George Knighton

About to drive 90 minutes to look at a car that's a very bad idea for me (white/seacoast). I am not a big car polisher and cleaner. :-)

Wish me luck!

stagefoursurvivor

MF,

In addition to MPGs, I'm also curious about the 19" tire set. I'm not a fan of low profile on our war torn roads in the NY metro area.
I had 18" low profile on an E350 and had to replace 6 tires in the course of 3 years and I'm not a particularly aggressive driver.

neuronbob

I've been on 19's for almost six years now between my two CTS-Vs. Only one blowout, and that blowout wiped out the wheel as well. I struck the foot of a construction sign that was badly placed by a worker, so it was an unusual issue. On Cleveland's very bad roads, I've had no other issue...but then again, I am as cautious as possible. It is possible to have 19's on a DD with little problem.

Malibu Flyer

Tire wear is a concern for me also. The Michelin tires on my my RL typically went over 50,000 miles and their guarantee for road hazards came into play several times. I usually got them at Costco and never had an issue in getting a repair or prorated replacement. I see that tires are not part of the Acura warranty but there should be some type of warranty from Michelin. It is supposed to be in the glove box but I haven't checked yet. Does anyone know what the tire warranty is on the OEM Michelin 19" tires are?

stagefoursurvivor

I completely agree with the Costco coverage, have used them for many years. Michelin coverage is pretty much worthless, in my experience.
I really need to "throttle back" on my interest/envy, find myself looking at the Pohanka listing for a CBP/Seacoast! With 2 in college & a planned Eyetalian trip, I honestly can't justify $60K+!

woropallo

Don't get me wrong I do love my car. I am just a bells and whistle guy and for $4 K it would have been a no brainer for me to buy the SH AWD, if I was told it was going to be available. Personnally whether they called it a 2014 model, which does not make sense to me considering it finally came out after the release of the 2015 RLX, it still the latest new RLX. Just my thoughts, I am just envious of you, I like the latest and the greatest. But I usually buy a new car every 3 or 4 years so we will see how the SH AWD evolves over the next few years for when I am ready to buy again.

Malibu Flyer

Here are some pictures which show the Sports Hybrid truck with 4 suitcases. Two medium sized suitcases and two carry-ons. The cases were empty and hard to wedge into the space but they fit. Almost no room to squeeze in anything else. shelf in the back, against the rear seat is pretty useless.

Small trunk but could work. For those of you looking for a pic with golf clubs, I can't accommodate you because I don't play golf any more. Not active enough for me.

neuronbob

That's not as bad as I thought it was going to be.

My "pack light" comment in your other thread still applies, and I am only half joking.

After 20 years of marriage, I have finally conditioned my wife to allow ME to do the packing for trips. I can get everything we (me, her, 8-year-old) need for a week into one large suitcase. That leaves room for a duffel bag for overnight stuff, and for my computer bag (which we'd left the last few trips in favor of my iPad with cellular). All part of having been in a military family my entire childhood--we had to pack as much into our bags as practical, and as efficiently as possible, for overseas travel.

In short, I think I can do that trunk with space left over.

hondamore

Agreed, the trunk is not as bad as I had imagined and certainly not a deal breaker for me.
Thanks to Malibu Flyer for the pics - now go do some driving and have fun.

George Knighton

Well. I did it.

Hope I don't live to regret owning a white car.

0_o

hondamore

Congratulations George!!
Going to "just look" at the Sport Hybrid RLX is a bit like taking your kids to just look at the puppies at the local humane society - either way you're coming home with an addition to the family.
Enjoy!!

P.S. My wife's MDX is white and it is a lot easier to keep clean than you think.

getakey

congrats George
get your car sealed with (ooops forgot name)
I'll look it up it is on the 2G thread. Tampa first posted and then I added
Requires professional install, but the stuff is amazing. I got tree sap on my car and it washed off with just sparying water from the hose.

George Knighton

The last time I worked with this particular team, I drove home in a new car within a few hours. So I took the precaution of cleaning the car out before I went.

:-/

So far people like it better than the Forged Metal or whatever it was called. I'm not seeing it yet, but I have to admit I'm enjoying driving it.

getakey

Opti-coat/Opti Guard - I believe Guard is the Pro install version. They have to be cetified

https://acurazine.com/forums/second-...-guard-908167/

neuronbob

Pics of the white/seacoast please. Dealer located an Advance for me and is asking. So far, I'm listening.

George Knighton

I'll do that if you really want but it looks the same as any other RLX Advance that's Bellanova/Seacoast. :-) I'll put it out in the daylight tomorrow. It's dark and raining now.

After settling on the price, I went back and added some things that aren't on the car yet (splash guards, rear spoiler).

I really, really don't like the way this thing looks. Maybe it'll grow on me.

Love the way it drives so far. They solved a lot of the things people noticed on the pre-production cars.

No more jump into [R], no more delay being able to reverse. Motor start is even quieter than it was.

My car was built in January 2014, which surprised me. The way people talked these things were sitting in a field in Japan since the summer of 2013!

Malibu Flyer

Here are some of my initial impression after my first 100 miles in the Sports Hybrid:

1. The drive -- I continue to be impressed with the power and handling ability of the car. I have mostly driven in D, not sport mode with the gas pedal set to high resistance. This ever so slightly slows down sending the signal to the electric motors to giddy up. Even so the response seems almost instantaneous. The torque vectoring is also amazing. I relate it to are turning in a row boat--one oar goes forward, one back and the boat just pivots. It takes some used to learning how much to turn the wheel in a corner, especially when accelerating around a sharp bend in the road. Several times I found I had turned the wheel too much [oversteer??] and had to make a small correction. The car turned more than I anticipated. It all seems to happen seamlessly and smoothly. The seamless and smooth are also adjectives that apply to the constant switching between the gas engines and electric ones, the torque vectoring and regenerative braking. Watching the video representation on the HUD display is like a commercial for the tech in the car. However, the braking is still somewhat jerky when stopping in a straight line. I apply the pressure I think I need to bring the car to a smooth stop and all of a sudden the car applies additional braking [regenerative ??] and the car jerks to a hard stop. I am sure it will get better as I intuitively learn how the car reacts to my braking, cornering and use of the gas pedal. One last thought, I have never been in a car as quiet as the RLX Hybrid. It is a function of the electric motors [which most of the time power the car from 0 to 28 MPH] and the sound deadening glass, acoustics and sound cancelling radio. For those of you with the RLX think of it as driving your car with the gas engine not producing a sound.

2. Favorite Feature -- Brake hold. I find this to be a welcome addition. Being able to take my foot off the brake pedal when stopped is very nice. i only wish that it was a feature I leave turned on. As far as I have been able to determine this feature turns off when ever you put the car in park and it needs to be turned on every time you start the car up. I am sure there is some good reason for this but I would prefer to be able to set this once and leave it in place.

3. Push Button transmission -- I am getting used to this. The buttons are very intuitive, different shapes - D a round circle, R a lever you pull, P a rectangle you push etc. but it is not the same as the life long habit of having a lever you pull from P to D to N to R. I can do this in my sleep but now I have to glance at the push buttons to make sure I know what to push or pull. It is just a learning curve that is not yet automatic. I assume it will become that over time.

3. HUD display. I really like this. it is very convenient to not have to look at the speedo to see how fast you are going and the icon representing how each wheel is powered is addictive, at least for now. After more time I will probably get bored and change the HUD to show the tachometer or something else,along with the speedometer. I still have one gripe about this and it is that when wearing polarized sunglasses, the HUD is hard to see in bright light. My solution is to get some non-polarized sunglasses for driving since in So Cal I wear them most of the time during the day.

4. Position in the lane -- This is a little weird. I find myself constantly a little to the right side of a driving lane [thank you for the graphic representation which pops up when i start to stray]. Perhaps it is because the RLX is 1.7 inches wider than my '05 RL. Anyway, just one more thing I will get used to after more drive time.

In conclusion, I am really enjoying the car and am ecstatic with my purchase.

hondamore

^^^^sweet!!!!

stagefoursurvivor

Congrats!
Yeah, I'm not too keen on white myself but, love the seacoast.
I need to unsubscribe from the RLX threads, they are testing my self control WAY too much and concentrate on a '11 or '12 RL.
I'm simply fascinated by the new 3 motor AWD system and it's myriad benefits, the fact it appears to live up to it's execution only makes the interest all the worse, especially 28-31MPG!

Malibu Flyer

Congratulations It is nice not to be the only one wandering in the strange and exciting land that the Sports Hybrid lives in.

I am looking forward to your thoughts and experiences with your car. You have a unique perspective having driven the PAWS. Also, I'm sure you have a better idea how to navigate around all of the "advanced" technology in the car. Hope you will help me and other make sense of all of it.

BTW my car was produced in Feb 2014 #0212

woropallo

Interesting ID, stagefoursurvivor, if it what I think I am also a stage four survivor in remission.

George Knighton

I'm not ignoring you but it's cloudy, windy and rainy here.

If the sun peeks out I'll take a picture or two.

I'm assuming that what you're mostly interested in is what kind of contrast exists between the Bellanova White and the Seacoast interior.

That's something that worried me, for sure, so I'll try to take a picture that shows the interior and exterior at the same time just so you see the contrast.

On the last page of the reviews thread, there are several pictures of this exact color combination, although it is not a DCT equipped car.

George Knighton

One thing I've noticed in the little bit of spirited driving I risked in last night's bad weather is that the suspension design seems to come into its own with this extra weight.

That's odd thinking a heavier car would handle better, but I get the feeling that this is indeed the case. Ride is more different than I thought, and I swear I do not remember having this same feeling in the preproduction car.

I'll try not to be jealous that your car is built one month later than mine. :-)

stagefoursurvivor

wr,

Yep, should be filed under "astonishing" outcomes.
Dx'd NSCLC(lung) w/brain mets 11/30/99, lung, brain surgery & 2 doses of chemo. No further treatment since 11/2000.
You?

neuronbob

Haha! You got the same weather I dealt with in "Cleveburg" the last two days.

TampaRLX-SH

This was my assessment as well George. With my SH RLX experience last March, the suspension issues I noted in the PAWS model were not noticeable in the SH model. As I questioned if there were suspension changes or different components, I was told 'no'. I would deduce that the RLX suspension may have been designed and tuned with the SH in mind. And would that then mean the PAWS model was truly the afterthought to get something to market sooner???

In any case the weight distribution of the SH seems to settle the suspension better than the PAWS model, IMHO. There was much less tail bob motions and less brittle reactions to choppy roads. I also did not notice any suspension clatter.

I would like to hear more of your assessments of PAWS vs SH as you get more time to note, before your PAWS seat experience wears off. Topics I would ask for feedback include: Start / Stop behavior, tranny refinement and adapting to regen brakes.

woropallo

Good for you! Mine was throat even though I did not smoke, went through the whole nine yard - radiation, chemo, and surgery. Finished the treatment in 2011, now just being monitored.

Now back to following these entries that is making me jealous about the SH AWD, even though I just brought the 2015 RLX Advance in Sept. The RLX Advance is a great car and I love the technology and ride so I am not sorry I brought just envious.

Malibu Flyer

Let's not let this discussion get us off track but I too have had four different cancers [bad genes] and am now clean. Perhaps it is a trait of RLX drivers -- we want to indulge ourselves while we are still here to enjoy the benefits of a financially successful life.

But seriously, let's focus on the Sports Hybrid.. Enough talk about illness. It doesn't belong here.

Malibu Flyer

While I have never driven the PAWS, in comparing the Sports Hybrid to my old RL, the thing I have noticed is the lack of body sway when doing aggressive cornering. I assume that is due to the suspension as well as a lower center of gravity due to the batteries [I am guessing that they are somewhere at the bottom of the car like in the Tesla?]

I too am interested in George's thoughts of this vs. the PAWS RLX. So far it seems like for those who are willing to come up with the price of the Hybrid will be very happy. Hope Acura is reading this and puts the 2015/16 Hybrid into production sooner than later so more folks can enjoy this truly terrific automobile.

Also, George was you acquisition cost the hybrid in the same range as mine or did it get too complicated to compare given your trade in of the PAWS [or did you lease?]. Just want to know if I could have negotiated harder.....I had the tension of getting the absolute best price while buying the only Hybrid in So Cal that was my ideal color and trim level.

George Knighton

The price written down for the new car is 62,500. About 1,000 more than you paid.

Although I'm driving the car, I've got two sets of paperwork going. :-)

They've put the old RLX into inventory, but they're holding onto it and haven't collected the keys yet because a friend of mine is trying to buy the old RLX before Friday.

If that works out, we finish one set of paper work.

If it does not work out, we finish the other set of paper work.

They offered a little more for the trade than is probably reasonable, to be honest, if we go that way. But if my friend wants to buy the car I feel compelled to come out a little less well so that he can get into a good car at a good price.

George Knighton

I was going to upload some pictures and then I remembered that the back end here is not set up to automatically scale pictures.

I tried to upload two, and sure enough, a crash.

I don't know why it has to be up to us to rescale the pictures when the setting is right there in admincp where the developers at Jelsoft always anticipated that this would be something that people wanted to do.

TampaRLX-SH

Indeed, Malibu....comparisons to the RL would also be appreciated as the forum has more RL members interested in the SH RLX than PAWS owners (although the number of potential traders chiming in does impress me).

I agree with your comment on roll / stability may be weight related. But the RLX feels lighter and lighter on its feet to me. When I get back in the RL I feel like I am in a tank with sticky wheels. It may be the new car feel, but the lighter car feel, electric steering and lower rolling resistance made the RLX feel like a significantly lighter car to me. (I think they are actually very close in weight?)

I still favor the RLs steering weight and feel and love the smooth linear braking. I expect I would adjust to the SH RLX steering and moreso to the regen brakes.

My dealer promises me a weekend loan of a SH RLX.....but I certainly understand that is contingent of they having one available and not already earmarked for a sale.

holografique

Very interesting and further supports previous statements about the suspension having been designed primarily for the SH-AWD version, and would explain why Acura hasn't released anything yet to fix the issue. I would be very surprised to see them try to implement a potentially costly replacement for all production P-AWS RLXs in the field.

I think this one will ultimately be chalked up to a bad design decision made by Acura and them being the ones that ultimately pay the price by it's negative impact in press and sales for the introduction of the RLX. What concerns me is they moved forward with the 2015 with no apparent signs of fixing and/or placing a new suspension system to deal with the weight differences. I think only one person here on the forum so far has a 2015? Woropollo?

woropallo

Interesting for you to make this comment considering I have seen numerous diversion in many topics on this forum then folks get back on the track. Also we ended our entry with the statement that we needed to get back on the topic. I did not realize I would offend anyone on this forum by asking and answering a simple question. Appearently we needed someone to tell us to focus on the topic at hand. Sorry I did not mean to interrupt your train of thoughts and discussion.

Timmy18

Just a quick question but has 0-60 been tested yet?

Malibu Flyer

Not that anyone here is aware of. There were some estimates done by the auto press who got to drive the pre-productions hybrids (low 5 seconds) but given the rarity of the actual production cars a few of us have no cars were given out for reviews and testing. From my experience the car is very spirited and fast but actual time 0-60 time is only a guess. It is certainly faster than my RL was and that tested at 6.0 - 6.2 speeds.

JonFo

I believe this all points to the RLX being originally conceived as a SH model from the get-go, with maybe a PAWS version for 'entry level' pricing, but when the SH program derailed (software most likely), they rushed the PAWS model out as the launch vehicle. Big mistake on several fronts, but financially probably their only move at that time.

The good news is that the SH models suspension seems well suited to the power and capabilities of this car. Can't wait for the 2016's to start showing up.

In the meantime, thanks to Malibu and George, we get to vicariously enjoy what the SH can do.

George Knighton

Another 90 minute drive today to put on the spoiler, splash guards and other things. :-)

TampaRLX-SH

That has been my thinking. Further if the rumor becomes reality that the SH RLX will skip a 2015 to a 2016 it may not only be for packaging, pricing and feature reasons. Since 2012 there was talk that the RLX would become a US built vehicle. With the NSX confirmed for US assembly I am speculating that the skipped 2015 SH RLX offering may allow changing to the US assembly plant as well. Whether it would be just the SH models or all RLX models remains to be seen. But direction Honda, and specifically Acura is heading to build within the sales market. Japan assembly has had too many constraints with Yen value. US assembly may allow for some less painful pricing adjustments.

George Knighton

I think that it would be a tremendous step forward for the top tier RLX if they started to build it in Ohio alongside the NSX.

It would only make sense, considering the interchangeability of electrics, electronics and suspension parts, and it would give us a sense of comfort as far as quality goes.

I was surprised to discover, and I admit that this is an entirely subjective opinion from one dumb old bald guy, that I felt that my 2010 TL built in Ohio was a better built car, basically, than my 2014 RLX built in Saiyama.

We'd probably get more front and rear headroom if we left it to the North American team to design and build the North American cars!

:-)