We don't talk much about the good things with the RLX, so I'll toss out some compliments. Things I really like, in no particular order:

1. The cruise control main switch stays ON ... I don't have to turn it on every time I start the car.

2. The steering wheel controls are intuitive and placed right where they should be.

3. The back seat leg room is huge, and the trunk space is large.

4. Brake hold. The best car invention in a long time.

5. Excellent driving position and comfortable seating.

6. Good performance and better-than-average fuel economy.

7. The dash layout is about as good as it gets.

8. Outstanding headlights.

9. Outside folding rearview mirrors.

10. Good steering feel and feedback.

11. Vibration-free idle.

12. Nice, classy exterior styling.

13. Large, well-placed nav screen.

14. It reads my text messages to me.

15. Paddle shifters.

16. Sport mode that really changes the car's driving character.

17. One-touch window controls front and rear.

18. Better voice recognition than any other car I've tried.


There are probably other things, but these are some that came to mind while sitting here. Sure, there are some minor annoyances, just as with any other car, but there are more things that I like about it.

Overall, these are damn fine cars.

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Cruise control staying on is great. Wish more cars had it.

 

Here are some other things I like the RLX

-Really Quiet Cabin

-Handles pretty darn well for a full size cruiser

-Capless Gas Tank

-ELS and Krell Systems are outstanding

 

We in the Sport Hybrid crowd are generally positive about the RLX.

So here's my biggest likes about the RLX:

This is an entertainingly fast car.

HUD. Everybody should have this.

Other likes in no particular order:

Quietest interior I've ever had

Awesome handling.

ACC/LKAS, I am so glad I did not buy this car without it

Crystal Black Pearl (when it's clean )

Electric motor whine at low speed (it's only when slowing down) is just fricking cool for some reason I just can't put my finger on.

Soft comfy seats

"Stealth wealth" clean, classy exterior look

 

- Rear seat leg room
- awesome Krell stereo
- leather along the dash (one of the better overall interior designs)
- LKAS/ACC
- iPod interface

 

How fast is the 0-60 and 1/4 mile in the RLXh?

 

Good list Mike_TX. I also like the lock buttons on the rear doors. The handle lights are a plus as well.

 

all you have to do is go back and look at old posts in 2014 when a bunch of us early adopters got the RLX. tons of "positive" posts. I know I was one frequently posting raves about what I loved about the car.

However, I also don't hide my head in the sand and have heard that Acura folks do "lurk" around here. So it's important to provide both positive, and negative feedback for the sake of ensuring future product improvements.

 

Too bad it too Acura 7 years to add the cruise control feature staying on when you start as my 2007 MDX Sport never goes off unless I turn it off......
Great to see ++++ things about the RLx....

 

In addition to what Bob listed above I would add:

The push button transmission in the Sport Hybrid

"Stealth performance"-- no one expects how fast this car is or how well it handles until you zoom past them and they only see your tail lights [which are also very nice].

Seamless performance and smoothness of the hybrid/gas system- it just works without any need for driver input. It all happens in the background with amazing results.

A big for the brake hold ,ACC and LKAS and HUD

I'm sure as the RLX gets its MMC some of these items will show up in more models

 

No official figures yet. I measured 5.8 seconds with a 2nd gear start on stock tires at 20 degrees ambient. Not ideal conditions, ya, but when you live where it's cold for six months of the year, you takes what ya gets.

We all know there are issues and they should be brought up and discussed. After all, all 2014 RLX owners, PAWS and Sport Hybrid, are beta testers. It looks like the 2015 owners are happier. However, this thread is for positives. Good vibes, good vibes......



Stealth look, stealth performance, stealth shifter, stealth hybrid drivetrain. Pretty much sums up the Sport Hybrid.

 

I've said this before - the handles light up in an inviting way

 

I was reading your 3 year ownership thread on the CTS-V on the Caddy forum. Then after reading it, realized it was your sedan, and not the wagon.


I just searched and found Motorweek quoting 0-60 in 5 second flat for the RLXh. No 1/4 mile figure.


I am still waiting a test drive.

 

Funny you mention that. I've spent many years as a BETA tester for some of the biggest music production software companies, and was known for being one of the best "bug finders" and suggesting features that eventually made it into the products. The whole point of BETA testing is to find issues, not praise the product... Too bad we weren't part of the official RLX BETA test...(meaning free car?). Assuming there even was one...

A few other "likes" I'll add:

* Rear LED Lighting
* Pandora / iPhone integration
* Seacoast interior (Acura's best interior color and design ever)
* CBP (at night, after a nice wash/wax)
* Acuralink iPhone app (and remote features)
* In-vehicle Acuralink features (concierge, new destination)
* Accent lighting elements on window controls / center console elements, cup holder door, ashtray door, interior door handles, etc
* Parking sensors (life saver!!)

 

seacoast interior pics?

 

I agree with the seacoast color. Best looking interior of any car IMO.

 

I have some from my car but admincp at this site is not set up to automatically re-size pictures.

Makes it just...too much trouble most of the time.

 

You guys are crazy. :-)

 

Since I just passed 1,000 miles I found a flat deserted road last night and did a very quick test run with my G-Tech Pro. Here are my stats understanding that the VSA kicked in all the way to 40 mph:

0-60 - 5.03 sec
1/4mile - 13.82 sec @ 106.1mph

I believe I calibrated the machine properly because my performance app on my phone recorded nearly identical numbers. It will definitely be faster when I am not spinning the tires when the pavement warms up in the spring. I would guess that it would be 2 tenths quicker without the tire slippage. What really helped was putting it in sport mode, then brake hold and just hit it. It was like a sling shot off an air craft carrier (yes I am exaggerating), but you can get the picture.

 

Here's a picture from a public review.

It's not a black and white picture. It really looks like that.

Note that the dashboard cover and tops of the door are not black. They're an odd grayish taupe color, the reason being given is that it shows dust less.


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My bet is that 13.5 is not out of the question in the hands of some drivers who do more drag racing.

And I think that we're going to find that 5.0 is pessimistic and we're really more like 4.7-4.8.

:-)

But I'm not a drag racer.

 

Where the car really shines is when you're passing somebody on a country road or when you have to merge quickly from 25 mph to a traffic stream at 70 mph.

It is...startling!!

 

That is when my kids say "do it again daddy". Lots of fun.

 

Oh, yeah! The capless fuel filler! Love that!

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If Legend Hybrid is this fast, IMAGINE how faster NSX will be when available for tests. Mind blowing!

 

Nice color. My lexus has that color. Beautiful. Your RLX is more modern than my old tech lexus.

13 second 1/4 is pretty damn fantastic!!

Dealer called (last night). THey will have one for test drive next Sat, can't wait to check it out.

 

I didn't think to use brake hold. I'm going to try that on a flat deserted freeway early in the AM.

 

For most of the Sport Hybrid owners on Acurazine the test drive was fatal ..... there is no way any of us could not have the car in our garages.

Just a heads up so you know what you may be getting yourself into. Of course none of us have ever regretted our decision. It is truly an amazing auto....not perfect but it provides a drive that is not found in many, if any cars of its size.

Look forward to hearing your take on the test drive. check back in and let us know.

 

I will definitely post about it, as my appt is next Friday. I don't think I would buy it (wrong color).

It is a replacement for my LS6. The cars I am cross shopping are all over the place

 

Even if the car was pink you would buy it. Well maybe not pink, but you will understand what us SH owners are so thrilled about.

On a single test drive you will NOT be able to experience all of the different ways to feel the power as there are so many ways to acellerate using different techniques. Here is what I mean:

Option 1: You can pull away from a stop in all EV mode if you very gently touch the throttle and once you get to about 20 mph if you are patient the engine will fire, but if you immediately get off the gas (once the car is warmed up and the dash says "ready"), the car will immediately go back into EV mode if you are on a flat road or going slighty down hill. You can hyper mile your mpg very easily that way. I did that last night after I did my speed run and got 38.9 mpg doing it. Very cool.

Option 2: Leave it in the normal (non-sport) mode, and casually accelerate until the engine kicks in, and then with a moderate touch to the gas peddle, enjoy the long waves of torque as you pass every speed limit in the land in 2nd and 3rd gears. You can gradually increase the foot pressure on the peddle with each successive gear change, but don't floor it. You will not need to do that.

Option 3: Put it in sport mode (button on the gear selector) and also hit the brake hold button at the very end of the same area, make sure nobody is around, and simply hit it while holding on. I would strongly recommend putting your head against the head rest because when the torque hits immediately while you are in the process of pushing the gas peddle, you could easily be surprised. I find that although the sport mode is bananas, and very linear in the power delivery, I actually prefer the second option I described earlier as the preferred mode for enjoying the acceleration. It probably is not the fastest mode of acceleration, but it is the most pleasing for my tastes.

All I can say is if you drive it and don't buy it I would be shocked. I was hooked in the first 100 yards out of the dealership, and I had not even past 30 mph! I did not want a black on black car, but 20 seconds in the car was all it took for me to not care at all about the color scheme. I wanted silver with the seacoast interior in Tech. Clearly after driving it I did not care one bit that taking care of a black car in the New York burbs was anything I was going to complain about. I wash it in my garage almost everyday. I have waxed it twice already. I use the Chemical Guys purple car wash, Black Light wax and H7 spray glaze along with their tire dressing and the car looks fantastic. Just use micro fiber towels after using compressed air to blow off the excess water after washing, and you will avoid any swirl marks, providing the towels are washed and dried between applications.

 

^^
THanks for the info. It is the same dealer I bought mY CPO TSX from. When I went to buy the TSX I told them. Here is my 9 month old Lexus 2013 CT Hybrid. I hate this POS. So I need a long test drive. I need to do hills, highways, see passing power. It is a small dealership (owner's son was there).

He handed me the keys and said "be back in 45 minutes." Since I live in the area, I drove teh wagon all over the place, and I liked all the things about it that my CT200 (I didn't test drive it long enough), so I bought it on the spot.

With the RLXh it will be the same thing. He gave me a good number on my LS6, and he knows if I like it, I will buy it, as I don't have the time to tirekick.

I don't care much about the hybrid part.

FOr me the requirements of this car (no kids allowed):
1) Can eat up miles to a lake house (300 miles each way)
2) Passing power is there
3) Can hold luggage
4) Can hold adults comfortably
5) Has at least 450 mile of rang
6) Is fast, quiet.

Hypermiling isn't important

 

Good luck my friend. Don't say we did not warn you. It will be a huge change from the TSX. My mother has a 14 TSX and driving that car back to back with the SH is a joke. The TSX is nice for sure, but in comparison, other than having the basic architecture of an engine and 4 wheels, there is nothing else to put on the list. You will be nuts for it. Enjoy!

 

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TSX wagon isn't going anywhere Thats the beater, kid hauler.

 

You may not yet understand the "hybird part" correctly. If you mean the gas mileage, most of the beta testers would agree -- gas mileage is not the reason to buy this car. Your CT is a better bet for mileage. But to think that mileage is the only feature of the hybrid system is to miss its best advantages. The electric motors do at least two great things in this car. First they provide instant response and quite an acceleration pop. It really surprised me that a combined 77 hp would make a huge difference in the power of the car but trust me it does. The second big advantage is the torque vectoring they provide. They provide the driver the best cornering ability I have had in a large lux sedan. If you like the Lexus drive experience you will find this both similar and different. The Sport Hybrid has a dual personality.....a very comfortable cruiser down the freeway. Probably somewhat similar to your LS [although I haven't driven one in years]. The same car that cruises down the freeway in silent comfort can provide a sport car like drive by simply pushing down the gas pedal. IF you truly want to feel like you are on the track merely push the Sport button and be prepared to even more acceleration and fun driving. The best thing about this car is the implementation of the seamless way all of the switching between electric and gas takes place with the "power drive unit" making the smoothest, quietest transitions you can image. When you think hybrid, don't think Prius, think NSX and you will understand Acura's idea of what hybrid means.

I see you are in LA. For your test drive, it will be best to avoid rush hour so the traffic doesn't jam up your ability to see how the car performs. If you have the time to get up one of the canyon roads in the Santa Monica Mountains you can really test the car's handling ability. My test drive was up Topanga Canyon and I nearly gave the sales person a heart attack. It is what sold me on the car.

One of your requirements -- ability to hold luggage is something you probably want to carefully check out. I'd recommend you bring some empty suitcases to your test drive and see how they fit into the car. The downside of the fantastic technology is that it takes up a lot of room [including the lithium batteries] and Acura has chosen to shrink the trunk rather than take the room out of one of largest back seats in this class of car. Check it our carefully. This is one of the necessary evils of the car that most of us have chosen to live with.

Other than the trunk size, I think you will find the car meets or exceeds your expectations.

 

^^
I realize the hybrid in this is not like my Lexus CT. I don't expect it to be. I think my Lexus LS600h hybrid is similar to the RLXh in that hybrid is meant for performance.

I will be driving it up in Lattigo/Westlake area

Good idea on the luggage, I will bring it with me.

 

[QUOTE=George Knighton;15309451]My bet is that 13.5 is not out of the question in the hands of some drivers who do more drag racing.

And I think that we're going to find that 5.0 is pessimistic and we're really more like 4.7-4.8.

I am an old guy and my reference points invariably go back to the lightweight, high-horsepower muscle cars of the late 1960's - early 1970's. The RLXh would eat even the baddest of them all - the 426 Hemi Dodge:
Muscle Cars Were Slow - EPautos

 

I think all of us will be very interested in your reaction to the RLX and how you view it in comparison to the LS. The usual competition for the LS hybrid would be the Porsche Panamera h, the BMW Active Hybrid, the Audi A8 tdi or the Tesla. The reviewers have not been kind to the LSh - no milegae improvement, slower than the gas verision yet quite a bit more $$$. How the RLX stands up to a car almost twice as expensive will be very interesting. From the reviews, it seems like you will find the handling and acceleration differences dramatic. Not necessarily better or worse but probably different.

I hope dealer is getting you an Advance to try out. It will probably provide you with a better comparison.

 

My comments in bold.

+1 on testing an Advance. ACC and LKAS alone are worth the extra scratch if you can get it.

 

Here's a few from my girl...

 

^^
Your seacoast looks whiter than my interior it is very nice.

Dealer said the RLXh they have coming in, that will be available for a test drive, is "fully loaded with all options." I am not sure what that means per the things you guys mentioned above, but I will confirm in person.