mk5

Recently had my first impromptu street race vs. a Mercedes AMG C63 Convertible (twin turbo V8) on a nice stretch of straight road that allowed us to do so.

I put the RLX in Sport mode, flipped the paddle down to 1st gear, and turned off the VSA. When the light turned green, the RLX shot off the line in the lead and
held it well for about 4-5 seconds. That's when the twin turbos spooled up in the Mercedes and overtook me. That car has some POWER.

Overall, I was pleasantly surprised. I wasn't expecting to even hold a lead vs. that car (it does 0-60 in 3.9). The initial torque w/ the electric motors definitely helps the car jump out fast and accelerate.

I know a lot of folks won't run the RLX in this way, but it's fun to see what it can do -- it's a quick car. Unicorn from Acura.

RLX-Sport Hybrid

I often found it funny to pull up to a unsuspecting Mustang driver who was revving his engine at a light, and I would casually slip the transmission into M1, brake hold and sport, then launch off the line with authority and surprise the other driver. For an old guy that just never gets old. Good clean fun.

psheu

Simple pleasure in life is to drive RLX SH

hondamore

The idea of street racing is reprehensible as it is fraught with danger and against the law.

With the requisite legal disclaimer out of the way...

I've had a couple of occasions that absolutely REQUIRED me to extend my right leg in an aggressive fashion while driving the RLX Sport Hybrid. For example, I was at a red light at an intersection right before a freeway where three lanes must merge into two lanes (far right lane disappears) and some 18 year old young snotty in his BMW 330i (that his parents bought for him as he's never worked a day in his life) pulls into the far right lane figuring he'll just race ahead of everyone else and easily make the necessary merge (while texting on his phone the whole time). I was morally obliged to push the Sport Mode button, push the brake hold button and use the paddle shifter to select M1 and then give young snotty a sound thrashing when the light turned green. I will cherish the look on his face after I slowed back down to the posted speed limit and he pulled out from behind me and looked up from his phone long enough to share a precious "what the hell car is that" look.

I await my penance.

Highliner2

RLX won the race on gas mileage, and I swear, every time a mercedes like that is pushed to the limits, it peels a strip off the overall life of the car; dude probably has a leak now.

mrgold35

What more can you ask for with the RLX hybrid:
- 5 second 0-60 times
- lots of mid-range punch for passing
- combined mpgs on par with 4 cylinder sedans of similar size
- shawd for any weather or dry condition driving

RLX-Sport Hybrid

0-60 is 4.9 sec, but we are splitting hairs here. If you turned off the traction control, you found severe wheel hop so it is best to leave it on and just enjoy.

mrgold35

I'm probably down a few HP at +5200 feet in Albuquerque and +7200 feet in Santa Fe for a slower 0-60 times. I can feel the RLX HP/performance difference from CA compared to NM.

Looking forward to the new 4th Gen MDX being a 3.0T or 3.0TT with (hopefully) hybrid tech for us high altitude drivers. My 08 RDX 2.3T with Hondata+ETS intercooler performs like a champ at these altitudes.

RLX-Sport Hybrid

What really irks me about hybrid power quotes is that it isn't consistent across manufactures. For example the RLX Sport Hybrid could be quoted as having 429 hp and 490 ft/lbs tq if were another brand that calculates the power addition of the EV motors on top of the ICE engine hp/ft-lbs ratings. However, that is not the case with Acura. In fact my new Volvo does the same thing sort of. When you look at the marketing materials for the SPA architecture for the T8 models for Volvo, they state that the ICE engine produces 316 hp (+/- 4 hp depending on the market is it sold in around the world) plus an 87 hp motor which also produces 177 ft/lbs of torque to the rear wheels. The ICE engine makes 295 ft/lbs of torque starting as low as 2,200 rpm past 5,000 rpm. They make no mention to the "torque fill EV motor" attached to the engine which produces 46 hp and 111 ft/lbs of torque all by itself. Depending on the manufacturer, they might add them all up together and come up with 449 hp and 583 ft/lbs of torque, while Volvo advertises 400 hp and 472 ft/lbs of torque. For a vehicle that weighs more than 5,100 lbs either are more than satisfactory to get it up and moving quickly (0-60 mph in 5.0 seconds from what I have read), but in the real world it does not have the immediacy of the Acura in how it feels when it accelerates. It is fantastically linear, and mighty spirited in my humble opinion. No slouch. In the RLX's situation, they originally marketed the vehicle with 377 hp and 377 ft/lbs of torque, then reduced the torque figure to 341 for some reason. I'm sorry both of those figures are wrong as I dynoed my RLX Sport Hybrid not long after I bought it and it produced 401 ft/lbs of torque to the wheels at idle and peaked at 490 ft/lbs of torque to the wheels around 2,200 rpm and was nearly flat above that figure to near red line. That data alone explains why the RLX Sport Hybrid is a total sleeper. It is VERY under-rated, including in the NSX, which I confirmed in other conversations with Acura folks years ago. Some manufacturers advertise the power outputs one way and others do it another.

So here is potentially a ridiculous comparison but it seems to make the argument: If I take the stacked torque figures in the Volvo T8 which add up to 583 ft/lbs of torque and divide it by the vehicle weight of 5,100 lbs I get 11.43. If I do the same with the Acura RLX Sport Hybrid which would be 490 ft/lbs of torque divided by its vehicle weight of 4,343, I come up with 11.20. Now since the 0-60 mph performance in the Volvo XC90T8 is 5.0 seconds, and the Acura RLX Sport Hybrid is 4.9 seconds, that differential between their times almost equals perfectly the differential between 11.43 and 11.20. So since the stated hp/tq ratings in both vehicles do not include the "torque fill EV motors attached to the engine", it seems silly to not include them in the overall power ratings as they clearly demonstrate added thrust, all be it not in a completely linear fashion. If I applied the same theory to the marketing materials' power quotes, the calculations are bunk. In the Volvo they quote 472 ft/lbs of torque which when I divide by the vehicle weight of 5,100 lbs, I get 9.25. If I do the same the the RLX Sport Hybrid I get 8.68 if it was the original 377 ft/lbs of torque quote or 7.85 if it was 341 ft/lbs or torque. The differentials between those figures and the Volvo are way off from each other. Having said that I would expect the Acura to be much slower in performance to the Volvo, but that isn't the case. Thus my statement that the real world power ratings for both vehicles are massively under rated.

Does anyone think my argument holds water? I'm not saying I am right. Could lead to an interesting discussion.

mrgold35

I have zero issues with your observations of the RLX SH. Not sure the same holds true for the MDX sport hybrid; but, my MDX 3.0L+hybrid system is really lacking in power compared to the 3.5L RLX hybrid system. Both come in about the same weight; with the MDX at 100lbs more. I can get into the low 20s in mpgs in my MDX depending on the temp, headwind, hwy mph, and terrain because the 3.0L is working so hard to move +4400lbs box around. I think the MDX would get better combined mpgs if they made it with the same 3.5L+hybrid powertrain as the RLX. I still get 3-5 higher mpgs in the RLX on the same routes in 100% city driving under 35-50 mph.

mrrobato

You need to get the large window sticker for your rear window, "Hell Yeah! I Street Race!"

andysinnh

I was wondering how, over an extended period, you'd see the performance of the MDX Hybrid with only the 3.0L ICE. I know the wife's RLX SH is a balls-to-the-walls performer, and that the 3.5 in the MDX SH-AWD is more than adequate to move it around. But with the smaller 3.0, even with the electric motors, I was always curious how the MDX would really perform.

mrgold35

It was a performance boost moving from my 11 MDX Adv/Ent to the 19 MDX Hybrid Adv living at +5200 feet in NM. The hybrid electric motors made up for the NA engine hp drop for more immediate off the line/mid-range power because of high altitude. The RLX hybrid just feels like a beast in all driving situations compared to the MDX hybrid. My MDX just has a better suspension set-up to make up the power deficit when the road gets twisty. My MDX feels way more secure in the curves and over bumps compared to my softer RLX suspension. I wish I could put best from my MDX and RLX together to make each vehicle perfect (HUD, electronic damper, RLX door handle lights, MDX rear seat climate controls, MDX auto close hatch button, carplay, 3.5L engine, wood trim, RLX LEDs, etc...)

I was pretty excited when I got my MDX hybrid last year until I got my RLX hybrid a few months ago and felt what I was missing with the 3.5L hybrid powertrain. It is bye-bye 19 MDX hybrid if Acura mates the 3.0TT with hybrid power for the 4th Gen MDX. I would still keep my RLX hybrid as long I can because it is a now a rare rainbow unicorn with a heart of gold made for driving.

RLX-Sport Hybrid

Having been one the first buyers of the 2017 MDX Sport Hybrid, we have 39,000 miles on it and it has been nearly flawless in operation. I can't recall ANY issues with ours that required a dealer visit. Other than regular service items and a change of tires, it has been absolutely perfect. Also to answer your question directly, there have been no times in which I felt the vehicle was stressed because the v6 engine is on the smaller size. I do wish the 3.5 liter unit from the RLX was in there, but that vehicle moves with authority enough that I doubt anyone would be complaining. I like the 3.5 liter intake sound better than the 3.0 liter, but when you get on it from a lower speed, the initial hit of thrust shifts the weight and squats the rear enough for you to appreciate that the dilithium crystals are activated and the Captain has asked for warp speed. I'm kidding for effect, but in short it has plenty of scoot.

hondamore

I believe that Acura chose the 3.0L for the MDX Sport Hybrid in order to achieve a mileage goal. With the MDX being more of a "grocery getter" and "kid hauler" in purpose, the little bit of additional performance potential from using the RLX's 3.5L was deemed unnecessary in comparison to achieving the 27mpg Combined EPA rating (which is very impressive for a big, heavy SUV). A pretty large percentage of potential buyers still look at the Sport Hybrid system as simply a way to get better mileage and are unaware of the significant improvement in performance (acceleration and handling) that the Sport Hybrid system provides. Because of this, I think Acura chose to push for slightly better mileage over slightly better performance.

We are also a two Sport Hybrid family and my wife's MDX Sport Hybrid routinely gets 31mpg (7.6 l/100km) or better in city driving and short highway trips return better than 35mpg (6.7 l/100km). Admittedly, my wife's driving style is "conservative" with reasonable acceleration, coasting up to red lights etc. but she is not hyper-miling or making a specific effort to improve her mileage, just driving as she normally does. She also has mentioned that the acceleration of the Sport Hybrid is "substantially better" than her old '07 MDX when she needs to pass someone on the highway or get across a busy intersection in a hurry.

The bottom line is that the 3.0L is more than adequate when assisted by the three electric motors and the whole system does a great job of balancing impressive performance with outstanding gas mileage.

Just my two cents.

Triaque

Hondamore.

Honda said that they just could not fit the 3.5l RLX package into the engine bay of the MDX. It was an engineering choice they made due to the cost of making it fit.

mrgold35

I've also heard the Chinese market have a tax on engine displacement. I imagine Honda sells more Acura based vehicles at 10X the rate compared to North America. Probably too much money to meet the Chinese market requirements and developing another low volume 3.2L-3.4L engine for the smaller North American power/speed hungry market if the 3.5L hybrid system didn't fit in the MDX.

hondamore

I stand corrected. Thanks.

neuronbob

The RLX Sport Hybrid is a sleeper. That is all...

Aurelius

agree, I have the base 2018 RLX and she moves. I am not disciplined enough to have the hybrid.