What Ever Happened To The Acura ILX?
Honda's luxury arm Acura announced that the ILX would depart the brand's North American lineup after the 2022 model year. Taking its place as the newest entry-level Acura is the Integra, a returning nameplate that aims to revive the glory days of Honda and the Acura brand. Moreover, the Integra is available in a performance-tuned Type S variant — essentially an eleventh-gen Civic Type R in a more premium package.
Acura debuted the ILX in 2013 to replace the Accord-based TSX, and consistently received a handful of updates and facelifts until the 2019 model year. The ILX was never the strong seller that Acura hoped for; with initial sales peaking above 20,400 units in 2023, and falling to less than 11,300 by 2018.
The Acura ILX was available as a hybrid, but fell off the map by 2015 due to weak sales. The ILX faced the inevitable as Honda and Acura engineers solidified their might to create the all-new Integra.
Upstaged by competitors
The Acura ILX was not a bad car, but it competed in a challenging segment led by German competitors like the BMW 2-Series Gran Coupe and Audi A3. When the ILX came to market in 2013, it rode on ninth-generation Civic underpinnings and was a bang-for-the-buck alternative to high-priced European sports sedans.
By 2022, the ILX was beginning to show its age. In a review by Car and Driver, it said, "Not only is the ILX upstaged by rivals in its segment, it's also outclassed by its own corporate cousin, the 2022 Honda Civic." Besides having decent styling and roomier front seats, the ILX's performance merits were nothing to write home about.
The Acura ILX left the party simultaneously as the NSX hybrid supercar — a fantastic machine let down by its astronomical sub-$200,000 MSRP. But unlike the ILX, Acura gave the NSX a Type S variant before saying goodbye, a befitting swansong to a legendary name.