2016 Acura ILX designed to ignite sports-car enthusiasm (Video)

Tuesday 01-27-2015 marks the day that the next generation 2016 Acura ILX rolls off the production line in Marysville, Ohio. 2 million made in the U.S.A. Acura cars and light trucks have hit the road over the past 20 years, and 2016 ILX will be available to dealerships February,10. Acura’s looking to ILX, with an estimated base MSRP of $27,000 to capture the entry premium car market on the heels of the very successful TLX launch.

If the shared engine and transmission configuration of the 2.4 Liter 4 cylinder, 8 speed TLX i-4 is any indication of out of the box performance and handling, the smaller and lighter ILX should be a sales success on release.

Torque News viewed ILX at the 2014 Los Angeles Auto Show and was impressed by not only the visual attributes of ILX, but the interior fit, finish and accommodations. ILX, while borrowing several design cues from TLX retains some individuality of design and character; giving Audi 4 and BMW 3 Series a run for the money out of the gate.

While in Los Angeles we took the driver’s seat in ILX and discovered a very comfortable and spacious driving environment with exceptional ergonomics, instrument placement and intuitive driver-control interface. Featuring improved frame rigidity, suspension geometry, reduced rolling dead weight and greater torque transfer to the drive wheels, we look forward to driving the 201 horsepower civic-sized ILX next week in Calistoga, California.

Acura tells us that 2016 ILX will be available to dealers the second week in February.