DALLAS, August 6, 2012 — Let me be the first to say that I loved driving the 2013 Acura ILX times two. Love it, really! In fact, I really didn’t want get out from behind the wheel.
Let’s face it, that’s saying a lot for someone who drives a different car every week.
This is on my shortlist of cars I would take home with me.
What really drew me to this car was the fact that it got good fuel economy, handled really well and felt like a luxury car since it was easy to drive, maneuver and navigate all around.
The 2013 Acura ILX is an all-new model for Acura, but I predict it will be a successful one.
Competition includes other “new generation compacts”; look at the Honda Civic, Buick Verano, Audi A3 or the Lexus CT 200h.
Offered in two trims, you get the base or the Hybrid. The standard is the same for both with few exceptions including 16-inch wheels, a sunroof, power accessories, keyless ignition/entry, a leather-wrapped tilt-and-telescoping steering wheel, dual-zone automatic climate control, a rearview camera, and all the audio goodies like auxiliary audio jack, USB/iPod interface, and Pandora integration.
2013 Acura Photo: Russell Dandridge
You can also opt for the Premium Package with 17-inch wheels, xenon headlamps, fog lamps, leather upholstery, heated front seats, a power driver seat, advanced rearview camera, and an upgraded seven-speaker sound system with satellite radio.
The Technology package, which you can opt for on the base or the Hybrid, but not on the ILX, comes with the 2.4-liter engine has everything you get in the Premium package plus a hard drive-based navigation system and surround-sound audio with digital music storage.
Under the hood the engine on this Acura is a 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine with 150 horsepower and 140 pound-feet of torque and that’s with a five-speed automatic transmission.
With the 2012 Acura ILX Premium package there is a 2.4-liter four-cylinder engine option with 201 horsepower and 170 pound-feet of torque. On this one, it’s a six-speed manual transmission only.
The Hybrid trim has a 1.5-liter four-cylinder with an Integrated Motor Assist, electric motor also for power boosting when needed and braking energy is used for the electricity as needed to recharge the hybrid lithium-ion battery pack. The gasoline engine will give you 111 horsepower and 127 pound-feet of torque. As well as a continuously variable automatic transmission is standard here.
Safety on the 2013 Acura ILX offers antilock brakes, stability and traction control, front seat side and side curtain airbags and active front head restraints. Of course, the rearview camera, which is a standard, also keeps things safe.
Inside was where I really felt at home and comfortable and the design inside is cool too. Techie goodies are the five-inch display screen and all the knobs and controls are easy to find and use.
Special care was used in designing the seats to be supportive, yet not give the impression of confinement or hardness. The ILX is also spacious for a compact car with decent backseat space for passengers.
The trunk size is 12.4 cubic feet and the rear seat also folds down for hauling longer items, but not larger necessarily, because the backseat is not split. With the hybrid trim you lose 10 cubic feet of space due to the battery pack.
Acceleration is ideal even with the standard engine and that, coupled with an uber-comfortable ride, spaciousness and good price, well, all I can say, is sign me up now.
Should You Need to Know: It’s a reasonable starting price so it is hard to argue with that. Indeed, the Acura ILX sedan is for those car buyers who want something sporty and nice, but who don’t want the price tag of a luxury car just yet.
Miles Per Gallon: The Acura ILX, which I drove, got 24 miles per gallon in the city and 35 miles per gallon on the highway.
Cost: I drove the 2013 Acura ILX with the Tech package and it came in at $32,295.
Rita Cook is a writer/editor with has over 1000 articles to her credit in the past 13-plus years. She is a frequent auto and travel contributor on a radio show in Los Angeles called Insider Mag Radio at KPRO 1570 am on from midnight to 12:30 a.m. Monday mornings.
She also contributes travel and auto to the Anthony Duva show, which can be heard live from 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. EST every Sunday at www.unregularradio.com.
Cook is a member of the Texas Auto Writer’s Association, writes for the Dallas Morning News Green Living Section as well as artist profiles and www.greensourceDFW and spends much of her time on the road traveling or working on books.
Her latest book releases are both “Haunted Dallas” and “Haunted Fort Worth” from www.historypress.net. Her third book in the Haunted Series will be released in October “Haunted Bartlesville, Oklahoma.” Follow Cook at Twitter at @ritacook13.
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