pepperish

I am soon to be in the market for a new car and was considering a 2017 Audi A7 Prestige, but having 3 previous Acura's (04 TSX, 05 RL, 09 TL SH-AWD Tech) I noticed a 2020 Sport Hybrid at my local dealer. I went to test it out for giggles, and oh my. I was giddy. I was caught off guard by this car! I still am teetering, but I think I may jump in with the RLX. The local dealer has a black on black, and my TSX was black on black, and I vowed I would never get another black colored car again! Could not keep it clean. I dealer about 100 miles away has a Metallic Gray on black, and that I could consider. It has 60K on it, they are asking 36K.

My concern with the RLX is the difficulty getting parts later. Am I making this a bigger deal than I need to be?

I enjoyed the Audi A7. Never had an Audi before though, so having to find a dealer concerns me. I do enjoy very much my Acura dealer.

Just plugging along trying to figure things out.

mrgold35

I've had my CPO 18 RLX for +3 years and put around 20,000 miles on it (mostly city and a few trips out of town). My likes/dislikes are:

Likes:
- 377hp/341tq with sh-awd is a lot fun to drive with excellent performance/acceleration at any speed
- turns heads and people comment on how good the car looks
- mpg range of 27-31 for city/combine/hwy
- excellent visibility with LED headlights, love the tail light looks at night
- no extra maintenance for ICE or EV components other than regular fluid/filter changes just like a mechanical sh-awd vehicle (7DCT/TMU both use DW-1)
- most front seat room for me when driving compared to my previous Acura's (6'3", 300lbs, size 14 shoe)
- you can fit a full size spare in the trunk with very minimal loss of (already small) trunk space

Dislikes:
- soft suspension and nose heavy. Can take away from really sporty handling sometimes
- OEM rims don't look the best and low profile tires can cause pinch flats with potholes
- very small trunk because of battery pack if you want to travel with 3-4 people for a longer getaway
- No Carplay; but, not much of an issue for us being mostly a city vehicle
- The info-tainment stack/graphics hasn't been updated like most +2018 Acura vehicles at that time
- wide seats with minimal lumbar support and smaller side bolster support (my lower back starts to hurt on road-trips compared to zero issues with my 19 MDX)
- the back seat has no door storage, no digital climate controls, and don't fold down because of large battery pack
- small 15 gal gas tank, Only an issue on road-trips AND road trips with very bad headwinds (can see low 20s at 80 mph with stiff 35 mph headwind cutting your range by sometimes +100 miles).

If I had to do it all over again knowing what I know now, the answer would still be YES! It is pretty much an end of an era with this type of Sport Hybrid tech from Acura and I didn't want to miss out on the chance of owning one. Acura was ahead of its time with Sport Hybrid tech and it just didn't catch on. Now, everyone has some type of hybrid tech that leans towards the sporty instead of just sloppy handling, low hp/tq with higher mpg range hybrid tech like a few years ago.

pepperish

Thanks. I know the car is unchanged between 2018-2020. It seems pricing is the same for each year. A 2018 is going for the same as a 2020. Mileage seems to be the factor affecting pricing more than the year. Am I missing something if I go with a 2018 over a 2020, same price, but the 2018 has the color combo I prefer? However, 2020 is CPO, whereas the 2018 is not.

mrgold35

I could only find my red/ebony color combo for 2018 model year when I was looking back in 2019. All other 19-20 RLX Sport Hybrids where red/parchment/seacoat only. I was lucky the 2018 RLX I purchased was CPO compared to the newer 19-20 RLX models that were not and $5000-$15,000 more expensive back then. I just used my CPO warranty on my 18 RLX last month to repair the rear glass sun shade that came off its tracks. The CPO warranty was charged $1500 to replace the sunshade ($1350 parts+labor). The shade would have stayed broken if I didn't have the CPO warranty. The RLX Sport Hybrid comes with the 4/50k basic, 6/70k powertrain, and 8/100k warranty for EV components. CPO warranty extends the basic warranty to 6/100k and powertrain to 7/100k.

The good thing about the later models is the basic 4yr/50,000 warranty might still be active and you can add Acuracare if they are not CPO. I could cost around +/- $2500 to add the max Acuracare of 5 extra years or 120,000 miles to the RLX. A CPO RLX is pretty much Acuracare to 100,000 miles. I'm planning to take my RLX to the 100,000 mile mark (+26,000 now).

Jim 2004

It's a Honda. Shouldn't be a problem. And the J35Y engine has been around for a long time and is used in current Honda models (Pilot, MDX).

pepperish

Very helpful, thank you!

rlx015

I have nothing else to add, other than 2020 regardless of the color is a better deal for the same money... especially if it has lower than 50k manuf. warranty, so you can get an Acura Care warranty if you'd like.
I think A6 Audi, you are guaranteed to have parts available, because they do break so much, Audi has to keep milking owners for parts and super expensive labor lol

CadiGTi

I have put 77k on my 2020 RLX hybrid since new. Rock solid. So far

I used to be a big fan of Audi for design and German handling. My sisters 2015 A3 prestige and very close friends 2021 A6 Prestige have cured me of Audi for life. My sisters A3 required frequent dealer visits in 5 years and only 25k miles. Many of them I had the displeasure of me taking her car to Audi and dealing with horrendous service at 2 NY dealers.

The 2021 A6 Prestige factory ordered in spring of 2021 ($72k msrp) now just has 6k miles. Plagued since new with MMI electrical gremlins. Sound system, back up camera and Nav work intermittently. Last dealer visit in October 2022 Beiner Audi in Great Neck NY (#2 Audi dlr in US) said there is a national recall and parts wont be in until March 2023. So 6 month wait for repairs. When questioned why, Audi said they are making “cars dead on road” the priority over electronic issues. I am willing to bet they are making EV catastrophic issues priority and making ICE customers low priority (my parents are getting same poor treatment from Mercedes).

I was also very disappointed in the way the A6 Prestige handles. Audi has really neutered the handling and German feel. The RLX is much more spirited to drive vs the A6 and also compared to my dads 2021 Merc E450 with air suspension. In the case of the A6 my friend is dumping it if the recalls do not address the problems. She had 2 Acura RDXs prior. They were bullet proof.

pepperish

Thank you for this. I have been getting similar experiences with Audi owners. I have always been an Acura guy, and will stay that. I am heading out shortly to pickup my new to me 2020 RLX Sport Hybrid. CPO off lease for $35K and 59K miles. It is Silver Gray Metallic. I had other options for black and less miles, but I told myself years ago when I got my 2004 black TSX that I would never own another black car if I could help it.

hondamore

Congratulations pepperish and welcome to the unicorn club. I hope you have many, many years of trouble-free, smile-inducing driving in your new RLX Sport Hybrid. You got a really great deal on a really great car...enjoy.

CadiGTi

Congrats and enjoy the RLX. Looks like you got a sweet deal and CPO is great peace of mind. They really are great cars. I spend a lot of time in my RLX and the longer I own it the more I respect and love it.

mrgold35

Welcome to the exclusive RLX Sport Hybrid club! I never get tired of the hp/tq AND the 26-28 mpgs always with the RLX Sport Hybrid.

mk5

Right on, great choice! With the only other car having this kind of hybrid tech in Honda’s lineup being the NSX, I feel at some point there will be a demand for these sedans.

pepperish

Thanks! Here she is! The worst part is the dealer put a scent diffuser in it. I prefer “au naturel”! 🙃

Tosh

Congrats on your 'new' car!
Is the FWD version of the RLX worth looking at? Seems not that much more than a TLX or last of the TL, but way nicer inside...?

rlx015

I have seen some posts about actuators being a problem on FWD models, but that may apply to an earlier version of the car. Post 2018 I dunno if they fixed it, if yes, FWD should be an Ok car... I still love SH over FWd anytime

CadiGTi

Beautiful! Enjoy!

mrgold35

Depends on the year your are looking at, 14-17 or the updated 18-20 RLX. Here is link to all of Acura's brochures if you want to compare the TL, TLX, and RLX features per model year. I don't think I would like the RLX as much if it didn't have the Sport Hybrid powertrain because it has TLX Type-S performance and very close to 1.5T Integra mpgs. My max is 34.2 mpg at 70 mph for 230 miles in the RLX, usually 29-31 mpg depending on posted hwy speed of 75-80 mph (usually 5-10 mph above that).

https://www.auto-brochures.com/acura.html

Jayel

I have a 2014 RLX just turning over 78k in miles. As far as maintenance and parts I haven't had a issue at all so far. There is still surprisingly alot to get for the RLX. I've found parts for my car, even a part for the glove compartment. I've found a undercarriage engine guard, an OEM 18x8 factory rim, and some other things I thought I would have a issue finding but was not a effort to find. Hope that helps in your quest. By the way my RLX is black on black and yeah it's catches everything but it's worth cleaning and looks good for a while before needing another bath. Those quick wipe downs help out.

Scott in AZ

CONGRATS on your new car and welcome to the club. My 2016 RLX Sport Hybrid has 55K miles and absolutely zero issues, but I really miss not having Apple CarPlay (I am looking into the GROM VLyte and VLine accessory add on for CarPlay). I get 26-27 MPG in mixed city/highway driving. I have a 7/100 AcuraCare warranty on it and plan to drive it about ten years total. I think a 2020 SH-SH-AWD would be a fantastic daily driver. I'd strongly recommend the Hybrid for the better performance and the AWD even more than the fuel efficiency. I agree almost to the letter with MRGOLD35 list of pros and cons, and also agree that if I had to do it over I'd buy this car again in a second.

jdpdata

You will love GROM in your RLX. I've installed it since purchasing mine in Oct '20. It was a bit buggy at first, but last couple years been rock solid. Even got latest Android Auto "Coolwalk". You use iPhones, so I have no clue how stable those are. Support is telling me update to Android 12 is coming soon!

jpadilla

Currntly have a 2014 RLX PAWS ... been looking for a 2020 SH-AWS and think I found one. Hopefully deal goes thru.

I have always said my next car will be a BMW 750, or X7 M50, or Audi S8. Well, wife has a 750 and the maitenance/repairs is very expensive. It quickly brought me back into being smart about my money and making that same mistake again. Value wise, my RLX has been mostly trouble free ... except for my rear acutators I paid $5K to fix. Parts are easy to find online at a discount from a reputuable acura dealer, they are easy to work on if that is your thing, still gets comments on my 2014 on how brand new it still looks, and best of all it's a rarity to see on the street. My dealer even commented that I am one of two RLXs that regularly gets serviced at his shop. Hopefully I'll now own 2!

mrgold35

Good luck with getting the 2020 RLX. I really can't think of another vehicle I would purchase to replace the RLX Sport Hybrid right now and want to keep for 5-8 more years.

shenofjo

i noticed the front power train lines up to the front wheels and I wonder when you notice the nose heavy handling. Really hoping the rear electric motors and be trick enough to mask it.

mrgold35

The rear electric motors with regen braking and tq vectoring do help with handling. I really think the softer suspension is what makes my RLX feel more Buick compared to leaning towards AMG/BMW M-line/Audi S-line. The RLX softer suspension body lean makes it feel heavier than it really is. I think the 14-17 RLX had a stiffer/sportier suspension compared to the 18-20 RLXs. My MDX Adv Sport Hybrid is around 100lbs heavier than my RLX; but, my MDX "feels" noticeably lighter on its feet in the same maneuvers with the electronic dampers.

RLX SH: 1/4 mile drag racer (you can be at 120-130 mph pretty quick if you floor it passing several 18-wheelers in a row on a 2 lane road)

MDX SH: Pikes Peak road course racer. You will have your spouse hanging on to the "Oh $hit" handle on curves and mountain switchbacks and still be well under the its handling capabilities. I don't keep anything in my MDX that can roll around other than a travel pillow because it is so much fun in the curves.

My perfect Acura would be the merging the best parts of MDX/RLX Sport Hybrid together (377hp341tq, HUD, Krell, 4 IDS modes, electronic dampers, larger gas tank, rear electronic climate controls, trunk close button, MDX sporty seats, Carplay, etc...).

shenofjo

Thanks MrGold for always being responsive to all our sport hybrid questions. I had the pleasure of test driving the RLX SH over the weekend a 2018 model. 2 takeaways for me.

one. the stop start system makes the initial response from a full stop delayed for about a second before the engine is fired back up and picks up. I didnt feel the torque fill from the electric motors and that really irked me as I look for linear response from my foot pedal position and that delay is just too much for me. It reminds me that same issue was what deterred me from the MDX sport hybrid years ago. are all sport hybrids going to have this or can it be turned off? OR is it a different drive mode or is it due to possibly depleted battery causing the car to behave as a stop start ICE engine?

two. the combination of electric motor and the 3.5L V6 does really pull more up the redline than the 14MDX shawd that we have. It definitely felt more powerful than I remembered from driving the MDX sport hybrid as well as my 6sp SHAWD. Makes sense since the MDX sport hybrid used 3.0L rather than the 3.5 V6, but the driving experience is just not that over the top special enough over the standard SH AWD.

I think it really goes to show that the standard SH AWD is already so good that its hard to top that. I know there's the great city mpg thats 10 miles better per gallon, but otherwise, we did not get the wow factor we were looking for from the 3 electric motors. Let me know whether there is some quirks about the battery / electric motor modes that would improve my experience. Otherwise, it was a great solid acura flagship sedan and we would have liked it more if the hybrid system was more impressive than I expected it to be.

mrgold35

I had my 3.7L 11 MDX at the same time as my 19 MDX Sport Hybrid for almost 4 years. I had to learn how to drive them a little differently to get the same results. I had to do the same with my stock 5AT 2.4L TSX and 2.3L 08 RDX turbo with an extra +50 hp/tq engine mods and usual turbo lag. Many MDX/RLX sport hybrid owners will probably tell you they don't even notice or feel when the in/out of EV to I.C.E. transitions in normal driving at any city speed or accelerating from a stop. I only notice the delay and abruptness with the I.C.E. if I'm heavy on the gas pedal from EV mode at a stop. I usually switch to "Sport" mode to turn on the I.C.E. if I need to make a fast get-away from a stop. It could be the DW-1 in the 7DCT might need to be service? Most likely, it is driving a Sport Hybrid like an I.C.E. vehicle and subconsciously adding more power than needed for the same performance.

I think of the Sport Hybrid like those moving sidewalks at airports or Las Vegas. You don't notice the transition and you have increased performance with less effort if you are smooth and steady with changeover on or off.

andysinnh

I move between the wife's '18 RLX Sport Hybrid and my '19 MDX SH-AWD (non-hybrid) - and I can tell you the auto start/stop system in the RLX is vastly "superior" to the MDX without hybrid. As MrGold stated, the relative seamlessness of the start/stop in the RLX is almost not noticeable after a while. However, if you were expecting an immediate pedal response to vehicle movement, then you can only really get that consistently if you drive the RLX in sport mode. You may find times the ICE is still running at a stop light and you don't notice the start/stop kick in, but that's hit/miss when it happens. But since you stated that you weren't impressed with the RLX SH system, I'm guessing you didn't drive it in sport mode. When in that mode, not only does the ICE keep running all the time (and you get the engine plus 3 electric motors singing together), but you get a more assertive transmission behavior. Let's just say that you can really get that RLX to go crazy in the sport mode. If you're still on the fence about buying one, go back and drive it again in that mode and then decide.....

andy

shenofjo

I agree the transition from engine off to engine on in terms of the chassis shake is non existent. I drive a 14mdx before the stop start became a thing, but I’ve driven other stop star ICE and it’s like 2 seconds delay at a stop/red light. I did not drive it in sport mode while my wife supposedly did but she also mentioned delayed response. I wonder if she really did or not. Is there a sport+ mode? Overall, a very good vehicle and we would probably have gotten it if we didn’t have a MDX SHAWD already.

mrgold35

The RLX Sport Hybrid doesn't have the 4 IDS modes like the MDX Sport Hybrid (Comfort, Normal, Sport, & Sport+). The RLX just has Normal mode and Sport mode. Sport Mode for the RLX is equal to Sport+ for the MDX Sport Hybrid.

neuronbob

I also noted that the transition from EV to ICE mode in the RLX Sport Hybrid is so seamless as to not be noted. I also didn’t really notice a delay in acceleration. The best way to avoid a perceived delay is to use Sport Mode.

WRXtoRLX

When I got my 2018 RLX Hybrid I did notice the delayed response you are describing. There is a setting you can change using the infotainment dial. I believe it was called “Reactive force pedal”.
I had to adjust this setting to feel the rear electric motors a bit more from a stop. Makes the car feel rear wheel driven until the ICE powertrain turns on.

shenofjo

thanks for the input! I will take the time to go test drive next time. The car has also sat on a lexus dealership for about a month or more and it’s dropped 3k in price as well. At least 2 price drops since we last test drove it. It’s just not a very sought after car in the market I don’t think, which helps with low entry point for us.

interestingly, lexus dealership was taking about extended warranty from Acura directly that we could purchase at the lexus dealership that covers the drivetrain bumper to bumper for $4k and we would just go directly to Acura for repairs. Sounds too good to be true I feel like.

rlx015

It is not unheard of other dealerships taking money from you and ultimately going to one of the Acura selling dealers to purchase Acura Care for 3-4 times lower price. You can do it yourself if the RLX is still under manuf. warranty...
Hyannis Honda is known to be the cheapest for Acura Care - at least that is where I got my acura Care for 5yrs and 80k miles...