sri_gondi

Forbes has mentioned that RLX is one of most unreliable car in 2016. I strongly disagree, sou would you with the reasons they mentioned.


Acura RLX - In Photos: 13 New Cars To Avoid For 2016 - Forbes

RLX-Sport Hybrid

How do they come to these conclusions? Where is the information source?

George Knighton

Straight out of Consumer Reports.

If the KC1/KC2 reputation ever recovers, it'll be way down the road when people start reporting the sturdiness of cars with 200,000 miles

neuronbob

They regurgitated information about the 2014, about which the choppy suspension comments are true in some cases. They completely ignore that the suspension has been reworked and many features added.

In short, they did minimal research on recent changes to the car, and I can assure you they didn't test it.

If I were in Acura marketing, I would get on this, pronto, to correct their errors....but even Acura doesn't care about this car, so they won't.

RLX-Sport Hybrid

I will say that with the new tires, the overall suspension feel is more supple over the little cracks and bumps in the road. It is every bit as enjoyable a drive in the turns, but the ride quality is definitely improved. These tires should have been stock ones.

wstr75

I dunno. Maybe they threw the RLX into the pile because they had trashed six (6) Chrysler products, two (2) Ford products, two (2) Nissan products and two (2) GM products and needed another manufacturer thrown in so as to appear "fair and balanced". The article used thirteen (13) in the headlines, a well-known trick (using a number with a catch phrase - 5 ways to tell if your dog is hungry, 3 signs your wife is leaving you, etc.) and 13 is universally known as a "bad" number. The list could have been easily expanded to 20 or 25 as there are quite a few low volume cars with high price tags not being loved by the market as well as volume cars with reliability/ride/etc. issues. The article was going for the catchy headline. They slammed Chrysler products hard and needed to spread out the pain to four other brands so as to meet the headline's stated number.

rick sambora

iTrader: (1)

I disagree with this article. My experience after close to 2000 miles on my 2016 SH is that it is a refined, powerful yet somewhat green(my average is 30mpg so far), well composed, well appointed/optioned, daily driver. That article was written by idiots who have their heads up their you-know-what!
Regarding the suspension, they have definitely reworked the ride quality and the NVH. I drove my friends 14 PAWS RLX and I did feel the road imperfections more readily in that car and it seemed stiffer in general. His car has 28k on it and mine has 6k. I don't know if it was the difference in wear on the suspension but there is a difference.
In terms of price, please do show me another car from one of the so called luxury brands that comes in at this price when comparably optioned. Most of the comparable models are north of 80k.

ceb

And herein lies the problem. There are sufficient advances built into the car that could have made it a contender but they blew it by introducing a 2WD into a segment that is loaded with (and expects) AWD - even after the abysmal sales (but the often lauded SH-AWD) of the RL.


They then add a SH-AWD along with a feature that the segment has never understood - a hybrid for the sake of more power but only marginally better gas mileage. The E400 is also a failed experiment.


This segment wants luxury, electronic innovation and AWD. Acura had the quality and reliability that the Germans don't have and it didn't have the name recognition of Lexus that has the reliability.


Too little, too late. Acura has made their bed with this car. It doesn't matter how good the car is, the market has spoken.

alpha0

If there are 1000 people like you buying this car every month, then there is no issue. Problem is only 125 or so are buying this car per month.

George Knighton

I'm always interested when somebody says that the Sport Hybrid is "refined."

I've always found it rather un-refined, although I still like it. :-)

rick sambora

iTrader: (1)

What is your frame of reference for automotive refinement? This car is more touring than sport....

rick sambora

iTrader: (1)

Read ceb's post above. The car not selling has got to do more with poor marketing decisions and to some extent bland styling and pricing. Acura has long been the value proposition and in many ways that seems to be a hindrance in their attempts to move further up market. The german luxury brands and to some extent Lexus keep adding cutting edge hardware (both on drivetrains and infotainment) and spend significantly on design. They recoup those costs by significantly increasing price with each model redesign. No wonder the S class, 7 series and the LS are north of 100k these days. They are able to sell at those prices because of the brand cache and the perceived association of upper tier luxury with these brands.

Acura is way behind in this game. They know they cant go all out and bring a 7 series competitor to the market. I bet that even with a great product they will have problems selling in that price range due to the established "value luxury" perception. It is not economically viable for them to get new engine technology or breathtaking infotainment interfaces and yet keep costs low. Case-in-point, the antiquated GPS system or the 3.5 V6 that they have milked for more than a decade now.

Over the last 7-8 years styling has also been Acura's achilles heel. It has been one failed attempt after another to establish a brand identity.
Acura needs to rethink its strategy from the ground up. They should have more engine options per model including desirable performance versions. Styling should be at the core of every model redesign. Really, is it that difficult to design an appealing car? If they cant get it done in-house why not hire an established design firm(fire all involved in bringing the beak to the market-that will offset the cost to source out the design).
Well that is what they should do...they should also hire me..obviously I have all the answers!

KenRLX

I consistently rent cars for work - around 1 a month and keep it rented for a week at a time. (entry level sedans of various makes.) So for the 2+ years since I bought the RLX, I have at least 20 different data points/experiences.
Based on the downgrade I experience when I return to my RLX, I can definitely say CR has this right...... the flaws in the RLX are profound - particularly the suspension - but definitely not limited to that particular issue.
Not to mention that trade-in has now reached the upper teens for a 2 year old, pristine car with 22k miles.

George Knighton

Yes.

I hope that those of us still saying good things about any version of the RLX really mean what we are saying, because we're in it for the long haul.

:-)

Long haul...or face a big financial hit.

neuronbob

The Sport Hybrid has trade-in value only a couple $k above the PAWS. Truly amazing.

RLX-Sport Hybrid

How is that possible? Who determines these valuations?

getakey

Buyers

Midnight Mystery

I read this on FB almost two weeks ago, I agree with many comments, this list is just plain BS...

For people who want real information, go to a reliable scource such as Consumer Reports, Edmunds, KBB, or people who know what they're doing...

Or just ask forum members, but the RLX is likely one of the best vehicles in its class, not that there's many, but it should run the longest...

csmeance

supply and demand, dealers are sitting on nearly 1 year supply of RLX's. Most folks spring for the tech filled TLX vs the more "refined" RLX.

Plus a lot of the 2014 RLX's don't have features that are offered on 2015 TLX's.

neuronbob

Yup. Now is the time to pick up a used 2014 Sport Hybrid. It can likely be negotiated down to the mid-luxury deal of the century.

TampaRLX-SH

The Forbes article is rooted in the sour reviews on the 2014 PAWS RLX, and it's primary source was the CR review.

Counterpoint: Autobytel ranks the RLX SH one of the Top 10 Premium Luxury Cars for 2016.

The 10 Best Premium Luxury Cars For 2016 | Autobytel.com

TampaRLX-SH

For 2016 they (Autobytel) even have the PAWS RLX in the best luxury cars under $60K

Best New Luxury Cars Under $60,000 for 2016 | Autobytel.com