality is great, the driving position is good while the materials are well above those on the base Civic.

Engine

In the US market, the 2017 Acura ILX is only available with a 2.4 liter naturally aspirated engine. This is actually an entirely new Earth Dreams unit released with the 2016 update. Thanks to direct injection and a few other improvements, it offers 201 horsepower and 180 lb-ft of torque which is adequate. However, the engine lacks low-end torque and it may prove unwilling sometimes. The good part is that it comes mated, even on the base model, with an eight-speed dual-clutch automatic which sends all of its power to the front wheels. The end result is a surprisingly fun to drive a car, especially for its class. Also, thanks to the transmission which manages the engine really well, the ILX will return up to 25 MPG in the city and 36 MPG on the highway which is considerably better than some of its direct rivals. When the all-new version of the car will be released, this engine will most likely get replaced with Honda’s new 2 liters turbocharged mill but until then this will offer a unique experience in a class where turbocharged cars dominate.