neuronbob

As of about 4 PM today, I am no longer in possession of my RLX Sport Hybrid.

As some of you know, I was having problems with acceleration. I'd press the accelerator, with no object in front of the car, and no acceleration. Because this could occur at an inopportune time (such as if I needed to pass a truck quickly, etc.), I felt this to be a safety issue. Other than twice, when the car gave errors, this happened on a reguar basis, without warning. My dealer worked tirelessly with me, along with Acura itself, to bird-dog the problem. Unfortunately, no one could duplicate the issue and even though I allowed recording of my car's operations, no clear error was ever found. Between November 2016 and last week, my car was out of service for about eight weeks at the dealer. After the last time at the dealer, I asked ACS for a solution. Because I'd already received a three month pullahead offer from Acura, and I had only a fourth payment atop that, I requested Acura cover that fourth payment. They agreed.

I could have left Acura, but at the end of the day, I decided to stay because a) my dealer was patient, worked with me, didn't give me a runaround, and didn't bullshit me. b) Acura leases have some great perks....including mileage transfer, increased damage waiver, and waiver of turn-in fee if I leased another Acura, and c) TLX A-Spec release. This left me with a decision. I really liked my Sport Hybrid, navi glitches aside. My dealer has a 2016 RLX SH that's literally gathering dust from lack of interest. Problem was, Acura has removed all lease support for the 2016s. WTF? So the only way for me to procure another Sport Hybrid would have been to give up my lease perks, and purchase outright. It was less expensive for me to lease a different Acura. This occurred at a just the right time, with the release of the TLX A-Spec, which I became very interested in once announced. In addition, I had a 2017 TLX V6 PAWS loaner over the last few weeks. I asked for it specifically so I could judge the size and 9AT. Both were tolerable. Here's my quickie review of the TLX PAWS: https://acurazine.com/forums/fifth-g...dpoint-959297/

So the size and 9AT, at least in 2017 form, were acceptable. Next up was a test drive of the A-Spec, which I did Thursday. WHOA. The new Acura leadership has vastly improved the TLX. Compared to the 2018, the 2015-17 were really not very good. Here's my review (ignore the "no Advance features", that wasn't correct): https://acurazine.com/forums/fifth-g.../#post16039508

So the die was cast. I liked the A-Spec so much, that I left a deposit the same day. My car arrived at the dealer yesterday and I picked it up today.

It will be a fun daily driver, and a good filler as I await what Acura chooses to do with the RLX. If they can make this much of an improvement to the TLX, I can only imagine what's in store for the RLX. I may be back in three years.

In the meantime, I will continue to mod here as I'm still interested in the RLX SH, and genuinely liked the car. I don't have another mainly because procuring a 2017 would have been a daunting process, and the 2016 at my preferred dealer lost all lease support, so would have been cost prohibitive to lease; and I was not interested in a purchase.

With no further ado, here's my new ride:







I will be putting my Sport Hybrid spare tire kit including bar, tools, and tire/wheel up for sale shortly, along with my all-season weather mats, aftermarket wheels/tires, never used lighted Legend door sill plates, and uninstalled Navtool interface.

neuronbob

Miles driven: 23,994
Fuel economy over 23,994 miles (I never reset my "B" trip meter): 24.0 mpg

Feature I will miss most: Head-up display. Acura should put this in every car. Really.

As it turns out, my TLX A-Spec has feature parity with my 2014 RLX Sport Hybrid other than that the TLX lacks the Krell audio system (better than ELS) and the head up display.

Don't worry, you haven't lost me as a moderator as I'm interested in what happens with the RLX still.

Fun fact: I transferred 13k miles to the new lease. Because of this, I only needed to make a 36/10 lease, saving more money.

Limelight

Sorry to hear it didn't work out on getting into another SH but congrats on the new ride - looks good. Will be curious to hear your longer term view of the TLX after coming from the SH.

Did they give you any indication on what is happening to your SH? Hopefully it doesn't end up on a used car lot somewhere...

horseshoez

iTrader: (2)

Congratulations on the new ride; I like pretty much everything about the car except for the lack of an available 6MT; unfortunately I suspect Acura is out of the manual transmission business for good.

hondamore

Congrats on the new daily driver, neuronbob!! I hope you have lots of fun and I look forward to a mileage comparison in the new A-spec (just curious if your right foot is indeed responsible for your Sport Hybrid mileage being below that seen by others).

By the way, you can never leave as moderator of this forum...once you've owned an RLX Sport Hybrid, you are a blood brother for life.

neuronbob

I tried to get into that 2016 SH. At the end of the day, it was just dollars and cents, and it didn't make sense to spend that much money on an RLX. If I'd been able to purchase a nearly two MY old, never titled RLX for $42k, I would be in the SH today.

If anyone's interested, it's this car: New 2016 Acura RLX For Sale | Bedford OH | VIN: JH4KC2F97GC000425

I have no idea what they plan with my RLX. My bet is that it ends up at auction...yikes. I'll be keeping tabs. Hopefully, Acura will take the car and do a deep dive into its electrical (or whatever) issues.

HDNBenjamin

the restyled TLX looks great! congrats!

neuronbob

The A-Spec would be amazeballs with a 6MT! Acura has improved the TLX THAT MUCH. I can't wait to see what they do to the RLX. They clearly have the capability to make a competitive car when they want to. (Actually, I literally could not wait for the MMC RLX because of timing.)

pgeorg

Congrats Bob! I wish you many healthy and fun miles with it! I love the color on your A-Spec......now you have two blue ones in your garage

Please let us know how you like the new infotainment system in the A-Spec, since it now includes Apple Car Play - Android Auto.....

neuronbob

Thanks for your support. You kept me from clawing my eyes out during this long process with ACS.

pgeorg

Anytime Bob

Also I would like to hear your thoughts on your transition to the mechanical SH-AWD, from the SH SH-AWD.
I drive both the SH and the MDX......every time I drive the MDX I feel the SH-AWD doing its magic when on the throttle a lot more then in the RLX. On the other hand the SH-AWD works so incredibly well in the RLX, that you never notice it working. You just feel its part of the car!

George Knighton

I'm curious...did they not speak with the factory rep about the possibility of the VCM rocker arm assemblies being a problem?

moose66

Congrats . . . . . . . that is one sweet looking ride. The color combos of the paint and the wheels is pretty slick. If just looks tiny compared to a RLX. I am sure you will enjoy not having any issues cropping up without warning. Safe travels!!

RLX-Sport Hybrid

Love that color! Use it in the best of health! All my best.

SlowLane

Congratulations. I hope you enjoy the new daily driver. I like that color. Post some pics of the interior when you get a chance.

Scott in AZ

Nice ride, Bob. It will be helpful / interesting to get some first-hand insight on the difference between the two. When I bought my SH RLX, I strongly considered a CPO AWD 2014 TL (not TLX) because I viewed it as 80% of the RLX for less than half the price (albeit used TL versus new RLX) . Even the trunk size on the TL compared well against the SH RLX. In the end I elected against the AWD TL because it lacked some of the latest safety and convenience of the RLX, and I couldn't find a great CPO nearby. I agree with you on the windshield HUD; that should be a standard on Acuras to differentiate them from Hondas. And until recently I was scared off by the transmission probllems in the first two years of the TLX. Now with a few years to work out the Acura's all-to-common (and infuriating) new-model gremlins I think the '18 AWD TLX is a super car. I guess above 70 MPH the power to weight on the TLX is superior to the RLX. The aesthetics are sweet, too...It sure as hell doesn't look like a stretch Nissan Altima, that's for sure!

Drive-ability ...Is it 90% of the car that the RLX is? Also, I hope you don't mind my asking .... Regarding selling price versus selling price (which is a lot different than lease deals or sticker price) .... what was the selling price of the A-Spec AWD TL versus the 2016 SH AWD RLX ?

CadiGTi

Really sharp color and those wheels really complement that blue and A-spec trim

Enjoy your new ride and a Thank You for your moderator role.

neuronbob

No. I brought it up at one point, but everyone was more interested in the rest of the drivetrain, and the fuel system. I'm a bit surprised, as it's a known issue. Of course, they may have considered it and simply not passed it on to me.

It is noticeably smaller both inside and outside than the RLX SH. 190" long vs. 196" long, only an inch narrower, and (key) the TLX A-Spec is 520 pounds lighter than the RLX SH. It handles accordingly. I'm not complaining, it seems about a "right sized" car for me.

Got to posts 273-5 of this thread to see more pics. I didn't want to litter the RLX section with 30 pics of its little brother.
https://acurazine.com/forums/fifth-g...-959020/page7/

Well....that's a loaded question. The RLX SH and the TLX, especially in A-Spec form, have completely different missions. My A-Spec has near-feature parity with my 2014 RLX SH--both have CMBS, ACC with low-speed follow-through, etc...all the AcuraWatch features. The only features missing are the Krell, the hybrid powertrain, and the head up display. This TLX even has a couple of features the 2014 RLX didn't--I can order a heated steering wheel as an option (and I plan to), and the new infotainment system is light years faster and ahead of my 2014 RLX. So from that standpoint, the TLX A-Spec and Advance are indeed 90% of the RLX. However, the soft touch features, the quality of stitching, etc., even in the vastly improved 2018 TLX, are not quite up to the RLX. That's as it should be, and other than the size (the TLX in A-Spec is lighter than even any of the non-hybrid RLX variants, and as stated above is 520 pounds lighter than the RLX SH Advance, and is half a foot shorter) of the car the quality of the interior is the biggest difference. What I would have liked, is an RLX SH A-Spec with a suspension tuned with a bit more performance. Maybe that's coming.

I want Acura to make the 2018 RLX SH MMC so good that I'll say "man, I'm sorry I didn't wait!" Unfortunately, no word whatsoever about when the MMC is coming. Luckily, the TLX A-Spec is a nice little gem so far. If only I had the low-end torque of some electric motors.....but then it wouldn't weigh 3838 pounds minus driver.

PS--I never had the Homelink TSB done, so I put up with wonky positioning of the RLX in my driveway to open the garage. No such worries in the TLX!

flagship

Congratulations! Nice ride!!!

miner

Beautiful replacement Bob - another early adopter you have become. See you on the TLX site.

pgeorg

^^
Ha, I was going to point out the same thing

Jakes_tl

TLX Aspec looks awesome! That color is really makes the car look so much better.

mk5

Thank you for the detailed review/debrief. I am the opposite -- I have the TLX and am looking to get in to the RLX SH. I'm 6'3" w/ kids so the extra space in the back seat would be welcome. My son sits right behind me and is 10 -- he has a tad of legroom, but his feet are pretty much trapped. Plus, would be nice to have the extra HP. Threads like this make me want to be patient for a used 2016 RLX SH since it is the 2nd run/batch. Welcome to the TLX club -- I dig the color and specs. I will be curious to see how much of the performance you miss (if any) since the TLX is deficient by +/-87hp and also doesn't have that hybrid torque.

neuronbob

I won't lie. I already miss the low-end torque that the electric motors provide. I have to rev high (easy to do in Sport + with the paddles), just like in old times. The RLX SH is still a solid choice and I tried to get back into one, the numbers just didn't work. Just remember that the issue I had was a one-off, it appears no one else has reported it. Good luck, mk5!

PS: I plan to do a quick review of the new infotainment interface because the RLX MMC will almost certainly have it. Mostly good, I like Apple Carplay, it does have some quirks.

holografique

I wouldn't consider him an early adopter, more like an adopter of a product finally done right! The 2018 TLX is a great sign of the success Ikeda is having reshaping and improving the company and it's products.

Congrats on the new ride Bob! Looking super sharp. I stopped in real quick at a dealer Sat to take a closer look and wow, what major difference. I didnt have time to test drive it but just in the exterior alone it's such a more attractive car now. And while I still dont like the upper dash flow/design, the interior seating and steering wheel improvements are huge. I couldn't stand how cheap and flimsy the steering wheel felt on the pre-MMC TLX. Maybe a minor thing to some, but for me the physical touch, feel and grip of the steering wheel is soo important considering that's the main physical interface between the driver and the car. Especiallty in a luxury car. The new A-Spec steering wheel has a much higher quality and substantial feel to it like the RLX does. There's also more attention to detail and the interior LED lighting is a well done addition without being gaudy. It finally looks and feels like an upscale sports luxury sedan.

I was also super impressed in the new seats, along with the upper thigh support. Holy cow it felt great and I wasn't even driving the car. I just looked at the sales guy and told him "see? now why didnt the RLX at least have that?". He just shook his head in agreement The new seats are super comfortable, yet tight and sporty. Loved it.

I plan to test drive one for the heck of it just to see how much things have improved. Even if I wanted one now, I still have 24-months left on my ILX. Im more curious than anything else right now.

Enjoy it and look forward to your posts over in the TLX forum.

wilspainar

Congrats, I went and saw the Aspec TLX, They had a white/red interior one and I loved it. I just "need" to have a 6MT, so it is a deal breaker for me. If Acura decides to though in a 6MT I'd skip right over to Acura and get one.

neuronbob

Ive got two fun cars with 6MT, so I was good with a 9AT in the TLX. I have had no issues with however they've programmed the transmission. Nice and smooth shifting. I live in Sport mode and can you believe it--you can program what IDS mode your car starts up in! This is a feature I would have loved in the RLX SH! On top of that, for my daily commute, the ACC is right on target, just like in the RLX.

I admit, though, the TLX A-Spec would be AMAZING with a 6MT. Suspension work is really, really good. Smooth when you need it, tight in the twisties. Acura done good!

wstr75

Bob, taking you back in time to yesteryear, how does the size and feel of your new TLX compare to your Gen 2 RL with SH-AWD? I'm guessing the interior and exterior dimensions are relatively close. I contemplated buying a TLX SH-AWD when it debuted because it seemed to me to be an updated 2nd Gen RL. Inquiring minds want to know. Thanks in advance for your thoughts.

ddswv

I can tell you the Acura all-season (winter) RL Mats for a 2006/2007 will fit the TLX perfectly, although the holes do not match up to keep them secure. I moved from a 2007 RL to a 2010 MDX, so it was about 5 years between the RL and the TLX and I can't give other specifics.

holografique

That's exactly how I feel about my ILX A-Spec. It was a complete return to what I've come to learn, love and enjoy about Acura driving dynamics. Smooth & compliant when needed, yet solid, tight and responsive when you want to get busy

If only they had achieved this very simple goal with the RLX. I really miss the few great things that car did right.

neuronbob

I've had the A-Spec for a week now and I notice a couple of requests for comparisons. I'll oblige!

You guys know, of course that these are two completely different cars with different missions, so I won't insult your intelligence by stating further than that.

I'll start with the driving experience. TLX A-Spec is 520 pounds lighter, six inches shorter, one inch narrower, better (yes, better) suspension than the RLX SH, heavier steering, and quicker steering ratio (or at least the feeling of it) means that this car handles like magic in the twisties. It is also a touch smaller than the 2G RL, yet it handles similar to that. The suspension in the RLX SH isn't well modulated. If I went over a bump in the SH, it would bob up and down a bit before settling with a sharp change. No such issues in the TLX A-Spec. I became used to the behavior in the RLX and didn't realize how wrong it was until I drove 2017 MDX and TLX as loaners in the last few months--their suspensions were far better controlled. This leads me to believe that if the suspension in the RLX SH is retuned for the MMC, it will be a much sharper handler. In the turns, the A-Spec has much less understeer programmed in than the RLX SH. Both are nearly neutral in steep turns and neither understeers much, but the RLX has just that hair more understeer. Whether that's because of tires, suspension, or is simply the difference between mechanical SH-AWD and eSH-AWD I'd have to leave to George Knighton to figure out, as I am no expert. Maybe he'll do a test drive for us?

One other comment about the driving experience: The TLX, even in A-Spec form, even with its revised transmission programming, is a slower car than the RLX. With the RLX SH, I have low-end torque on demand at any reasonable speed, because of the electric motors. The only way a TLX could hope to manage the same is with a turbo setup, or (of course) by adding electric motors. Thankfully, we have IDS in the TLX and I can set it to Sport + mode. In that mode, I can shift close to redline! I can actually wind through the gears. It's great to feel VTEC kick in, yo, even if it's muted. This is the first Acura product in which I could use the paddle shifters to, well, shift! They do so rapidly, though not instantly--you have to plan about 100 rpm before your planned shift. This is better than in the base TLX, where you have to plan 500-700 rpm before your planned shift. In the RLX, I tried using the paddle shifters a few times and even though the transmission is a DCT, it just never felt fast enough for regular use. The car shifted itself far better, so I let it. Not a bad thing, in fact, it tells me how well the RLX SH's transmission programming was done.

ACC/CMBS/LKAS works pretty much the same as in the RLX SH. Nice and smooth acceleration, still sometimes a little late for braking, low-speed follow-through is still awesome. The only big difference is that of course, we have road departure mitigation on the TLX, which I hope never to test, and if you leave your lane, the steering wheel starts shaking noticeably to get you to correct, unlike on the RLX SH, which gently reminds your with a pull that you have left your lane.

Last item about driving experience--there's a menu setting that allows you to set which IDS setting (Eco, Normal, Sport, Sport +) you start up in. YAY! Mine is set to start up in Sport mode, since that's what I usually drive in. If the RLX MMC implements some form of IDS, and I don't see why it shouldn't, I expect this menu item to appear.

Stereo: TLX needs a Krell trim, or at least a better speaker set, stat. Krell>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>ELS. Night and day difference. Ugh. Bass is muddy. Mids are slightly distorted. The Krell system in the RLX SH may not have had the most bass, but it had ACCURATE, sharp bass. My poor ears. I may have to go aftermarket for speakers. Still playing with settings to see if I can get this mess under control.

Infotainment: Not even a contest. TLX wins, hands down, match over by KO during the first round. I will mention this because this will likely be in the RLX's MMC. Navi screen has the same dated graphics as before.....but because we now have CarPlay and Android Auto, you don't have to put up with it anymore! The new infotainment system is so flexible now. You can choose to run Acura's system, or plug in your iPhone/Android phone and run your phone from that with Siri Eyes Free. I use Apple Maps now instead of the Acura system, graphics are sharp as they should be since they are sent from your (plugged in with wire) phone. Or, I can not plug my phone in and still have access to music and phone service via Acura's system, which still works by Bluetooth and is unchanged from the RLX. The new ODMD (lower screen has a fresh user interface that is, get this, intuitive to use. Touch control is instant, really instant. Super-easy to use. I'm still figuring out how to customize it, but this is a night and day difference from the RLX. For me, I just plug in my iPhone when I step in the TLX, and I'm done.

Fuel economy: LOLz. The first tank I drove (car was delivered from a different dealership, I took delivery with 241 miles on it) was 21.8 with 50% city driving. Then again, I'd bet the dealer delivered it with a tank of regular. I generally fill cars recommending premium like the TLX with premium, so we'll see how I do on a tank of premium. If the same, I may simply stick to regular. Further with a bigger tank (17.2 gallons) I expect a longer interval between fuel stops. That a 520-pound heavier car gets similar fuel economy to a TLX is part of the point of the SH's hybrid system, even if I never acheived the advertised fuel economy.

An unexpected surprise was the walk-away automatic alarm activation. I've had that on my Cadillacs for years. it's time Acura joined the 21st century. They do this function a little strangely though. You exit your car with your key fob and close the door. You get a confirmatory chirp that the door is closed. When you walk more than eight feet away from the car, you get a second chirp and a flash of the lights indicating that the alarm is armed. Um, OK. How about just one chirp when you're eight feet away from the car like on every other car with this feature? I'm thankful to have the feature, though. Odds are, this is going to be on the RLX MMC, too.

Last: The TLX has an auto-stop feature. It sucks. You know how in the RLX SH, half the time you can only feel the ICE shut off because you see the tach drop to zero? Well...auto stop in the TLX happens when you're stopped and the brake is on. You can feel it happen, likely because the engine mounts are tuned differently in the TLX. But here's the worst part....the steering wheel LOCKS! WTF? When I'm entering the physicians' lot at one of my hospitals, the wheels of the car are still slightly turned when I swipe my ID badge. Auto-stop activates. The steering wheel locks. That extra microsecond I spend turning the steering wheel to deactivate Auto-stop drives me absolutely bat$hit crazy. Thankfully, Auto-stop is easily deactivated with a button press. I only wish there was a menu setting allowing me to permanently turn it off.

I am thoroughly enjoying the new TLX A-Spec, despite some of its quibbles. It's really a driver's car. Based on some of the features in this car, we can see what's going to be in the RLX MMC, which is why I posted this comparo.

Happy Sunday!

neuronbob

Pic of the RLX's future infotainment interface.....


I forgot to mention the adjustable thigh bolster that is now on the Tech and above TLX trims. I'm SURE it'll appear on the RLX MMC, too. It had better, it works GREAT! Here it is, fully extended.

kurtatx

Great impressions, Bob!! I hear ya when it comes to auto start/stop. My car does a decent job with the auto start/stop, but yeah, the steering wheel locks. Does the engine stop happen at any break pressure from your foot?

Tonyware

"...My dealer has a 2016 RLX SH that's literally gathering dust from lack of interest..."

My local dealership also has a SH sitting outside with a sticker on it $8000 off (canadian). I think last time I passed by the sticker was $7k off... Very tempted if it goes to $10k off. Sadly it is suffering from the same old "RL" syndrome: when overpriced Acuras compete with BMW, Benz, Audi... Acura loses the contest because of perceptions. If they rename the RLX back to Legend that perception may change?

hondamore

^^Tonyware, It is my understanding that the dealers have about $7000 (Canadian) to play with on the Sport Hybrid RLX. Any further discount has to come via "factory rebates or incentives" from Acura Canada. I'm sure if you approach them and are serious about buying, they'll make the call to Acura corporate and get a deal done at $10000 off. At that price, it really is a great deal on a great car.

Just my two cents.

neuronbob

Tony, hondamore is right. If you want to buy, the dealer is likely super-anxious to get the SH off the lot. Is it a 2016 or a 2017? That makes an additional difference. As I've said before, if I weren't leasing, or if there were lease support that allowed me to obtain the 2016 on my dealer's lot, I'd be in a SH today. Instead, I get to tease about the infotainment changes coming to the RLX MMC....whenever it gets here. By the time I'm done with this lease, it'll likely be time for the RLX FMC and I'll be looking then.

Beak14

It's interesting to learn about your history with the RLX, Bob.

Anyway, I showed my wife your car, and she absolutely loved it! I explained to her that it was the new A-Spec, TLX, then she proceeded to ask me: "what's an A-Spec?" Haha, I think I blew that question, lol. But, she was amazed with the color, as I am, too. It's gorgeous! It's nice to see Acura pull this one off!

I hope this car is as good to you, as it looks!

getakey

"you can program what IDS mode your car starts up in!"

MDX-SH has that feature as well

neuronbob

^^^
Then that feature in the RLX SH can't be far behind.

getakey

"Stereo: TLX needs a Krell trim, or at least a better speaker set, stat. Krell>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>ELS"

Totally agree!. What I notice that at higher volumes, the Krell was very clean and I could turn it up. I feel like the ELS starts being just loud rather than being enjoyable