Bernster

Sorry but I have to say good bye to the RLX. Loved driving the car on smooth pavement and sitting in the car admiring all of the tech and great seats. But this CNET review is the straw that broke the camel's back for me.

The good: The 2014 Acura RLX's standard LED headlights throw a bright, well-defined pattern into the night. Four-wheel steering aids handling and direct injection helps fuel efficiency. Adaptive cruise control leads to effortless highway driving, and the Krell audio system delivers incredible dynamic range.

The bad: A bizarre two-screen cabin tech interface makes tuning music or placing calls confusing. When the road gets a little rough, the ride becomes very uncomfortable.

The bottom line: The 2014 Acura RLX makes a game attempt at being a high-tech roller, but suffers from flaws serious enough that they should send Acura back to the drawing board.

http://reviews.cnet.com/sedan/2014-a...-35590816.html

I previously posted this:

This from Edmunds test drive http://www.edmunds.com/acura/rlx/2014/?sub=sedan

"The RLX doesn't ride with the same composure as other sedans in this class. When fitted with the 19-inch wheels, it feels harsh when driving over rough patches at low speeds, while the ride on the highway can be bouncy. Only on truly smooth pavement does the RLX ride like a luxury sedan. Take it around a few turns, and the big Acura is steady but not particularly athletic. The steering is precise, though, and the car's standard rear-wheel steering system subtly and effectively steers the rear wheels ever so slightly to help the RLX get around tight corners."

This from Consumers Reports:

"Surely, you think, it must drive nicely? After all, Honda is an accomplished company with some racing pedigree. But, alas, the car neither coddles nor thrills. Abrupt short pitches mar the ride and undermine any sort of luxury experience. Suspension noise further detracts. Handling lacks agility and the steering is numb, sucking away any driving enjoyment"

I need a car the drives well. I also read a comment about wind noise on this forum. Lousy ride on bad roads and wind noise are deal breakers for me. Plus that front end is something only a mother could love. What was Acura thinking? Wonder if they break 400 in annual sales.

I will either get another M56 or the 2014 model Infiniti Q70 when my lease is up or check out the 2014 Mercedes E 350.

Colin

Good for you. You need to get what is going to make you happy.

jhr3uva90

If I were leasing, I would consider the Germans. For buying and owning long term though, I prefer Japanese. Different strokes for different folks.

seanlin

I totally agree. Germans is more fun to drive. But Japanese is more reliable. Depends what is more important to you.

hondamore

Everyone is entitled to act as they want, but I certainly wouldn't make a choice on purchasing a car based purely on another persons perception of the car (a reviewer that spend about 20 minutes in the car) especially when their own experience was contrary to that of the reviewers. My own experience has taught me that just because it's on the internet, doesn't mean it's true and just because it's printed by somebody in a magazine doesn't mean that it is true. My advice would be to go take another test drive of the RLX and drive that thing over every bumpy road in town for an hour or so and THEN make your choice. If the RLX isn't for you, that is fine, but the decision will be yours and not based on another person's opinion. Just my two cents.

Edward'TLS

Don't give up so quick. You haven't even seen the Hybrid AWD RLX yet.

KeithL

Fully agree, but my concern with buying an RLX would be if it become the resale turkey the RL was you would be better off leasing it.

JT4

^^I totally agree with you, and people are certainly entitled to do as they please.

But IMO if the OP really does like the RLX he should go and drive it again. This time on open roads, over uneven pavement and spend some time with cabin interface himself before letting a few reviewers make the decision for him. But I think the real question is does he really like it.

I ask this because in his post he mentions that he drove the car on smooth roads and liked it, he also liked the seats and tech.

Then he read a few bad reviews and all of a sudden he doesn’t like it. And apparently he now also thinks it's ugly because he said.. “Plus that front end is something only a mother could love. What was Acura thinking? Wonder if they break 400 in annual sales”.

So which one is it, do you like it or not?

If all of us based our purchases on what the reviews said, it would be very interesting to see what we would be driving, if driving anything at all.

weather

Now that is what I call wisdom...something that seems to be lacking in many people these days!!

BDoggPrelude

Agreed on making a decision solely on a review. I don't know how you can say you loved the way that it felt when you drove it and then dismiss the car altogether based on what somebody else had to say about their drive in it. I have yet to drive it, but most of the reviews I've read have applauded its smooth ride. If you drove it and it seemed great to you that's all that really matters. Did you notice a lot of suspension noise, choppiness over rough roads or bounciness on the highway?

You have to keep in mind that these are auto journalists. They tend to be overly critical about things that the average consumer is not even going to pick up on. To add to that, the vehicles that they are given to test are frequently used and abused. Maybe the previous test driver had gotten a little overzealous during some spirited driving and ended up taking the "scenic route" off the road.

It's funny that you basically created this account just to come on here and bash the RLX based on one review. I'm not on the RLX bandwagon personally. I don't like the way it looks and I would never go back to FWD after owning a 2G RL. That being said, if I didn't care that it is FWD and I wasn't turned off by its looks, everything else about the car is awesome. I would imagine it rides as smooth as glass and the tech is second to none. For those that enjoy the styling and don't mind that it is FWD, I'm sure they are loving their new cars and would disagree wholeheartedly with the CNET review. At least they made a decision based on their own personal feelings and not what somebody else had to say about it.

Colin

LOL, I was thinking the same thing. All that was missing was the long list of Honda or Acura cars he's owned in the past and how he's newly "disappointed" with the brand.

GoHawks

Was that directed at me?

Ken1997TL

The RLX is very comfortable and the ride is Lexus quiet and smooth. Not sure what that CNet reviewer was on.. The RLX has other faults, but ride and comfort is not it!

I've owned enough Acuras including an RL to have an informed opinion on that.

Colin

No

KeithL

I have test driven the Lexus GS and RLX and I don't think the RLX is as smooth as a GS, it may be as quiet. I find the RLX ride to be a little disjointed and a tad jittery.

jhr3uva90

I've driven both RLX and GS, but I think I need to drive the drive the RLX again. They both seemed equally smooth to me.

KeithL

Take the RLX on a road with pronounced expansion joints or more rough irregular surface, I think you'll see the RLX to be a tad less well behaved.

Bernster

This was not one review but 3 that said there was a problem with the ride. CNET, Consumers Reports and Edmunds. The fact that 3 independent reviewers said the exact same thing is enough for me. I am not a test driver. I rely on what professionals have to say. Plus there have now been numerous reviews knocking the RLX. What do you think that does to resale value?

As to my comment concerning the front end, I made that after seeing the front view on the CNET site and realizing that the LED lights do not really flow well with the "beak". I was willing to overlook styling if everything else was good which it is obviously not.

H_CAR

So you'd buy a car without test-driving it? You made a decision on the exterior appearance (That you previously liked) without seeing the car in person, no, but on one photo you viewed on CNET? I have some advice, go get a feel for the car, and then decide if it's the right one for you.

Never rely on what these independent reviews say. Yes it's entertaining, and sometimes it serves as a guide but if your in love with a car, you shouldn't let a few automotive journalists tell you it's not good enough, especially if YOU think it is good enough.

neuronbob

Not sure if serious....what a strange thread.

OP, buy what is best for you, bud!

acuralvr1

RL is a resale turkey? Consumer Reports ranks it as one of the most reliable sedans. Reliability is what the buyers of a 100K miles car are looking for, first and foremost. My '07 RL with 115K miles is worth $14,000 per Kelly Blue Book. The car is absolutely bulletproof- zero issues. I've replaced the brakes once, the tires twice , change the oil and did a 100K full service. Nothing has gone wrong with it. I bought it for $40K. It's been a good run.

Ken1997TL

Did they bother with setting the tire pressure properly? That has happened a couple times with brand new cars I've test driven, including a Benz. It was at 45 psi.. felt a bit firm

KeithL

True, but what I meant was the demand for them. Try to trade one in or sell it an it is hard to get rid of, sure if you find the buyer, but it is not a popular car new or used. I will not argue that the car is one of the best built and reliable rides on the road.

TLtrigirl

iTrader: (1)

usually dealer's over inflate the tires if the cars are going to sit on the lot a while to avoid potential flat spotting. when a car is sold, then hopefully they actually adjust the PSI within spec prior to delivering the car to it's new owner.

so perhaps the PSI was a little high making the ride feel a bit firmer than it's suppose to be.

noobie

It's a bit lazy by the dealer and it doesn't show the cars well on test drives. Dealer delivered my car recently at 42 psi. Drove around for a couple weeks, before I checked. After I found out what they had done, I experimented at 35, 32 and the settled for 34. What a huge difference between 42 and 32 psi in terms of ride, especially with 20 inch 35 profile tires.

TLtrigirl

iTrader: (1)

^^usually the dealer has a few "tester" vehicles. i would imagine they have these set to spec, but who knows.

i guess it could always be worse and have the car well under spec.

George Knighton

I thought that the RLX AWD would be my next car but now I'm not so sure.

The FWD version goes for over 60,000 with Advance. That means that hybrid AWD version could very well go for 80,000 or if they go for the 420 HP instead of 360 HP it could even be the first Acura to sticker for 100,000.

So...I don't know.

I'll have a look, but in the end I might be holding out for the 2015 TLX 6-6. :-)

Timmy18

CNET reviews are always biased to the over priced material items. I dislike them very much. Brian hates on Honda and Acura's 24/7 and over all the entire company is just so snobby, its like listening to a 15 year old girl's opinion while she smacks her lips chewing gum, posting overly make-up'ed duck faces to instagram with her iPhone. (I despise my generation at times.)

CNET reviews are a joke in my book. Go thoroughly test the product your self. You know they get paid to say bad things here and there and most other things they yap about are opinionated.

JT4

Maybe it's me so let me get this straight. You drove the RLX and liked it, you even said you liked the seats and all the tech. Maybe I’m wrong, but like most people I would assume that either before or after the test drive you also walked around the RLX and looked it over. So at this point I would think it's safe to assume you liked the RLX because that is what you wrote in your first post.

So let’s fast forward. Even though you drove and liked the RLX you now read 3 independent reviews, and each give the same negative review about the ride over harsh pavement and the use of the interface and this is enough to turn you off???

Let me say that I am not a big fan of the RLX, I’m still not 100% sold on it. I take car reviews with a grain of salt and read them mostly for entertainment so I just don’t understand how someone can be so persuaded by 3 or even 20 reviews one way or the other in regards to what YOU like or don’t like.

Now if the all the negative reviews from these so called professional reviewers were in regards to safety testing or something of that nature I could understand being persuaded.

But IMO, for you to change your opinion of the RLX, or any car for that matter because 3 reviewers spend 2 hours or even 2 days in the car and didn’t like it makes no sense to me at all.

Oh, I almost forgot the best part of this. You see the car in person and like it.Then you see a video or photo on-line and this changes your opinion of the front end styling that you saw in person and liked..

Yeah, it must be me.

KeithL

I am actually surprised that anyone buying a car so heavily influenced by reviews is even considering an Acura and not just immediately going to one of the German name plates that the auto press gets their daily hard-ons from.

Fabvsix

Reliability is what Acura/Honda are all about....I took my 04 out to dinner last night...Valet guys said it was too clean and look brand new....BEST car I've ever owned ytd...hands down...25K and still looks brand new....

jhr3uva90

Beautiful car Acura RL designs age well.

db22

I agree, in 3, 5 or 7 years time the "boring and bland" RLX will still look a classy sedan where the ultra modern CTS, with its cutting edge design will look dated.

jhr3uva90

This is why I am considering the RLX despite the reviews.

JT4

I agree, the heck with the reviews if you like it do it..

Timmy18

CNET's video review. Didn't say anything about the suspension being too stiff on rough roads. It's actually leans a bit. But Bryan liked it. Only thing he complained about with the Navi was how there was 2 different ways to type in a address.

pedalermike

I've been driving a loaded RLX loaner for 3 days while my ZDX is having a few things sorted out. I've put nearly 200 miles on the RLX odometer and I have to agree with every point in the reviews. Here are my impressions below:

Good:

* Smooth engine
* Very quiet interior
* Excellent sound system (Krell System)
* Headlights are very good
* Nice keyfob
* Huge trunk
* Back seat legroom is very good
* Good all round visibility
* Tons of headroom & shoulder room
* Good interior fit and finish
* Instrument cluster is excellent
* 3D navi screen is excellent
* Visual cues on instrument panel readouts are nicely done


Bad :

* Front legroom is cramped - the geometry of the seats is weird no matter how you adjust the seats
* Information system graphical user interface is not intuitive and offers no advantage other than eye candy
* buttons are more intuitive and offer a lower driver workload
* Getting into the car tough for older people since the step down is very low
* The seats are not as supportive as the ZDX's
* The car sways in comfort mode going around corners (kind of boat-like)
* Sport mode seems to engage both transmission and suspension
* no way to setup suspension separate from transmission like in ZDX Advanced
* PAWS cornering is not as good as ZDX SH-AWD
* Navi locked up on day 2 and required a 10 minute car shut down to get it to restart!
* LDW is hit or miss - warning tones are an aggravation (I know they can be turned off)
* No fog lights
* Interior trim is easily scratched (two gouges on the shifter trim with 1100 miles on the odo)
* Voice commands produce unreliable results (maybe it is a training thing)
* I have no issue on my wife's TSX, my son's TL or my ZDX....
* Source button on steering wheel works half the time
* Lag on menu selection on either navi screen or infotainment screen
* Bluetooth music control is unreliable
* Definitely works much different than my ZDX which is near perfect with my Samsung GS3

Overall, I find the car not compelling to purchase as it definitely does not provide excitement and the styling is mediocre. I hope no one takes offence but I would classify it as a geezer car with lots of boy toys. Then again, if you are that old you are not likely to be in the demographics to be comfortable with all the technology.

I hope the RLX hybrid sorts out the technology flaws and is tuned for a more exhilarating ride since it will be performance oriented.

Vagabond Jack

Acura just can't seem to win. People cry about stiff rides and say it doesn't drive like a Lincoln or a Lexus. Others cry and say it doesn't handle like an M3 or a 911.

Acura is simply stuck in the middle.

Personally, aside from a few cosmetic things and lack of available options I like the car. I needed to drive it more than once though myself. On the first drive I did find it a bit sloppy, but I'm glad I gave it a few more drives because now I love it.

Timmy18

I really think Acura should have put the IDS/ Active suspension system in this car like they done with the MDX.

db22

I agree but with 3 settings instead of 2.