Most people don't remember that Acura, not Lexus, was first to offer a compelling Japanese alternative to the German luxury automakers.
Two debut models were offered in 1986: the Legend, which was a proper luxury car, and the Integra, which wasn't.
Instead, the entry-level Acura was something even better - not an entry-level anything, but a properly excellent-handling little front driver with a willing engine and solid build quality.
It was both fuel-sipper and hot-rodder, and when Acura put a bullet in the badge in 2002, they made, in my opinion, a huge blunder.
Since then, Canadians have had access to various Civic-based offerings from the high-class wing of Honda. Some were good, like the popular 1.6/1.7EL.
Some, in retrospect, are just a bit too entry-level, like the CSX.
However, Honda and Acura both seem to have found their lost compass these days, with a reinvigorated focus on build quality and brand pride.
One feels a duty to mention the return of the NSX halo car, with a vague hope that Acura can reclaim a little of that past glory.
But never mind the low-volume supercar stuff, Acura's reputation in this country is built in the driver's seats of the cars that sell by the thousands, not tens. Here, then, is a car much more important to the health and survival of the brand than any mid-engined poster-fodder: their new ILX compact sedan.
Design
As a ground-breaking game-changer (or whatever other PR-speak you might hear attributed to this car), the ILX doesn't exactly stun from the curb. No flame-surfacing, LED-bedazzling, chrome-laden fender-venting found here.
Frankly, I like it quite a bit. It's a charcoal V-neck of a thing - dress it up, dress it down, hot date, big presentation, Superbowl Sunday.
Acura's German competition has been doing the "one sausage, three lengths" thing for so long, it's nice to see the smallest Acura echo the best details of the TSX, TL and RL (now to be reborn as the silly-badged RLX). Not too many details though - in side-profile, aliens would be hard-pressed to differentiate this car from a previous-gen Mazda3.
Relax, Acura, I mean that in a good way. While the ILX is longer up front and shorter in back than the Civic from whence it takes roots, it's still a balanced-looking car.
This Dynamic tester has nicely-sized alloys (17 inches) that fill out the wheel-wells, but even the standard 2.0L car looks stylish - and can be optioned with the 17 inches if desired.
Environment
While the polished-aluminum-look accents and alloy pedals of the Dynamic option add a bit of sportiness to the interior, there's little you'd call radical in here. Like its exterior, the ILX's insides are conservative to a fault.
One bit of weirdness: this theoretically top-of-the-line Dynamic car has the
largest engine (2.4L), but it lacks navigation. Technophiles must sacrifice horsepower for gadgets (but they'll get better fuel economy).
However, luxury must-haves like pushbutton start, a colour information display, Bluetooth handsfree and so forth are all readily available. As they would be if you highly option up a Kia Rio.
The front seats do a good job of being supportive, though there isn't a surfeit of lateral bolstering, and the rear seat is somewhat cramped in the headroom department.
The trunk will be large enough for most intenders, but has only a single large pass-through - the seat folds as one large piece rather than a 60/40 split. Hardly the end of the world, but try taking a skiing holiday with two of your closest friends.
Performance
Standard equipment in the ILX is a 150hp 2.0L four-cylinder mated to a five-speed automatic transmission. Let's call this "Vanilla".
Eco-conscious, willing to give up a little trunk space and not in any sort of a hurry? A 115hp hybrid option is on the table - low-fat Strawberry.
However, what we have here is "Chocolate": my Dynamic tester sports the 201hp 2.4L engine straight out of the Civic Si. In fact, the car feels overall like a four-door Civic Si with an Acura badge on it.
It's the only ILX available with a manual-transmission, and sports a light-but-slick 6speed shifter and typically Honda-ish clutch (that's a compliment). Steering is very light as well, and perhaps a bit numb, and the ILX does have a little more body roll than the Si would.
However, that extra bit of suspension compliance lends much-needed smoothness to the car. It's just the sort of thing you could ferry around your boss in without looking like a Fast and The Furious extra. It is, however, a tad too noisy on the highway to be a "luxury" car.
The willing, torquey four is just as good as it is in the Si - don't shed too many tears for the stratospheric-revving Honda powerplants of old - and the controls are light enough to make dealing with stop-and-go a doddle.
