In a phrase, to release major design changes to the defective suspension in the 2014 and 2015. The rest is just window dressing.

 

It's not much talked about but the even more unpopular ZDX had magnetics.

"IDS" was originally designed to have magnetic shock fluids.

I don't know why they didn't go further with the idea after the ZDX. I assume that surveys of the owners of ZDX did not reveal that it was all that popular an idea among the tribe who purchased it.

It probably unsettled their border collies. :-)

 

Sometimes I'm the dumbest person in the room.

I don't know what "bi-directional remote starting" is, and I have to say that it sounds suspiciously useless.

 

1 way remote: Push the remote button and car starts

2 way (bi-directional) remote: Push the button, car starts AND the remote indicates the car is running. The car transmits back to the remote it's status - hence 2 way or bi directional communication.

The benefit of 2 way / bi directional is that you do not need to see or hear the car to determine if it is running, the remote tells you by an indicator light or graphic. It also eliminates the user from repetitively hitting the start button if they cannot see or hear the car running.

 

I'd never have thought of that. Thank you. :-)

 

Oh the comments one could make with that question..... just kidding. I figure if a person is not able to figure out that the car is running, they should not be driving it. Just my logic. I can see only one reason for this feature that I would use:

It is either 100 degrees or zero, and I want the cabin temp at 70 degrees before I get in it.

This situation is not a necessity and should be considered a pure luxury. Honestly I might forget that I even have this option because it is so far outside of my everyday thought process. Frankly I think it would be just another point for the salesman to talk about, but not a technology I would likely use very much.

 

Jeff over on TOV confirmed an announcement for the 2016 Sport Hybrid will be coming soon!

 

Some of the remote starters available have a range of up to a mile or more (I'm not sure about the system Acura is using) , so "knowing if the car is running or not" is not as obvious as it seems. For example, up here in the frozen north, if I go to a hockey game, I simply push the remote starter near the end of the third period and by the time I get to the car, it is toasty warm and ready to go. The bi-directional function is huge in this case, so that I know that the button was pressed for an adequate duration, the signal was received and that the car has started so I don't get back to a freezing cold car. The key point is that the range can vary greatly if you are indoors, so some parts of a building it will work and some it won't. Knowing definitively that it worked is a big deal for those that use remote starters frequently.

The same functionality exists coming off the golf course in the summer. If my car has been sitting in the sun all afternoon, then I simply start it while enjoying the 19th hole and a few minutes later, I hop into a nice cool car.

I am amongst those who didn't really see a need for a remote starter since I have a heated garage and I ofter park in heated underground parking, but I have one installed in my RL and the above examples of their functionality has converted me to being a true believer in remote starters.

Environmentalists won't be impressed with leaving a car idling for nothing more than "comfort" reasons, but it is a luxury that I enjoy.

 

Yay! I saw this a bit ago on TOV.

But what about the 2015 on Acura Canada's website?

 

^^^
I have the same question Bob. The USA Acura.com site deltas all references to Sport Hybrid , and then a short time later the Canadian site has a build and price for a 2015 Sport Hybrid. None of this makes any sense. It's as if one region of Acura doesn't know what the other is doing.

 

^ lol...how long have we been at this now?

 

Hi again, have been on the road past month and still on the road out west. Here is the link to the 2016 RLX. THEY ADDRESSED THE SUSPENSION. I wonder whether the fix will carry over to the 2014. Enjoy:

2016 Acura RLX Gets AcuraWatch Driver Aids, Chassis Tuning

 

I guess I would have been impressed if they replaced the 6spd tranny with the 9spd, but to tell the truth I've always felt 6 speeds was about optimal ... more can be too many and fewer isn't enough. And given that the RLX gets very impressive gas mileage with the 6spd, I suppose it's fine. But image is everything, and the competition have more gears.

.---------------------------------
Unless Acura can develop a better 9 speed than they put in the TLX, my input is to stick with the smooth shifting 6 speed.

I noticed that they dropped the power folding mirrors on the Tech package. i like that feature on the '14 Tech. I wouldn't spend $6K to get it though.

 

Plus, if they gave you the 9 ZF, you'd probably get the fancy push button selector.

:-)

 

Well, I believe there is a contest underway amongst auto mfgs. to make the most complex interface possible between the driver and his vehicle. There might be a sizeable segment available for an AARP car with large buttons !

 

Once you realize why they've done exactly what they've done with the gear selector arrangement for the 9 ZF and 7 DCT, you'll love it.

It's designed so that you don't have to look at it!!

You always find the big D when you need it (maybe that needs rephrasing), the R is easy to find and push back, it automatically goes into P when you turn off the car, and there's even Braille on the Sport button so you can find it without looking.

It's really hilariously easy once you realize why it is like it is.

Hey, now!!

 

I did not know it did that! Thanks!