They must be Acura lawyers because my Infiniti and my Audi do not nag for a prompt.

 

Weather, have you actually tried and spent real "stick time" with the RLX/MDX navigation system and dual-screen layout? You keep talking about having to navigate through various menus with a touchscreen, and that is just not the case. Plus comparing your experience with "various rentals" is not fair comparing it to the way Acura has done it in the RLX/MDX.

For the main screen (top), you still use all the physical buttons to access every aspect of the Acura Navigation system. Every part of that top screen is exactly the same as seen in previous Acura vehicles. Primary temp controls, radio controls, navigation controls, phone controls, etc. etc. are all accessible via real buttons and the standard Acura jog wheel. In addition you have very well placed high-quality multi-directional scroll wheels on the steering wheel that further augment your ability to navigate the overall system.

The bottom screen provides additional access to very specific functions that are either isolated, or are a companion to the information being displayed on the top screen. Most of these functions have a direct "button" on the screen. So they do not require you having to dig through tons of menus or sub-screen. So it's not as difficult as you're making it out to be. Once you get used to it you actually know where to place your finger without looking, just as if you were reaching to touch a real button.

 

^^ I appreciate your post and you are correct, I have not had much experience with Acura's dual screen system so my comment is not very fair. I did read that many of these features are configurable so maybe I am just being a bit too pessimist before giving it a fair chance. That being said, I still like my dedicated buttons....Its a personal preference but willing to give the TLX a chance.

Your point is valid about the system's I have used in Ford's vehicle (or other brands) is not Acura so I am not comparing apples to apples so I should have been maybe more careful about making the statement.

I must confess that I am guilty of having a preconceived idea of tactile screens so I should wait until I get a chance to really test it more extensively before knocking it.
It is interesting to read that Ford is now going back to more buttons though....

 

You certainly aren't alone in this and I cannot blame you or anyone else who has such notions since the early iterations of fully touchscreen systems varied so widely in their usability.

Spending some time to fully tweak and configure the settings on the MDX and RLX to your liking yields a significantly improved user experience and requires surprisingly little effort to use comfortably. It is not without its faults, but ease of use is absolutely not one of them.

 

Ford is putting buttons back in their cars beginning with some 2015 models and the new MKC. They will still have the touch screen but buttons for things like climate controls and radio.

The problems that users had with Sync accounted for a large proportion of complaints and brought down Fords reliability numbers. Personally I'd welcome the change. I checked out the MKZ and it is not a bad car, but the My Lincoln Touch was a bit of a negative. You couldn't pre-set the climate controls to work with the remote start because they had to be set after the computer booted.

http://www.freep.com/article/2014020...uto-show-NAIAS

http://www.business2community.com/lo...0772225#!wWh3F

http://www.extremetech.com/extreme/1...into-ford-sync

 

I think some brands are proactively implementing these 'safety' controls because they feel if they don't the government will. But I think some of these are silly (like the OK prompt) and some are counter productive like the lock out screen that even a passenger can't use.. or pushing drivers to use their cell phones instead.

 

Well, that's pretty useless, then.

 

If it helps any, the lower screen in my RLX works very well, providing an appropriate amount of feedback and buttons big enough that even an old man like me can zero in on it without having to adjust glasses. :-)

And if you're in a dynamic traffic situation, there is usually a voice command for what it is you need to do.

 

Liking the way the two screens are set up on the RLX and MDX, looks more fluid.

It's unlike how Honda's done it for the RDX and the Accord.

 

There are some unfortunate preconceived notions that were re-enforced by early reviewers who did not have the time to fully understand the systems and how they worked.

I engaged in a running email battle with a fairly well known reviewer who is renowned for his technological savvy, and the battle didn't end until an editor suggested to him that he should stop by an Acura dealer and try out what it was that I was talking about.

His final email was, "You're right." But the damage had already been done.

What AcuraLink does and how it works has changed and people need to understand this. You can use natural English and blurt out an address in its logical order ("5992 Main St in Fargo, North Dakota") and AcuraLink finds it perfectly. You can also say things like, "the America Ristorante in Quantico VA." You don't need to know the exact address of the place you're looking for!

You cannot do that with the onboard computer, not without interfacing with AcuraLink, and nobody takes the time to learn that with Acura in 2014 the car's connectivity with the outside world is a vital part of the complete package.

[EDIT: Don't bother trying to find the America Ristorante at Quantico MCB. There isn't one. I wish there were, but there isn't.]

 

Yup.

As you're walking up to the driver's door for the first time, you notice the bottom screen and cannot help thinking, "That looks like it makes sense."

 

I can definitely second George's comments and experience with Acuralink and it's ability to find destinations using "natural" speech input. The other day I asked it to find me a "Pepboys in Roswell, GA", and bam, found the closest one to me.

Sometimes the confirmations you provide it via voice after it finds the destination can be spotty, but it ALWAYS comes up with the location you are asking for.

 

Some of it's arguable, I suppose. For example, they went to cellular traffic instead of satellite because it would be easier to get primary and secondary roads included, instead of the previous satellite system's Interstate-only traffic.

But you were connected to satellite almost 100% of the time, and you don't really notice when AcuraLink has lost the cellular signal. And I suspect , although I don't have any proof of this, it is just a 3G signal.

One thing that I'm just about positive about is that my 4G TL had a better rear view camera than the 5G Legend. Moreover, the RLX camera is a kind of modular thing, almost as if they expect to have to replace it occasionally.

Overall, I think the 3G RLX/5G Legend systems are very much a generation ahead, but anybody would be able to find little nagging things that cause doubt, if you're inclined to find fault.

 

All I want is a start button like the Aventador.