VIDEO: 2013 Acura ILX Test Drive

2013 Acura ILX

Do the bones of a Honda Civic make a decent Acura? Yes.

I drove the ILX for a week and my conclusion is yes. A big thumbs up for this small luxury car.

This is the brand new, entry level Acura that comes with three engine choices: a 150 horsepower engine and five speed automatic, which I drove, a hybrid that gets around 39 miles per gallon, or the 201 horsepower Civic/Acura with a six-speed manual. This engine will squeeze out 24 miles per gallon in the city and 35 on the highway. And it's quite peppy connected to the automatic transmission with sequential sports shift.

The interior is handsome and well done. Good solid and soft materials, a great navigation screen and rear camera. There's no trace of the low rent materials found in the Honda Civic. The seats are very cushy and supportive and the tech package includes seat heaters.

The rear seating is roomy for a car this size and the flat four makes riding shotgun a pleasant experience. The trunk is large enough for golf clubs and a Costco run. All the controls have a solid feel. This is a very nice steering wheel and the mounted controls are well laid out.

To power up, you push a very classy start‐stop button. The ride is smooth thanks to the four‐wheel, independent, double‐wishbone front suspension and the four-wheel disc brakes are more than competent. The new corporate grill is a step in the right direction. Overall, this Acura ILX with a $31,000 sticker price just might win over the 20 to 30 year old, 'youth with maturity,' market. That's what Acura is betting on.

__________________________________________________

Mike West has been on the air in Seattle for more than 30 years as part of Seattle's best morning show teams. He also did mornings on KLOS Los Angeles for a little over a year before returning to Seattle. He currently hosts Breakfast With The Beatles every Sunday morning on the CBS Seattle station KZOK, 102.5 FM.