Editor's note: There are a ton of cars out there and each comes with its own slick advertising campaign and marketing army in tow. But what should you believe? Auto writer Kevin McCauley cuts through the clutter and gives you honest answers in CultureMap's regular Test Drive series.
Acura's newest range-topping model is called the RLX, and it replaces the outgoing Acura RL.
Lately Acura has this reputation that's not exactly favorable, but not exactly unfair, of being the finest Honda Accord money can buy. Apart from size and features, what makes the RLX special?
We genuinely wanted to find out.
What's under the hood?
The RLX uses a direct-injected, 3.5 liter i-VTEC V6 that produces 310-horsepower. This engine is slightly smaller than the outgoing 3.7 liter V6 in the RL, but makes 10 more horsepower. Eventually, there will be an all-wheel drive version with a hybrid powertrain that makes 370-hp. That will be far more interesting — why couldn't it launch with that?
Observations
Driving
We could moan that this should drive more like a sports sedan and feel sharper and louder but that's not the point of the RLX. The RLX doesn't aim to be a performance sedan. Performance is perfectly adequate, the power is there, and it turns where you want it.
There's a clever system called Precision All Wheel Steer (P-AWS). P-AWS is seamless, which in this case means there is some neat tech in place to mask the FWD driveline and otherwise go unnoticed. It mostly does go unnoticed, though, even driving around town normally and responsibly, we managed to find a few places where the FWD reveals itself: Moderate straightline acceleration through an intersection with a crowned road surface (in the type of hip downtown setting that Acura loves to advertise its vehicles in). You can feel the front go light and the driving wheels slip or chirp — it's just sort of an inherent thing on a FWD car with a long wheelbase. And, truthfully, it's unbecoming of a $56,000-plus flagship luxury sedan.
Styling
The exterior of the RLX is subdued, but the dramatic scallop behind the front wheel is actually quite dramatic and catches the light nicely in most situations. The LED headlights, which shine light through clusters of 10 lenses in each headlamp, are unquestionably cool, and deliver a brighter, whiter and more efficient light than traditional discharge lights.
Interestingly, come around to the exhaust tips and . . . there are none. Instead, the muffler is tucked below the rear bumper, with emissions expelled quietly and out of sight. To us, this communicates that the RLX is more device than car, which is an intriguing approach.
Comfort
Inside, it has a screen for your audio and climate controls, and above it, a screen for your navigation. You know, just like the Honda Accord.
Why isn't there a giant, glassy, beautiful touchscreen like the Tesla Model S? This is a car that is touted as being a technology-packed. But you just can't really see it.
Utility
The RLX has spacious backseat and a full, almost taxi-sized trunk.
Efficiency?
The RLX is EPA rated at 20 mpg city and 31 mpg highway.
How much does it cost?
The Acura RLX starts at around $49,000 and the range tops off in the low $60,000s, fully-loaded.
What's Good?
• Solid chassis
• Smooth V6 that feels eager and responsive
• Smartly laid-out, functional interior
• Most of the technology is in safety systems, sensors and alerts that you hopefully will never have to see
What's Not?
• Interior and materials don't really distinguish it from 'lesser' Acuras
• Actually, nothing on the RLX really distinguishes it from 'lesser' Acuras
• Aside from the trick headlights, where is the "Wow" technology that the user does notice?
Our Verdict
We were hoping to be more impressed with the all-new RLX, and hoped it was Acura taking a confident step into a new direction. Any direction.
It's a car that is (practically by Acura's own admission) not a sports sedan, but a stylish luxury sedan that uses technology to maximize comfort rather than to minimize lap times. Which is a fascinating prospect! Every company wants to be like BMW or Audi, but not every buyer needs a four-door corner carver. So to take that considerable cost of developing a building a performance sedan and focus those resources into pure passenger comfort would be a clever approach. Especially from a company such as Acura, which has immediate credibility when it comes to technology. But Acura hasn't done this. If they had, we wouldn't be complaining that the touchscreen is too small or that the interior materials feel average.
To be completely clear, it a well-made, balanced luxury car that will like be dependable for years to come — there's a lot to be said for that. But we keep hoping Acura will do something innovative, when there are so many opportunities to do so. And those opportunities were missed.
How we'd buy it:
Wait until the hybrid, all-wheel drive version later this year.
The 2014 Acura RLX replaces the Acura RL sedan.
Photo by Kevin McCauley
The 2014 Acura RLX replaces the Acura RL sedan.
