“Is it snappy,” someone asked of the 2016 Acura ILX sedan. No, not really, kind of average.
Snazzy, though, it is, with its sharply styled front end. It shapes up somewhat along the lines of the crisply finished Cadillac ATS, a competitor of the ILX. Both have distinctively designed grilles.
Jan and I drove the new Acura to Sterling the first weekend of this month for the 60th reunion of the Sterling High School Class of ’55 – a Friday night gathering at the Plainsmen Grille and Saturday night at the Ramada Inn.
Of more consequence, however, was delivery to me of the highly touted 2016 Hyundai Tucson Sport AWD, which took us earlier this week to the higher country for a four-day visit to Vail.
An indirect route home lent credence to the capabilities of the new Tucson; to Leadville, Buena Vista, Fairplay, down U.S. 285 to Denver and on to Greeley.
The twists and turns and climbs on U.S. 24 from Minturn, over Tennessee Pass and on to Leadville, are better testing roadways than anything offered via the shorter I-70 route home.
The Tucson’s small 175-horsepower, 1.6-liter turbocharged 4-cylinder engine is mated to a quick-shifting 7-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission and this source provides power for climbing the hills with no hesitation. A more responsive Sport mode eliminates a bit of turbo lag noticed in Normal mode, and, if economy is of prime concern, an Eco mode slows down shifts and torque. Smoothest operation overall, though, is in Normal mode. A button will lock the system in four-wheel drive.
The new model rides more quietly than previous versions, handling is impressive and body motion has been reduced, with excellent grip on the mountain curves. A month ago, I drove one of the first ’16 Tucsons near Tabernash in the company of Lori Scholz, public relations manager for Hyundai, and Trevor Lai, manager of product planning, and within 2 minutes I could tell the Hyundai was of longer wheelbase and improved structure. Even with that, turning radius is a relatively short 35 feet.
A big plus, also, with the new one is its cargo capacity has been expanded to 31 cubic feet, compared with 25.7 for last year’s Tucson. The 2016 model, built in Korea, is 3 inches longer than last year, 1.2 inches longer in wheelbase and 1.1 inches wider. It competes in the compact SUV market against such standouts as the Mazda CX-5, Honda CR-V, Ford Escape, Toyota RAV4, Jeep Cherokee and Subaru Forester.
A hexagonal grille adorns the front end, but the nose is so blunt it lacks attraction. What saves the front view are the 30-inch-long angular headlights. The review model is finished in a chocolate color, very pretty, which Hyundai has labeled “mojave sand.” It looked good sitting out front of Doc’s Eat & Drink barbecue stop in Leadville.
Walk behind the Tucson with the key fob in pocket, stop for a couple seconds, the large taillights flash and the power liftgate opens. When opened, the uppermost edge of the liftgate is 80 inches high.
The wide cargo area extends to the regular cabin portion of the interior, with roominess in both front and rear seating areas. “It’s just fine,” said realtor friend Ted King, 6-foot-5, of front-passenger seat headroom while enroute to Kenny’s Steakhouse in Greeley. A hard-plastic appearance and feel of the dashboard area detract from an otherwise bright, comfortable interior.
We logged 450 miles in our four-day run to Vail and back, and averaged 26.9 miles per gallon, with an EPA estimate of 24/28. A Tucson I drove two years ago, with a 2.4-liter normally aspirated 4-cylinder, carried an EPA rating of 20/25.
The Tucson Sport’s price tag is a reasonable $28,570, lowered some by the fact there was no navigation installed. That’s about all it lacked, for it as equipped with rearview camera, heated front cloth seats, USB port, Bluetooth, satellite radio, the power liftgate, 19-inch wheels, blind-spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alert, leather-wrapped steering wheel, keyless entry and push-button start.
The Sport model is just below the Limited in pricing. Cheaper versions of the Tucson are SE and Eco.
2016 ACURA ILX
The ’16 Acura ILX is in its fourth year as a front-wheel-drive luxury compact sedan.
Its 2.4-liter, 4-cylinder engine, connected to an 8-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission, develops 201 horsepower and 180 lb.-ft. of torque. Its small, inconspicuous paddleshifters are likable; they’re easy to handle and don’t get in the way of normal use of the steering wheel.
It excelled in fuel mileage, averaging 32.6 mpg in its drive to Sterling and back. The reunion was for all persons who attended or graduated from Sterling High 50 years ago or more. Keeping watch over the “kids” as master of ceremonies was Jim Weatherill, a ’62 grad and former superintendent of schools of Littleton.
The Acura, like several Honda models, uses a dual set of infotainment screens at its dash, one over the other. They’re somewhat distracting.
With voice-recognition navigation, multiview rear camera, active cruise, lane-keeping assist, leather sport seats, power moonroof and jewel-eye LED headlights, the ILX’s sticker price reached $33,820.
Here are the specifications for the ’16 Hyundai Tucson Sport AWD:
- Capacity 5-passenger
- Wheelbase 105.1 inches
- Length 176.2 inches
- Width 72.8 inches
- Height 64.8 inches
- Curb Weight 3,505 pounds
- Track 63.1 inches front, 63.6 rear
- Ground Clearance 6.4 inches
- Turn Circle 34.9 feet
- Drivetrain All-wheel-drive
- Engine 1.6-liter turbocharged 4-cylinder
- Horsepower/Torque 175/195
- Transmission 7-speed dual-clutch
- Steering electric power-assist
- Suspension strut front, multilink rear
- Fuel mileage estimate 24/28
- Fuel mileage average 26.9
- Fuel Tank 16.4 gallons, unleaded regular
- Wheels 19-inch
- Tires Hankook Kinergy 245/45R19
- Cargo Volume 31 cubic feet
- Warranty 5years/60,000 miles basic, 10/100,000 powertrain
Competitors Mazda CX-5, Honda CR-V, Ford Escape, Toyota RAV4, Jeep Cherokee, Subaru Forester
Assembly Plant Ulsan, Korea
Parts Content Korea 93%
Base Price of Lowest Model $22,700; Base Price of Review Model $27,550; Destination Charge $895; Sticker Price $28,570.