George Knighton

Today was my first day using the car the way that I would usually use it. I took a couple of weeks off from work and bought the car while I was off.

This surprised me.

113.4 miles @ 33.8 mpg

0_0

⅓ of the mileage was urban.

Terry RL

Very impressive fuel economy George. 33.8 MPG is great, a much needed over improvement over the 22MPG I get on my car. This MPG figure reassures my position on waiting for a CPO Sport Hybrid Advance.

neuronbob

Pretty damned good! Again, not the main reason to buy the car, but a nice plus nevertheless.

That more than doubles the 15 mpg I get in my CTS-V on a 60-40 hwy-city loop.

hondamore

Considering the miles that George piles on in a year, that type of fuel economy starts to turn into a VERY significant savings of several thousand dollars. Best of all, you get to have all that fun saving money - sweet.
Thanks for the info.

Malibu Flyer

George's post was timely as I just got back from a 250 mile to San Diego as saw this tread. I now have 582 miles on the odometer. My average for that time is 26.7 MPG. This is a little understated since it includes the +/- 50 miles that were on the car when I drove it home and the MPG for those 50 miles were 8.2.

More representative were the second two fill-ups. The first which included both City driving (20%) and freeway cruising @ 70-75 MPH was 29.8 while the return trip from San Diego, 125 miles, averaged 30.1 MPG. THE return trip featured both cruising @ 75 MPH and 30 minutes of stop and go LA traffic


My feeling is that is pretty respectable mileage for a large car. As I have said before the better mileage is nice but not the reason to buy this car......the handling and power are why to drive this car.

George Knighton

Ummm...yeah, I don't think that I could do that. Virginia's a "purple" state and the 50% socially conscious Democrats and energy-independently minded Republicans would be all over me.

:-)

stagefoursurvivor

Terry,

You're hysterical. You and I will end up in a bidding war when that lone RLXh CPO shows up

Zoommer

250 Miles 80% City and 20% Hwy=26MPG. The start stop and VCM do come in handy. I agree with George that you can get quite a bit of EV. I got close to 2 miles at ~15 mph to ~20 mph hypermiling (full charge). Fun to see what a 4300 lbs car can do.

George Knighton

Yesterday, 108.2 miles @ 31.2

Might've been a little sportier yesterday. :-)

Zoommer

Wow that is very good. I have not been on hwy long enough to get a good read. Will try today. What type of gas and brand are you using? Are you particular about staying with one brand? Thanks

Zoommer

Yeah. Almost got the CTS-V two years ago as I get a deep GM discount. Vetoed by spousal unit given the MPG. For harmony I did not push hard. For this car got a thumbs up right off the bat.

George Knighton

93 octane EXXON

But it's more or less coincidental. It's a convenient station to pass, and I get a .20/gallon Safeway discount + 3% back from American Express.

It's not a brand preference as much as it is the best way not to spend too much.

:-)

Terry RL

What time should I meet you at the dealer?

neuronbob

Can't wait to sample the mileage. With my typical driving of 40 miles a day, I'd be filling up about every 10-14 days with the teeny tiny tank of the hybrid (15 gallons vs 18 gallons for the PAWS RLX). In my CTS-V, I fill up every five days. Smiles per mile in the V are pretty high, though.

I've owned two CTS-Vs, got the first at employee price and the second at below invoice even though a stick wagon is rare. My wife will be glad the V wagon is relegated to fun status, but it will remain in my fleet for as long as I'm financially able (paid off, only costs are fuel and $$$ insurance).

LOL! Get ready to rrrrrumble! I'd love to see this bidding war....

stagefoursurvivor

Seriously, I think when any become available, it will be a matter of who blinks first!
BUT, new iterations could impact their value if Acura steps up any MMCs.
Honestly? I've made inquiry on a possible lease AND I called the dealer who offered a test drive that I've had a change of heart and accepted

George Knighton

So that is *two* more Sport Hybrid coming on board?

:-)

Zoommer

The car does get looks and is deceivingly fast! Welcome the two more but it is still a rare sight.

Terry RL

Since their is a scarcity of RLX SH-AWDs on dealer lots. I estimate it'll be about 24 months until people like you and I can pick from a few CPO RLX Hybrids that are of our liking. Since Acura is already having a tough time selling RLX FWD cars; this has resulted in cliff-drop depreciation values. The other day I saw a 2014 PAWS Tech. with 30k miles, for around 35k, and it had been on the lot for two months(no accident, no salvage). Just 18 months ago that car would have been listed new for 55k, new. 20k depreciation in less that two years; that's pure madness. However, it's great news for people like us, who in two years should be able to cherry-pick some nice RLX Sport Hybrid Adavnce cars, at the 40k or high-30k mark.

George Knighton

Well, all the best of luck to you. But you're supposing that any of us would let ours go. :-)

So far, I'm willing to say that this is likely one of the very best cars I've ever owned, and I can well see myself hanging onto it for longer than usual!

George Knighton

The batteries are projected to last 160,000 miles.

:-D

stagefoursurvivor

Terry,

I believe you're overestimating the used/CPO availability in that timeline however, I think your price point is realistic, IMO. Keep in mind the numbers compared to the PAWS, which were in the thousands, not a couple hundred. I predict a used RLXh will be very rare. Rarity is also a factor in depreciation.
Think about it, if there's only one RLXh Advanced on a CPO lot for $45K in a year or two and no others in a reasonable distance?
Quite frankly, I'm glad Acura ISN'T promoting the RLXh more vigorously and hope it stays below the radar! (at least until I get my butt in the saddle!!!)

G

Terry RL

Glad your enjoying you Sport Hybrid RLX. Seriously, congratulations. Your one of the lucky ones who can afford to buy one new; I wish I could. But on my old 2005 RL with taxes I bought it for around 55k, and sold it for 12k 8 years later. 43k of depreciation would be me biting of more than I can chew, at least this time around. That's why I prefer CPO. You do bring up a point, since the RLX Sport-Hybrid is such a nice car, I can't see many people letting go of it. Their would be no real 'upgrade' in the 65k price range. Perhaps until an MMC RLX. Maybe I'll be able to snatch a 24 month lease MY2014 AWD Advance. Maybe. Happy driving George.

Malibu Flyer

I agree with George. Also, besides the rarity it is simply a more popular car. I don't think the Sports Hybrid will suffer the same depreciation as the PAWS because it is a hybrid version of the car the RLX should have made. IF the RLX had SHAWD like the popular RL then it would have sold much better. The buyers of the RL have gotten used the to the advantages of SHAWD and the PAWS is a poor substitute. Most of the new features of the RLX are positive -- larger size, new advanced tech features, jewel eye headlights. The other negative is the confusing infotainment system. I am willing to overlook [or said another way I am willing to spend hours trying to understand how it works and multiple hours to configure the 75 or 100 options that can be customized] the infotainment system because i simply love the way the Sports Hybrid drives.

I still actually look forward getting into the car just because it is such a joy to drive.

George Knighton

Same here. I'm pretty old, and I haven't felt this way about an automobile in a long, long time.

I don't believe I've felt that a car has been this much on the money since back in 1992, when I got a Civic Si as a daily driver/commuter, or December 1999 when I got the Type R that I held onto for 14 years!

sooththetruth

This quote is fascinating to read. Most of the reviews of the vehicle compare it to the German Vehicle of it's class: Audi A6 with the V6 biturbo, or the 5 series with 300 horsepower and ft/lbs of torque, and ALL describe a relative lack of passion compared to the above vehicles.

However, those are GREAT vehicles, and they all say that the feeling is very, very, close.

It would be interesting to drive them back to back, but I have not heard of any owners of the SH AWD RLX on this board that compared them back to back. The loyalty on this board is amazing.

And, let's be real, most of the people writing those articles are comparing the driving experience at the edge of adhesion, taking mountain roads, and wanting the driving experience to be about their own feeling of competence as they drive.

I gave up on that stuff years ago, and now I want a car the just feels good rolling, is comfortable, and is easy to drive. I suspect that this Acura is exactly what I would want.

By the way, current Car and Driver describes that Elon Musk (Tesla) is building a site in Nevada to build his own batteries, just so he can produce enough of them.

Maybe the replacement batteries you all will need (and maybe me) won't be so expensive when we roll past 160,000 miles.

George Knighton

Now, if you're going to go throwing common sense at us, I just don't know what.

:-)

Zoommer

Bought it outright so mine is staying here for a while :-)

Zoommer

Did test and drive A6 and a friend of mine's 540. A6 is really buttoned up and the TDI has gobs of torque, like the HySHAWD, plus better materials. Can't say the A6 is better when you factor in NVH, tech, cost, mpg, etc...or drives better. The BMW does drive better if you want a track type car. I agree with George that the HySHAWD is a different car and will keep up with the competition when it comes to what counts more on a daily basis outside of the 0-60, Gs, and pure road feel.

Zoommer

160 miles yesterday at 55 mph-70 mph for 80 pct of the trip on hwy=30.0 mpg
20 miles yesterday 15 mph-35 mph for 20 pct of the trip on stop and go=25 mpg

Have to try the reactive force pedal to see if I can better the mpg. Very happy that a 350+ hp/tq car is providing these numbers.

Zoommer

Had to go to Richmond. There and back average of speed limit (55-70) give or take +/- 10 mph. So about 220 miles=32+ mpg. 80 pct hwy and 20 pct stop and go on hwy plus 5 miles around town. Very impressed with mpg given size, power, and hp/tq. Set the reactive force to high on accelerator.

George Knighton

Over 900 miles now. I drive a lot.

Lifetime average is 30.5 mpg in mixed driving. Really mixed from very urban stop and go to 70 mph highway.

It looks to me from my experience and from what everybody's been saying that their EPA mpg rating is about what we should expect unless we're on long moderate speed cruises, where we can get up to about 34 mpg.

I am not being as careful with the accelerator pedal as I was in the beginning. Enjoying the performance a little more than the fuel economy.

Malibu Flyer

I know the feeling. I doubt any of us bought this car because of the gas mileage. It is the joy of driving the car by experiencing the power and handling. It is nice to try to see how far you can go limping along at parking lot speeds on the electric motors but not nearly as much fun as punching the accelerator and feeling the exhilaration when the gas and electric motors work in concert. Anyway, that is the main thing that motivated me to buy the Sports Hybrid. Gas mileage is not as important to me, even in Southern California where premium fuel is still in the $3.75 to $4.00 range [high taxes both state and local plus lower, more expensive, but cleaner blend] despite the recent fall in oil to the $75 to $80/barrel range.

George Knighton

31.2 mpg for 1348 miles.

That is not bad.

hondamore

Thanks George. For comparison purposes, what would your fuel economy have been for similar driving in your PAWS RLX?? Also, do you feel the smaller fuel tank will be an issue at all??

George Knighton

The lifetime average for the RLX Advance was 24-25 mpg. I think that it had just turned 25 mpg when I got rid of it.

The smaller fuel tank is still enough to go 470 miles so, no, not an issue. I think that the FWD and AWD RLX have the exact same range.

:-)

Malibu Flyer

I now have 987 miles @ 26.7 MPG.

Only 25% of the miles were freeway driving and some of this was stop and traffic jams but I it seems like my driving style isn't as economical as others. I am somewhat disappointed in this mileage but mileage isn't the reason I bought the RLXh.....the driving joy is.

Zoommer

About 1000 on=28 lifetime (800 Hwy on 3 trips=32 mpg)
Compared to prior car; 90,000=19 mpg
Compared to another Hybrid; 109,000=26 mpg

Against my expectation for a 377hp/354tq=
Against wishful thinking=

Totally agree with you=got it for driving!!! I do not feel guilty when I push it because it is still greener and cleaner than the car next to me.

Only item better for mileage would be a super/turbocharged diesel paired with the 3 electric motors=

neuronbob

I got my best individual trip mileage yet on my commute home tonight, 30 mpg in 50-50 highway/surface roads. Yay! Getting better.

This car doesn't like high speed jaunts much mileage-wise. At 75 mph the tach is pegged at 2100 rpm (I assume that the VCM is on at that point) and despite best efforts, the front wheels are driven consistently. Instant mileage at that point is around 25 mpg. Again, likely to improve with more engine break-in.

ptbarnett

I've been wondering how we will do, if I don't lead-foot it on my daily errands.

The EPA got tired of manufacturers "gaming" their mileage measurements and laid out a specific driving course.

But, in some respects, the course is relatively aggressive. If I pay attention, I can easily beat the 50 mpg rating for my wife's Prius. It has a clear power distribution graphic that tells you if you are burning kinetic energy into the brakes, or if you are dumping gas into the engine to accelerate. If I keep the power within those limits, I can easily hit 60 mpg.

I drove a Honda Civic Hybrid long ago with a similar indicator, but I'm not yet sure if the RLXh has a clear power distribution graphic. I've seen the HUD graphic and the one that can be split screen on the nav display, but I was thinking about something much simpler. However, a light touch on the accelerator doesn't need any visual feedback.

Malibu Flyer

We will be interested in your mileage and whether or not you can achieve or beat the EPA rating of 28-30-32. There is the power distribution feature available. If you have the Advance the HUD has it or you can show it in the top screen in the center stack [info-power distribution] in either the Advance or the Tech.

I have not seen the Prius screen or know how it works but because of the torque vectoring and other more sophisticated features of the"dual power unit" I don't think it will be really helpful to try to figure out exactly how to maximize your mileage. I have tried but given up....just too many variables. Certain easy items will help.....don't drive in Sports mode, don't accelerate quickly, freeway cruising vs. City driving etc. but trying to adjust your driving technique based on the power screen is very tricky.

We will all be interested in your experience and will look forward to your comments.

Welcome aboard.