The Acura ILX->ke4141 played a supporting role in kick-starting the automaker's recent growth in the luxury-sedan market. Sure, it has never been a huge seller, but its release was a clear sign that the company was willing to change with the times, something it hadn’t done for quite a while. And now, according to a report from Car and Driver, the ILX is set to become a whole lot more popular, thanks to a turbocharged Type-S version.
The publication came to this conclusion following an interview with Gary Robinson, Acura’s product planner. In the interview C&D asked Robinson about the possibility of a turbo ILX, and though he didn’t outright admit it was coming, he did state, “Acura is always going to get the best engines Honda->ke34 makes” and in Acura models, the engines “will always be more powerful” than they are in Hondas. Then he outright said that a 2.0-liter turbo engine is a “must-have” in order to complete in the luxury realm.
That last comment all but confirms that the ILX will get the 300-horsepower, 2.0-liter Earth Dreams powerplant, which is set to grace the engine compartment of the Civic Type-R. However, Robinson did add that we will need to wait until at least 2018 or 2019, which is when the redesigned ILX is scheduled to launch. The reasoning is that the turbo engine will require too much re-engineering to fit in the 2016 ILX.
Click past the jump to read more about the 2016 Acura ILX.
Why it matters
I spent a week with the 2015 ILX last year, and I found it a pretty refreshing experience following the string of craptacular Acuras I drove – the worst of which was the horrific TL. Fortunately, the ILX wowed me enough to look beyond the fact that it was little more than a gussied-up Civic Si and focus on what Acura was actually trying to do: draw in potential CLA250 buyers.
Despite how great it was, the ILX still never sold well, partly because with the 2.4-liter engine and premium equipment, it was hovering in CLA250 price range. Ask yourself, would you prefer an Acura or a Mercedes? If you said “Acura” than you either worship the ground Hondas tread on or you're just “that guy.”
With its comprehensive refresh, the elimination of the wheezy 2.0-liter base engine, and the glorious addition of the eight-speed dual-clutch transmission, the 2016 ILX is primed to give the now-even-more-expensive CLA250 a run for its money. All it’s missing is the turbocharged model to make the CLA45 AMG and the Audi S3 sweat a little.