2016 Honda Civic Touring vs. Acura ILX

[Akirazstylin]

Anyone?

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[Poppi]

Anyone?

You will be reminded soon to do a search, and there is already a thread covering this topic. However, I wouldn't mind a new look at this topic. I am torn between the two cars. Especially when it seems there is a 3k manufacture to dealer rebate on all trim levels. The first Acura dealer I contacted offered me a price of almost 2k below invoice. (Think I can go much lower) Still no where near the upgrades for the price when compared to the Honda Touring, but it just felt like a bigger, more upscale car. (Except for the rear, which is a tad smaller). I was all set on getting the Touring, but after driving the Ilx, I'm not sure.

 

[Akirazstylin]

The ILX seems more tightly built. Quality on the higher trim models. But overall I chose the Civic Touring cause it was worth more bang for the buck.

 

[Akirazstylin]

Just wish the civic touring had those turbine wheels.

 

[CBR600F4i]

The ILX is a nice car, I have tried it. Nimble and fun to drive too. Coming from an Accord though, it felt a bit cramped. The Civic, of course, is also smaller than the Accord but not as much.

 

[Buccal_Up]

biggest advantage the ILX has is the option for the dual clutch transmission in my opinion

 

[CBR600F4i]

I prefer CVT's to be honest. I know I'm in the minority but I don't like the car rocking back and forth with each shift anymore...it just seems so old fashioned. I like that smooth linear acceleration like those silky smooth Euro or Japanese bullet trains.

 

[Buccal_Up]

I prefer CVT's to be honest. I know I'm in the minority but I don't like the car rocking back and forth with each shift anymore...it just seems so old fashioned. I like that smooth linear acceleration like those silky smooth Euro or Japanese bullet trains.

my biggest gripe with cvt [especially paired with the digital speedo] is that i just can't get a handle on how fast i'm accelerating.. i might as well blindfold myself when i hit the gas, prior to this car i had a manual transmission 06 civic lx so i always knew where i was at with the RPM and which gear i was in.. the new 1.5 turbo is fast as hell so before i know it i've hit 70mph. Hope it doesn't get me in trouble but i knew this when i purchased the car

 

[schen72]

I bought an ILX last week. It's the Tech Plus + ASPEC, which is the top trim level. Invoice is just a hair under $34,000. I got it for $29,500. My original plan was to buy a Civic Touring. But here in the SF bay area there has been some sort of demand bubble in that Honda dealers are not budging at all from MSRP. The dealer I went to wouldn't even budge on the crap accessories they had put on the car. Trying to charge $1000 for splash guards, wheel locks, and trunk tray. The more advanced powertrain in the ILX for only about $2,000 more (assuming I would have paid MSRP for the Civic, which I would not...) made it a no-brainer for me to choose the ILX.

 

[mno86]

I looked at a slightly used 2016 Acura ILX Premium/A-SPEC package in Catalina Blue Pearl. It was just under $27K with 7,000 miles on it.

Honestly, given I got my Touring in the Aegean Blue for $24,744, its no contest for me. I like the back of the ILX more, but I actually don't care for the interior (I think the instrument panel looks disjointed and cheap), and frankly, even the top line model lacks some of the options in the Civic Touring...and costs way more.

I wanted to move up to Acura for the status symbol of it, but it wasn't a smart financial move in my opinion. The ILX is a great little car, but the Touring crushes it in options and value. I expect a lot of revisions to the ILX when they redesign it...it's simply not competitive relative to what you can get on the Civic for less - but most Acura shoppers probably aren't looking at Civics. Who knows. For me, it was a no brainer.

 

[schen72]

I looked at a slightly used 2016 Acura ILX Premium/A-SPEC package in Catalina Blue Pearl. It was just under $27K with 7,000 miles on it.

Honestly, given I got my Touring in the Aegean Blue for $24,744, its no contest for me. I like the back of the ILX more, but I actually don't care for the interior (I think the instrument panel looks disjointed and cheap), and frankly, even the top line model lacks some of the options in the Civic Touring...and costs way more.

I wanted to move up to Acura for the status symbol of it, but it wasn't a smart financial move in my opinion. The ILX is a great little car, but the Touring crushes it in options and value. I expect a lot of revisions to the ILX when they redesign it...it's simply not competitive relative to what you can get on the Civic for less - but most Acura shoppers probably aren't looking at Civics. Who knows. For me, it was a no brainer.

Money aside, the features you give up on the ILX (compared to Civic Touring) are: heated rear seats, rain sensing wipers. The ILX trumps Civic Touring on: powertrain (201hp w/ 8DCT, nicer stereo, blind spot monitoring, 18" wheels (A-SPEC), built-in telematics (for SOS and mobile app control of door locks, horn, vehicle diagnostics).

I personally don't care for the status symbol of ANY car. I am starting to see more Civics on the road, so it's possible that the demand bubble may disappear soon. The ILX is my "cheap" car, meant to be used commuting as it's replacing a worn out 99TL.

Lastly, the sales experience dealing with Honda vs. Acura is worlds apart. The Honda salesman is the stereotypical car salesman who kept pushing various financing plans and trying to get me to focus on the monthly payment. Sorry, but I'm an older person who has a good grasp of money concepts and focusing on monthly payments is the stupid way to buy a car. When I told him I was planning on paying cash for the Civic, he was speechless and didn't seem interested any more. The Acura salesman didn't even mention financing or monthly payments until after we agreed on the final price and he inquired how I wanted to pay. When I told him, I'd write a personal check he wasn't fazed at all and said that's great.

TL;DR --
Civic Touring great deal at or below invoice, but not so at MSRP. Acura ILX can be had for about $4k below invoice, which puts it very close to Civic MSRP.

 

[whaaaaa]

nevermind, i'm dumb

 

[mno86]

Money aside, the features you give up on the ILX (compared to Civic Touring) are: heated rear seats, rain sensing wipers. The ILX trumps Civic Touring on: powertrain (201hp w/ 8DCT, nicer stereo, blind spot monitoring, 18" wheels (A-SPEC), built-in telematics (for SOS and mobile app control of door locks, horn, vehicle diagnostics).

I personally don't care for the status symbol of ANY car. I am starting to see more Civics on the road, so it's possible that the demand bubble may disappear soon. The ILX is my "cheap" car, meant to be used commuting as it's replacing a worn out 99TL.

Lastly, the sales experience dealing with Honda vs. Acura is worlds apart. The Honda salesman is the stereotypical car salesman who kept pushing various financing plans and trying to get me to focus on the monthly payment. Sorry, but I'm an older person who has a good grasp of money concepts and focusing on monthly payments is the stupid way to buy a car. When I told him I was planning on paying cash for the Civic, he was speechless and didn't seem interested any more. The Acura salesman didn't even mention financing or monthly payments until after we agreed on the final price and he inquired how I wanted to pay. When I told him, I'd write a personal check he wasn't fazed at all and said that's great.

TL;DR --
Civic Touring great deal at or below invoice, but not so at MSRP. Acura ILX can be had for about $4k below invoice, which puts it very close to Civic MSRP.

Well said, sir.

For me, those extra features on the ILX weren't worth it compared to the ones I'd give up had I not gone with the Touring.

I miss the 201 hp of my Si, but this car had plenty of zest honestly and I find myself going way faster than I realize frequently, mostly because it's so smooth/quiet and I'm used to the Si's aggressive exhaust and engine note.

The dealership experience was a bit hit or miss. I'm sure the Acura dealers are less like stereotypical dealerships in their approach. I used TrueCar and got my a Touring for $24,744 before tax/title/registration. Exceptional deal on a car with these options and thankfully the negotiating wasn't painful. I always hate the "add on a destroy/warranty" conversations. No matter how much you say no they just keep pushing.

Overall, this car was a better fit for me. I'd have wavered a bit if the ILX was available for several thousand off MSRP, but in Milwaukee, they're actually selling above MSRP according to TrueCar, so it just didn't make sense.

 

[Penryn87]

The problem with the Honda Acura relationship has always been that at least at the entry level, Honda generally makes a better Acura than Acura. The Civic touring is really driving this one home. It will be interesting to see what Acura can do with their entry level car once they put it on the current civic platform in a year or so.

 

[schen72]

Well said, sir.

For me, those extra features on the ILX weren't worth it compared to the ones I'd give up had I not gone with the Touring.

I miss the 201 hp of my Si, but this car had plenty of zest honestly and I find myself going way faster than I realize frequently, mostly because it's so smooth/quiet and I'm used to the Si's aggressive exhaust and engine note.

The dealership experience was a bit hit or miss. I'm sure the Acura dealers are less like stereotypical dealerships in their approach. I used TrueCar and got my a Touring for $24,744 before tax/title/registration. Exceptional deal on a car with these options and thankfully the negotiating wasn't painful. I always hate the "add on a destroy/warranty" conversations. No matter how much you say no they just keep pushing.

Overall, this car was a better fit for me. I'd have wavered a bit if the ILX was available for several thousand off MSRP, but in Milwaukee, they're actually selling above MSRP according to TrueCar, so it just didn't make sense.

Very interesting how the market in Milwaukee is backwards from here in SF bay area. A ">MSRP" ILX is definitely not worth the price you got for your Civic Touring. I test drove a '15 Civic as well as the '16 Civic turbo several times over the past couple years when I was researching commuter cars. The '16 is so much more solid and refined -- it really is a giant step up.

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