Who buys Acuras?

Somebody must, right? Honda keeps building them (or badging them: looking at you, CSX) so there must be a market, but who still buys almost-but-not-quite-luxury vehicles (outside of Buick stans, of course)?

Well, whatever that group is, they’ll be excited by the refreshed 2019 ILX. A more expensive version of the (currently) ridiculous Civic, the ILX is the current baby of the Acura family, filling out the still-viable compact sedan offering. But they already know that.

They’ll also notice that the can-opener front-end has officially been replaced with a gaping trapezoidal intake. The entire front-end, in fact, is all-new, from A-pillars forward. The hood is sculpted, probably to stay low while accommodating the engine. The headlights have been upgraded to the Acura Jewel Eye LED headlights and a more Aggressive Fascia. The rear features more of the aggressive fascia, lower diffuser and LED taillights.

A bunch of electronics has been added to distract from the overall driving experience while adding a ton of complexity and weight. The engine remains the same 2.4L inline-4 good for 201-hp, run through an eight-speed automatic transmission.

Truth be told, the ILX is a handsome car. Compared to the angular nightmare that is the current Civic, it almost justifies the extra costs just to have something that’s not offensively ugly.

Until you remember you can buy any other brands car.