I've been meaning to put this here and I keep forgetting.

The inboard squabs have switches that nobody's explained to me. Surely they don't have power headrests?

And this is a view of the rear touch screen with controls for the Krell Audio and the HVAC.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H-Sm...ature=youtu.be

 

The show of the car throwing up bits of tyre rubber from off a gater...kind of neat, and the first Honda-originated sign that we have done this kind of thing with the car.

:-)

 

from this video:

Here is screen shot of the panel....

 

looks like it does have power head-rests...and damn that rear control center looks nice.

 

The Legend comes equipped with baby pigeons?

.
.

 

honda beak grille!

 

I'd also add that the wood grain in the 5G legend looks really nice and IMO surpasses both variations implemented in the 3G RLX so far (PAWS and Sport Hybrid versions).

What they need to do is follow the Germans in letting us "the customer" choose from a variety of trim options. Include two different wood options and one metal/carbon-fiber or other option that's not wood (eg the trim used in the base model).

For the price we pay for the RLX, we should have more flexibility in build options.

 

Please insert here my obligatory protest that "3G RLX" fits inside 5G Legend. Our North American RLX is the fifth generation of Legend.

The 3G was the 1995-2004, 4G was 2004-2014, and 5G 2014-?

Humph.

Well. Maybe, but....

Have you looked at BMW and Porsche options lists recently?

I'd hate to get very German with this. It's a maddening list of choices that make life very complicated, and the packages never seem to be available the way you would want to put them together yourself.

I like the Honda and Acura system of trim levels, honestly.

 

^ No offense intended, but I just don't get it when people complain about having "too many options" to choose how to build their car. I'm the complete opposite.

It's not like we're shopping for a refrigerator or ordering dinner at a fine restaurant. This is a product that we probably spend almost 30-40% of our daily time in and drop a huge amount of our financial income on. Based on those premises alone, I absolutely want it to be as close to perfect and to my exact liking as possible. Meaning I want options, and tons of them. For me buying car is like buying a home. If I'm going to spend that much money and time with it, I want it exactly to my liking. There is nothing worse than feeling like you have to compromise when you're spending good hard earned money, and lots of it.


I'm not sure I get this. Buying a car is something that we (particularly those of us who lease) do maybe every 3-5 years? How is that "making life very complicated"? It's the car manufacturer's responsibility to deal with the complexities of producing those options. As long as they make the selection process easy and straightforward for the consumer (which IMO MB, Audi, and BMW make it very easy and straightforward to build your car), then it's no harder than answering a list of questions on a survey. If you haven't tried building a MB or BMW lately on their website, go try it out...I personally found it very easy, very intuitive, and allowed me to cater the car to a nice variety of options to make the car unique with all the added luxury features I'd want, regardless of the class of vehicles I was building.

 

LOL! Sorry about that, I remember you mentioning something about that in another post.

Blame it on Acurazine and the misleading header link!

 

Okay. Let's try a different tack.

If you have the time to do it, go configure an Audi or BMW exactly the way that your RLX Advance is configured.

Compare prices.

 

I've sorta already done that.

I've been doing my shopping homework in preparation for my next car and I've settled on a variety of different cars from the Germans as my next option if the 2016 RLX doesn't come through for what I want. While varying in sizes compared to the RLX, I've settled on:

* C400 4Matic
* BMW 435i Coupe with XDrive
* A6 3.0 Prestige

Before people start flailing their arms in the air:

1. The C400 is obviously more in size with the TLX.

2. the 435i while roughly the same size as the RLX, is a 2-door coupe (the 5-series being the closer comparison, but definitely coming out more expensive than both the PAWS and SH RLX).

3. The A6 is the one that falls more in line with comparison to the RLX in size, class, and general features.

The common thing that all three vehicles shared is: all three of these vehicles provided matching and/or exceeding luxury options when compared to the RLX, including the smaller C400.

After pricing them all to similar specs to my 2014 RLX Advanced CBP/Seacost, they all came in $4-6k higher than the $62k I paid for my RLX in July of 2013. C400 and 435i came in around $65-66k. The A6 3.0 Prestige came in around $65k. $4-6k may seem like a lot for some people, but in terms of a lease, it's dollars difference on the monthly payment.

All three cars were similarly configured with the following options:

* similar exterior color
* similar interior color (A6 being the only configured in black interior)
* 19" rim options (all three of which offered way more selection of rim options)
* some type of advanced adjustable suspension + steering features (A6 did not have this)
* HUD (all three included fully functional HUD options)
* parking assist features
* larger or panoramic moonroof (A6 did not have this)
* better interior cabin lighting options
* arguably more advanced NAVI system
* full integration with iPhone and/or Smartphone device

A large number of these features I can't get in my current 2014 RLX. I'd have to move to the Sport Hybrid, and even then I pay a nice chunk up and still don't get all the features these cars offer. All you get in the Sport Hybrid is the HUD, SH-AWD, and the added 67hp. the 310hp in my RLX is more than suitable for my personal need for speed. The C400 clocking 329hp, the 435i being twin-turbo V6 at 300hp, and the A6 at 310hp.

And while SH-AWD sounds great from what I've read here, personally, adjustable suspension + steering options are more important to me than a piece of technology like SH-AWD that you don't even really get to interact with unless you are pushing the car to it's limit. I want features that I can use, interact with, and makes a difference in my real-world every day execution of using the car.

The point I'm making here is: it all points back to having more options. The C400 and 435i are different class cars, no doubt. And even arguably a step below the class of the RLX. However, BMW and MB both offer me a plethora of options to increase the luxury features of both those cars, so that while I pay the same price as a fully decked out SH-AWD, they both surpass the luxury options for what I'd pay in a similarly priced RLX. Acura on the other hand gives me very limited options not only across the lineup, but within each class model itself.

I'll close in stating that remember my comment in the other thread that you wanted to quote? About what matters to the average consumer versus the "engineer"? Same thing here. SH-AWD and all that fancy stuff under the hood doesn't matter to me if I'm not interacting or engaging with it in a meaningful manner. What does matter to me are the luxury options and features that make me "feel" the engineering behind the product without having to be a rocket science to understand or even care about what's going on, I just want to experience it. If you can't make me "feel" it, then that engineering prowess is of no value.

 

Sound like you may up your mind and it not the RLX.

 

Not if you read the entire post. The only thing I've made up my mind about is that I will be looking hard at other options.

As it stands, my lease is up in 17 months. That almost enough time for Acura to release the 2016 MMC and the 2017 model (whatever that ends up being). So that's two opportunities in which I can see how things will improve/change. Who knows, by July 2016, the Germans will also have new models and changes to their lineup, some of which I may or may not like. What I do feel certain about is their approach to providing higher end customization and options to your vehicle over what Acura provides. And that is definitely already a big area that is swaying me in the other direction.

 

Any thoughts on any of the Lexus models?

 

^ the GS350 was on my list at one point, but have come to the decision that I really don't like the dashboard design at all, otherwise it looks to have a nice interior. The only Lexus interior design I like is the 2015 IS. But not really the car I'm after. Right now the C400 and the 435i are top of my list.

Back to the 5G Legend, I'm eager to see what other changes we may see come across seas to the NA version.

 

I don't mean to challenge your opinion, holografique, and I don't remember whether you have test driven a Sport Hybrid. But for me, the first time I drove it I definitely "felt" it, and that was that, more options or not. And that seems to be the story with most of the Sport Hybrid posters on this forum; it's the feel of the car and the way it handles. If you haven't tried it, you should do so before making any decisions. I personally could not get even the BMW535xi to "feel" on the road like a Sport Hybrid.

 

I wondered about that. If he's looking at a wide range of things from the A6 to the 435, I'd suppose that there might be a couple of Lexus in there that he should have on his list.

Lexus seems to be top of the heap with reliability, too.

 

I have to confess that there are ways of equipping a 435 that it'd be an interesting car for me. I'm not sure I'd elect the all wheel drive version, however.

I'm glad that they finally give you a way to order sports equipment and the high performance LSD without having to get an M-car, too.

I also have to say that some of what I miss about driving in my younger days could only be satisfied by a smaller car.

But, then.... If you look at the enthusiast forums you aren't going to see fewer complaints with BMW. You're going to see more, and this is verified by dispassionate groups like Consumer Reports and Maritz.

For the sake of never having to worry about anything, I suspect that if I moved away from Honda, it would be to Lexus. Even after completely loading an LS460, it still seems very affordable compared to other vehicles with the same kinds of equipment.

It's just that damned V8. The power's good, but not great...and the miles per gallon make you feel somewhat...well...socially irresponsible.

 

Interesting you say that, because that's one reason I have the smaller C400 on my list. After driving the TLX as many times I have recently with the loaners, I realized what I was missing in the RLX from my old TL. I love the solid more "planted" feeling of a larger car like the RLX, but I also love the quick nimble somewhat "un-restricted" feeling you get in a smaller car. So I'm sorta torn at the moment....

I also forget to mention that in my homework, all the cars I built out to price also included comparable if not better "driver assist" features that matched up with what Acura is now branding as "AcuraWatch". So it just puts me in the position of: If I can pay the same amount, and get ALOT more with some of the German options (using the cost of the Sport-Hybrid for comparison), then just what exactly is it that should make me continue to buy Acura?

I think this goes back to something that's been mentioned before, in general, the RLX is over-priced. And I think that's been clearly proven based on the prices I've seen many of you here on the forum pay for your RLX. For me, I paid premium, and that's where it hurts. When you compare it to other vehicles, at least from the "features and options" perspective, you are paying too much for very little with the RLX. The Acura value scale breaks down. the RLX goes in both opposite directions of what Acura has typically done, where you get alot for your money. In the case of the RLX, when I compare it to the competition, you don't get enough for your money.

Had I paid $10k less as I've seen some of you Advanced owners mention, meaning, if the RLX was MSRP at around $10k less for the same configuration it offers today, then I don't think I'd be feeling the same about all of this...

 

nothing wrong with challenging my opinions, by all means, they are just opinions, but what I like to believe are based on somewhat accurate information combined with my own experiences with the RLX so far.

the problem with your suggestion is: where am I gonna find a Sport-Hybrid to test drive? None of the dealers in my area have one, the couple times they did was only for receiving and delivery to a buyer, and even my dealer down in Florida where I leased my RLX has refused to even take on or sell the Sport-Hybrid because of it being released as a 2014 model in the a 2015 calendar year, and all the surrounding issues with the RLX in general. (I don't blame them)

The inability to test drive one can only be blamed on Acura deciding to make such a limited number of them. To me it really does seem to be a "test platform" for what is maybe to come down the road. Someone said it earlier before, they should have just made the SH a demo model delivered to every dealer targeted specifically for building product awareness, and then focus their efforts on getting a proper 2015/2016 SH model out ASAP. You can't tell me that they've really regained their costs with the 100+ they've sold to date. So why not just have eaten the cost, use those vehicles in a more strategic marketing approach? And honestly, even if I could test drive one, (and I'm sure I would fall in love with how it performs, drives, etc,) the SH doesn't address many of my other general complaints and issues behind the execution of the RLX as a flagship vehicle.

Acura doesn't treat the RLX car nor it's RLX customers as a flagship, and as noted by others (including SH owners), until Acura is ready to accept, invest, act, and EXECUTE (key-word here) like they have a flagship product (and no, not the MDX), personally they don't deserve the kind of financial investment required from me as a customer in order to own their supposed "flagship" vehicle. And I don't think I'm being the least bit unreasonable considering the options out there that exist.

 

^^^ I agree with pretty much everything you say here. They really screwed it up on both versions of the car - actual problems with the PAWS and the limited run of the Sport Hybrid. Not good. Yes, they should have made all 250 Sport Hybrids dealer demos (which was, I am told, the original plan).

 

Well. Now I'm even more jealous.

Something that I haven't seen in print anywhere is that the rear arm rest, in addition to the touch screen for the Krell Audio, contains a pocket with a USB port and 12 v power port.

You lift up a door behind the touch screen and there's space for an iPhone or iPod, just like the arm rest up front.

 

you would have thought we'd see that in the 2016 update, seeing as though it's already available in the Legend.

Here's a question, why on earth is it that Honda, takes the old name of one of the most successful ACURA vehicles to date, yet ACURA doesn't use it anymore?

I swear, I've never seen a company more confused when it comes to marketing and messaging than Honda/Acura.

 

Maybe it is the cachet of the English word to the Japanese market

No real way to explain this otherwise.

 

^ lol

 

I am so jealous of the chrome door handles.

 

I noticed those, and I thought about it...but in the end I don't think I care.

:-)