Compact car is a vehicle size class —predominantly used in North America—that sits between subcompact cars and mid-size cars . "Small family car" is a British term and a part of the C-segment in the European car classification. However, before the downsizing of the United States car industry in the 1970s and 1980s, larger vehicles with wheelbases up to 110 in (2.79 m) were considered "compact cars" in the United States.
49-511: The Acura ILX is a compact car ( C-segment ) manufactured and marketed by Honda under the Acura brand, based on the ninth-generation Civic sedan . The ILX replaced the Canadian market exclusive Acura CSX . The gasoline-electric hybrid version was Acura's first. The concept version was unveiled at the 2012 North American International Auto Show , the production version was presented in
98-400: A secondary imbalance . This is caused by the acceleration/deceleration of the pistons during the top half of the crankshaft rotation being greater than that of the pistons in the bottom half of the crankshaft rotation (because the connecting rods are not infinitely long). As a result, two pistons are always accelerating faster in one direction, while the other two are accelerating more slowly in
147-632: A "compact car" target that was larger than what has become known as the "light car" or the kei car . One of the first compact cars that met those requirements was the Toyota Publica with an air-cooled two-cylinder opposed engine, the Datsun 110 series , and the Mitsubishi 500 . The Publica and the Mitsubishi 500 were essentially "kei cars" with engines larger than regulations permitted at
196-662: A 2.0-liter I4 engine making 150 hp mated to a 5-speed automatic transmission , or a version of the Civic Si 's 201 hp 2.4-liter I4 engine mated to a 6-speed manual . The ILX Hybrid model featured a 1.5-liter I4 engine making 111 hp hybrid from the Civic Hybrid , EPA fuel economy rating of the hybrid version is 39 mpg ‑US (6.0 L/100 km; 47 mpg ‑imp ) for city and 38 mpg ‑US (6.2 L/100 km; 46 mpg ‑imp ) on highway driving. Starting from 2016,
245-852: A displacement of 1.3–2.5 L (79–153 cu in), but larger engines have been used in the past, for example the 1927–1931 Bentley 4½ Litre . Diesel engines have been produced in larger displacements, such as a 3.2 L turbocharged Mitsubishi engine (used the Pajero/Shogun/Montero SUV) and a 3.0 L Toyota engine. European and Asian trucks with a gross vehicle weight rating between 7.5 and 18 tonnes typically use inline four-cylinder diesel engines with displacements around 5 litres. Larger displacements are found in locomotive, marine and stationary engines. Displacement can also be very small, as found in kei cars sold in Japan. Several of these engines had four cylinders at
294-600: A displacement of 1.5–2.5 L (92–153 cu in). The smallest automotive straight-four engine was used in the 1963–1967 Honda T360 kei truck and has a displacement of 356 cc (21.7 cu in), while the largest mass-produced straight-four car engine is the 1999–2019 Mitsubishi 4M41 diesel engine which was used in the Mitsubishi Pajero and has a displacement of 3.2 L (195 cu in). Significant straight-four car engines include: Many early racing cars used straight-four engines, however
343-525: A license plate number beginning with "5". In the past, the small size category has received tax benefits stipulated by the Japanese government regulations , such as those in the 1951 Road Vehicle Act . In 1955, the Japanese Ministry of International Trade and Industry set forth a goal to all Japanese makers at that time to create what was called a "national car". The concept stipulated that
392-591: A multi-view rear backup camera with regular, wide-angle, and top-down modes. For the 2014 model year the ILX came standard with 17-inch wheels, leather interior, heated front seats, an eight-way power driver's seat, tri-angle backup camera and audio subwoofer with Active Noise Cancellation . For the 2015 model year, the ILX Hybrid was discontinued due to slow sales. Through May of 2014, only 2,660 Hybrid units were sold since its introduction. The refreshed 2016 ILX
441-782: A new market segment and the U.S. automobile industry soon adopted the "compact" term. Several competitors to the Nash Rambler arose from the ranks of America's other independent automakers, although none enjoyed the long-term success of the Rambler. Other early compact cars included the Kaiser-Frazer Henry J (also re-badged as the Allstate ), the Willys Aero and the Hudson Jet . In 1954, 64,500 cars sold in
490-401: A time when regulations dictated a maximum displacement of 550 cc; the maximum size is currently at 660 cc. Straight-four engines with the preferred crankshaft configuration have perfect primary balance . This is because the pistons are moving in pairs, and one pair of pistons is always moving up at the same time as the other pair is moving down. However, straight-four engines have
539-517: Is particularly beneficial in the higher rpm range, and " big-bang firing order " theory says the irregular delivery of torque to the rear tire makes sliding in the corners at racing speeds easier to control. Inline-four engines are also used in MotoGP by the Suzuki (since 2015 ) and Yamaha (since 2002 ) teams. In 2010 , when the four-stroke Moto2 class was introduced, the engines for the class were
SECTION 10
#1732787518620588-470: The Maserati 4CL and various English Racing Automobiles (ERA) models. These were resurrected after the war, and formed the foundation of what was later to become Formula One , although the straight-eight supercharged Alfettas would dominate the early years of F1. Another engine that played an important role in racing history is the straight-four Ferrari engine designed by Aurelio Lampredi . This engine
637-686: The Recession of 1958 , the only exception to the sales decline was American Motors with its compact, economy-oriented Ramblers that saw high demand among cautious consumers. By 1959, sales of small imported cars also increased to 14% of the U.S. passenger car market, as consumers turned to compact cars. By this time, smaller cars appealed to people with a college education and a higher income whose families were buying more than one car. Customers expected compact cars to provide improved fuel economy compared to full-sized cars while maintaining headroom, legroom, and plenty of trunk space. Between 1958 and 1960,
686-472: The "small Ford" and produced the Ford Vedette . The first U.S.-produced postwar compact car was the 1950 Nash Rambler . It was built on a 100-inch (2,540 mm) wheelbase, which was nonetheless still a large car by contemporary European standards. The term "compact" was coined by a Nash executive as a euphemism for small cars with a wheelbase of 110 inches (2,794 mm) or less. It established
735-533: The 1920s and early 1930s. The Miller engine evolved into the Offenhauser engine which had a highly successful spanning from the 1933 until 1981, including five straight victories at the Indianapolis 500 from 1971 to 1976. Many cars produced for the pre-WWII voiturette Grand Prix motor racing category used inline-four engine designs. 1.5 L supercharged engines found their way into cars such as
784-441: The 1970s. Since then, the inline-four has become one of the most common engine configurations in street bikes. Outside of the cruiser category, the inline-four is the most common configuration because of its relatively high performance-to-cost ratio. All major Japanese motorcycle manufacturers offer motorcycles with inline-four engines, as do MV Agusta and BMW . BMW's earlier inline-four motorcycles were mounted horizontally along
833-809: The 1980s that American cars were being downsized to truly international dimensions. In the 1985 model year, compact cars classified by the EPA included Ford's Escort and Tempo as well as the Chevrolet Cavalier. For the 2019 model year, the best sellers were the Toyota Corolla and Honda Civic. In Japan, vehicles that are larger than kei cars , but with dimensions smaller than 4,700 mm (185.0 in) long, 1,700 mm (66.9 in) wide, 2,000 mm (78.7 in) high and with engines at or under 2,000 cc (120 cu in) are classified as "small size" cars. Small-size cars are identified by
882-469: The 2.4 litre Citroën DS engine, the 2.6 litre Austin-Healey 100 engine, the 3.3 L Ford Model A (1927) engine and the 2.5 L GM Iron Duke engine . Soviet/Russian GAZ Volga and UAZ engines with displacements of up to 2.9 litres were produced without balance shafts from the 1950s to the 1990s, however these were relatively low-revving engines which reduces the need for a balance shaft system. Most modern straight-four engines used in cars have
931-518: The 2012 Chicago Auto Show . The ILX introduces a new design that Acura calls "aero-fused dynamics". Mass production commenced on April 23 at Honda's assembly facility in Greensburg, Indiana and U.S. sales began on May 22. The ILX's body in white uses 59% high strength steel ranging from 440-980 MPa yield strength grades, aluminum is used for the hood and front bumper beam. Compared to the Civic,
980-530: The 2016 ILX began during January 2015 moving to the Marysville Auto Plant in Marysville, Ohio . In September 2018, Acura revealed a second facelift for the ILX, incorporating what the company markets as its "Diamond Pentagon" grille. The headlights are revised along with front bumper. In the rear of the ILX, the taillights are revised, and the license plate has been dropped from the trunk to
1029-477: The 2020 model year, the share for light-duty vehicles had risen to 59%. A four-stroke straight-four engine always has a cylinder on its power stroke, unlike engines with fewer cylinders where there is no power stroke occurring at certain times. Compared with a V4 engine or a flat-four engine , a straight-four engine only has one cylinder head , which reduces complexity and production cost. Petrol straight-four engines used in modern production cars typically have
SECTION 20
#17327875186201078-479: The CSX, TSX, and Civic Si. The hybrid model (available for the 2013 through 2014 model years and Acura's first hybrid), used a 1.5-liter I4 and shared its gas/electric powertrain with Honda's Civic Hybrid producing 111 hp (83 kW; 113 PS) at 5,500 rpm and 127 lb⋅ft (172 N⋅m) of torque between 1,000 and 3,000 rpm. The ILX is not sold in Japan. 2013–2015 2016–2022 The ILX originally featured
1127-561: The Honda City, Toyota Yaris, Toyota Corolla Altis 1.6, and the Changan Alsvin. I4 engine A straight-four engine (also referred to as an inline-four engine ) is a four-cylinder piston engine where cylinders are arranged in a line along a common crankshaft. The majority of automotive four-cylinder engines use a straight-four layout (with the exceptions of the flat-four engines produced by Subaru and Porsche) and
1176-706: The ILX is offered only with the 2.4-liter I4 engine and the 8 speed DCT . The ILX was discontinued after the 2022 model year , with the eleventh-generation Honda Civic -based Integra liftback replaced it as the brand's entry-level offering. [REDACTED] Media related to Acura ILX at Wikimedia Commons Compact car In Japan, small size passenger vehicle is a registration category that sits between kei cars and regular cars, based on overall size and engine displacement limits. The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Fuel Economy Regulations for 1977 and Later Model Year (dated July 1996) includes definitions for classes of automobiles. Based on
1225-399: The ILX uses Acura's "Amplitude Reactive" dampers and a larger more rigid steering shaft for improved handling and ride quality characteristics. Options are grouped into Premium and Technology packages and include leather upholstery, 17" alloy wheels, navigation system, premium audio system with SiriusXM satellite radio, and high intensity discharge headlamps. Both option packages include
1274-515: The Peugeot engine which won the 1913 Indianapolis 500 was a highly influential engine. Designed by Ernest Henry , this engine had double overhead camshafts (DOHC) with four valves per cylinder, a layout that would become the standard until today for racing inline-four engines. Amongst the engines inspired by the Peugeot design was the Miller engine , which was a successful racing engine through
1323-407: The U.S. were imports or small American cars, out of a total market of five million cars. Market research indicated that five percent of those surveyed said they would consider a small car, suggesting a potential market size of 275,000 cars. By 1955, the Nash Rambler that began as a convertible model became a success and was now available in station wagon , hardtop , and sedan body styles. During
1372-657: The United States, Nimbus in Denmark, Windhoff in Germany, and Wilkinson in the United Kingdom. The first across-the-frame 4-cylinder motorcycle was the 1939 racer Gilera 500 Rondine , it also had double-over-head camshafts, forced-inducting supercharger and was liquid-cooled . Modern inline-four motorcycle engines first became popular with Honda 's SOHC CB750 introduced in 1969, and others followed in
1421-836: The beginning of a downsizing of all vehicles so that cars such as the AMC Concord and the Ford Fairmont that replaced the compacts were re-classified as mid-size, while cars inheriting the size of the Ford Pinto and Chevrolet Vega (such as the Ford Escort and Chevrolet Cavalier ) became classified as compact cars. Even after the reclassification, mid-size American cars were still far larger than mid-size cars from other countries and were more similar in size to cars classified as "large cars" in Europe. It would not be until
1470-582: The combined passenger and cargo volume, compact cars are defined as having an interior volume index of 100–109 cu ft (2.8–3.1 m ). The beginnings of U.S. production of compact cars were the late 1940s prototypes of economy cars, including the Chevrolet Cadet and the Ford Light Car. Neither car reached production in the U.S., however Ford SAF in France bought the plans of
1519-471: The frame, but all current four-cylinder BMW motorcycles have transverse engines . The modern Triumph company has offered inline-four-powered motorcycles, though they were discontinued in favour of triples . The 2009 Yamaha R1 has an inline-four engine that does not fire at even intervals of 180°. Instead, it uses a crossplane crankshaft that prevents the pistons from simultaneously reaching top dead centre. This results in better secondary balance , which
Acura ILX - Misplaced Pages Continue
1568-567: The large 2,495 cc FPF that won the Formula One championship in Cooper 's chassis in 1959 and 1960. In Formula One, the 1980s were dominated by the 1,500 cc turbocharged cars. The BMW M12/13 engine was notable for the era for its high boost pressures and performance. The cast iron block was based on a standard road car block and powered the F1 cars of Brabham, Arrows and Benetton and won
1617-448: The layout is also very common in motorcycles and other machinery. Therefore the term "four-cylinder engine" is usually synonymous with straight-four engines. When a straight-four engine is installed at an inclined angle (instead of with the cylinders oriented vertically), it is sometimes called a slant-four . Between 2005 and 2008, the proportion of new vehicles sold in the United States with four-cylinder engines rose from 30% to 47%. By
1666-533: The major U.S. car manufacturers made a push toward compact cars, resulting in the introduction of the Studebaker Lark , Chevrolet Corvair , Ford Falcon , and Plymouth Valiant . These models also gave rise to compact vans built on the compact car platforms, such as the Studebaker Zip Van, Chevrolet Corvair Greenbrier , Ford Econoline , and Dodge A100 . During the 1960s, compacts were
1715-420: The other direction, which leads to a secondary dynamic imbalance that causes an up-and-down vibration at twice crankshaft speed. This imbalance is common among all piston engines, but the effect is particularly strong on four-stroke inline-four because of the two pistons always moving together. The strength of this imbalance is determined by the reciprocating mass, the ratio of connecting rod length to stroke, and
1764-699: The passenger and cargo compartments were introduced in the late 1970s. In the early 1970s, the domestic automakers introduced even smaller subcompact cars that included the AMC Gremlin , Chevrolet Vega , and Ford Pinto . In 1973, the Energy Crisis started, which made small fuel-efficient cars more desirable, and the North American driver began exchanging their large cars for the smaller, imported compacts that cost less to fill up and were inexpensive to maintain. The 1977 model year marked
1813-405: The peak piston velocity. Therefore, small displacement engines with light pistons show little effect, and racing engines use long connecting rods. However, the effect grows quadratically with engine speed (rpm). Four-stroke engines with five or more cylinders are able to have at least one cylinder performing its power stroke at any given point in time. However, four-cylinder engines have gaps in
1862-640: The popular Volkswagen Beetle . Compact cars were also the basis for a new small car segment that became known as the pony car , named after the Ford Mustang , which was built on the Falcon chassis. At that time, there was a distinct difference in size between compact and full-size models. Early definitions of vehicle size class were based on wheelbase, with models under 111 inches as compact, 111 to 118 inches intermediate, and over 118 inches as full size, at least until EPA classes based on interior volume of
1911-399: The power delivery, since each cylinder completes its power stroke before the next piston starts a new power stroke. This pulsating delivery of power results in more vibrations than engines with more than four cylinders. A balance shaft system is sometimes used to reduce the vibrations created by a straight-four engine, most often in engines with larger displacements. The balance shaft system
1960-626: The rear bumper. In the interior, the overall design has revised seats, with the availability of red leather (only on the A-Spec), and an updated infotainment system — the latter 30% faster. AcuraWatch is now standard on all ILX's. The powertrain has remained the same for 2019. The ILX A-Spec now makes the exterior look more aggressive. It comes with 18" wheels, red or black leather seats with ultrasuede inserts, aluminum pedals, and other equipment. Honda has offered several different four-cylinder gasoline engines in this model, similar to those in
2009-419: The release of the facelift. Only around 4% of ILX sold had manual transmissions from the 2013-2015 model years. "Jewel Eye" LED headlamps (low and high beams, DRL pipe and amber turn signals) similar to those on other Acura models ( RLX , MDX and TLX) are standard, along with new LED tail lamps. A new " A-Spec " trim was offered, which included sporty exterior and interior styling enhancements. Production of
Acura ILX - Misplaced Pages Continue
2058-553: The smallest class of North American cars, but they had evolved into only slightly smaller versions of the 6-cylinder or V8-powered six-passenger sedan. They were much larger than compacts (and sometimes even mid-sizers) by European manufacturers, which were typically five-passenger four-cylinder engine cars. Nevertheless, advertising and road tests for the Ford Maverick and the Rambler American made comparisons with
2107-842: The time, while the Datsun was an all-new vehicle. These vehicles were followed by the Hino Contessa in 1961, the Isuzu Bellett , Daihatsu Compagno and Mazda Familia in 1963, the Mitsubishi Colt in 1965, and the Nissan Sunny , Subaru 1000 , and Toyota Corolla in 1966. Honda introduced its first four-door sedan in 1969, called the Honda 1300 . In North America, these cars were classified as subcompact cars . By 1970, Nissan released its first front-wheel-drive car which
2156-399: The vehicle be able to maintain a maximum speed over 100 km/h (62 mph), weigh below 400 kg (882 lbs), fuel consumption at 30 km/L (85 mpg ‑imp ; 71 mpg ‑US ) or more, at an average speed of 60 km/h (37 mph) on a level road, and not require maintenance or significant service for at least 100,000 km (62,000 mi). This established
2205-484: The world championship in 1983. The 1986 version of the engine was said to produce about 1,300 hp (969 kW) in qualifying trim. Belgian arms manufacturer FN Herstal , which had been making motorcycles since 1901, began producing the first motorcycles with inline-fours in 1905. The FN Four had its engine mounted upright with the crankshaft longitudinal . Other manufacturers that used this layout included Pierce , Henderson , Ace , Cleveland , and Indian in
2254-437: Was invented in 1911 and consists of two shafts carrying identical eccentric weights that rotate in opposite directions at twice the crankshaft's speed. This system was patented by Mitsubishi Motors in the 1970s and has since been used under licence by several other companies. Not all large displacement straight-four engines have used balance shafts, however. Examples of relatively large engines without balance shafts include
2303-570: Was originally designed as a 2 L Formula 2 engine for the Ferrari 500, but evolved to 2.5 L to compete in Formula One in the Ferrari 625. For sports car racing, capacity was increased up to 3.4 L for the Ferrari 860 Monza. The Coventry Climax straight-four engine was also a very successful racing engine, which began life as a 1.5 litre Formula 2 engine. Enlarged to 2.0 litres for Formula One in 1958, it evolved into
2352-615: Was originally developed by Prince Motor Company which had merged with Nissan in 1966. This was introduced in 1970 as the Nissan Cherry . In 1972, the Honda Civic appeared with the CVCC engine that was able to meet California emission standards without the use of a catalytic converter . In Pakistan, the concept of compact cars is significant. The most common cars tend to be Kei cars . Popular compact cars in recent times are
2401-588: Was unveiled during November 2014 at the Los Angeles Auto Show, and went on sale in February 2015. It now came exclusively with an " Earth Dreams " direct injected 2.4-liter four-cylinder DOHC i-VTEC engine mated to an 8-speed dual-clutch transmission , a very closely related powertrain to that of the TLX , first introduced in 2014 (as a 2015 model). The manual transmission ILX was also discontinued with
#619380