The Acura ILX is a new nameplate for Honda's upscale division, a front-wheel-drive compact sedan conceived to give potential buyers an entry into the premium car class at sub-luxury prices. The 2013 ILX essentially replaces the slightly larger TSX as the division's most affordable offering, the first Acura with a sub-$30,000 base price since the 2009 model year.

While it's all-new to Acura, there is much about the new ILX that is adapted from the Honda inventory. Specifically, the basic platform, model lineup, and powertrains all began with the latest Honda Civic sedans.

But this is not to say the ILX is basically a rebadged Civic: there are as many hardware distinctions as there are similarities. For example, while the basic ILX shares the standard 5-speed automatic transmission employed by its humbler Honda cousin, the transmission is paired with a 2.0-liter four-cylinder version of the engine, generating 150 horsepower, versus the 140-horsepower 1.8-liter in the mainstream Civic.

More important, while the fundamental architecture is shared, the chassis and bodyshell dimensions differ between Civic and ILX. The ILX rides a shorter wheelbase (105.1 inches versus 106.3), and is longer, lower, and wider than the Civic sedan: The ILX measures 179.1 inches overall, 70.6 inches wide, and 55.6 inches tall.

2013 Acura ILX Review