RLX-Sport Hybrid

I tested both of my vehicles in the very slippery wind blown snow conditions this morning. It was 8 degrees at the time and will be falling to -8 or lower plus 40-50 mph winds on top of that today. Ugly!! SO that is the stage to compare both. I drove on off camber turns that would be inherently slippery, uphill, downhill, slow turns and faster turns (for what was safe based on the conditions). The purpose was to feel back to back the differences between both AWD systems, input applications of acceleration, braking, steering and overall confidence driving each in the same conditions.

Here is my report:

I drove the MDX first. In slow driving it was confidence inspiring. It barely lost traction even in the off camber stuff. The traction while I was on the gas was great and the VSA kept things in check with minimal slippage. However, when I took the same turn off the gas, I under-steered significantly and almost went head first into the snow bank in front of me. On the straights the acceleration and braking was excellent and steering feel in the snow was about as good as one could want.

Then I drove the SH on the same roads and at the same speeds and mannerisms. The MDX is very good in these conditions for sure, however the SH takes AWD to another level completely. The "on-gas" application of the traction control just can't be matched. It is almost super-human in how it adapts to micro slippage and responding immediately. The really amazing thing is how it responds when you are "off-gas" and coasting into the same off camber slippery turn when the MDX almost took a header into the snow bank. Because of how it drags the inside rear wheel in conjunction with the VSA, it simply caught itself and kept me turning with minimal slippage. Now that is awesome! Until you experience that, you haven't driven an AWD vehicle that does that to the best of my knowledge. The brake feel is an obvious difference between the two cars. The SH's brake bite is very strong where in comparison, the MDX is almost squishy. Also the acceleration in the snow is absolutely effortless in the SH which is very hard to describe. The steering feel is a little isolating in both, but a little more so in the SH in the snow. That does not make any difference to me. The hard part is restraining myself from going to fast because it has so much traction. I can only imagine what it is like with true snow tires in the same conditions. It must be crazy.

getakey

Nice report

Sorry can't help but add that we almost hit 80 yesterday

RLX-Sport Hybrid

Please take this from all of us who are freezing our asses off right now with the most respect and kindness I can muster, but screw you. When I cleared my driveway a short while ago, I exhaled into my ski mask and it immediately froze on my eyelashes shut. My nose then froze shut. This is freaking Siberia cold. Enjoy your beach drink and sun screen.

getakey

Yeah - its 20 degrees above normal here. We should only be 60

We don't even have enough snow in the mountains for the ski resorts to fully open

Edward'TLS

Agree.

The brakes on the MDX are particular soft (= weaker ?) .

With the MDX's heavy curb weight, Acura should have put in bigger brakes for the SUV.

RLX-Sport Hybrid

I'm not sure I would go as far as to say that the MDX's brakes are weak, since both vehicles are almost identical weights at +/- 4400 lbs. I think the SH's brakes feel so much stronger based on the EV motors helping and maybe the way the engineers tuned the feel? Just a guess. My impressions are not mathmatical or scientific, just subjective and opinion.

George Knighton

For whatever one dumb old man's opinion is worth, I think they both have brakes that are not up to the vehicle full potential.

I like the way that the Sport Hybrid's brakes generally feel, however. They have a nice, hard feel like the kind you're always trying to get on your Honda Challenge car...and not quite managing to get. :-)

It puzzles me when I see someone complain about how the Sport Hybrid's brakes feel, because I think they're great. If it's a motor journalist complaining, I have to assume he's driving the preproduction car.

Edward'TLS

The MDX brakes may not be weak mechanically, but it does "feel" weak.

When compared to the 4G AWD TL, FWD TLX, and FWD RLX, the MDX brake pedal is much softer to depress and also requires a longer brake pedal travel to slow and stop the SUV.

Malibu Flyer

Sorry your weather is such a bummer. I have a close friend in the Boston area who has been sending me pictures.....things look pretty awful. I grew up just down the road from you in Connecticut so I know what winter can be.

It's just hard for me not to comment on the contrast when we are having somewhat extreme weather conditions in the opposite direction.
I do envy you the ability to play with your Sport Hybrid in the snow. We are still having a bad drought so as getakey said there isn't even much snow in the mountains to drive to to try the Sport Hybrid out I slippery conditions.

Rest assured Spring will come and this winter will be just something to tell the grandkids about.

timmins

Back to the original question; MDX or RLX hybrid ... MDX hands down.
Both are 2014, the MDX has a remote starter, heated windshield, heated washer spray and better ground clearance. George's point about control when not on the gas is spot on but it could be fixed in the MDX by downshifting.
Now which is more enjoyable to toss around with VSA off on slippery roads it's the RLX. It behaves like a rear-biased car similar to a Porsche with controllable drifts but less aggressive. it is best with 2nd gear start I think it's because the rear motors will pump more torque than the engine breaking the tail loose.

Pens Fan

When there is more than a few inches of snow on the ground the advantage of having an MDX will be crystal clear.

neuronbob

Thanks for the comparo. I had a MDX loaner a couple weeks ago and didn't have enough time to push it (gently) in this regard. Will do so should I have a loaner again.

Master Apex

Does your newer Sport Hybrid SH-AWD behaves as good as your RLX Sport Hybrid under the same conditions?

Thanks

RLX-Sport Hybrid

Yes I think they are about the same in the snow in general. The weight transfer is slightly different based on the higher center of gravity in the MDX Sport Hybrid, but I have yet to find a situation where we EVER got stuck and could not get where we were going. In general the EV delivery of instant torque is the most important aspect that makes it so good. The relationship between the torque delivery and the stability controls make the power and traction delivery very predictable and stable in slippery situations. It does not promote intentional slides like the non-hybrid SHAWD mechanical system can allow with the traction control turned off. However, I am close to taking delivery of my replacement for the RLX Sport Hybrid which will be the Volvo XC90T8 Plug-In-Hybrid and I will provide comparisons between that vehicle and the MDX Sport Hybrid after I have some drive time in it. I had a chance to test drive it in lots of conditions and was completely blown away with that vehicle's driving experience, thus I ordered it. It is a little pricey the way I optioned it up to $86,490, but with a negotiated discount and it also will qualify for a combined Federal and State tax credit of just under $6,000, the real cost is about $72,000 which is about $12,000 more than the MDX Sport Hybrid we bought in 2017. Tremendous value. Stupendous actually. Details to follow on that review in late February.

Master Apex

Thank You for the reply.
This just convinced me to buy the 2020 Sport Hybrid MDX during this year end sales event.

RLX-Sport Hybrid

That is a very good decision. Congratulations! We have experienced NO issues at all with the MDX Sport Hybrid and we are at about 34,000 miles. Other than normal maintenance it has been flawless. Once you learn how to maximize the mpg efficiency you should expect 25-27 mpg in the winter time and 27-30 mpg for the other 3 seasons for an average tank of gas. If you drive it like you stole it, expect high teens to low 20's in the mpg game. Drive it like a reasonable civilian taking your mother around with you, and high 20's to around 30 mpg should be the expectation in general. You won't win any stop light wars, but you also should not really "need" more power than it has in most situations. It is a utility knife in everyday use. Plenty of space and versatility, quiet and smooth running, generally efficient, and looks handsome. Fit an finish is on par with the rest of the brand which is above average, but not superb. The infotainment screen is dated and slow to operate when you first turn on the vehicle, but you will get used to that. Also having to pull over to enter a new address in the navi is a pain, but that is what the attorneys decided at Acura to do. Occasionally the navi can't figure out where you are when you leave a garage some times, but eventually it figures it out and gets back on course. The stock tires are not the best choice so when you get to around 30,000 miles select other ones instead. I have the Pirelli Scorpion Verde All Season tires and they have been great. I have tried about everything else one could experiment with and these seem to be the best overall considering all of the compromises. I wish you all the best of luck! Happy New Year!

mrgold35

The good thing about all 18-20 MDXs is they come with Carplay. Nice option to have if you don't like the Acura Navi or using the Acura hard-drive CD option. My 19 Navi is slower to start-up and respond compared to my 11 MDX with similar hard-drive based navi. You have to sign up for Acuralink if you want to use Acura navi on the go (use google maps within the acuralink app and send over cell network to MDX navi screen).