It’s no secret that Acura is on a spiritual journey to find itself. The maker took its first step with the recent release of the TLX sedan, a move that wasn’t wholly redefining but did eliminate the nearly redundant TL and TSX sedans. The next stop on the path to reinvention sees the ILX, a milquetoast Civic-based sedan, receive an update for 2016.
To keep the simplification vibes flowing, the ILX now has but one powertrain. On the car’s launch for 2013, buyers could opt for a 2.0-liter inline four with a five-speed automatic, a hybrid that everyone immediately forgot was available, or a 2.4-liter four-cylinder/six-speed-manual combo. They’re all gone.
In their place arrives a 2.4-liter four—an updated engine with direct injection—making 201 horsepower and mated to an eight-speed dual-clutch automatic. (It’s the same powertrain that you’ll find in the base, 206-hp TLX.) The gearbox is unique in that it uses a torque converter for smooth step-off in conjunction with a dual-clutch setup, and it’s an impressive piece of work, holding gears to redline, rev-matching downshifts, and cracking off quick shifts in the TLX. The outgoing 2.4-liter in our long-term six-speed ILX was a buzzy little beast at highway speeds, something the addition of two extra ratios should address. That improvement alone might be enough to turn the ILX into a more convincing entry-luxury car.
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