Filled out the J D Power survey yesterday.

Although I'm sure the RLX will be a long live'd and very reliable vehicle, I found myself thinking about it too much and it is the first time that I have ever criticized a Honda or Acura car as much as I criticized the RLX.

I still like the car...a lot...but the questions on the J D Power survey made me think too much.

LOL.... I even complained that the leather in my American made TL smelled better. :-)

Downgraded the infotainment system because of the voice commands. Again, I felt that the American made TL was easier to use with the voice commands. I don't know why we'd change the voice commands for a new car instead of building on the voice command system that already existed. It just confuses the most loyal customers.

Downgraded AcuraLink because of the number of times I have had to use the concierge because the server at the other end of the cellular call didn't understand what I was saying. The system is not smart enough, for example, to understand "Three Chopt Rd in Richmond VA" and hears Chopt as chopped. That's fine, but I said "Richmond VA" and the server should be smart enough to figure that out.

That's just one example out of a dozen that didn't work and which caused me to use the concierge service.

I still can't figure out why they built this car. It's very expensive to put together, with many parts of the car very well thought out and with very tricky designs that are excellent. But without the capacity to mass produce the 5G Legend/RLX, and with no other cars based on this long chassis with a very expensive suspension...I can't really figure out why it exists.

Except, perhaps, to cause me to buy one. :-) But one old man doesn't make you real money.

 

Sorry to hear about the voice command issue - it's one of the things that I like about my TL. However I recently test drove a Kia Cadenza (no flames please) and have to admit that it's voice command system is head and shoulders above my TL's. It's on my short list in case the new TLX isn't priced as competitively.

 

I sent mine off a few days ago. Hate to say it, but I slammed Acura for the loose suspension bolt recall. I gave the car high marks overall, save for the frustrating voice recognition (or non-recognition). But in my opinion, Acura should not have allowed any car to leave the factory with a potentially dangerous condition, not to mention a flag ship model in its first year of production. That is an Acura quality control issue, not a flaw with the car.

 

I know I'm a cynic, but I don't like to give people like this info which they then sell or publish for money.

They make it seem like you're doing the community some kind of service or something when you complete their surveys, but in reality they're just using you to gather the info they turn around and sell. They would not exist if they didn't make money off your info. I consider them leeches.

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But you would not buy a car that was slayed in every magazine and survey either, would you?

Conversely, many cars are getting bad reviews for infotainment systems and you have to read between the lines to determine if the car is good and formulate your own opinion based on the value of a fully functional and operable infotainment system.
Fords, Lincolns, Cadillacs, past BMW's etc have all been criticized for the interface and not for the car itself.
I happen to think that the interface is very important and any car that was designed by a person who cannot drive is reason enough not to buy it - I.E. RLX and MDX.

 

Yup. Most systems are intuitive only to a small group of people.

Carplay might be the solution for a lot of us.

 

If I relied on magazine articles and survey results for my car purchase decisions, I'd never buy an Acura. They are almost universally disliked by the automotive press, for reasons I can't fathom.

I don't understand your last point - I'm fine with the Interface in the RLX and MDX. None of them is perfect, and Acura has down better than most IMO.

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I completely agree. After all, the overall interior and the interface(s) in which you engage with the car is ultimately what it comes down to. Sure, exterior looks, accessories, color, etc. all factor in a great deal, but 99% of the time that you use your vehicles, it's spent from the inside driving it.

But also like Mike_TX, I could give a rat's ass about reviews, etc. I'm not out there to drive cars based on what other people think. I'm not driving cars for them. I'm driving cars for myself! (duh!). So ultimately what makes me happy is what matters. Not someone else's opinion, viewpoint, or agenda about said product. For me, reviews are for light research and information gathering when looking at options, and even then I rarely go looking at them. Most of the time I get all the info I need right from the manufacture's website, unbiased and laser focused on their own product, without all the clutter and noise. I get to see and experience what they believe is the best product. From there I determine what appeals to me most based on the buying factors that are most important to me.