Loving the new (to me) 18 RLX Sport Hybrid. Still playing with all the settings to customize to my liking. The Krell audio sounds waaaaay better than my ELS in my 19 MDX Adv Sport Hybrid (not sure why Acura didn't put Krell or HUD in the MDX Adv other than being cheap). Wanted to find out what setting others like to use for their RLX?

HUD: Power Distribution Monitor and MPH (max illumination because of polarized sunglasses)
MID: Compass
Trip A: reset on fuel up
Trip B: manual reset
Front Parking sensors: On
360 Cams: Auto on for low speeds and parking
Side mirrors: no tilt in reverse
Road Departure: On (I like it because I get lane warning without the self steer in city driving, only use LDW on long hwy runs)
Brake Hold: Off, only use parking brake if on an incline
Fogs: On at night for a sporty look
Auto High-beams: Off, doesn't always work correctly when the road gets curvy
Wipers: Rain Sensing (only get 10 inches max per year in NM)
Door Unlock: me=all doors, wife=driver's door only
Door re-lock and acknowledgement beep: Auto lock on with auto fold mirrors on, max time for re-lock, and beep on when I walk away
Headlights timer: set to max time
Acuralink: nope, it should be free

I haven't played with the shortcuts feature on the touch screen yet. Any body have those set-up for their RLX? Any other settings folks like to use to customize their RLX to their liking?

 

So my settings are pretty much the same as what you have, although the wife spends most of the seat-time in that car - I get to drive it only on special occasions (i.e. when it needs gas :-) ). One interesting thing is that she doesn't like the HUD (distracts her for some reason), and I love it. When I drive I switch it on and have it usually with the same mode you do. Although if I forget to switch it off and it's on when she drives I get a tongue-lashing :-)

One comment on the AcuraLink. I get that it's expensive - but I've chosen to keep the Connect package subscription for both the MDX and RLX - and have found it really valuable when confirming that it's locked, makings sure all the doors/trunk are closed, etc. I also rely upon it to remind me how much gas is in the car. And it also tells me whether the tires are inflated properly on the RLX since the wife would never check that. Finally, sending an address to the GPS via AcuraLink is perhaps the biggest benefit. If the wife is looking for an address she texts me, I look it up and send it to her GPS. Pretty cool. Is it a luxury? Yea. But one I'm (personally) willing to pay for.

andy

 

The RLX is also my wife's car and the HUD was the main feature my wife fell in love with and didn't want to look at any other Acura. I thought she would want to keep the 19 MDX Adv Sport Hybrid as her main driver; but, she loves the looks, handling, acceleration, and more upscale feel of the RLX? The positives outweighs the negatives with the RLX like no Carplay, older version of info-tainment touch screen, no electronic dampers like the MDX sport hybrid, no real wood trim, or no button to auto close the trunk (hate having to touch/scratch the paint everytime I close the trunk).

I do have 3 months free (I think) of Acuralink on the RLX being a CPO car. I might have to give it a try to see if I like it or not.

 

I use the handle on the inside roof of the trunk on the right side to pull down and close vs touching the outside paint. I have a 2015 but I assume it’s on yours as well. Give that a try.

 

Maybe the +18 have different trunk spring rates because my 18 RLX trunk doesn't close using the inside handle unless forcefully fling it down. Even then, it doesn't always connect on the first forceful fling. Not something I want my 4'11" 54 year old wife to do everytime. The trunk pops completely up almost in the vertical position when I hit the trunk release; while, other sedans I've owned just pop up the trunk an inch or so. The back of the RLX trunk area can get extremely dirty compared to the rest of the car in bad weather. I purchased the RLX used and there are noticeable paint scratches near the bottom of license plate area and top of rear deck from the previous owner using that as a hand hold to close the trunk. Planning to get the scratches buffed out and add paint protective film for those areas.

 

I've noticed the same - using the inside handle to pull/close the trunk without pushing on the top of the lid is nearly impossible - but it's still fairly new so maybe it gets looser/easier over time :-) The solution for me is to get the accessory rear spoiler. It's something a little more meaningful to hold onto, and the area you'd grab would likely not scratch, etc as much as the flat trunk surface. I know with the wife's '12 TL SH-AWD Tech that the spoiler helped that part of the trunk-close saga....

 

Wanted to comment on the "upscale feel" comment your wife gave about the RLX. As I mentioned earlier, I don't drive the RLX a lot - it's the wife's. And over the years, the wife has had several "higher end" Acuras. She had a 93 Legend LS, a 96 RL, and the 2012 TL SH-AWD Tech. And usually my ride during the same period was a Honda or Acura SUV. So my observation is going from a bigger car to her sedan. My personal observation is that the RLX is the smoothest and most refined Acura (or Honda) that I've ever driven. When I go between my '19 MDX SH-AWD Advance (not the hybrid) to the RLX, it's like I'm moving from a ratty clunker to a refined machine. Well - maybe not that dramatic. But I just can't get over the smoothness and solid feel - and the overall driving experience - that I get from her Sport Hybrid RLX. Now, I don't have a SportHybrid MDX - so maybe that changes things. But it's what I observed.

One other comment on the sound systems. Generally speaking, her sedans have always had a better sound than my SUV's. I've always chalked it up to the fact it's a smaller vehicle with a better tuned sound system. I mean the Krell in the RLX is nutty-good. It would be interesting to see a Krell i the MDX - but I'm guessing it wouldn't sound as good as it does in the "smaller" vehicle.

andy

 

You convinced me andysinnh, I'm all signed up for my 3 months of free Acuralink! No remote start feature with my smartphone with the 18 RLX or 19 MDX.

Not sure why Acura wouldn't have this feature with these flagship sedans/SUVs unless they are being cheap again?

 

The first Acura that had remote start thru the app is the '19 RDX. And it's interesting in that when you buy an RDX (of any trim) you do NOT get a remote start key fob - only the ability in the app - and you have to have the subscription to AcuraLink to do the remote start thru the app. You have to pay dealer costs to get the remote start key fob in order to have that capability. I'm betting that the '21 MDX will have the same scenario/capability.