Acura as a brand disappeared for a little while. Honda's luxury brand had nameplates like the NSX and the Integra under it, names that make enthusiasts around the world smile. This reputation was built off the back of VTEC, a technology that generated dizzying acceleration all the way to a ridiculous redline.
Over the past few years, however, Honda has put the Acura brand through a resurgence. The new NSX was a technological marvel, and the type S range are highly appealing budget performance cars for everyday driving. This rebranding project culminates with the 2022 Integra; with the Supra returning, it certainly does feel like the '90s are back. With that said, this new model distracts from one of Acura's best models, the ILX.
Marketed as a premium compact sedan, the ILX is a little smaller than the TLX. It doesn't try to be a 3 series beater but instead the smaller offerings from the German manufacturers like the 2 Series and A3. Introduced for the 2013 model year, the ILX is on its second facelift and has seen further revisions heading into the 2022 model year.
The 2022 Acura ILX Has An Athletic Design
The ILX has always been a good-looking car. With the aggressive and angular design, it has a hint of Lexus to it. Acura market the four doors as having an "athletic design," an upmarket way of saying it looks sporty. This is certainly true; it looks sporty with plenty of visual accessory options on offer, which vary from glossy black trim to nicer wheels.
This design from the rear looks a little like the Hyundai i30 Fastback, which is pretty unsurprising as regulations force many car designs to work with similar designs, even more so if they are trying to avoid Germanic design principles as would be found on the compact Audi and BMW models. This sporty look doesn't mean the car has major performance under the bonnet, though. All ILX models come with an in-line four-cylinder engine, albeit with a larger displacement of 2.4-liters.
This engine is less refined than the competition, returning just 24 mpg in the city. Previous ILX models had the option of a hybrid, but this is no longer offered. The ILX has been around for approaching a decade and there hasn't been a Type S model; with the return of the Integra, it would be unlikely that a hotter ILX would make it to market.
The cabin heading into 2022 does now appear a little dated, sharing a lot of parts with the Honda Civic the Acura loses in interior quality when compared to German rivals. But there are a few notable larger issues. The car does not come with one large display as is common for premium vehicles now; instead of two displays, one on the dashboard and another in the center console; it makes a somewhat confusing infotainment system.
The gauge cluster is also a little behind the times; with a screen between the dials, it does provide the driver with more information than a conventional analog dashboard, but when competing with systems like Audi's Virtual Cockpit, the ILX certainly begins to lose out. This is twofold; the interior has plenty of buttons and dials instead of more expensive touch displays.
But Acura vehicles do come with a plethora of mobile apps as well; through the Acura Link a user's phone can be used as a key and control various elements to the car, find it when parked and check fuel levels; not exactly necessary, but some drivers might like it.
The Competition
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The ILX is behind in a few places, but this does mean that it undercuts the competition with its price. Starting at $26,000 the ILX doesn't have many expensive options boxes to be ticked, as a result, it is hard to find one with a sticker price of over $30,000. This falls short of a new 2 Series or A3 Sedan's price tag but costs more than $5,000 more than the very similar Honda Civic.
But the Civic is a little larger, and with a 16 cubic feet boot compared to the 12.4 cubic feet that the ILX has, the Civic may still be a better and more economical option for many. But this disparity would make sense, Acura is to Honda what Lexus is Toyota and what Genesis is to Hyundai, a premium brand. As a result, the Acura has changes that make it nicer, leather, better seats, metal pedals all to provide a little value for that extra money, but only in the premium trim level. The cheapest trim level lacks a lot of features that would be expected and should probably be avoided.
Drive Quality Of The 2022 Acura ILX
Contrary to the rave reviews of its predecessor, the original Integra, the ILX, for much of its life, has been often criticized for having poor driving dynamics when compared to its more expensive rivals; this has been explained through the car's front-wheel driven format. With those outlets finding that the car has the premium look but perhaps without the premium drive of the 2 Series, which is the best in this department. However, this doesn't mean it rides poorly.
Since 2016 the ILX has come with an eight-speed dual-clutch transmission which has numerous benefits. Firstly much smoother and faster acceleration, but also the ability to cruise at much lower engine speeds on the highway, meaning better economy and less engine noise. So although it may not have seen much revision for the 2022 model year, it is still an attractive premium offering if the more expensive models in this segment are just a little out of reach.