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Poll: Volvo S90 or Acura RLX?

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By Craig Cole Dec 07, 20161

Volvo’s S90 is one of the most exciting vehicles to come out of Sweden in decades. It’s a praiseworthy luxury car with an understated elegance all its own. It’s also a terrific foil to the RLX, Acura’s own flagship 4-door. Both of these upscale sedans feature front-drive-biased layouts and plenty of technology, but which one is better? Well, why don’t YOU pick a winner and vote in our latest poll!In top-of-the-line T6 AWD Inscription form, the S90 is powered by a 2.0-liter, 4-cylinder engine. With both a turbo- and super-charger it delivers an impressive 316 horses and 295 lb-ft of torque, which is available across an incredibly broad RPM range. Not bad for such a tiny powerplant.All of that twist is sent to each the Volvo’s wheels through an advanced all-wheel-drive system. An eight-speed automatic transmission does its best to improve both performance and efficiency, succeeding, for the most part, on both fronts.

SEE ALSO: 2015 Acura RLX P-AWS ReviewAs for the Acura, it’s most muscular powertrain is a 3-motor hybrid system. The heart of this electrified beast is a 3.5-liter gasoline V6 that helps deliver a combined 377 ponies with 341 lb-ft of torque.The RLX’s transmission is a motor-integrated 7-speed dual-clutch automatic that’s tied in with the brand’s Super Handling All-Wheel-Drive system, which can, among other things, shift torque from left to right at the rear axle for better cornering performance.When it comes to efficiency, the thrifty Volvo should average 25 miles per gallon in mixed driving. However, the hybridized Acura beats it by four MPG, with a combined score of 29. Both of these luxury sedans are efficient, but the Acura clearly leads in this area.Of course, the S90 counters with a raft of safety features including things like road run-off protection, semi-autonomous driving capability, large animal detection with automatic braking and much more. Which of these luxury models would YOU rather own? Well, compare them directly right here and please remember to vote in our latest poll!

 

The Volvo looks good, especially in wagon form, but it is lacking in certain driving dynamics according to Car and Driver. It's also made in China by Zheijang Geely Holding Group.

 

As cool as the 2.0 supercharged and turbocharged engine is in the S90, I'd prefer the good ol' J35 in the RLX SH. And the SH system is obviously superior to the AWD system in the Volvo.

On the other hand, the exterior and interior are nicer in the Volvo. It's got that FR proportions despite being a FWD car with a transversely mounted engine.

 

It would be interesting to see a road test comparison between the two cars - it is likely that the RLX would mop the floor with the S90. Alas, the people seem to prefer the S90 because they think it is prettier and that is what is most important.

 

Reliability of the XC90 scares me too much to even think about the S90.

I drive a lot and need to get to where I am going.

 

I went to the website and the Volvo is winning the poll 74% to 26%. Another sign of the poor image of the RLX -- groan.

 

S90 is a purty car. I'm a little frightened of Volvo "reliabaility", however, especially with what we know about Chinese auto manufacture (not good).....and these cars are to be manufactured in China. I'm not ready to try it yet.

 

You have to admit, the S90 has a very nicely designed interior.

And they have a couple of years advantage on the Acura when it comes to decisions about infotainment design and operation.

Solid win to the Acura with the powertrain, however. :-)

 

purty car?
sorry that car looks old fashioned

 

i test drove one and would have got one if not for the better deal i got through acura financial . The s90 is a very nice car and the interior is amazing

 

I just watched Alex on Auto's review of the S90. He reviewed the top of the line version. Acura definitely has some catching up to do in terms of ease of use for infotainment systems and interior refinement. I changed my mind and I'll be at least test driving this...easy to do since my preferred Acura dealer also has a Volvo store on the premises.

 

Alex is very long winded, so you have to set aside a mentally focused 30 mins to take in what he really does in his reviews, and even saying that, he might still want you to catch a separate infotainment review of the same vehicle.

Despite the reliability of the XC90, he makes the S90 sound like such a tremendous buy that I confess that, based on his word, I would probably look at the S90 if I were in the market for an Audi, BMW or Cadillac right now.

It still would worry me that all that power is coming from a little four cylinder with both a supercharger *and* a turbocharger, but it seems such an extraordinary buy and such high quality composition of materials, I really would have to think about it and a worthy choice.

There's an upcoming power option, too, which would put the power output up around 360, I hear.

 

MSRP = 64095 when optioned out to equal the KC2 Advance.

However, that includes some things you cannot get in the KC2 at any price.

And you're still missing torque vectoring in the Volvo, and you're still missing about 60 HP.

You'd also be missing about 5 mpg in the Volvo.

Insurance, however, is likely to be cheaper with the Volvo.

 

its still ugly

 

Are you forgetting this comes with a Hybrid T8 trim that packs 400hp? Or are you strictly referring to the non-hybrid versions? But I agree 100% I hate the idea of a supercharged and turbocharged tiny engine pushing all that weight and making all that power.

IMHO the RLX could be a better car than this if Acura would just fricken step up the interior and exterior design and infotainment. Acura's ace in the hole is the SH-AWD which volvo's haldex is no match for (but they could actually easily create the same effect with the hybrid tech at the rear).

But I mean just look at the S90, it just has so much presence whereas the RLX looks like a TLX without any form of physical presence unless you stand right next to it. I have only seen an RLX 5-6 times and every single time thought it was a TLX until I seen the tail lights. If anyone is in the market for a comparable German or Japanese car they really must look at this thing.

 

0_0

I...ummm...didn't even know that. Sorry. :-)

That does change the shortcoming I was mentioning, yes, leaving us with just torque vectoring and reliability.

Is the trunk still huge in the hybrid? Is the hybrid available now? Is it AWD?

I agree it's a basically good looking car, but even if you don't like the outside, the interior borders on fantastic.

 

Double checked the build out procedure at Edmunds.

Don't see any mention of a T8, yet.

 

Am I the only one who thinks that the text legends on the virtual buttons on the infotainment screen are too long, too small, and too busy to be used by a driver while driving? They seem hugely distracting, but maybe I'm showing my age!

 

haha all good man! I agree the AWD is WAY better in the RLX and I an almost certain reliability as well. The batteries will be under the cargo floor like they are in the XC90, so it should be identical and the hybrid tech runs the rear wheels IIRC and since it is the T8 trim it has to be AWD.

The interior is stunning, though quality of the RLX interior is pretty damn impressive as well, if they could up the style, it could compete quite well.

I just checked the Canada website and it isn't up yet, but it is for sure coming. I think they said it was late arrival sometime in 2017.

 

The interior styling is the one thing I still feel Acura nailed very well in the RLX. It is a great blend of simplicity, styling, and sophistication with the right touch of luxury. It is the only thing I miss about my RLX.

While the S90 interior overall looks luxurious and I appears to be built with high-quality materials, I'm not a fan of their overall design language. Things are very squared out, giving somewhat of a "sophmoric" feel to it, which IMO is something you find in a lot of American interior designs. The "flowing" design language of Acura interiors has always been one of the things that over time continued to attract me to the brand. The NSX interior being a wonderful execution of their design language.

The TLX interior is the only exception for me, and the one reason I didn't step into one when I turned in my RLX. All the chrome and the vertical positioned front air vents (that don't match the horizontal side air-vents) throws off the entire look-n-feel of the dash board, feeling more like a nice "rental" car vs a nice sport luxury sedan. It has that "designed by committee" look that even Hachigo has mentioned they want (and need) to eliminate.

 

IMHO the RLX interior is too generic asian, there is no real sense of design to it. It does flow nicely, but it's almost too rounded and loose (if that makes sense). But I do agree that the interior quality is VERY VERY good. I was very impressed when I sat in it. Truly a very well built car.

I wonder how long the fancy stuff will last in the S90.

 

It's funny you say that.

Many of us who went to an RLX from a 4G TL feel that the RLX's interior is a step *down* insofar as quality.

The Volvo has the benefit of a few years on the Honda. 2015 design vs 2012 design, basically.

IMHO it shows up the most in the infotainment system, but the basic interior design also has the benefit of a few years of ergonomic research and consumer responses to other designs, showing what should change.

Everybody can't use time for the better, though. While scoping out a new Mercedes, I couldn't figure out how you were supposed to figure out some controls without looking at them. Even the power seat was difficult because it was all buttons, no levers, and you couldn't tell what button you were pushing without looking at it...but you can't look at it without opening the door and looking down.

If you can't open the door, you have to take some time to feel for the buttons and count which one your finger's on.

These guys usually get this crap right. I don't know what they were thinking with that.

 

This is something that you can tell people about the odd transmission buttons that are beginning to show up on Honda and Acura: Once you know how it works, you don't have to look at it to operate it.

You just put your hand down and can tell what you have to do.

DRIVE is impossible to miss, it's easy to feel the R button and pull it back, and even the SPORT button has braille on it so you know where you are. It goes into PARK by itself when you shut off the car.

So they get SOME things right, anyway. :-)

 

Styling will always have a point - counterpoint, and sales will be the closest measurement of success. We RLX fans accept we are not aligned to the masses.

I think the S90 is similarly an elegant exec sedan, with more emphasis on the elegance with more brightwork and "jewelry" on the exterior and a step up (and over) Audi's lauded interiors. The RLX translates more a sport intention in the restrained design and simplicity of the interior. Frankly, my initial impression of the RLX interior was 'Germanic' and only the infotainment system revealed the Asian roots. Aside from the dash and center console, the all around cabin looks like an airier BMW 5 series to me - especially in Graystone to BMW oyster. Although IIke Audi interiors, for the most part, I have not been a fan of BMW and MB. So why pick the RLX? The engineering of Sport Hybrid SHAWD.

If that is not a priority of the buyer, the RLX will, and has fall off the radar. Still a great car in both flavors, but likely only to be considered by existing Honda engineering fans. And only after buying my SH did I learn to love the interior, particularly for the material quality. I still feel the RL interior gave a more luxury car feel, but the SH RLX not only exceeds the RL's capabilities, but has converted me to BOTH a more sporting driver and / or efficiency focused driver. It is like having 2 cars in one.

Last, the turbo+supercharged 4 of the Volvo is a edgy approach to power delivery. But I found it wheezing a little when carrying 4 people, even on flat terrain. The RLX in both flavors felt better able to carry the load with much less noticeable change to power delivery. What kills me is the Acura flagship have been dismissed for lack of V8 power, and the mention of this is barely whispered about the Volvo. And more intangible, but my confidence in an edgy new power train still lies with Honda engineering over Volvo. I guess it boils down to style (and content) vs. engineering. Let us hope Honda and Acura also regain confident in quality execution as well.



***Greetings from Roatan***

 

I LIKE the pushbutton transmission, too. It's incredibly easy to use. I don't understand all the criticism of it, especially since a modern automatic's gear lever is in no way physically connected to the transmission anymore--it's just a switch. The pushbutton transmission forces you to keep your right hand where it belongs--on the steering wheel.

My other two cars are manuals, so after I've driven one for a few days, there is that 5-microsecond period of adjustment after changing to the Sport Hybrid. Once over, it's all good.

BTW, the other thing they got right in the RLX's interior is the HUD. Everybody should have a HUD if they have an Acura. Love it love it love it! If only they put the blind spot indicators in the HUD, too......HUDs for everybody!

 

It's the only Honda with an HUD, so it's ironic they did a better job of it than manufacturers who have quite a few HUD vehicles.

 

You can't just add the ICE hp with the electrical motor output. Otherwise the RLX Hybrid comes in with 429hp which I believe Acura deliberately underrates albeit not by that much.

I really do agree with you regarding the presence of the S90 but that engine format really concerns me for long term use. I hope I'm wrong and I will test drive one when they come out.

 

bought a brand new S80 twin turbo back in 2004.

1. factory NAV muted after 1st week of ownership. took dealer TWO weeks to figure out.
2. front passenger door would not auto lock. took to 3 dealers and x visits still can't be fixed. it still had the problem when I sold the car.
3. countless rattles after first few months of ownership.
4. noticed front tires rub inner fender when turn within few days of ownership (everything stock. no accident. not caused by potholes)
5. power steering pump failed @ 15k miles.
6. best of all, the transmission crapped out @ around 20k miles (twenty thousand miles).

Got a TL in 2006. The only issue I had....the car is just TOO reliable, I have no excuse to upgrade my ride to RLX. Believe it or not, I have ZERO problem since day 1 'til now.

 

Well, you're certainly making our little complaints sound like nothing at all. :-)

 

I tried "429 'total' [sic] HP" in another Acurazine forum and was summarily executed.

:-)

 

Yeh, I get that. I meant that at 377hp the RLX is underrated. However, using a rudimentary correlation to that figuring then the Vovlo might come in around 355hp?

 

The infotainment system looks like a nightmare on the s90. The nav was blank for a few seconds and it looks like there is no way to adjust temp without using the touchscreen. No paddles. The manual stick pattern is backwards. The obnoxious center dash speaker, it seems like it is looking at you. Although, the seats are probably very comfortable.