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Beta tester, I mean, new owner of #00217 checking in
The deed is done.
#00217 is in my driveway.
It was originally delivered to an Acura dealer in West Virginia. Dealer had it transported to the Cleveland area yesterday, and I picked it up a couple of hours ago.
It's raining here tonight, and everyone knows what a crystal black RLX with greystone interior looks like, so pardon the lack of pictures. I took a couple on the showroom floor that I'll upload later. The car looks pretty sharp in black, and being a fan of the graphite, it was not that much of a stretch to own a black one.
PS my dealer sold the Tech I test-drove. I am wondering how many other dealers have sold two RLX hybrids when most dealers are receiving only one, or sometimes none.
Edit: Pictures (iPhone 6+, resized for forum format)
At this dealer, yes, you get to drive off the showroom floor. It's an antiquated, but very nice touch I've done for the fourth time now here.
Congratulations Bob!!!!
Please keep the reviews/driving impressions coming - I'll have a jealous tear in my eye as I enjoy reading them. Right now I'm most interested in how the Sport Hybrid handles the cold and the snow (hopefully for you that report won't be posted for another month or so).
P.S. We've been waiting all day for this news - you had me worried that something happened to derail the delivery.
Beta test #1: Will my largest suitcases fit in the trunk?
We use this suitcase on trips shorter than a week, and on some longer trips. 26 X 20 x 9.5 inches. Fits with lots of room to spare
We use this suitcase on longer road trips, 7-10 days. Also fits nicely with room to spare for our overnight duffel bag and my computer bag. 35 x 24 x 10 inches.
This shelf is uneven. On the right is a squared-off area that slopes further up to the right. Very odd configuration. Can hold soft, unshaped objects such as towels or shoes on a long road trip.
Trunk tray. This is where the spare tire will go when I can get one at a reasonable price.
Unrelated: Greystone interior. I am hoping it does not transfer dye as easily as Seacoast.
Thanks for the trunk pictures. It looks a lot bigger/better than I had feared. The only "missing area" is right up against the back seat which is the most awkward to reach anyway.
Now go for a good long drive tomorrow and I dare you not to smile the whole time.
Congrats! Yes, I'm quite envious, too. The gray interior could work for me as easily as the seacoast. Just not ebony.
IMO, CBP is the most elegant and stately color
Thanks for the trunk pictures. It looks a lot bigger/better than I had feared. The only "missing area" is right up against the back seat which is the most awkward to reach anyway.
Now go for a good long drive tomorrow and I dare you not to smile the whole time.
Planning on playing with the ACC/CMBS/Lane Keep Assist tomorrow during my commute. Stay tuned.
Originally Posted by HDNBenjamin
Beautiful RLX you have there. All you need is tint for that VIP look.
That is exactly the plan. I'd like to put 50% tint on to make the total a just-below-legal 35%. Cops can still see in the windows so I won't be pulled over (as if I'd be pulled over in this stealth-mobile, heh!), and it still looks good.
woo hoo
just keep an eye on the little green (red) light
and get the paint finished with the stuff tampa suggests which I got as well which I can't remember right now be cause I am jealous of your new car which I which I could drive out of the showroom which brings me back to the little green (red) light - which color is it?
Hmmm this pic reminds me: so all of you hybrid owners, do you think that wood trim is real (there have been previous debates on the matter)? It looks better & more real in pics but I have yet to see it in person:
I am so jealous of you owners, the closest 1 to me is 1.5 hours & it is only a white/seacoast tech which I have no intereste in. The only other 1 in my state is the same combo. If they do not sell it 1st, I may have time over the holidays to take a look/drive.
Btw Chevy Chase Acura must be a big dealer bc they have 2 advance hybrids right now. Most places only have 1 & of those, I notice tech & white are the most common.
The wood looks and feels real. It's a nice touch and I say that not being a wood person.
Tried ACC with low-speed follow-through and Lane Keep Assist on my commute downtown this morning. Once I have the settings dialed in, these items will make my commute virtually stress-free. Automatic braking in stop-go traffic is COOL on you set it appropriately. What cool features in general! The car damn near drives itself.
Can't tell when engine is in VCM mode. Engine shutdown and startup at low speed is noticeable but unobtrusive and smooth.
Shift buttons are incredibly easy to use.
One cheap touch is that left of the steering wheel are a couple of blank buttons. WTH? Those must be for Canada or Japan-only features.
Congrats Bob, I am sure you will agree this is a very different car than the PAWS RLX. Hopefully enough of your RL memory will permit some comparisons.
If history repeats itself, you went from your TL to the RL a few months before me. So perhaps springtime will be my turn (Graphite / Graystone is my 1st choice).
Bob, Welcome back to the RL-esque club. You, George and Mablibuflyer have very fine automobiles. Maybe the day will come when I can join your unique gang. The greystone interior wil dye-transfer from your belts and jeans. Keep an upper hand on it.
Congratulations, Bob! Beautiful car. A special thanks for the trunk and luggage photos. I look forward to joining you, Zoomer, George and Malibu one day.
Absolutely stunning. I'm very glad you were able to jump on a Sport Hybrid. I look forward to hearing your thoughts a couple hundred or thousand miles from now. I must say, I'm a fan of the black, and the wood on the inside matched the interior perfectly. Yourself, George, and holographique seem to really like the RLX SH-AWD, as do I. Hopefully, in the next 24 months people like me will be able to upgrade our 2G RLs to a CPO or heavily discounted RLX SH-AWD similar to yours.
Definitely looking forward to your impressions. As for me, I was really tempted to grab the RLX hybrid but I may hold off a new vehicle purchase for a couple years, I've been re-doing a yard and renovating a basement.
...
One cheap touch is that left of the steering wheel are a couple of blank buttons. WTH? Those must be for Canada or Japan-only features.
Yes, in Canada one of these buttons is for the MCA feature (Moose Collision Avoidance). Just kidding. Congrats. If you have access to a car hoist, some pictures of the undercarriage would be nice to see.
Congrats Bob and best of luck-please keep posting updates as you accumulate more miles. I will be test driving a Tech on Friday and am eagerly awaiting that. I most likely will wait for the 16's as hard as it would be.
Nice car! do you still have the "beat" Pilot you picked up a little earlier?
Nope. I used it as a cap reduction for my lease. I bought the beater Pilot as a stopgap as I seriously needed an AWD vehicle this winter, and I thought the Sport Hybrid was still vaporware at the time I bought. This car, given AWD, will be my winter transportation and will share daily driver with the CTS-V wagon. I will still drive my CTS-V wagon on nice days during the winter, and it will still be my road trip car.
Originally Posted by Pens Fan
Congrats Bob and best of luck-please keep posting updates as you accumulate more miles. I will be test driving a Tech on Friday and am eagerly awaiting that. I most likely will wait for the 16's as hard as it would be.
That's how it starts....with the test drive. I tried really hard to be disappointed with something, but failed. You can see the result.
Originally Posted by getakey
"Automatic braking in stop-go traffic is COOL on you set it appropriately."
curious what you mean by that. I only know of the distance variable setting. Are there other settings?
I'm trying to optimize the ACC/CMBS/LKAS settings. The hardest part for me is keeping off the brake pedal, which of course shuts off the cruise setting, until you choose speed again. Still reading through that part of the owner's manual.
PS--my little light is green. I have to figure out how to configure AcuraLink.
Yes, that is 1 of my pet peeves. I do not understand why the advance trim has 2 unused buttons by the steering wheel: Acura's flagship top-of-the-line model should have everything Acura has available. I will say that 1 of those is for headlight washers - which we in the US do not get. Not sure what the other is for. I wish Acura would redesign that some how, like maybe space out the buttons on the lower trim so it is not obvious you are missing a feature & have a useless place holder there. I do, however, see this on many other luxury cars so it is the norm.
It does look much worse on the lower trims where there are 4 unassigned buttons:
Back when I was vehicle shopping, this 1 of the pluses that the MDX had over the RLX - all the buttons were for a purpose:
11-04-2014, 07:47 PM
I'd like to put 50% tint on to make the total a just-below-legal 35%. Cops can still see in the windows so I won't be pulled over (as if I'd be pulled over in this stealth-mobile, heh!), and it still looks good.
Wood
Very sharp looking car.
Congrats!
Unused Buttons
