2016 Acura ILX

2016 Acura ILX

Episode 3437
Auto Value and Bumper to BumperTire Rack "The Way Tire Buying Should Be"

When the Acura ILX arrived for 2013, even we had a hard time not dwelling too much on its civic-minded origins. Fortunately for Acura, the ILX did appeal to buyers; more importantly, to that holy grail of demographics, elusive younger buyers. So, let’s see if that group might find a new ILX even more appealing. 

While the 2016 Acura ILX is not all-new, as far as mid-cycle re-freshing goes, this one is quite thorough. 

Now assembled in Honda’s Marysville, Ohio plant right alongside the recently introduced mid-size TLX. And, much like it, the compact ILX takes the majority of its design cues from Acura’s flagship RLX, yet also adds enough sporty elements to keep those 20 and 30-somethings interested. 

So understandably Acura’s Jewel-Eye headlights are now standard; as well as an aggressive looking front fascia with large air intakes down below. 

ILX wheelbase is unchanged at 105.1-inches, as are most exterior dimensions, save for overall length which grows by almost 3-inches. A-SPEC trim adds a rear spoiler, sweet-looking 10-spoke 18-inch machined-finished alloy wheels with 225/40 tires, fog lights, and some tacked-on rocker trim.

Inside, it augments the seats with Luxe-suede coverings, and adds sport pedals to what has become a very roomy and increasingly premium feeling interior. Other highlights include adopting the familiar Honda/Acura dual screen center stack, and making a multitude of additional AcuraWatch radar and camera-based safety systems, like Collision Mitigation and Lane Keeping, available.

Push button ignition and a Multi-View rear camera are standard. The Tech Plus package adds navigation with AcuraLink, as well as a color Multi-Information Display in the sporty looking gauge panel and 415-watt ELS premium audio with 10-speakers.   

The front seating area is indeed spacious, and surprisingly luxurious in feel; very reminiscent of the TLX and RLX. The seats are quite comfortable in back as well; but head and knee room are both insufficient for full-size adults. Cargo space is unchanged at 12.3 cubic-ft. and the area is well-finished. 

A folding rear seatback is standard, but it’s a single piece, not split; and the only release is located in the trunk. It’s probably the only remaining real reminder of this ride’s economy car roots.   

Perhaps because of the shorter attention span of all of those younger buyers, engine options have been simplified; with now just a 2.4-liter I4 available. The direct-injected piece outputs 201–horsepower and 180 lb-ft. of torque. Gone, are the base 2.0-liter I4 and, at least for now, the ILX Hybrid.  

Attached to the 2.4 is an 8-speed DCT, but unlike most dual-clutch units; there’s a slushbox-style torque converter to maintain the feel of a traditional automatic, particularly when accelerating from a stop.

Most of our drivers had good things to say about the trans, and the overall surprisingly sporty driving experience as well; though like many 8-speeds, it can at times be in a hurry to find higher gears. 

Of course you can learn a lot more about a car on the track, and here we were equally impressed with how nicely the ILX handled our slalom test. Accurate turn-ins without a peep of understeer, and a well-balanced chassis had us scooting through the cones with ease. 

The body structure has been stiffened; and the MacPherson strut front, multi-link rear suspension re-tuned. 

But, there’s not really enough power to get you into too much trouble; as we found out when doing straight-line runs. 

It took us a leisurely - for a sporty sedan - 7.1-seconds to hit 60, and 14.7 to finish out the ¼ at 93 miles-per-hour. There was zero torque steer at launch, and not a lot of grunt either. But the engine does rev quickly, and like most 4’s pulls strongest in the upper rev ranges. Shifts were quick and firm. 

Braking from 60 averaged a good 121-feet.  Stability was excellent and fade minimal. 

Government Fuel Economy Ratings are 25-City, 36-Highway, and 29-Combined. We averaged a very good 31.6 miles-per-gallon on Premium fuel. So, the Energy Impact Score is much better than average with 11.4-barrels of oil ingested yearly, while expelling 5.0-tons of CO2. 

Pricing for the ILX starts at a very sensible $28,820. And even the top line A-SPECs starts at just $35,810. 

It’s an unfortunate truism that the more successful you become, the harder it is to become more successful. But we think Acura is certainly heading in a great direction now. And injecting the 2016 Acura ILX with both more performance and more prestige will ensure that it not only stays appealing to those hip, young trendsetters, but it will become a whole lot more appealing to a broader spectrum of sport-luxury sedan buyers.  

Specifications

  • Engine: 2.4 liter
  • Horsepower: 201
  • Torque: 180 lb-ft.
  • 0-60 mph: 7.1 seconds
  • 1/4 mile: 14.7 seconds @ 93 mph
  • EPA: 25 mpg city/ 36 mpg highway
  • Energy Impact: 11.4 barrels of oil/yr
  • CO2 Emissions: 5.0 tons/yr
2024 Audi RS 7 Performance 1

2024 Audi RS 7 Performance

Up For Grand Touring Around A Racetrack

Episode 4329
Auto Value and Bumper to BumperTire Rack "The Way Tire Buying Should Be"

In recent years, Audi has done an increasingly better job at merging luxury, high tech and sportiness equally into all of their vehicles, but that doesn’t mean they all have the same priorities. So, if you’re wondering what this car is all about… well, it’s right there in the name, the Audi RS 7 Performance!

First and foremost, the 2024 Audi RS 7 Performance is absolutely fantastic looking. A gorgeous car from all angles. But this posh performer is a lot more than just a visual treat. Under its silky skin lies a menacing sounding V8 that delivers insane amounts of power and, as we discovered, a gloriously intoxicating driving experience.

RS elements added to Audi’s S7 five-door coupe include new aero treatments with a matte gray finish and silver 21-inch Audi Sport wheels. Those silver wheels are wrapped with 275 Continental summer performance tires and allow for seeing plenty of the enormous brake rotors with black-painted calipers. Up front, there’s a wide grille inhaling all kinds of air and headlights with uniqueness that’s pure Audi. This five-door coupe with frameless door windows speaks a true hardtop design.

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Now that we’ve gotten that out of our system, time to hit the corners of Savannah’s Roebling Road Raceway, and it’s been quite some time since we’ve had anything here or on any road course that exhibited this much body roll. It didn’t matter what drive mode we had dialed in, it just liked to roll. You could sense that soft suspension in our acceleration runs too. Bystanders got a clear view of a lot of its hardware, thanks to major rear-end squatting as it exploded off the line. Those explosions resulted in a quick 3.7-second trip to 60 miles-per-hour and full quarter-mile runs of 11.9 seconds at 118 miles-per-hour. Fast indeed, though we’re sure both times would improve in warmer temps than our 40-degree test day.

Drive modes have been recalibrated and shifts by the eight-speed Tiptronic in Dynamic Mode are quick. Indeed, noticeably quicker and firmer than in the RS6 wagon we tested just a few months ago without the “performance” treatment. Quattro all-wheel drive is standard.

We’ve never experienced a car that can feel this soft yet was absolutely point-and-shoot through corners.

The driving force for that acceleration is a 4.0-liter twin-turbo V8 cranking out an additional 30 horsepower from the standard RS 7 thanks to installing bigger turbos. That makes for a 621-horsepower rating, with an even more impressive boost in torque from 590 to 627 lb-ft. And Audi was kind enough to remove a little sound deadening material so we can appreciate it even more through the optional RS sport exhaust system.

For what is really a Grand Tourer built for blasting you away on luxurious adventures, the RS 7 performance is amazingly track capable. Steering is very direct with great feel, and all four wheels are engaged in the process. They’re connected to a new mechanical self-locking center differential that is not only capable of handling the additional power but is lighter and quicker to respond. Chassis software has been recalibrated to make it all work together seamlessly. There must be some serious engineering wizardry happening in the RS-tuned air suspension as we’ve never experienced a car that can feel this soft yet was absolutely point-and-shoot through corners. Brakes were truly phenomenal too; there was some significant nosedive happening, but no wandering or fading no matter how hard we worked them.

And yes, it’s hard to call this actual work, considering this work environment is far from hostile. Absolutely nothing has been compromised when it comes to delivering the luxury car experience you expect from a six-figure Audi. Whether it’s the fabulous real metal, leather, and detailed woven carbon-fiber materials or the fine stitch-work and the always impressive comprehensive digital gauge display, the RS 7 performance feels truly special inside.

2024 Audi RS 7 Performance Dash
2024 Audi RS 7 Performance Shifter
2024 Audi RS 7 Performance Seat
2024 Audi RS 7 Performance Trunk
2024 Audi RS 7 Performance Engine
2024 Audi RS 7 Performance Dash2024 Audi RS 7 Performance Shifter2024 Audi RS 7 Performance Seat2024 Audi RS 7 Performance Trunk2024 Audi RS 7 Performance Engine

The front seats were supremely comfortable and were only mildly bolstered yet held us in place just fine out on the track. Plenty of room for rear seat passengers too, and there’s even a great 24.6 cubic-feet of cargo space with hatchback versatility. Less practical is all touchscreen all the time for just about every cockpit control.

Government Fuel Economy Ratings are 14 City, 22 Highway, and 17 Combined. That’s a below average Energy Impact Score of 17.5 barrels of yearly oil use with 8.8 tons of CO2 emissions.

Pricing starts at $129,490, and Audi knows they have a good thing going with the RS 7 performance; so much so, it’s now the only RS 7.

So, could they have just made the RS 7 better instead of tacking “performance” onto the name? Sure, but there’s just something about adding performance to a car name that draws people in. And when it backs it up by delivering more actual performance, well, that’s what we call a win-win. We’d be happy to run some victory laps in the 2024 Audi RS 7 Performance anytime.

Specifications

  • Engine: 4.0-liter twin-turbo V8
  • Horsepower: 621
  • 0-60 mph: 3.7 seconds
  • EPA: 14 City | 22 Highway | 17 Combined
  • Transmission: 8-speed automatic
  • Torque: 627 lb-ft.
  • 1/4 Mile: 11.9 seconds at 118 mph
  • Starting Price: $129,490