MT Comparison - 2013 Buick Verano Turbo vs. 2013 Acura ILX

[DrewSXR]

What's the deal with Honda and noise levels, do they not put any sound insulation in their cars or something?

Seems like a problem since the beginning of time.

Congrats to Buick, the Verano has been getting great reviews!

MT Comparison - 2013 Buick Verano Turbo vs. 2013 Acura ILX

http://www.motortrend.com/roadtests/..._verano_turbo/

First Place: Buick Verano Turbo
If you insist the Verano is a fancy Cruze, then it's a Cruze that is using its gym membership, taking dance lessons, and is ready for bigger things in life. It's a soft-spoken, well-executed four-door for the true adult.

Second Place: Acura ILX 2.4
Identity crisis? It's a hoot to drive, thanks in large part to its Civic Si roots. Should fare well with the Honda faithful, but how many ordinary-Joe buyers are looking for a noisy luxury car you have to rev up to really enjoy?

[TooFitToQuit]

I'm biased toward Honda over GM, but I really enjoyed the 2.4L ILX.

[FlashRedGLS1.8T]

Between those two it's not even close in my opinion...Verano Turbo.

[uncleho]

Why didn't they compare against the 2.4 Verano?

[TangoRed]

Why didn't they compare against the 2.4 Verano?

Top trim level vs. top trim level. Their as-tested price is within $100 of each other.

[BLK9GEN]

The Buick deserved the win, no doubt about it. It was shameful of Honda to launch this vehicle without the Earth Dreams engines that are just around the corner IMO.

With that said, if you buy your cars, I would bet the Acura will command far more when it comes time to trade it in than the Buick.

Edit: Maybe I should read the article before posting next time (what a novel concept). I'm honestly shocked that the ILX was not only faster, but returned better fuel economy (+2.7 MPGs). Couple this with the better shifter in the ILX and I know where my money would go, slightly noisy cabin or not.

[J-Tim]

I like Honda, but I'd go for Koreans in this particular case.

[Mazda 3s]

Top trim level vs. top trim level. Their as-tested price is within $100 of each other.

Bingo. So much fail with the ILX

[BLK9GEN]

Bingo. So much fail with the ILX

Honestly, how so? I was prepared for the difference to be significant, but the Acura is faster to 60, more fuel efficient, and offers nearly identical braking/skidpad/slalom performance.

[thebanker]

Don't love the Buick looks, or the Acura's but I'm going with 260 ft/lbs of torque and slightly less boring looks.

[Mazda 3s]

Honestly, how so? I was prepared for the difference to be significant, but the Acura is faster to 60, more fuel efficient, and offers nearly identical braking/skidpad/slalom performance.

Simple. The Verano doesn't seem like a tarted up Cruze while the ILX seems like an expensive Civic.

[BLK9GEN]

Simple. The Verano doesn't seem like a tarted up Cruze while the ILX seems like an expensive Civic.

Maybe that's because the Cruze isn't offered with a higher powered engine like the Civic. Aside from powertrain, the IXL is just as far removed from the Civic as the Verano is from the Cruze. It shares not one panel w/ it's lower priced brother.

Side note: Still can't believe the Verano weighs as much as a Sonata 2.0T (A full 500 lbs. more than the ILX). I guess we know how they made the interior so quiet.

[Mazda 3s]

Maybe that's because the Cruze isn't offered with a higher powered engine like the Civic. Aside from powertrain, the IXL is just as far removed from the Civic as the Verano is from the Cruze. It shares not one panel w/ it's lower priced brother.

That could be part of it. It just seems as though if I wanted a sporty Honda compact, I'd probably just get a Civic Si. The ILX just doesn't make a compelling argument for itself compared to the Civic IMHO. The ILX is a sideways move, plus you're paying out the ass for it.

Now on the other hand, I consider the Verano to be a major step up from the Cruze. It seems to be more of a leap instead of a sidestep.

[KahviVW]

Why doesn't the ILX have the Si's limited-slip differential?

[Chris Stack]

I don't like the ILX, at all. But, call me shallow, I don't want to own a Buick. IMO, at $28k, my TSX is a better choice than either of those,

[Minority5]

http://forums.vwvortex.com/showthrea...-Ad-In-History

Gold.

[GTRaavv]

Edit: Maybe I should read the article before posting next time (what a novel concept). I'm honestly shocked that the ILX was not only faster, but returned better fuel economy (+2.7 MPGs). Couple this with the better shifter in the ILX and I know where my money would go, slightly noisy cabin or not.

I was somewhat surprised about the stats as well. But while the ILX on paper does stack up far better than I would have guessed, unfortunately I don't think it will mean diddley for the people shopping this car. I think Buick did its homework and targeted what this market wants much better than Acura, and that market is certainly not generation Y like the article proffers.

[2.0T_Convert]

What's the deal with Honda and noise levels, do they not put any sound insulation in their cars or something?

If I remember the ILX press release Honda is putting a reliance on active noise cancellation.

I'm sure the turbo vs NA impacted this as well. No need to rev up the Verano.

[HaterSlayer]

Maybe that's because the Cruze isn't offered with a higher powered engine like the Civic. Aside from powertrain, the IXL is just as far removed from the Civic as the Verano is from the Cruze. It shares not one panel w/ it's lower priced brother.

Side note: Still can't believe the Verano weighs as much as a Sonata 2.0T (A full 500 lbs. more than the ILX). I guess we know how they made the interior so quiet.

I've ridden in the Verano and it's put to good use. That damn thing is SOOO refined. I remember reading somewhere that it's sound levels are better than an LS460. I don't know if that is true, but I would not be shocked.

If I was looking for a car out of these two I'd go with the Buick. 0-60 times aren't that important in cars like this(and the Buick is faster at highway speeds anyway), but the refinement is and the Verano has that in spades.

[HaterSlayer]

I don't like the ILX, at all. But, call me shallow, I don't want to own a Buick. IMO, at $28k, my TSX is a better choice than either of those,

At $28K you're getting a fairly stripper TSX aren't you? When we priced out a Verano(non-turbo) it was about $27K fully loaded(with optional wheels and everything)

[Chris Stack]

At $28K you're getting a fairly stripper TSX aren't you? When we priced out a Verano(non-turbo) it was about $27K fully loaded(with optional wheels and everything)

There is no stripper TSX, it's just tech (nav/upgraded stereo) or non, AT or stick, V6 or 4. Base has HiDs, Bluetooth, auto climate, decent stereo, etc.

[nickthaskater]

Crazy that the ILX was quicker and yielded notably better mileage, despite the need to wring it out to get at the performance. If there were ever a lesson that lighter is better...

[koko12]

Bingo. So much fail with the ILX

I don't understand how anyone could say this after reading this article. The only place where the Verano did better was in interior noise level and midrange passing power and the difference is negligible at best. If you say one car is a failure then you must accept the other is as well. The only difference between the two is one seems to be more quiet and isolated and the other more playful and boisterous, there are people who prefer one or the other.

Personally I think both are nice vehicle, my only problem with them is I feel both are about $5K overpriced.

[BLK9GEN]

There is no stripper TSX, it's just tech (nav/upgraded stereo) or non, AT or stick, V6 or 4. Base has HiDs, Bluetooth, auto climate, decent stereo, etc.

More or less true, but the 2013 TSX starts at $31,405 including destination.

[BLK9GEN]

I don't understand how anyone could say this after reading this article. The only place where the Verano did better was in interior noise level and midrange passing power and the difference is negligible at best. If you say one car is a failure then you must accept the other is as well. The only difference between the two is one seems to be more quiet and isolated and the other more playful and boisterous, there are people who prefer one or the other.

Personally I think both are nice vehicle, my only problem with them is I feel both are about $5K overpriced.

This.

The utter disdain and hyperbole directed at Honda in this place has become quite ridiculous...and predictable. At least one poster on here seriously tried to draw parallels between the ILX and the Cimarron in another thread.

[vasillalov]

We live in a world where even Buick > Honda! That speaks volumes as to how far behind Honda has fallen!

[Chris Stack]

More or less true, but the 2013 TSX starts at $31,405 including destination.

Meh, like I said, I bought mine at ~$28.4k or so before TTL.

[IridiumB6]

We live in a world where even Buick > Honda! That speaks volumes as to how far behind Honda has fallen!

More like we live in a world where German engineering>Everything.

[Isambard]

The only difference between the two is one seems to be more quiet and isolated and the other more playful and boisterous, there are people who prefer one or the other.

This is spot on. I think the only overlap in audience for the "performance" variants of these cars consists of young-ish professionals who want something small but with a premium badge. I know people like this who would a) not want to be bothered driving stick to get the powerful 2.4 ILX and b) never drive something so boring, isolated, and old man-ish like the Verano. So there, each can have their own pick.

If Acura wants to appeal to an older generation trying to downsize, people who generally want more power in their car, the new I4 from the Accord (as mentioned a few posts above) would make a nice base engine in the ILX.

[J-Tim]

More like we live in a world where German engineering>Everything.

Current Astra seems to be the best one yet.... still lags behind Golf (and derivatives) when it comes to overall package.

[a2a4raddo]

More or less true, but the 2013 TSX starts at $31,405 including destination.

Not sure if it is still going on, but the 2012 tsx had 0.9 financing and a higher profit margin meaning more room to move on price....which made the '12 cheaper to finance then the ilx. I would also opt for a Tsx special edition 6mt over either of these.

[Aw614]

hmm maybe I'll go see if I can test drive an ilx when i get my airbag checked on monday, hopefully they have a 6spd.

If only the si looked more like the ilx...

[Mazda 3s]

I don't understand how anyone could say this after reading this article. The only place where the Verano did better was in interior noise level and midrange passing power and the difference is negligible at best. If you say one car is a failure then you must accept the other is as well. The only difference between the two is one seems to be more quiet and isolated and the other more playful and boisterous, there are people who prefer one or the other.

This.

The utter disdain and hyperbole directed at Honda in this place has become quite ridiculous...and predictable. At least one poster on here seriously tried to draw parallels between the ILX and the Cimarron in another thread.

I guess my personal beef with the ILX is that it seems as though:

1) Honda purposefully cut corners and cheapened out the current Civic to make room for the ILX. The ILX is what the Civic should have been IMHO.
2) The ILX in this comparison test to me doesn't seem worth much of the extra $$$ over the Civic Si. Even MT said it, "Meanwhile, the ILX puts in a solid effort to broaden Acura's reach, but doesn't separate itself enough from its Honda-badged cousin."

With the Verano, you're getting higher quality materials all around, much quieter interior, turbo engine option, better features, etc. compared to a Cruze. The ILX just doesn't strike me as offering much other than a new interior and a fresh exterior compared to the Civic Si.

You also can't even get the 2.4 with tech package/Nav. What kind of stupid s**t is that? A Civic Si with navigation has an MSRP of $24,845, this ILX with no Nav is $30,095. Where the hell did the $5,200 go? If Acura were to ever offer Nav on the ILX 2.4, you could probably look to tack another $1,000 on top of that price.

3) And it's not just me, even customers don't seem to be lining up to get the ILX:

http://forums.vwvortex.com/showthrea...ra-projections

[a2a4raddo]

With the Verano, you're getting higher quality materials all around, much quieter interior, turbo engine option, better features, etc. compared to a Cruze. The ILX just doesn't strike me as offering much other than a new interior and a fresh exterior compared to the Civic Si.

You also can't even get the 2.4 with tech package/Nav. What kind of stupid s**t is that? A Civic Si with navigation has an MSRP of $24,845, this ILX with no Nav is $30,095. Where the hell did the $5,200 go? If Acura were to ever offer Nav on the ILX 2.4, you could probably look to tack another $1,000 on top of that ]

Your getting higher quality materials all around, much quieter interior, and better features with the ilx as well when compared to the civic.

I agree, it's stupid you can't get nav with the 2.4. Some of the price is justified in that you are Getting a slightly larger car with better quality materials, better features (keyless entry, pandora, leather, back up camera, hid's, etc), a quieter cabin, better suspension, better dealer service and better warranty. But I said this before, the car is still over priced. If the ILX was 2K cheaper..it would sell much better. If you look at sales numbers, the TSX sales have gone down, which tells me a lot of people who would have bought a TSX have settled for the slightly cheaper and newer ILX. So it is stealing TSX sales to an extent, yet isn't cheap enough to attract many new buyers to Acura.....which is what it was designed to do.

[bmann]

As much as I love the feel of torque that comes from a turbo, I think I would end up with the ILX over the Verano. It seems to be a bit more athletic, despite having a 50 hp and almost 100 tq disadvantage. Also, I used to have an Acura and absolutely loved the dealership experience. And I just don't think I'm old enough yet to own a Buick.