Official: 2014 Acura ILX gets upgrades after just one year

[Haltech]

Filed under: Sedan, Acura



Like many others, we were openly disappointed with Honda after driving its lackluster 2012 Civic, a model so ill-conceived that the Japanese automaker was forced to put together a far-reaching facelift after just one year on the market. We found the resulting 2013 Civic to be much improved, putting the sedan back into the thick of the economy-car hunt.

The 2013 model year not only brought with it an upgraded Civic, it also marked the first model year of the Civic's upscale twin, the Acura ILX. Despite having the same model year and the same general underpinnings as the Honda, the ILX went on sale ahead of the freshened Civic and didn't receive all of the upgrades to its suspension, structure or NVH tuning (Noise, Vibration and Harshness) that graced its more plebeian cousin. While the ILX was a somewhat quieter and more refined car to begin with, the Civic's 2013 changes meant that it crept uncomfortably close to its Acura-badged brother in terms of refinement and standard equipment. For 2014, however, Acura is taking steps to remedy the inequity.

The 2014 ILX features a reworked interior with new leather seating surfaces and retrimmed door cards, along with heated front seats (the driver's side now featuring eight-way power), along with an enhanced audio system featuring a new subwoofer and active noise cancellation technology (found elsewhere on Honda's Odyssey minivan). A new multi-angle rearview camera and 17-inch alloys round out the 2014 model changes.

Unfortunately, no mention has been made of any changes to the car's unseen bits. While we don't mind that there hasn't been much in the way of an aesthetic rework, the Civic received reworked suspension tuning, additional sound deadening, and even structural enhancements for improved safety. We're inquiring to see if any such changes have been effected to the 2014 ILX, but for now it looks like the model year changes include mostly interior furnishings. As before, the ILX will be available with either a 2.0-liter, 150-horsepower four-cylinder or a 2.4-liter four-cylinder offering 201 horsepower (the latter recently lost an Autoblog comparison test to the Buick Verano Turbo). Details on the 2014 ILX Hybrid model have not yet been released.

For all of its upgrades, the 2013 Civic only suffered a $160 increase to its base price. The Indiana-assembled 2014 ILX, by contrast, is $1,000 dearer, starting at $26,900 (plus $895 in destination fees) for the five-speed manual model. All-in, the 2013 ILX has sold just 7,503 units through April so far this year.Continue reading 2014 Acura ILX gets upgrades after just one year

2014 Acura ILX gets upgrades after just one year originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 13 May 2013 14:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.



Permalink | Email this | Comments


More...