As volatile gas prices and environmental concerns continue to hold sway over new-car shoppers, more and more buyers are downsizing when they purchase a new vehicle. However, many upscale buyers don’t want to feel like they’re downgrading while downsizing. Auto manufacturers have responded with a new wave of compact cars that feature more upscale trimmings and high-end convenience features than ever before, and premium-brand automakers are introducing some of the smallest mainstream sedans they have ever made.
The 2013 Acura ILX is one example. The ILX is Acura’s new entry-level car, and we recently had a 2.4-liter model at Consumer Guide HQ as a test vehicle. The ILX is based on the current Honda Civic platform, and I was curious to see how it compared to its downmarket cousin. Luckily, we just happen to have a 2012 Honda Civic EX-L sedan long-term test vehicle in our fleet as well, so naturally we took the opportunity to snap some side-by-side comparo pics.
As our photos show, the ILX is definitely more than a halfhearted badge-engineering job. Check out our full ILX road-test review and our ILX First Spin report for more information.
2016 Acura ILX: Enhanced with Eight Speeds
