Cars in Review: 2022 Acura ILX

In this week’s blog post we will be reviewing the 2022 Acura ILX. But before we take a deep dive into this let’s talk a little bit about the history of the car company itself first. Acura is a car company that was launched on March 27, 1986 and is actually a brand that operates under Honda – based primarily in North America. Now, like every other car company that had their first vehicles hit the market, Acura really struggled in the beginning. They had a couple of factors working against them mainly because of when they introduced their cars to the public. During the early 1980’s, the US was hit by gas shortages, economic malaise, and new government regulations that caused lots of chaos as the public’s buying habits and product availability was severely impacted in a negative way.

Honda was also viewed as the rival of many car companies during this time as well – with their forged reputations of reliability, economical operation and their low prices, it was not hard to see why. Even their least expensive car offered a unique and fun driving experience. Not to mention, Honda also established a record of technological innovation – the CVCC engine – that consumers loved – and caused their competitors to go back to the drawing board. So clearly, thanks to Honda, this was not a good time to be a car company trying to make money. 

To read more about Acura’s history, please visit https://hondanews.com/en-US/releases/release-e6b4345aa35541ea9556b69e4424209e-acura-history

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The 2022 Acura ILX was given a 6/10 rating on the Car and Driver Magazine website. Now at first glance, the ILX looks like a luxury sedan – wearing a premium exterior styling treatment and a very attractive base price of only $28,395. But upon closer viewing, you’ll notice the smallest Acura sedan is actually just a souped up version of the Honda Civic, with less desirable features of course. It’s infotainment system is outdated and it lacks the sporty driving dynamics we have all come to be spoiled with today, especially for cars in this class. 

Pros? It is fuel efficient and the overall ride is smooth, but if you are looking for something to really impress your neighbours, we would recommend going for the Audi A3, BMW 2 series Gran Coupe, or even the Mercedes-Benz A-Class – that is if you’re feeling fidgety and are just itching to spend money on something. Otherwise, the 2022 Honda Civic is also not a bad catch, and you’re getting more for your money’s worth.  

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What’s New for 2022?

2022 was the last production year for the ILX – making 2023 models, and for this reason, Acura decided not to make any changes (interior or exterior) surprisingly enough. The 11th generation Honda Civic Integra liftback went on to replace this vehicle. 

The reason Acura decided to discontinue this vehicle was simple – the company planned to shift its focus to the Acura Integra for the sedan market in the United States. Keep in mind this was also around the same time that Acura decided to discontinue the NSX but for a slightly different reason. Believe it or not, sales were declining for this vehicle and the company thought it was in their best interest to focus on electric vehicles. Crazy right? 

Engine, Transmission, and Performance

The only engine option this vehicle comes in is a 205 horsepower four cylinder with front wheel drive capabilities paired with an 8 speed automatic transmission. And although the ILX isn’t Acura’s quickest car (in this class), the engine revs easily but definitely makes us miss the V-TECH’s of the earlier Honda and Acura cars. 

Handling is confident but not something that is particularly memorable as road and wind noise fill the cabin in this vehicle more than its rivals – the Audi A3 or the Mercedes Benz A-Class – especially at higher speeds. Regardless, the smallest Acura sedan to exist to date has excellent brake-pedal feedback. 

Interior, Comfort, and Cargo

As they always say, you have to take the good with the bad, and in the case of Acura, the good outweighs the bad. But some of the “bad” is seen in the interior, comfort, and cargo sections. Take the ILX’s cabin for example, it is quite roomy…for the driver and the front seat passenger, but cramped for those in the back. 

However, there is a ton of equipment that comes standard for this vehicle which include:

• A sunroof 
• Heated sport seats with power adjustments (for the driver)
• Dual zone automatic climate control

The dashboard design on the other hand, is a whole different story. It looks like it doesn’t belong in the car simply because of how outdated it looks compared to the more stylish looking screens in the dash of the A-Class. It does feature an interior cubby storage, but it is nowhere near as useful as the one in the Civic. On the plus side, the ILX does have a large trunk which helps to meet the sedan’s “subcompact” classification. 

Infotainment and Connectivity

Like every other car company, Acura had to do something with their cars to make them stand out – whether its for a good reason or bad. In this case, it’s bad – or interesting to say the least – as they use their infotainment system to stand out. A touch screen infotainment system isn’t standard on the base model, but all the other trims come with an 8 inch unit with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto capability. 

The dual screen setup can be operated through knobs and buttons but the system’s outdated graphics and lack of intuitive menus make it obsolete compared to it’s other modern rivals.

Safety and Driver Assistance Features

The ILX has a ton of driver assistance technology that comes standard on this model. However, key features include: 

• Standard forward collision warning and automated emergency braking 
• Standard lane departure warning and lane keeping assist 
• Available blind spot monitoring and rear cross traffic alert 

Warranty and Maintenance Coverage

One thing about Acura that you have to keep in mind is this is a luxury brand, so whether you like it or not, certain things (such as complimentary maintenance) that other car companies provide, Acura refuses to. They do however offer the following and are known for their wonderful limited and powertrain warranty: 

• Limited warranty covers four years or 50,000 miles 
• Powertrain warranty covers six years or 70,000 miles