The production version of the 2014 Acura RLX was unveiled at the L.A Auto Show. By all means it appears that Acura has put the drivers soul back into the RLX. Tons of tech goodies as well as serious engineering to raise the bar as a drivers car for it competition.
Lets talk about first the engineering. New to the RLX will be a double damper front suspension that improves handling and road feel while improving ride quality for the passengers. This Amplitude Damping is all part of the “Man and machine synergy” that Acura uses to guide its products, in other words putting the soul back in their cars.
New to the RLX is a direct injected 3.5L V6 with all of the usual Acura technology to eek out every bit of power available from the engine while returning better mileage than the previous model. All the changes to this engine yield 310hp up from the 280hp of the previous engine used in the current RLX. MPG are favorably impacted with this new engine as well with an expected rating of 2o city, 31 highway and 24 combined.
Super All Wheel Handling hybrid system is also available. This will give the Acura RLX the power of a V8 while returning fuel economy of a 4cyl.
Next up on the engineering for drivers is their innovative 4 wheel steering. Yes, we’ve seen others do it before, but given the Honda/Acura penchant for development this will be a much more refined version that will work and work well. This steering system was designed to provide the driver the fell and performance of a RWD car while maintaining all the packaging advantages of a FWD car. Watch the video for all the details on their Precision All Wheel steer that is at the 10 minute mark.
To say the car is technology laden is an understatement. From the newly redesigned Acura Link infotainment system to the drivers aid this car will certainly be class competitive if not a class leader.
Among the systems included in the new RLX will be Adaptive Cruise control with low speed follow assist and Collision Mitigation braking. Also with the new RLX you will find, Collision Avoidance and Lane departure technologies, Blind spot and lane departure warnings, and lastly a multi-angle rear view camera.
By all appearances the 2014 Acura RLX will be a drivers car set to take on the best the class has to offer and set the bar while doing it in many areas. Now if I can get my friends at Acura to let me drive one for a bit I will be able to tell exactly how high they set the bar.
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- Acura RLX Cockpit view 2
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- Acura RLX front grill view
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- Acura RLX front qrtr view
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- Acura RLX cockpit view
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- Acura RLX front view
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- Acura RLX infotainment system
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- Acura RLX mobbed by world press
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- Acura RLX rear quarter view
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- Acura RLX rear view
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- Acura RLX side view
All exterior pics are by me. Interior pics were provided by my friends at Acura and used with their permission. More pics of the L.A Auto show can be found on my flickr set.
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The new technologies and impressive fuel economy—especially in the city—should help the car garner some attention, though, as will the fact that it will face less competition within Acura’s own showrooms: The company told us that it will pare its car lineup to just three sedans in the near future. With the arrival of the ILX and this RLX, that means the TL or TSX will get the boot. It’s perhaps telling that Acura is in the process of securing a trademark on the TLX badge .