SpecialEdition

TSX69, you near Charlotte? I can just let you know when we get them in.

BDoggPrelude

Much like the 2nd gen RL before it became too old to compete. Even more reason why Acura needs to get on the ball with their marketing campaign. Acura has been stagnate for too long and need to send out the message to consumers that they are still here.

Great pictures BTW. I'm sure you guys had a ton of fun.

GoHawks

I am trying hard to like the exterior, but I am just not feeling it. Especially the side view and particularly where the rear roofline (C pillar) meets the rest of the car. It looks disjointed.

To me at least.

getakey

I like it, maybe not love it, but looking forward to seeing it in person.


Is there another car in same class that has great styling that you like? I don't like any of the Lexus products form a style perspective.

hondamore

Aye, there's the rub. So I sit and wait for the Hybrid SH-AWD model while my options in the luxury sedan world turn uglier by the day.

Megatron

Love the pics!

I love the jewel-eye lights. I think that's the best part of the car!

However, two things I don't like are:
1) the console vent placement is too much like the Accord. I just don't like that look for some reason.
2) the rear end looks too plain. Reminds me of the rear of last generation BMW 5 series. I like the Accord rear end better with that popped up trunk lid look like the 2009+ RLs.

Bottom line is I think as usual, it has to sell based on its technology and features. Looks-wise, I think the latest Accord is just as classy.

KeithL

Actually the rear reminded me of the outgoing Avalon

TSX69

I already get them in the mail tho, I was trying to find the subscription link for the poster wondering how to get them.

Or were you talking about when the RLX comes in? If so, I am in the Triangle area so I usually end up going to Performance Acura or the 2 Leiths in my area.

GoHawks

When I traded in my '06 RL last year it was because I LOVED the styling of the CTS Coupe. Not liked, but the "I gotta have that car" love. If I couldn't make a deal work on the CTS, I probably would have kept my RL. In other words, there weren't many other cars out there that elicited that kind of desire from me, especially after I saw initial pictures of the RLX. I knew that the time had come that my next car would cause me to leave the brand after 19 years.

Now having said that, are there other cars out there that I think are handsome, maybe even more so than the RLX? Absolutely.

I think the Mercedes E-Class and the 5 series are very handsome, especially in colors like black. The Audi A6 too, but maybe less so than the previous two examples. I also like the silhouette of the Lexus GS better.

Again, it is degrees of like and I am not saying that any of those cars are necessarily better than the RLX. I also don't need to have the car scream "Look at me!"' But I also don't want it to look frumpy.

getakey

I also like the CTS, but wife does not
Merecedes and BMW are OK, but really don't turn me on
The car that I really like style-wise is the Tesla S

GoHawks

That's kind of where I was. I considered BMW and Mercedes, but none of them turned me on enough to make me want to dump my RL. Not even the CTS sedan. It was the coupe specifically that I wanted and it was definitely a left brain purchase but I love the car so far.

Colin

I've posted my thoughts on the RLX drive. http://www.satoauto.com/acura-cars/2...pressions.html

Included are two short videos, one showing a 0-80 run and the other showing the Low Speed Follow.

Rocket_man

I like the slow speed follow. I'd like it even more if it were in the cars behind me

Maybe this feature will be in the TLX. Something the Accord does not have.

getakey

I believe you may have left out the word "not" in your intro para

"Due to the place this car sits in our vehicle lineup, we understand that many might not think this is a significant new launch especially if they're not in the market for a car at this price point. In my opinion, the RLX is important even if you're in the market for a vehicle in this price range because many of the features should "trickle down" into our other cars in the future"

Nice writeup and vids

Colin

Fixed, thanks for the proof read....LOL.

CadiGTi

Sit down in its cushy captain’s chair, start up the actively noise-cancelled engine, roll up the insulating laminated windows, and begin coasting along on resonator-equipped frequency-reducing wheels, and you’ll see what we mean. As if there were any doubts about the car’s intent, at the launch, an Acura executive described it as providing the kind of “relaxed driving situation” wherein one could pilot it with one hand lightly touching the wheel, making it an ideal competitor for that 1978 Lincoln you were cross-shopping.

http://autos.yahoo.com/blogs/motoram...155623004.html

BDoggPrelude

0-60 in 7.64 seconds? Yikes. There are cars with similar hp/weight numbers that get to 60mph in far less than that.

CadiGTi

Well at least a bit quicker off the line compared to the 78 Town Car yahoo.com compares the RL to.....!

H_CAR

C&D estimated the 0-60 at about 5.9 seconds. The other publications estimated it at about 6.0-6.2

BDoggPrelude

That sounds a lot better to me. I was just going by the only data we've seen so far, Colin's video.

H_CAR

Just thought I'd put that out there, hell, a 2013 Accord 4 cylinder/CVT does 0-60 in 7.7, that just wouldn't be right

Colin

This was a difficult one for sure. There were no instruments to test with. I was only going by the video. The timecode was generated in my video editor but the start and stop times were "hand timed" with me expanding the window to see when we hit 60 miles an hour. I think it's obvious we had a good deal of wheelspin and with a couple more tries and/or a better track the times would have been better.

Colin

I would also add: there were 4 people in the car. Aren't instrumented tests done with a driver plus test equipment?

037

why were you guys doing a 0-80 with 4 people...or at least why didn't you come back and do it alone or hell even let them do it with the camera rolling.

I mean...if you go WOT...might as well make it count.

Colin

That's not how these things work. They're tightly scripted to move 100+ people through the track and classroom sessions. There is no time for a 'do over' or for someone to take a solo run.

Years ago there was a lot more leeway. I remember at the RSX event, they set up a timed autox course. Somehow I had the fastest time of the day and even beat the resident ex-indycar driver (don't ask me how). They were so easygoing back then he challenged me to a runoff (where he promptly dusted me off). These days, that would never happen.

beach109

Colin, great videos...I made a few of the LKAS system in action turning the car back in line, and acceleration. Great car.

As to accessories questioned earlier:

All-Season Floor Mats
Ashtray—Cup Holder Type
Cargo Net
Door Sill Trim—Illuminated
First Aid Kit
Trunk Mat—Carpet
Trunk Tray

Exterior
Body Side Molding
Car Cover
Decklid Spoiler
Door Edge Film
Rear Bumper Applique
Splash Guard Set

Exterior
Touch-Up Paint (Two Step Process)
Touch-Up Paint
Wheel Locks

Electrical
Engine Block Heater
Remote Engine Start System II Tramsmitter
Remote Engine Start System II

ACCESSORY PACKAGES
Protection Package I Includes All-Season Floor Mats , Trunk Tray , Wheel Locks
Convenience Package Includes First Aid Kit , Trunk Mat—Carpet , Cargo Net , Wheel Locks
Protection Package II Includes Splash Guard Set , Trunk Tray , Wheel Locks

037

would you like to post your videos for us to see?

Type-S RPh

Thanks for the list but nothing on there very exciting. Not even a different wheel design.

HeartTLs

iTrader: (5)

I wasn't excited about the exterior until I saw those pics on the first page, car looks great and I can't wait to see it in person!

4dr4bangrAccord

I like.

weather

^^ I agree. In certain angles and colors, this car looks really good, you highlighted one of those situations

compewterbleu

The more I see of it the more I like it. Sat in it, large interior and much room in the back with a huge trunk. Single, I prefer 2dr coupes so my 4dr TL is big enough for me. But it is a nice vehicle, really nice.

JM2010 SH-AWD

^^ I agree. It has a presence. The haters will bag on it all day long, but there's no denying it's a good looking car. Yes, it's conservative, but frankly, I find its styling more interesting than say the A6 or 535. It seems the main criticism in the reviews is the lack of the "badge." That would only make it more attractive to me.

Colin

I've got a short clip of our facilitator talking about the RLX chassis and ACE II

Rocketsfan

Agreed. These pics we're getting now and the videos make the front look much better than the pics that were released by Acura and even the "reveal" pics. I still don't think the rear is very good looking - too much like a huge Chevy Cruze butt. The front does look nice in most angles.

GoHawks

I too agree that it seems to grow on you.

I don't think it looks like a 1st gen RL.

I think that car was fine for when it was introduced (mid 90s), but really looked dated after 9 years. I still see several on the road occasionally. They still have a quiet presence about them, but nothing that stirs the soul. I knew when I saw renderings of the 2nd gen RLs, I had to have that car, and was further convinced when I saw it in person.

It portrayed a kind of athletic attitude about it that I don't think the RLX does. Maybe it seems to portray, "relaxed cruiser" like the 1st gen did, and that is what you guys are talking about.

I also think that the deletion of the dual exhaust openings contributes to the relaxed look.

I remember reading an article when the second gen TL came out in 1999. If you recall that was the first Acura (outside of the NSX) that had dual exhaust outlets. The Acura CEO (Colliver?) said he had to fight tooth and nail to get approval for that design feature because he wanted Acuras to portray a sporting image.

I guess they decided to go in a different direction.

The other reason might be that if they are leaning more on Hybrid technology, they might want to downplay a design feature that is associated with internal combustion engines.

CeEl

That's a good point ...

Colin

It was actually Rich Thomas who was the executive at Acura who made the comment about the dual exhaust. He was the executive vice president in charge of the Acura division at the time, and Dick Colliver was the executive vice president in charge of the Honda division. The car he was referring to was the 3.0 CL.

Interestingly, Thomas was also the one most responsible for dropping the Integra and Legend names (from what I hear). I'm not sure when he started with Acura, but by the mid-90's he had a difficult task for sure. Lexus had just arrived on the scene and the second generation Legend was selling very poorly in its third and fourth years on the market.

[Sets up soapbox] Let me comment on this whole "hidden exhaust" kerfuffle. After 16 years in the business and 12+ years on this website I have observed that these things are simply trends. So my observation is that "true" dual exhausts started in the musclecar days. Later, we saw "dual exhausts" but run off a single pipe down the center of the car. Later, the Toyota Supra pioneered the "single huge exhaust" that inspired all the enthusiasts to get a "fart can" exhaust. Once that trend had played out we were back to dual or quad exhaust tips. I am going to predict that as soon as somebody more "influential" starts moving towards hidden exhausts (Mercedes? Audi?) it will suddenly become "cool".

In my opinion, this is no different than rear wing spoilers that have gone from absurdly high (Super Bird) to low and back high (Supra) or turn signals which have gone from red, to amber, to clear, to red ... et cetera. [/gets off soapbox]

JonFo

Agreed on the exhausts, I could care less that they show or not. Matter of fact, on the Sports Hybrid, you absolutely do not want them visible. It reinforces the Hybrid side further.

So I'm pretty happy with the design of the RLX rear.

If I wanted big dual exhausts and lots of noise, I'd be buying an AMG Merc, now that's a trumpet !

037

most people don't associate missing exhausts with 370 horsepower, it's got no visual presence.