The Acura ILX is a luxury car that has never really lived up to the Honda Civic, which the ILX is based on. It has consistently been at the top of Forbes’ “cars to avoid” lists. While it has an above-average fuel economy, its reliability has never been outstanding.

The ILX also does not provide a lot of luxury touches you might expect, particularly in terms of the infotainment system, which many have labeled “embarrassing.” As with most cars, some model years are better than others. This also means some are worse than others. The 2013 Acura ILX falls into that latter category. 

According to Forbes, the Acura ILX is the number one new car to avoid

On the list of “32 New Cars to Avoid,” Forbes has placed the Acura ILX at the top of the list. According to Fobes, part of the reason is that the sedan is getting lost in a segment that is fading due to the growing popularity of crossover SUVs. It isn’t all that special, not fun to drive, and it isn’t even as luxurious as the top tier of many non-luxury sedans. And it has just about the lowest reliability ratings from both Consumer Reports and JD Power Surveys.  

The 2013 Acura ILX is not a favorite among owners

The ILX also has fairly abysmal owner satisfaction ratings. In particular, the 2013 ILX received a one out of five owner satisfaction rating from Consumer Reports. Owners’ surveys cite various reasons for their dissatisfaction, including a rough and bumpy ride, poor handling, and poor structural integrity. When asked if they would purchase the 2013 ILX again, only 31% of owners said yes. 

The 2013 Acura ILX has three available engines, a 1.5-liter four-cylinder hybrid that puts out 111 hp, a 2-liter four-cylinder that puts out 150 hp, and a 2.5-liter four-cylinder that puts out 201 hp. There are also three transmissions available: a five-speed automatic, a CVT, and a six-speed manual. It seats five and has an EPA estimated fuel economy of 28 mpg combined. The 2013 ILX has also had six recalls, three of which were for airbags that may explode when deployed and send sharp metal fragments flying at passengers, which is not really what you want to have happened when your airbags deploy. 

Consumer Reports predicts owners are not going to like the 2021 ILX either

Based on information from previous years, Consumer Reports gave the 2021 ILX a one out of five predicted owner satisfaction scores. Even with a new engine and transmission being added in 2016, the TLX still delivers a bumpy ride with a lot of road noise. And the low cabin makes getting in and out tricky. The 2021 model has one available engine, a 2.4-liter four-cylinder that puts out 201 hp, paired with an eight-speed sequential transmission. Like most model years, it seats five and has an EPA estimated fuel economy of 28 mpg combined. 

It comes with several standard safety features, including forward-collision warning, automatic emergency braking, lane departure warning, lane-keeping assist, and a rearview camera. It also received good safety ratings from both the IIHS and NHTSA. But the infotainment system is not very intuitive and falls short of what many expect from a luxury sedan. 

If you are looking for a luxury sedan, the Acura ILX is probably not your best choice. The Honda Civic is a much better, less expensive choice. But luxury is in the eye of the beholder, so if the ILX is your vision of luxury, you should probably at least stay away from the 2013 model and its exploding airbags.