TampaRLX-SH

I personally have favored Japan built over US. My experience was opposite as I was a little disappointed with my 05TL. My RL is significantly better built. That said I also see the shift in what I perceive as durable as an attempt to make vehicles lighter and meet CAFE pressures. The RLX feels lighter and less tank like as the RL. I have noticed this with the MDX as well, the previous generation felt more solid and hefty. There are also a lot of new models out from Acura and I will try to forgive new assembly teething issues, but I have been surprised with gap alignment issues, thin door cards, less finished engine bays and paint by Sunkist. I haven't given up yet, but aside from obvious material choices, I do not see modern Acura being noticeably better built than most mainstream vehicles. As an example, I am finding it difficult to justify the price gaps between a RLX PAWS Advance, a TLX PAWS Advance and an Accord V6 Touring. Yes there are differences in content and materials, but engineering and assembly wise....not so much.

stagefoursurvivor

GK,

Please post a photo of the spoiler, I've never been thrilled with the spoiler offered with the RL or RLX. It simply conforms to the shape of the rear/trunk and doesn't "spice" it up much, IMO.
I'm also curious if anyone has requested a lease quote for the RLXh Advance?

George Knighton

I will, but it'll be tomorrow. They kept the car to do some extra things like check for the wind noise TSB and try to keep the light leather safe from me with some kind of synthetic protectant.

They might've done some kind of firmware flash as well, because I notice tonight that the iOS AcuraLink application will fully interface with the car. It wouldn't, before, although I could send it map coordinates and unlock the doors.

Here are some of the (belatedly) resized pictures I took a couple of days ago to show how the Seacoast contrasts with the Bellanova White. It's not for everybody...including me. :-)

You can also see that they used the same dashboard cover that was on the Pomegranate/Seacoast test car that everybody complained about. It's not black. It's a strange taupe to gray color and it's also in other places. If you get an Ebony interior, you will have black instead of this odd color.

George Knighton

These fog lights don't do very much, either.

I need to stop complaining before people think I don't absolutely love the car.

:-)

George Knighton

By the way....

Have you noticed that all the fancy electrics are warranty for 100,000 miles?

TampaRLX-SH

With the exception of ebony interior, the SH RLX gets the taupe dash and upper door panels (on the tan and grey interiors). It is the same taupe dash and upper door panel trim on the RLs with taupe (grey interiors).

I personally prefer it over black dash as black shows every spec of dust. Where it falls down is the all black steering wheel. And I cannot understand why a wood trim wheel is offered on the MDX but not the RLX. Hopefully something they will offer is the anticipated 2016.

Otherwise I am surprised I like the while / tan combination. It is very clean and crisp. The darker floor carpet will also stand up better. My TL had parchment and the floor mats were impossible to keep clean.

The impact of the fog lights may be less noticeable as the jewel eyes alone do the trick.

Malibu Flyer

I actually tried out the fog lights last night and they do a great job of lighting the road. They are aimed low, directly to illuminate road. I drive along the beach on a daily basis for my commute and there is often fog, so this was an appreciated extra with the Advance package for me. As good as the the headlights are, in fog it is necessary to have them aimed low because otherwise all they do is light up the fog.

That said, the Jewel eye headlights are the best i have ever had, a big advance over the RL who's lights were fairly mediocre.

woropallo

Gk, looking at your pictures I do not see the heated steering wheel control on your steering wheel. I thought it had everything an advance had plus. Not that it makes much of a difference to me since I live in Florida.

woropallo

Is the 100k warranty bumper to bumper or just the hybrid parts?

TampaRLX-SH

The heated steering wheel was added as part of the 2015 Advance package, which is what you have.

The SH RLX is a 2014 model (they were built out Jan-Feb of 2014 - prior to the 2015 RLX production starting in June). The heated steering wheel is not part of the 2014 Advance package.

2011TL

^ I believe the heated steering wheel for 2014 models is only available in Canada. The 2015 RLX PAWS Advance has a heated steering wheel in the USA.

HDNBenjamin

Congrats and the car looks great in white

George Knighton

It is for the battery pack, the three electric motors and all associated parts including control modules.

:-)

The previous poster is right about the heated steering wheel. It is included in the 2014 Sports Hybrid manual, but is not installed on the USDM destined cars.

:-(

I'm in Virginia. I'd have probably only used it very rarely anyway.

George Knighton

You are sure were all built in those two months?

TampaRLX-SH

Everything I have read indicates the 2014 PAWS models were built out end of December, perhaps early January when SH production began. The 200+ cars were sitting in a Saitama plant lot by March 14th as found them on Google Earth.

There was a pause (and a lot of speculation) until the 2015 PAWS RLX started in June.

I have not seen any build dates outside of that period. If yours was built outside of Jan-Feb 2014, please correct me.

George Knighton

Nope.

Mine was built in January, and the other one in this thread (Malibu) was built in February!

Just hard to figure out what they were doing in the down time.

Repairs from various disasters and reconfigurations, perhaps.

TampaRLX-SH

Indeed George, as we all have been discussing in this forum. And as usual Honda / Acura is very tight lipped to a point some of us (myself included) began to loose faith in the brand as target dates were missed, advertising launches were halted and not a word was official from the brand. I too have registered for email updates from Acura.com (several times) and never received a single email...even now that the SH is officially in dealerships (some).

Also keep in mind the RLX is not the only model assembled at Saitama and it is natural to have model rotations during the year. And as I have mentioned before, the build and sales model for the RL since 2007 and now the RLX is to build them out and control the distribution to the dealership. That alone tells me Acura is not expecting this to be a volume seller. A recent article speaks of this model with the upcoming NSX to be an order then build approach as it creates artificial demand. I can see that working for a halo car, but not a near lux sedan. This does, however, spark my speculation that the RLX (at least the SH RLX) will be assembled at the same plant as the NSX in the US.

That's my best guess for now.

George Knighton

Side molding, splash guards, rear spoiler.

The spoiler is a cross between a short shelf and a mild duckbill, and I can't imagine that it does any good at all except make you look a little different.

:-)

..

Zoommer

Checked one out yesterday. Interesting that Acura has chosen to get rid of the pockets in the rear doors. If you tap on the plastic cover the sound suggests it is hollow--both in the RLX and the TLX. Strange that they chose to go that route.

woropallo

Does the SH AWD have rear cross traffic monitoring? I thought I saw it in the Acura comparison chart but looking at it now I don't see it.

George Knighton

Nope. No Acura has that.

The rear camera can be switched to a wide angle view that might be helpful if it's something you're worried about.

I've never had an issue.

Vibrating seats to warn you about a potential hazard spotted by sideways looking radar? I dunno. Sounds more like a gimmick than genuine usefulness.

Twenty of you are now about to tell me about your experiences with near collisions. :-)

real_mckoy

congrats on the new purchase enjoy her!!!

scv76

Very nice looking car George, even though it's white..lol
I think you will learn to love the color

neuronbob

I've had a Cadillac XTS with that feature as a loaner. That functionality is actually pretty cool. It activates if you drift from your lane while underway, or if while parking there is an obstacle front, rear, or side. If to the left, the left bolster vibrates. If to the right, the right vibrates. If front or rear, both sides vibrate. It comes in handy if you are tired and still have to drive to the office from the hospital after a long night of being awakened, which I must occasionally. Don't ask how I know.

We Americans can come up with cool car tech occasionally.

TampaRLX-SH

I'll buy stock in whatever company can produce technology that will make drivers:

1) Pay Attention
2) Drive as if there are actually other drivers on the road.
3) Prioritize driving as the TOP priority
4) Enable drivers to have self control (this is a big one):
- Be able to stop at intersection stop lines and not 3/4 into the intersection (I know the peddle is so hard to push).
- Be able to turn right lane into right lane and sweep 3 lanes in making a turn (I know, power steering is so hard to turn the wheel)
- Stop at stop lines so people attempting to turn right on red can see past your mobile living room as you update your facebook page.
- Decrypt the ultimate mystery - what exactly do those flashy lights do?
- Pretty little lines in the road really do have a purpose.
- The left lane of a multilane road is not where you migrate to multitask, drive below the speed limit, or perform circumcisions. I know, I know, sometime if this life you have to make a left turn, so better get in the left lane now so you can be prepared.
- Hey no one is perfect. About to miss your right turn? (from the left lane you have been camping in since birth)....here is an idea: Keep going and turn around next intersection / exit.
- Try not to come to a COMPLETE stop in the middle lane of a highway traveling at 60+mph because you want to contemplate the overhead traffic signs. This is probably not the best time to discover you need remedial reading classes. Oh yeah, those traffic signs have been warning you of left lane exit for oh....3 miles.
- Riding my tail in the right lane of a FIVE lane bridge is my bad. I should just pull off into the bay and let you pass.
- If you put the cell phone in the glove box you will NOT explode. Trust me.
- Watching a video while driving is really a disservice you do yourself. The carnage you are causing is much more exciting to watch.
- Push, push really really hard, and the tailgate of your bubba truck will actually close. And if you THINK you need ot do this for fuel efficiency, I would better suggest you remove the trash (mostly beer cans) from the bed. That will lighten your load and not become missiles to the poor souls stuck behind your bumpkin fiesta.
- I am all for cultural diversity, but sharing your third world country driving skills is something I think we can take a pass.
- Yes, blocking the entrance of a parking lot AND sitting in the NO PARKING / FIRE ZONE ONLY does not apply to YOU and your Ford Exploder.

Yeah we need technology. Mostly because the common vehicle on the road is already more intelligent than the primates we permit to 'operate' them.

And for my ranting record, EVERY item above I experience today alone in a 2.5 hour weekend errand run.

Timmy18

Just a friendly chop if the wheels had darker inserts (not glossy) and tinted windows for a more sporty look. :P


Or maybe 20" ZDX wheels. I just don't like chrome, so de-chrome them. lol

JM2010 SH-AWD

Well said. May I add -- losing 10-15 mph on the freeway because, well, we're going up a hill or around a curve; or how about, driving along at 35 mph on the freeway in the morning because you've never heard of sunglasses or how to use that big pivoting panel on the ceiling in front and above your head.

neuronbob

Sounds like an argument for an automated car. I personally think this is where we are headed ultimately, and it's not a bad idea precise for the reasons you state. Most days I LOVE to drive, and thankfully I own enjoyable tools for that task. Other days I need to be driven, and that's where the driver tech comes in handy.

TampaRLX-SH

I have mixed feeling on autonomous cars and even the benefits of driver assistance technologies.

On the benefits, I would rather jockey with an autonomous car as I think it will behave with some sense of logic, unlike the orangutans currently loose on our roadways. I would want legislation passed that there be a visible indicator if the car was being operated by autonomy or by a primate. Kinda like a taxi available or with fare light.

On the detriment, I think it enables the lazy asses we have to tolerate and avoid to be more disconnected form responsibility and self control.

I personally find some driver aides an actual distraction to my driving. I initially turned away from the CMBS package on my RL as when I test drove that model I had momentary distractions of 'why did the car do that'? But I would likely adapt as I became more familiar with the car. Last resort is to disable the feature if I find it more distracting than beneficial.

Apologies for the tangent. At least we can expect the RLX to be the platform Honda will introduce most of these features.

TSX69

I look forward to hearing about your experiences with the hybrid.

A local dealer finally got 1; too bad it is only the tech with the white/seacoast. Not my ideal combo so if I decide to go for it, I would have to see what they could trade for.

Most other dealers in my area are treating the car as a special order only so getting 1 is going to be particularly challenging, especially price negotiating wise.

wutaguy

The TLX does have Rear Cross Traffic Monitor.

2015 Acura TLX | Features | Exterior | Acura.com

neuronbob

^^^^
Cool, that's really useful! Of note: It comes on the TECH package. I hope this goes on the 2016 RLX. That alone might be worth waiting for.

miner

My 2015TLX has cross traffic monitoring with the rear view camera.

Also, I had Xzylon protectant put on my Seacoast interior and still had issues of marking/dye transfer. Fix was covered by Xzylon.

TampaRLX-SH

.....and we are back to pacing.

George Knighton

Well. Shoot. I'm sorry.

Malibu Flyer

i now have over 500 miles in the seat of my Sports Hybrid. I just took my first road trip, 250 down to San Diego and back. As I posted in the Gas Mileage thread, the overall mileage was around 30 MPG. The trip included about 20% city/stop and go freeway and 80% freeway cruising @ 70-75 MPH.

The trip was my first extended drive rather than my 20 minute work commute which occupied most of the first 250 miles. The overriding impression is that this car is a magnificent road trip car. Between the Krell system and the virtual silence in the cabin it was so enjoyable to be in the car. I imagine it is even quieter than the regular RLX because the seamless switching between between the electric motors and the gas engine.

It was also my first extended use of the ACC. I was surprised how well it worked. Driving the San Diego freeway is always a challenge because it is always full of traffic. I was in the car pool lane so i set the cruise control to 70 MPH. When traffic got heavy even the car pool lane gets crowded. At first instead of letting the ACC slow the car down, when traffic slowed from 70 MPH to 30 MPH, I hit the cancel button and braked myself. Then I just sat back and let the ACC handle everything. It was so smooth. It slowed down the car smoother than I could do manually. At one time it slowed the car down to under 30 and then smoothly went back to 65. All I can say is amazing.

The HUD display continues to impress me. I have it set to show the speedo and the "power distribution module"......for those who don't know that is something that looks like the video Acura ran when they first announced the Hybrid earlier this year. It shows the operation of the constant switching between the electric motors, the gas engine and even the regenerative braking. During the trip I was surprised the other things that showed up.....push the phone button of the steering room and the last number you called show up on the HUD, you can scroll through the other recent numbers, press the button and you dial the call. From time to time other items pop up. It is very nice to be able to monitor various functions of the car while looking out the front windshield. I do need get a non polarized sunglasses so I can see it easier......the polarization makes it hard to read the HUD in bright light.

A couple of negative comments now. The infotainment system is still confusing. I need to do lots of homework to figure out two screens which sometime two versions of inputting info to the Nav system. The RL system took about 5 minutes to understand but the new setup is complicated but it apparently does a lot which I can experience once I learn it...maybe in about 6 months of studying.

I also want to echo Zoomer's comment about the lack of enough thigh support. In my opinion it needs to be more supportive at the front of the seat....longer would also work but I think higher would be better.

I still am very happy with the car and love driving it.

George Knighton

If we're looking to things that we might ask people to change, something that I have noticed is that ACC resuming speed, the car will tend to hold lower gears longer than might be reasonable.

There might be a torque band/fuel consumption reason for that, but it is noticeable and will cause a driver to wonder.

I agree. Whoever was in charge of that part of the project made very logical decisions about what should be showing up and when.

:-) I have a ten month lead on you because I already had an RLX Advance. It was certainly a bit of a puzzle when I first had to deal with it, and this is partly why the RLX gets odd reviews that have affected Acura's standing compared to Lexus.

Both Brian Cooley and Alex Dykes have said unfortunate things about the infotainment system in the RLX Advance. They regret it now that they've got to know the cars better, but it's the same old story: Cars are very complicated now and you can't just hop into a new car with a new system and expect to automatically understand it.

Between the time Alex reviewed the RLX Advance and the time he reviewed the Sports Hybrid preproduction car, his opinions about it changed quite a bit and he asserted that it is one of the only infotainment systems he has not been able to crash deliberately. Not that there aren't problems, even problems documented in this forum from someone whose system has crashed half a dozen times now.

I wish the RLX had always been built in Ohio, and designed by the North American team under Hargett. There are things not exactly wrong but odd in the interior that the American team would not have allowed...and the design of both the squab and the bottom of the front seats is one of those things. The exact seating position in the rear, while very good, would also be different if it were designed by Hargett's group in North America.

You mentioned the power distribution meter in the HUD. Something that shows up in the bigger meter in the upper screen of the centre stack is the contribution of the bigger single electric motor in the front.

I had previously always felt that the front electric motor was not contributing much to forward progress and that perhaps its biggest contribution was the seamless preselection of the next expected gear in the DCT.

However, when cruising at moderate steady speeds, you can clearly see that the battery is draining to the front for an extended period, and this surprised me at the time and at the speed it was happening.

Thank you very much for your articulate, ongoing reviews and information posts.

Malibu Flyer

I think it might be helpful to everyone the RLX site to have a Help or FAQ thread to sort through all of the great but confusing technology in these cars.

I know i get frustrated in not knowing how to do something that i am sure can be done.....mostly in trying access some function or other. Since I have a long background in technology [my summer job in college was programing some of the first IBM mainframes] and I am frustrated, i assume other also our confused/frustrated with the complexity.

Our cars are really computers on four wheels. I think Acura needs a shot of Apple's zeitgeist -- technology that just works and is easy to use. Acura could really build up their brand loyalty by recognizing this. They have really great engineers but need to simply make things easier to use. Acura has done that with the power management system in the Sports Hybrid, it just simply works seamlessly with no needed input from the driver, so they can do it!!!

Also, when they improve their software and sort out the inevitable glitches and problems which arise with the first iteration of their technology, Acura needs to send out free upgrades so everyone can take advantage of the fixes easily. Only putting the upgrades into the newest models and ignoring the recent models that have basically the same infotainment systems does not build brand loyalty. Tesla has done that and most Tesla owners [which are on every corner in Los Angeles] are proud to be driving an unknown brand with no reliability history and bleeding edge technology, despite many first adopter issues.


So my first question is it possible to get the elapsed time of a trip with out resetting the trip function every time you start the car? In my RL by going to the Info screen you could see the elasped time and mileage for each time you started the car. The info screen in the RLX shows the mileage that way but the only place I have found the elapsed time is in the in the screen you can scroll through between the tach and speedo. That elapsed time is cumulative for all of the trips between resets of the trip function.

Zoommer

I like the idea of a crowd sourced Tech/FAQ.

Connected an IPOD to the car. Went to audio source selected IPOD and after the connection was made the system said it was generation voice commands. Once that is done you get two folders show up. You can then select from a standard, IOS type, selection of artists, playlists, songs, etc....Very easy and the sound, as expressed in other posts, is unbelievable. Still getting used to the Neural Surround vs standard settings. With the quietness of the car in EV mode on smooth roads, the high quality recordings sound, dare I say, flawless.

Still struggling with Hey Siri, might be issue with my phone.

neuronbob

FAQ is a good idea. Needs a new thread. Now that have actual Sport Hybrid owners, we can help each other.