jmoser1134

How could you take a automoblie that is technological marvel, finally announce the price as you are about to begin sales, and have almost no buzz among the biggest user forum for that same vehicle? You need to immediately fire M.A. and find a new direction in North America.

Aside from the less than stellar exterior styling, by the way figure out vehicle stance (look at other luxury manufactures if in doubt), you have a 377 HP mechanically and operationally exceptional vehicle with no buzz whatsoever in the internet. The vehicle is should be taking the market by storm based on value, comfort, interior technology, and mechanical prowess but you have found a way to completely kill the buzz. I the case of sales silence is not golden.

Congratulations. I will be keeping my 163K 2006 RL a while longer until the used cost falls, which will drop like the titanic (check out the non-hybrid used values), and grab mine that has been slightly broken in.

I have owned several Acuras, have my child now driving and loving them, but am tired. Great work as this hurts me. Reading the owners manuals recently posted for the hybrid was at great pain as there is so much to love and make me go Ahhhhh. I do love what you can put together.

Funny as I fit exactly in your proclaimed market demographic for this vehicle.

Go team

neuronbob

I typed up a long response to this but deleted it for just a and .

Rocket_man

I think the unfortunate reality is that they can't produce them in any meaningful quantities, so why waste the money to advertise them. Those that are looking for the car will probably know when they go on sale.

NBP04TL4ME

Not that i disagree, but there were a ton of commercials on CBS last week during the football games ....

holografique

TLX commercials or RLX commercials?

Cause I can't even remember the last time I saw any RLX advertising in rotation. Right now they are 100% focused on the TLX.

Mike_TX

I know some of you disagree, but I think Acura knows the hybrid doesn't blow many people's skirts up. Hybrids are a hard sell, even if they try to make them sexier with horsepower claims.

My last Infiniti had 420hp from a naturally-aspirated V8. No electric motors, no complex algorithms to switch between gas and electric, no special clutches and gearsets, no complex computer programs to maximize mileage and minimize harshness, no extra cost to extract power at the savings of a couple of mpg's, etc., etc.

Compare that to the RLX hybrid, and the mind boggles. There are so many systems to go wonky and so many mechanical things to go bump in the night ... all in the name of 377hp and a few extra miles per gallon. And those extra miles cost a lot of extra dollars.

Given the sales of the regular RLX, I know Acura has to be slapping itself up side of the head for even thinking about producing this thing.

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George Knighton

You're certainly not alone. Hell, I own one and I still wonder about my decision sometimes. :-)

NBP04TL4ME

Ugh - My bad, all the hype is the TLX and the commercials were for the TLX

However with that being said and wiping egg off my face, I have seen a few RLX commercials not that long ago. Just not as recently or as many as the TLX.

getakey

everyone always talks about bland styling for the RLX, but every time I see an LS460 I think really? People think that is better looking?

George Knighton

No, I don't think it's better looking.

The LS460 doesn't compete with the RLX, though. The LS460, IMHO, is a completely different class of vehicle, and in its own right a very good buy for what you get...even though if you tick all the boxes you'll be well over 100 grand.

kurtatx

How dare you criticize the Toyota Avalon on Acurazine?!

holografique

Correct - The GS350/450 is the competitor to the RLX, and while I think its a great looking car, its not better looking than the RLX IMO. Different style, different approach.

I also think the RLX interior is far superior to that of the GS. It's the main reason I chose the RLX over the GS when I was looking to move out of my 06 TL.

getakey

I don't like the LS or the GS. I wasn't pointing strictly to competitors of RLX, just that the flagship of Lexus, the LS, does not have anything in the style department to me. Nor do many "flagship" sedans.

hondamore

LS = Luxury sedan, limousine-like ride, boat-like handling, pure luxury.
RLX = Sports Luxury sedan - smooth, quiet ride with a sporty side, good handling
TLX = Luxury Sports sedan - Sporty handling with luxury amenities, smoother than expected ride quality
GS= ?? Slightly Smaller/Sleeker Luxury sedan - I don't know what the heck the GS is, my best guess is a smaller, sleeker LS but I don't find the handling as good as the RLX and the ride quality of the RLX is also superior.

I'll also agree that the RLX's interior kicks the GS's a$$, but the LS is a slight step above ( as is should be for nearly double the price).

Just my two cents.

holografique

I agree completely. If you look at all the top flagship sedans, they all tend to represent the same design aesthetics: large, minimalized, conservative variants of their smaller siblings. 7-series, LS, S-class, Equus, K900, the list goes on. They are all conservative in their design. Yet Acura tends to get the most flak for the minimalism behind the RLX.

I can understand the flak coming from folks here on this forum (being the younger "it's gotta be a racing car" crowd), but when it comes from the press, it's unjustified when compared to the rest of what the industry offers.

acuranj18

I completely agree. In the press, Acuras are always either too conservative, or too radical (i.e. the over-hype about the grille design). Never seem to hear the same criticisms about the hideous grilles on most Lexus models or the conservative designs over other competitors.

miner

Plus.....the RLX ads on the show 'Comedians and Cars going for Coffee' are just so lame; done by pre-schoolers. No wonder no one takes the RLX seriously.

wstr75

My 2014 RLX Advance with 15.5K miles arrived from California yesterday and I am a happy guy! I am keeping my 2006 RL with 125K miles to be my winter car. Why? Hey, at a trade-in value of only $7.5K, it is worth much more to me.

Initial thoughts:
I got a screaming good deal on my car even when factoring-in the shipping cost. By the way, it was an easy process getting the car shipped cross-country using the Uship portal. While my 2006 is in cherry condition, I've gotten to the point where this old man wanted up-to-date electronics. Yesterday's drive brought home the absolute sweetness and utility of adaptive cruise control (my favorite), blind spot monitoring, lane departure, back-up camera and the ability to better interface with a smart phone.

The ride is fine with me. My 2006 has A-Spec 18" wheels and has always had a bit of a taut, staccato ride. Yes, the rear end is a wee bit jouncy and you can sometimes feel the PAWS interplay taking place, but not enough to cause concern. I am already adapting to this car and can see where this will be part of the instinctive/naturally programmed part of my driving this particular car.

The back seat is huge. The trunk has more usable volume. Taking out the DVD navigation box makes a noticeable difference. Gas mileage is noticeably better. Granted, I am a geezer regarding starting and stopping. I was running 5 to 9 mph over the 65 mph speed limit and the RLX got 27 to 29 mpg yesterday with approx. 80% highway and 20% city. Not too shabby for 4,000+pounds. Acceleration is noticeably better than my 2006 RL. Love the direct injection power curve and lower axle ratio, too. My 2006 RL is a joy to drive when passing on 2 lane roads and would accelerate nicely from 50 and be cresting 80+ as I pulled back into the right lane. This RLX does even better in that department.

I contemplated getting a SH-AWD TLX but opted to stay large with a road cruiser and to use my valueless to others, but valuable to me RL as my winter GTH car until the RLX hybrid is commonplace and a good buy.

MisterZDX

Good comparison. You should post some pics of the 06 RL and RLX side by side.

jmoser1134

I could have written that exactly except the purchase. Love my 163K RL. Worth far more than any trade number. Passed on a Advance with 7900 miles recently. Not sure why.