I owned several 1st gen RLs and now have a 2005 2nd gen with 155k on it. I still love the car but I have been considering getting a 2011-2012 2nd gen or a 14 3rd gen. I want the 11-12 because I want the 6 speed transmission. I work for a Honda dealer and I go to auctions to buy and sell cars every week. I could ask for a demo but I prefer to own my own car. Anyway, I bought a 14 RLX tech package for the dealership yesterday and I drove it home. I loved it! The big issue is the lack of AWD. Also, If I was to get a 3rd gen for myself I would want the advanced package for the a/c seats, Krell audio, and rear sunshade of all things. The big question is can I live without AWD living in RI? I live in the woods and the roads are horrible when it snows. My 2005 handles it incredibly well. I know the 3rd gen won't handle it as well but will it be good enough? I did average 30 mpg on the 100+ mile drive home from the auction which was incredible for such a heavy car. I consistently average 22.5 in my 2005. That is a huge difference. I also love the 6 speed transmission. Vast improvement over the 2005 out dated 5 speed transmission. The radio in my 2005 I feel is superior to the 14 speaker ELS system in the 14 tech package. The ELS system sounds great but the Bose in the 2005 I feel sounds better. I am curious to hear the Krell system in the advanced package.

So has anyone here gone from a 2nd gen to a 3rd gen? If so what do you think?

 

Sounds like a comparison to place in here https://acurazine.com/forums/second-...vs-all-949984/ , but the AWD is essential. i'd hold out and wait for one. My guess is you will regret not having it.

 

That is my gut feeling as well. I have been looking for a 2011/2012 but there are so few available and they haven't been cheap. The 2014s are starting to come off lease and the prices are a steal for what was a $50k+ car.

I will keep my eyes open for a good deal on a 2011/2012 but if a 2014 with advanced package comes around in a color I like I might have to jump on it. I can always take my wife's Pilot when the weather is really bad but I do prefer driving my own car. I can also take a dealer car as well if I have to. I just love how well the RL performs in bad weather. It is the best car in bad weather that I have ever owned or driving and I have driving just about everything there is. If the snow is deep than ground clearance is of course an issue. Besides that the 2nd gen RL is a tank.

 

I should add that the Nav not working while driving is incredibly annoying! I know the NHTSA has mandated it but I don't agree. The need to read the screen and talk to it, which never works, is much more distracting than using the knob to select. All newer cars are like that. Just like the 2015 Pilot can still be used while driving but when Honda redesigned it in 2016 they no longer work. Since the 2012 was the last year of the 2nd gen I imagine that is the last year it works in the RL.

 

Tampa and getakey both went from KB1s to KC1s. Tampa has the hybrid though. Your thread would have more meaningful responses in the RLX forum. I can move it if you would like.

Honestly, I would never buy the PAWS. If you go RLX, go hybrid.

 

100%. Wheel's quite safe in comparison.

A 6 speed trans. 2nd gen advanced package is the best bet today indeed.

 

If you would like to move it that is fine with me.

The Hybrid is out of my price range. Maybe a few years from now there will be some available I can afford.

I hadn't considered the PAWS until I drove it. It drives so nice. The lack of AWD is the only thing stopping me from getting one. Maybe waiting for the right 11/12 2nd gen is the best option for me. After driving the 14 I am really starting to reconsider that.

 

I don't care either way where the thread resides. I was just saying RLX guys don't come in here much, but there are a few who regularly post in RLX that had the 2G. That's all.

The prices on 2011-2012 RLs should be getting below the $20k mark these days.

 

If you think it will get more responses there than please move it.

​​​​​The 2011/2012 are below 20k usually unless they have very low miles. Most 2014s are in the low to high 20s though. I like the modern tech in the 2014. Simple things like the nav directions being in the center of the gauge cluster is nice. Plus all the modern safety features the advanced package has are awesome. Very similar to Honda Sensing in the Accord. Why did Acura drop the AWD!?!?

 

Cost of build materials and Acura's target market. When people found out the Hybrid was going to be asking $60k, a lot of them shit a brick. They don't realize that the new flagship can't cost the same as the one from a decade earlier and have all the same features plus new ones. Besides that, Acura is an entry luxury brand. They can't command $60k price tags and make enough revenue.

 

Done!

 

Now that I'm here, I realize Bob made the move too.

 

Now you make me feel bad for getting PAWS

My 2 cents:

Navi is bad in 2014
Size nice
Headlights great
MPG good
Krell incredible
Where I live AWD not necessary
Suspension harsh
Like ACC, collision avoidance
Overall happy

 

I think GK is the best suited person to answer this question as he has had both and one of our board members just stepped up from the decaf RLX to the Sport Hybrid recently. Even with the technical gremlins that have surfaced from time to time, I am still a happy camper and if I had to do it again, I would still have purchased the Sport Hybrid. It is a blast to drive, legitimately fast by any measure, has tons of room (interior), very comfortable seats, leather feels and smells great, the sound system is terrific (ELS), gets great mpg overall, is unbelievable in the snow and rain, and most importantly is a sleeper. I still want a new CTS-V to add to the stables, but that requires more negotiations with my wife so she does not think it is some kind of mid-life crisis thing. One day...

 

I didn't know George had an RL. I've never seen him post there. You shouldn't care what I would or wouldn't buy.

I just couldn't live with being that close to a revolutionary drivetrain but not having it. AWD isn't necessary where I live for safety either. But it is necessary for hooning.

 

I was waiting for the Hybrid, but if you recall, my RL blew a plug. Forced a decision.

 

I also was the proud owner of a '05 RL and moved up to a 2014 RLX Sport Hybrid. I really love my RLX because it is a "performance" hybrid, meaning that the electric motors add instant power and torque vectoring which greatly improves the handling and driving fun. The only drawback is that the hybrid batteries shrink the trunk and the hybrid adds about 10% to the list price.....$66k vs. $60 for the Advanced model. If you are looking at a used RLX the difference is probably somewhat less. I must also add that the 2014 infotainment system is slow and the user interface not well designed - clearly as step down from the RL. I have gotten used to the cumbersome system and have been able to make it functional. I think the 2016 models fixed some of the issues with the 2014 infotainment system but it clearly isn't Acura's shinning moment.

The RLX is a bigger car than the RL but with the sophisticated hybrid drive train it is way more fun to drive and much faster. The back seat is way bigger and the inside of the car is roomier and I think somewhat nicer that the RL. If you can find a Sports Hybrid take a test drive since it is really hard to properly explain the feeling of the hybrid. Most who have taken a test ride find they can't resist the desire to put one in their garage, extra cost be dammed.

While George is the one who has owned both the PAWS and Sport Hybrid models and better to comment on the differences between the models, I'd be glad to respond to your questions.

 

I recall you being forced into your new car, but I didn't recall that you were wanting to upgrade to the hybrid.

 

If it was out on time, I would have jumped on it

 

https://acurazine.com/forums/third-g...sh-rlx-933295/

It is a long thread...with a lot of rambling and whining (mostly from me). But there are several RL vs RLX comparisons (both PAWS and Sport Hybrid) with contributions from several RL > RLX owners. If you cannot sleep, dig in.

 

You can (and should) read all the details in that thread. But here is my short story: I have owned and loved every top of the line Acura since the early Legend in 1998, including the wonderful 2006 RL. The Sport Hybrid, even with the raps on the infotainment system, is the best car I have ever owned and the most fun the drive. Test drive it. I dare you!

 

I don't want to drive the RLX Hybrid because I know I will love it. Unfortunately it is out of my price range right now. Maybe in a few more years I will get one.

I am leaning towards waiting for a 2011/2012 for now. I really don't want to give up the AWD. Driving the RLX for a day had me thinking about it. Especially considering how affordable they are now. I know I will miss AWD if I go with the FWD RLX. I'll keep my eyes open for a 2011/2012. Maybe in a few years I'll be able to upgrade to the RLX Hybrid.

 

I had a 2015 RLX P-AWS, before the 2016 Sport Hybrid.
The rear wheel steering makes it handle like a much smaller and lighter car......Honda has done a really great job implementing it!
As for the winter driving (snow, sleet, freezing rain), I had a set of snow tires (Blizzaks).......let me tell you, it was extremely capable and planted.
The Sport Hybrid with snow tires (last winter) drove so well, I sometimes drove at speeds I shouldn't (yes it is that good)......

HTH

 

I am on the lookout for one as well; they are less expensive up here too. But i keep worrying about actually finding one; i don't wanna give up my current one.

 

I think that for the money the Sport Hybrid is a steal. I'm not sure I would pay $75k for a new Lincoln Continental as is being put on the market now, but our car priced in the 55-60's new, that is a do again if I had an opportunity and was looking to get into a vehicle like this.

 

I agree that the Sport Hybrid is more car than the cost reflects - especially since the PAWS launched first with very aggressive pricing. I would expect Acura makes no profit on the SH, but instead it is an investment to introduce complex multi motor hybrid AWD drive-trains. For the first iteration, I am impressed with this sophisticated system in both design and execution. However, that is not to what most people can relate. Most consumers of the premium car segment are drawn to the more superficial aspects of this class of car. That being styling, feature content and materials. It is easy to overlook the Sport Hybrid, especially without Acura marketing and very little media recognition. That said, I do recognize some compromises made to keep cost and value focused to the drive-train, but very little IMHO is compromised in the feature & materials offerings. Just today I was comparing features with my bro-in-law who has a Lexus ES400 hybrid. The RLX trumped nearly everything in features (and his ES is highly contented in upper $50K range). Yet, I was amused that his criticism of my SH was that it did not have a power trunk (and it is the one feature I'd say I would like to have). But seriously, he is more impressed by a power button trunk lid than a 3 motor, torque vectoring AWD system with power and performance better than a supercar of just 10 years ago and 8mpg less than his wheezy Toyota Synergy drive-train with FWD???

Sour grapes if you ask me.

 

I also moved from an RL to a Sport Hybrid RLX and if I had to sum up the difference in one word it would be ... TORQUE. Honda engines have always lacked the low RPM torque to get off the line until the VTEC could kick in and shine. The Sport Hybrid's electric motors deliver instant torque that creates pretty amazing performance from a car this size. Furthermore, the TORQUE from the rear motors can be vectored - even off throttle - to make an SHAWD that easily surpasses the RL's.

There are plenty of other features of the RLX that surpass the RL, interior space, fuel economy, Krell sound system, amazing DCT transmission, adaptive cruise control, LKAS, Surround-view camera, heads-up display, etc. ... but the feature that has surprised and pleased me the most is the torque.

Just my two cents.

 

Exactly!

 

I imagine the FWD RLX with snow tires would be more than capable. I have owned many FWD cars with snow tires and they all did well in the winter. My 05 RL doesn't just do well in the winter, it is a beast! As you said it inspires so much confidence that I sometimes drive faster than I should. It really is an amazing car.

I am going to wait for the right deal on an 2011 or 2012. Maybe in a few years when there are more used RLX Hybrids available I will be lucky enough to own one.