Even FWD RLX is very competitive in handling with its competitors despite its narrow fuel efficieny type tires.
I think A 3.0TDI/GS450h are way expensive for fuel efficiency/performance.

GS450h is not faster or handle better than FWD RLX. so it cannot be RLX hybrid competitor.
GS450h comes with narrow 17 inch tires.

 

adding reviews for the above mentioned vehicles:

Audi A6 TDI

http://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/...t-drive-review

Lexus GS450h

http://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/...id-test-review


both seem quick enough to me

 

I know. It's annoying.

I'm wondering if there's some last minute issues with the ZF contract or something.

 

That is a few grand less than I would have thought, to be honest.

They're still saying an automated manual, eh?

I thought they'd ditched the automated manual for the 9-speed ZF quick shift. Maybe I'm confusing the RLX with the TLX.

 

A6 TDI is guess estimate performance by C&D they havent tested it yet.
GS450H is using optional dunlop sport maxx tires. 27mpg C&D tested mpg.

FWD RLX still very competitive considering the discounts, interior space, reliability and super quiet ride.

 

Riddle me this? RLX lease $449 Mo. $2700 down 36 months 10k miles. MSRP $53K. RDX lease $399 Mo. $2000 down 36 months 10K miles. MSRP $35K. So for a vehicle that costs $18K more you pay $50.00 per month more and $700 more down. These RLX's most really be moving slow? Or the RDX must really be popular? The RDX is a lot more vehicle for the $$$.

 

Not sure why you keep mentioning fwd RLX, I was offering a price guesstimate for the awd version.

 

So any of you know why they are giving away RLX's?

 

Improve visibility on the street and make money on maintenance. They are taking up valuable space not the lot too...

 

I'm going to see if they want to flip me out of my ILX

 

Wish you luck - that is a huge leap.

 

Doubt it will happen only had the lease on the ILX for 8 months, think I'll have to wait another 12 months

 

your simply comparing RLX AWD to non competitive cars.
RLX AWD is more of Audi S6 & M5 competitor when it is equiped with high performance tires.

 

I thought you also like to compare apples with oranges, too.

So why can't others do the same !

 

why don't you go over the facts again, high performance tires do not a high performance car make.

 

My impression of the yet unseen AWD RLX is that it could be very competitive. 370 HP, 30, 30, 30 MPG, DCT and the Advance options all for around $70K is in line or betters the competition.
I have been waiting for this car but I have looked at all of them and I cannot find a car with telematics that are useable. I am assuming that the AWD will be the same as the FWD and the same as the MDX as far as an interface is concerned and they expect you to pay money for it. If Microsoft or Apple produced such garbage then they would be out of business a long time ago. Cadillac has CUE, Ford has Sync, BMW, Mercedes and the rest of them are all crap. If Acura does insists on this new touch screen abomination then give us the joyknob as well. We all know that voice recognition is shakey at best, even in an anechoic chamber yet alone in a car with wind, road and engine noise so give us a tactile interface not the slow guesswork of the touchscreen.

 

Har har, he said "joy knob."

Anyway, I agree that car manufactures have a long way to go regarding their electronic user interfaces.

 

It's actually not bad. It's no harder than using an iPad or iPhone. The problem is the processor and/or the response time to tactile input when touching the screen. It's insanely sluggish, random and sporadic in it's response at times. Particularly when inputing data with the QWERTY touch-display. It's really painful.

I'm hoping that there are fixes in software that they can release through updates, versus an entirely new hardware platform only available in newer models.

 

Oh no..... you didn't go there did you???

 

My point exactly: using an IPad while driving is lunacy, it is impossible to type on a touchscreen with an outstretched arm when the roads are bouncing you around. If Apple produced a product that had the tactile response of the Acura system then they would have been panned by the press and be the laughing stock for the competition.
I was going to ask, "What was Acura thinking" but it's obvious that Acura doesn't think and that the designers never drive either.

A new hardware system and a conceptual change is the only hope because software is not going to fix this prehistoric system that would fail by 1995 standards yet alone by todays.

 

Acura of Fremont is having a fire sale on in stock RLX along with 0.9% financing. I just traded in my 05 RL for the new one. It's an amazing ride, I have no idea what the reviewers were smoking but I guess it makes sense when they consider the MSRP of the vehicle instead of what they actually sell for.

I bought the RLX for the same price as a a fully loaded Lexus ES 350. I test drove both and the RLX is the far superior vehicle.

 

wonder if the fire sale is in anticipation of the hybrid release

 

More likely end of year inventory... they want it out of there before the 2015 comes in. I've driven the SH-AWD RL and I don't miss it at all (then again, I drive in SF Bay Area where it's sunny year around). 30k more for AWD is a bit much but more power to anyone else who's willing to pay for it.

 

I'm in Bay area as well. If I see your RLX driving around, it will only be the 2nd one I've seen

 

what kind of prices are we talking about on fire sale?

I was thinking I could be convinced to get into RLX awd if the fat person seats were replaced with something with a bit more support.

I mean, from the size of them, they should be snug for someone in the 300lb range. Being 2/3 of that I didn't feel very cozy and it was a joke when my wife got in and you could put like 2 of her doubles in there.

 

I only do apple to apple comparision. i never compare car (aka GS450h) tested with summer performance tires and declared it faster form car with all season setup.

 

about $10k or more off from list prices. which is understandble considering Yen went from 70 to 100 yen in past 1 year.

 

Not sure, my wife is not a big person and she has no problem sitting in the seat. We like it because it's a big sedan and very spacious.

AWD RLX will be full price when it arrives. The discount is for in stock inventory.

 

I'm well under 200 pounds and I found the RLX seats very comfortable. This isn't a sports car that is going to the track, it's a large sedan that is going to get you where you want to go in comfort.
Ironically, I tested out the RLX seats on a race track.

 

Looking at the seats I guess they are rather wide looking. Mostly because they really do not have side bolsters that hug the body:

 

^^exactly that. I never meant to race the car but I can appreciate some shape to the seat.

For comparison, when I had my 06 TL whenever I made a move left or right I felt my body go in that direction as it moved with the seat.

My 09 RL I make the turn and I can either remain still or wobble around in the seat, felt no connection with the car what so ever.

My genesis isn't much better but then again it's not a $60,000 car and it moves a hell of a lot faster.

 

Have you sat in one? There's a lot of conjectures going on here just by looking at pictures. Big Sedans have big seats. People looking for smaller seats should be looking at the smaller cars.

The big V8 (and German cars) may have power, but good luck harnessing that power going 15 mph in traffic all the while getting abysmal gas mileage. Big and fast engines are nice but if you're never going to use it, what's the point? The RLX is a superb car to drive in the city where I'm lucky to accelerate 0-40 at a time. Acura knows what they're doing. They won't win converts from the need for speed crowd but this is a great car to own to drive for the next 8 to 10 years. If I were to lease a car, I'd probably go German as well.

 

my previous car with a 2009 Acura RL CMBS, which should answer most of your "did you ever sit in one" question. And yes, I took my wife to the dealership and we both sat in the RLX, as described above.

By the way, my old RL was getting me 12-14mpg in mixed New York City driving and pure highway I was lucky to see low 20s or 21s.

For a car this big, power don't hurt especially for the price they charge. I'm not doing a direct comparison to German's as they aren't in the same league, but the Koreans are approaching fast if not already there.

 

I am not convinced the Koreans are there yet with the long-term quality and dependability. I did cross-shop the Equus when looking and was pleasantly surprised at the quality but when i test drove I was disappointed for a $72K car. Plus, the 10yr/100K warranty is attractive, BUT read the fine print of the maintenance you need to perform to keep the guarantee in place. 60K TB/water pump for instance. I will remain with Acura until I have a reason to disembarc.

 

Equus is marketed above RLX, not sure why you thought they are in the same class, msrp is $68000 not 72 and with Hyundai circle the ultimate drops to 62k.

Genesis is a more direct comparison, speaking from experience and the price is 44k fully loaded for a v6 msrp, RLX easily 10k over.

Glad you did test both before making your decision.

 

And 10/100K is power-train only, rest of car is like 3/36 or something like that and I also believe Hyundai at one point had on 24 months on audio system.

 

db22, it's clear your agenda here on this forum is only to bash the hell out of Acura, regardless of anyone's comments, views, or even real world positive experiences with the RLX. Obviously, blinding your ability to read posts correctly. Did you read my statement? I said it's like typing on an iPhone/iPad, which for me is fine. Maybe not for you, but it is for me. So there is no point you're making here. I don't have problems using touchscreen type devices and never had. The touchscreen on the RLX is fine with the exception of the slow response. Otherwise I have no issues with and I LIKE the touchscreen.

And I don't know what roads you drive on, but roads aren't bouncing me around. With the RLX's extremely smooth and stable suspension, it's very easy to multi-task in the car while driving, even to the point of using a touch-screen. Add to that LKAS where it literally steers the car for you, I absolutely have no issues using touchscreen devices while driving.

Performance responsiveness of a UI is absolutely something that can be fixed within software. If you have any experience in IT or software design, you'll know this is possible. That's not a guarantee, and the RLX processor and subsystem could indeed be poorly designed to the point where software can't fix it. But the car is still too new and we won't know until we at least see a few software updates come out for the system.

 

Wow. Either your car had issues or you were driving bumper to bumper in NYC traffic which will kill any car's gas mileage. Having owned the RL for 8 years, I know for a fact that it can get 20 in mixed driving and at least 24 highway. Did you replace the engine and cabin filter regularly? So far, the RLX is giving us 23-24 mpg in mixed driving which is very impressive for a car its size. It beats the old RL by at least 2-3 mpg. This is with very aggressive driving in the city (although aggressive is relative). I expect there to be an 8 mpg difference between the V8's and this car for most drivers, although NYC traffic will probably throw a wrench into this prediction. This car is faster than the previous RL so I expect the hybrid AWD will be a beast for those who are waiting for it.

In any case, the new RLX drives very light for a big car and is a much smoother ride than the RL. Very interesting as it doesn't move like a big car at all whereas our old RL drove like it was pulling weight behind it. I expect the German cars will beat it in driveability but I highly doubt the American and Korean V8 will touch it. Straight away power, yes, but not all around agility.

We will be driving to Napa next week so I'm going to test out its claimed 31 mpg highway. I suspect the cylinder deactivation will help in this department. I will also take some pictures and upload it to the picture thread.

We're happy with the decision and don't regret not buying German. We haven't had any major or minor engine repairs with the RL and MDX so I expect this one will give us another 8-10 years of trouble free ownership.

 

10/100,000 engine
3/36,000 years electronics such as gps
6/60,000 everything else

if you want to bump everything up to either 60 or 100k there's an extended warranty for that. With the 10 or 15 grand you save, you can go that route if you plan to keep the vehicle the full 10 or more years.

 

2.5 gen MMC did eat more gas than the previous models, so it seems, with the bigger 3.7L engine.

And of course, nothing beats NYC traffic, what you guys call city driving, that's us on the highway.