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2004 Acura 1.7 EL Touring Road Test

6-30-2004

by Alexandra Straub


A Honda Civic in Drag

Before my mom left on her trip to Europe, I took her for a drive in the 2004 Acura 1.7 EL. We briefly cruised the city, chatted and then I dropped her home. As she got out of the car I asked what she felt about the Acura's least expensive model, at which she responded, "It's a cute little boring car."

Canada is the only market in the world that Acura offers the 2004 Acura 1.7 EL Touring. (Photo: Alexandra Straub, Canadian Auto Press)
Throughout my test week in the Acura, I couldn't think of a better description than hers. As boring as the rebadged Honda Civic is, what is at least a little bit intriguing is that all this "excitement" is exclusive to Canada; the only place in the world where it is offered.

But the plain-Jane EL was exactly what the doctor ordered after having my one and only wisdom tooth pulled out. For the first time I was glad that I wasn't attracting attention looking and feeling the way I did. It was not pretty. Just ask my editor!

After having my wisdom teeth out, it was nice having a comfortable, smooth-riding car, I even enjoyed the 4-speed automatic transmission . (Photo: Alexandra Straub, Canadian Auto Press)
Nevertheless, the sedation wore off and the dizziness from the T3's passed so I was up and running around town, driving, working, listening to my favourite CDs on the 6-speaker AM/FM/CD audio system and doing the usual. It was great to have a reliable, comfortable, smooth-riding car to get me where I needed to go. Heck, I'll even admit it was even nice to have the optional 4-speed automatic transmission harnessing the anemic 127 horsepower 1.7-liter 4-cylinder with a merely adequate 114 lb-ft of torque - the same engine found in the Honda Civic Si sedan and coupe.

On that note, recently I tested out the Honda Civic Si coupe and before, the 2004 Si sedan. The Acura EL drives and feels exactly

The EL Touring is powered by the same 127-hp 1.7-liter 4-cylinder engine found in the Honda Civic Si sedan and coupe. (Photo: Alexandra Straub, Canadian Auto Press)
the same. The car is as stable as can be whether inching forward in bumper-to-bumper traffic or zipping along the open highway. Despite being underpowered and a little soft in the corners I still feel the Civic/EL is excellent for its market. The interior and exterior of the Honda and Acura have an almost identical layout, in fact the only difference that kept me from calling it a Honda was the big "A" staring at me from the centre of the leather wrapped steering wheel.

So why opt for the EL when a Civic looks, drives and feels exactly the same? Good question. The Acura 1.7 EL Touring (or base model) offers almost identical standard features

The interior and exterior of the Honda and Acura have an almost identical layout. (Photo: Alexandra Straub, Canadian Auto Press)
as the Si with only a slight difference in price. The Touring delivers four-wheel, front ventilated and rear solid disc brakes, while the Si only offers discs in the front. The Si, however, comes standard with a sunroof. It's a tradeoff, safety for vanity. Both cars come standard with 195/60R15 all-season tires and 15-inch alloy wheels, ABS with electronic brakeforce distribution (EBD) and a four-wheel independent suspension. It's a toss up between the Si sedan with the automatic transmission starting at $22,500 and the Acura El with automatic transmission at $23,200; a difference of only $700. There's also the difference of freight and PDI to consider, which is $1,010 for Honda and $900 for Acura, another $110 savings.

The EL also offers a long list of standard features including air conditioning, dual front airbags, fog lights, front bucket fabric seats (leather is available in the Premium model), body coloured bumpers and mirrors, power doors and windows, keyless entry remote and steering wheel-mounted cruise control; all the amenities essential for everyday driving and then some.

Whether you pick the Acura or the nearly identical Honda, they are both "cute little boring cars." (Photo: Alexandra Straub, Canadian Auto Press)
As I mentioned, the ride of the EL was indistinguishable compared to the Si. Visibility was also good out all four corners of the car. Fuel economy is also favourable with a modest consumption of 7.8 L/100 km in the city and 6.1 L/100 km on the highway. The only thing I snarled at was that the EL requires premium fuel. Why? Beats me! Maybe because it's an Acura and therefore needs to make some sort of a statement? The same engine in the Honda takes regular. Go figure.

With all said, did I really notice a difference between the two nearly identical models? No. They're both "cute little boring cars." And when it comes down to it, Honda and Acura have excellent initial quality and reliability ratings, plus offer exceptionally stable and comfortable cars. So why opt for the EL? Doesn't the name "Acura" sound that much more prestigious than practical old Honda? What a vain world we live in.

Specifications:

Note: Additional larger photos are available in the photo album.