2016 Acura ILX Teased Ahead of L.A. Debut

2016 acura ilx

With Acura touting it as "substantially new," the 2016 Acura ILX is expected to make its world premiere November 20, during the 2014 Los Angeles Auto Show.

Unsurprisingly, the brand is keeping a fairly tight rein on the car's specs, but it did hint at the direction the new model will take, noting that the 2016 Acura ILX "will bring a sharper performance focus while delivering a greater set of high-value comfort, convenience and safety features." As far as specifics go, the 2016 Acura ILX definitely will be restyled inside and out with bolder, more expressive design cues, and a new and more athletically oriented powertrain is on the menu as well.

That likely means the 2016 Acura ILX will welcome something from the automaker's Earth Dreams engine family, and here it's worth remembering the car's bigger sibling, the Acura TLX, currently offers a 2.4-liter four-cylinder Earth Dreams engine that makes 206 hp and 182 lb.-ft. of torque; it's the same displacement as the range-topping engine of the 2015 ILX, with an extra 5 horses and 12 lb.-ft. of torque thrown into the mix. However, it's not clear from preliminary reports whether the 2016 Acura ILX will retain the 2015 model's standard 2.0-liter engine or its available hybrid powertrain.

Further, that comment above about "safety features" is an important one, as the 2015 ILX was engineered before today's top driver-assistance technologies became so prevalent. Thus, to maintain credibility in the quickly growing compact premium-sedan segment, the 2016 Acura ILX is going to need currently missing features like blind-spot monitoring, lane keeping and forward collision warning/mitigation.

Be sure to stay tuned to Autobytel.com for more information about the 2016 Acura ILX, and the 2014 Los Angeles Auto Show, too.