A future variant of the Acura ILX could be powered by a version of the 300hp+ (206kW+) turbocharged 2-litre engine that’s hiding under the hood of the FB Honda Civic Type-R hatch.
At the launch of the recently revised Acura ILX (above), Gary Robinson, product planner at Acura, told Car and Driver, “Acura is always going to get the best engines Honda makes”.
Ideally the Acura version of those motors should “always be more powerful” and “Obviously, a 2-litre turbo is more of a must-have in the luxury world than it is in the mainstream world, so…”
Before auto enthusiasts start wetting their pants about an Acura ILX Type-S, powered by a motor similar to the FB Civic Type-R’s (below), heading into showrooms soon, he did note that such an engine, and such performance, would require a significant reworking of the ILX’s innards.
That means that any ILX Type-S or Type-R could only feasibly be built upon the next generation ILX, which due in around 2018.
Robinson also mused about the changed nature of Acura’s demographics: “Tuners were such a big part of our fan base in the old days. [But] vehicles like [the current ILX], they’re not particularly tuneable. And obviously, turbos are.”
Source: Car and Driver
