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So a dealership almost 200 miles away found me the car I really wanted. 2020 RLX SH Sport Hybrid with the advance package in gilded pewter with Seacoast interior. It is probably one of the last ones left on the East Coast brand new and I bought it with 64 miles on it. Last Friday my wife and I flew from New York to Baltimore to pick it up and drive it home. I have to say that I am absolutely loving this car. The 5-Hour drive home seemed to fly by in minutes. It took me a while to make a decision on buying a new RLX. Mainly because I've been pretty dissatisfied with Acura now for the past few years. I think I've mentioned in a couple of previous posts that Acura seems to be going the wrong way with this car. I guess it doesn't matter anymore because I understand that 2020 is the last year that they're making it. Maybe a Acura wille smarten up a little bit in five or six years when I'm ready to buy a new one and will bring it back. From a technology standpoint this car is a Marvel on four tires and has absolutely great technology and great features. Aesthetically there's a lot to be less desired. I still think that my 2009 RL is more elegant on the outside and has nicer lines then the newer RLX's. Go figure since RL stands for refined luxury. Once you get used to the obtrusive bumps in the hood and the black dash, rear deck and side panels against the Seacoast interior, it's a gorgeous car. Oh and then there are the sporty Wheels which don't do it any justice with the advance package. I actually prefer the wheels that are on the PAWS package but you don't have that choice. I think that's my real problem with Acura lately is the lack of choices. It is no surprise that the sales in the past few years for the RLX have dwindled because of the bad choices I believe that Acura made with this car. I will say this one more time, RL stands for refined luxury, not trying to make the car look overly aggressive like a Transformer. You don't put Chrome sporty wheels and a front cow that growls at you when you look at it on a luxurious sedan. And more color choices would be nice. Most of all I think the thing that bothers me most is that the dashboard and rear deck no longer match the interior color like they did in my 2009 RL. Despite all of these things I bought the car anyway and I am over all glad that I did. I will have to get past the bumps in the Hood, the black dashboard and the crappy Wheels because I'm in love with the technology in the ride. The only thing Acura could have done better with this car is they should have had the engine kick in when you take your foot off the brake instead of after you hit the accelerator pedal because the car has a slight lag when starting at a stop sign or light from dead stop. The lag I guess is the time it takes to start the engine and kick in the transmission. In my opinion Acura should continue to make this car. They should take all the technology that they put into the 2020 RLX and put it into a nicer body style like the 2009 -2012 years, which in my opinion was total luxury and elegance. And produce more color choices. The Silver Jade metallic and the carbon gray Pearl were two of the nicest colors that Acura had and you can no longer get them. They also had a champagne color that was gorgeous in earlier years. Not that it matters now but why couldn't you get the modern steel metallic with a Seacoast interior? That would have been beautiful. I've been told that a lot of people think that Acura tried too much to compete with other manufacturers like the Infiniti G35 or even the Lexus. They should realize that they didn't have to compete with anybody because the Acura line is solidified in itself. Anyway I do love my car and I'm glad I bought it if you decide to get one you won't be sorry.
I Almost forgot one other small detail. If there's one thing I detest it's push buttons in place of a stick shift. It's an automobile not a spaceship. I'm okay with the push button start but not for a gear shift selector. So somebody tell me if I'm wrong but all of the gear shift selector in the RLX I think from probably 2009 up we're not real gear shift there just electronic shift box is correct there's no real shaft going to the transmission. If that's the case then I'm on a mission and I'm going to try to find out how I can put a stick shift from a 2018 back in my 2020 to replace the push buttons. I wonder if it can be done
As I'm sure others will point out, the RLX starts in 2nd gear for "smooth, luxurious" starts, eg. when you are driving your significant other and another couple out for a pleasant evening. If you want more "oomph" and a lag free start, select sport mode and use the paddle shifters to select 1st gear (M1) and then hold onto your hat when you choose to accelerate. It really is pretty impressive for such a large car. Note: Beware of the Sport Hybrid's ability to rapidly surpass speed limits when pushed.
The push-button shifter does take some getting used to, but if you give it some time, it does become less "different" and less "strange". As a long time manual transmission driver, I certainly missed my gear shift knob for some time before acquiescing.
Good luck with your new baby...hope you enjoy many, many trouble-free, smile-inducing miles.
I agree with most of what you say about the RLX. I owned a 2006 RL. Purchased it with 4k miles CPO. Drove it approx 170k miles in a little over 3 years (sold it to a friend in 2011 that still owns it). Had some other cars for a while and never satisfied. So in January 2015 purchased a 2012 RL CPO with 25k miles. I now have 168k miles on it. It still looks, drives, and behaves as a brand new car. Everything works flawlessly sans the glove box light.
Last week I was back home in metro NYC and purchased a brand new 2020 RLX Advance at Rallye Acura in Manhassett. They had (11) 2020 RLX's in stock. My family has purchased some new Acura's from them as their pricing is super sharp and our salesman Anthony Pergolizzi is probably the most professional and caring salesperson in the industry.
I prefer stick shift cars (also own a 2019 7 speed Grand Sport Corvette). I was very tempted to replace my Acura with a Camaro SS V8 6 speed stick, but the "deal" on the RLX coupled with what I know about Acura reliability, service, and satisfaction made the RLX purchase a slam dunk.
I do agree with you that the wheels and the general styling of the RLX could have been better, but the interior is well laid out, has a very luxurious feel, and in general most every tech convenience is on this car (wish it had apple car play).
I pick up the 2020 RLX on Saturday
My theory with push button gear selectors is Honda/Acura way of getting us ready for the next level of self driving cars. You will need electronic "drive by wire" brake, gas, steering, gear selector for the next few levels for self driving cars. It took me a while to get use to push button gears with my 19 MDX Hybrid coming from my 11 MDX, 08 RDX, and 06 TSX (add push button start also). I usually rest my hand on the gear selector as my normal driving position in my previous vehicles (probably a habit from my good ol' manual trans days). I don't even think about the using the push button gear selector now and it really hasn't bothered me not resting my hand there (old dog, new tricks).
I did the same and found my CPO 18 RLX hybrid red/ebony near Sacramento, CA, with 7200 miles on her. I flew out from ABQ, NM, in Dec/2019 and drove the car back the +16 hours (with overnight stops in Reno and Las Vegas). Excellent hwy vehicle with mpgs of 31-34 depending on speed limit and I love the triple digit smooth passing power you can get on 2 lane roads. The only downsides as a travel vehicle are the small 15 gas gas tank and lack of trunk space if you need to take 3-4 folks.
The +18 RLX isn't perfect; but, it is perfect to me. It has its little quirks and annoying things; but, the hybrid powertrain pushes all those things to the side with 377hp. I get more compliments on my RLX the last 7 months compared to every other car I've owned in the last +30 years. Second place for compliments was my 88 Merkur Scorpio that ended up being the last car I've owned that wasn't a Honda or Acura (horrible reliability with the Merkur or pretty much any USA/European vehicle at the time).
One side note, I purchased the spare tire kit at time of purchase in CA. I ended up hitting a large winter caused pothole the same day I arrived back in ABQ when I was going to put gas in the RLX (dime size tear in the tire sidewall when the tire got pinched between the pothole and rim). Having the dount spare saved me from having to call a tow truck or leaving the RLX on the side of the road. It took Discount Tires 5 days to get the replacement tire shipped in. I ended up purchasing road hazard warranty from Discount Tires (about $35 per tire w/ lifetime rotation/balance). The RLX tires don't like potholes!
Yes, I figured out the sport mode thing. They should have called it rocket mode. But I don't like the shifting intervals and the RPM speeds on the sport system it seems to rev really high. While looking at the 2012 silver RL it looks almost exactly like mine I have the 2009 in silver Jade metallic. 2009 getting gas Love the shape of this car
Here's a little exercise you can do which will bring home the point about design and luxury. Stand by the rear door of your 2012 RL and open the door and then shut it. Now stand in the same position next to your 2020 RLX and open the rear door. The first thing you notice is that the top of the glass of the door hit you in the face because of the way Acura designed the door shape. Little things like that drive me crazy.
There is also a noticeable difference in weight in the doors. The RL feels more substantial, the RLX has a lighter but larger feel. Being a car detailing fanatic I will also miss the hand sanded finish of the RL that was superior to most every other car out there. The RL and the 2017 Lexus LS460 were the last of the True Japanese tanks!
I have been hearing a lot on this forum about Tire blowouts and yes I too realized when I got the car home did the spare tire kit is optional so I went to Acura OEM Parts online and purchase one I'm waiting for it to be delivered. I also ordered real nice wheels for it. I was hoping that the wheel well in the car would hold a full size spare but I think that is doubtful cuz I will have four rims left over once I replace them with new ones.
If anyone in the northeast is looking for a 2020 RLX SH-AWD, our dealership (Sunnyside Acura in Nashua NH) has two new 2020's in stock - White with Seacoast, and Red with Ebony. These guys are great to work with. Wife still loving her 2018 SH-AWD in Black with Seacoast.
I did Petrol P4B 19X8 gloss black rims from Discount Tires along with chrome delete on my RLX. Wasn't too crazy about the OEM rim looks and didn't like getting a non-repairable flat so fast 2 days after purchase. The Petrol P4B rims would be easier and cheaper to find if I damage them compared to OEM.
Although the 2006 RL was a little shorter and stubbier than the 2009-2012, it is still more elegant lines wise than the 2013-2020 years, in my opinion.
Yes I too noticed that the gas tank is almost 5 gallons smaller in the last generation RLs. With that being said my 2009 RL has a 19.5 gallon tank in it what is good for about 350 miles if I push it. First tank of gas in my RLX 2020 at 15 Gallons g
yielded me almost 450 miles.
My RLX hybrid has more power and 3-5 higher combined mpgs compared to my 19 MDX hybrid with the 3.0L+hybrid system in the exact same driving environments. The MDX only comes in at 100lbs more; but, I think the 3.0L has to work so much harder compared to the 3.5L in the RLX (especially at hwy speeds of +80 mph). I haven't tried to break the 500 mile per tank mark in either vehicle.
Just my opinion but they look cheezy on such an elegant car. BBS make a real niece silver and gold wheel that I fell in love with but it is way out of price range.$1,050 per rim. Here is the picture lknk.
Just my opinion but they look cheezy on such an elegant car. BBS make a real niece silver and gold wheel that I fell in love with but it is way out of price range.$1,050 per rim. Here is the picture lknk.
LOL-----They better be at 1,000 a piece. I was seriously going to put them on my gilded pewter 2020 RLX until I saw the price. If they were half that price I would have bought them. I think the yellow gold against the mirror lip on a BBS look awesome.
Ran across these. Not sure about the color though, bronze vs. gold. I ran some Fitti's on a '89 Mazda RX7 back in the day. Closest I could get to the BBS look without the BBS price. FSF03 BZ ? Fittipaldi Forged
I work in sales. In 2003 - 2007 was driving 50k miles annually based in metro Washington DC. Went as far west as Detroit, south to Florida, and back then up to Toronto a few times. In 2003 purchased a brand new Acura CL Type S coupe with the short throw 6 speed stick. I loved that short throw stick and that Acura was bullet proof. Now I drive 25k-30k annually on my Acura’s primarily for business in addition to putting another 8k miles on my 2019 Corvette in the past year (3 trips to Florida).
God how I miss driving a stick. Especially a 6 speed. Sweet. 2005 Acura NSX in yellow with camel ir rust interior with 6 speed manual, was always my dream car.
God how I miss driving a stick. Especially a 6 speed. Sweet. 2005 Acura NSX in yellow with camel ir rust interior with 6 speed manual, was always my dream car.
I can't speak to the concept of driving a standard vs an automatic. But what I can say is that when I moved to my '17 (and now '19) MDX, I really missed the shifter being on the console. Now, after driving this type of button shift for about 3 years now, and getting into my son's ILX that still has a shift lever, I sort of miss the buttons. :-) Once you drive for a while with no lever on the console, you tend to us the console area differently, and things like putting the cup in the console without going around a lever is something you'd never consider being an issue. :-)
I can't speak to the concept of driving a standard vs an automatic. But what I can say is that when I moved to my '17 (and now '19) MDX, I really missed the shifter being on the console. Now, after driving this type of button shift for about 3 years now, and getting into my son's ILX that still has a shift lever, I sort of miss the buttons. :-) Once you drive for a while with no lever on the console, you tend to us the console area differently, and things like putting the cup in the console without going around a lever is something you'd never consider being an issue. :-)
I am late to the party, but congrats to the new Sport Hybrid owners here and enjoy in good health! I'm sure you got delicious blowout deals on those 2020s, which are to be the last. I find myself occasionally missing mine, but am happy rowing my own gears in the (now discontinued as well) 2.0 Accord manual.
Well it seems my brand new car may have developed a problem but I am not sure. I still love the car but I need some advice from everyone here because I am not sure I trust what the dealership is telling me. So I have owned the car now for about 3 weeks and it is perfect. In the last couple of days I have noticed a strong and pungent gasoline odor in the garage. I thought it was the gas cans I have in the garage for the lawn mower but I was surprised more to find out that it increased in level the closer I got to my new RLX. Most notably on the driver's side just by the rear door and it is not coming from the the fuel door. So I took it to my nearest Acura dealer so they can have a look at it. They told me there is nothing wrong with it that it is actually an overflow valve the triggers when it's hot to release Vapors from the gas tank and that is normal especially with only a half a tank of fuel in it. Upon returning home from the dealership I promptly filled the tank up to full and parked it in the garage. This morning I was almost knocked over by the smell of gasoline when I open the door into the garage. I find it very hard and believe that this is normal has anyone heard of this or do you have any suggestions. And there are no visible leaks or stains on the floor of the garage.
I've only had my 18 RLX since Dec/19 and NEVER smelled any gasoline smell at all. I keep my vehicle in the garage and had the gas take at pretty much every level from full to almost empty. The only place I can think of for the smell is somewhere along the fuel line (filler door, tank, pump, fuel lines, injectors). You might have to narrow down the area of the strongest smell to start the trouble shooting process for the Acura Tech.
Is the smell just as strong inside the car? Might want to leave the RLX outside just incase the worst happens. Anyway you can get Acura to keep the car overnight at their shop? There are a couple of threads of +14 MDXs catching fire starting in the engine bay. Probably a lot of similar parts for both 3.5L DI engines in the MDX and RLX.
Last edited by mrgold35; Jul 22, 2020 at 03:14 PM.
I think I possibly may have a solution and it might have been my fault. I am one of those people who likes to go Clickety click on the gas hose every time I fill up to chock full the tank with as much gas as possible to get the maximum miles out of a tank full and reduce the number of fills during the week. Is it possible that I actually got fuel in the vapor canister, which I understand is located directly under the driver side rear seat at the gas tank which is where I smell the fumes?
More importantly I wonder why the tech at the dealership didn't check that yesterday. Looks like I'm going back to the dealership yet again.
I believe your above statement is correct and you have accurately diagnosed your problem.
For what it is worth, I recall being told by my Acura technician at some point to never "over fill" the gas tank. That is, fill the tank until the gas pump auto-stop feature stops pumping and then don't add any further (or very, very little after). His explanation at the time was that overfilling the tank can cause gas to spill over into the "air breather filter" which can seriously compromise its function. Sorry, but I don't recall any discussion on whether the air breather filter would require replacement should it become soaked with gasoline.
After the filler 1st click you can safely add another gallon without that smell risk. If you go slow you can actually add 3.1 gallons, but I would not recommend it.
After the filler 1st click you can safely add another gallon without that smell risk. If you go slow you can actually add 3.1 gallons, but I would not recommend it.
I've always suspected that the information that I got from the Acura technician was on the conservative or safe side, but I've always erred on the side of caution anyway.
Thanks for the info.
Thanks much. Yeah my older Acura cars always I always used to stuff about another one to two gallons in. not anymore I'm reformed now lol. yeah I think the charcoal canister is full of fuel and that's what's causing it. I only hope it's covered by the warranty.
I bought the extended Bumper to Bumper To 100,000 miles.
