2014 Acura RLX

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Just when you though luxury cars couldn’t get any more boring. Here is the new top of the line Acura.
Here to prove that adding an X to a name doesn’t make it more exciting…

The current RX came out in 2005. So this “all new one” should really look much better than this.
It looks like blend of everything else, from the new Accord, Acura ILX, Lexus GS, BMW  etc… You name it.

A brand like Acura, which has almost become invisible, needs a stand out design.
Especially for their most expensive car.

I haven’t seen many of the Infiniti M37 around. And that car does look much better than this.
Life is tough when your competition is the Mercedes E class and the BMW 5 series.
Acura needed something much better.

I am sure it drives great, is reliable etc… But so is the new Accord for half the price.

Acura is now specializing in missed opportunities. So it seems….

Conversation 24 comments

  1. The only thing wrong with this thing is the front fender line…Only a stupid twit that calls itself a "Designer" would think that something rich people would appreciate. That single infantile design cue wrecked sales for this car. Acura needs to adhere to child labor laws in its design department.

  2. Car looks too much like the old RX.
    And the tail lamps look like the Chevy Cruze's. I like the dual screens on the center stack though. Looks like you can manage a bunch of functions at once whithout having to flip through too many screens. But the biggest thing that will make or break this car is the new Sport Hybrid SH-AWD. An electric motor drives each of the rear wheels whith the fronts being driven by the regular engine, plus the transmission is a 7 speed dual clutch. A pretty revolutionary driveline. If it works good.

  3. Honda just doesn't get it, do they? Why would anyone with a brain fork over that money for what looks like a giant Accord with a hideous Acura beak?

  4. The design is average. The M37 and RLX are not priced correctly since they lack the wannabe feeling that BMWs and Audis give to the drooling crowd. Neither car should come loaded for more than the high $40's. Until their badge becomes a "status symbol, a look at me I have…. made it", they are wasting their time pricing these cars in the $50s

  5. When I was a kid, I thought it'd be cool to have dual monitors on my desk. Now that I'm an adult, I realize how geeky that is. I certainly don't want blue screens lined-up in my car. With a CD player between them for christsake! Who listens to CDs anymore? The Nav should be all hard drive, not a DVD. The exterior is predictable and boring. Actually, I would have never predicted how boring this would actually be. Why is the start button "emergency" red?

    This thing is an unbelievable mess. It won't sell.

  6. I can only hope that the Honda will wake up and fire their current designers and hire some Korean designers! This is pathetic….and sad.

  7. The only thing wrong with this thing is the front fender line…

    Actually, I think thats the ONLY thing I LIKE about it–at least that's distinctive. A car in the price range of a BMW 3 series really can't afford to look as generic as this. It looks like the Chevy Bel Air version of the 2005 Impala. If I didn't know better, I would bet it was a mid-level GM design!

  8. Such a shame! Acura needs to go retro and try to do something along the second generation Legend! That was the last good looking Acura sedan! And the last of the Acura Names! This car looks just like the last RL, just an update! Update an already unattractive 50K car and get the same results you had before! Acura needs to do to this what Honda did with the Civic (even though I don't think that was successful) and quickly give this car a facelift! I used to love Honda/Acura….Those days are so long ago!

  9. Put an M35 Infiniti beside this. Honda/Acura should quite simply fire their designers and hire an Italian designer. Pininfarina or guigiaro should design Acuras. Until then, they will be lame, weak and won't sell. You can build a great car but if it looks like this, it just won't sell the way it needs to. Man, the kia midsize car, whatever it's called is better looking than hondas and acuras.

  10. This is basically a very boring design. I agree with the main issue being the front fender line. Issue is its going with the design theory of the first RL being big and boring as opposed to sporty which was the legend.
    The interior is horrible. This is something that all Acura are doing now. Basically looking very blocky and unfinished. Something similar in design to the Honda pilot but with out a flow to it.
    Though I will say this. If it came down to this or the Infiniti m37 or the rlx (Which is also a designation for Ralph Lauren brand) i would pick the acura on exterior style. The Infiniti has a nicer interior though.

  11. Having just bought an RDX, I understand Acura. You get a fantastic, comfortable and reliable car with decent driving dynamics and all the bells and whistles you expect from a luxury brand….without a trip to the repair shop every 4 months. 9K miles on my new RDX and not an issue…contrasted with my prior German disaster which had about 4 major issues at this point of ownership. Honestly, this new RLX reminds me of the first generation Legend, but updated for today's market. It has greet lines, a well edited interior and enough technology to make it competitive in the segment.

    In reference to the Korean Designers….their success is due to their California design team (Hyundai) or Peter Schreyer (KIA) who was the man behind the TT and really the birth of Audi's current success.

  12. Anon 6:25

    I've owned numerous German cars,and there has never been a major defect that would convince me to replace my Audi or BMW with an RL. Acura's luxury sedans are just embarrassing. I'd put them on the same luxury tier as Lincoln. I do wish that Acura would get back to building more honest vehicles that have a shred of integrity (pun intended.) I have, however, owned an S2K, which was a complete blast. But that wasn't billed as a luxury or premium roadster. I always thought that Acura could use a car similar to this.

    The TT is a stylish car, but it's a commercial bomb. VW Group just has enough money to keep it around. The turnaround for Audi (and VW for that matter) began in the mid 90s, with the B5 platform A4. Kia can have Peter Schreyer. Audi has moved on to even more beautiful designs, while Kia/Hyundai's are all starting to look like sap that's oozed from a tree.

  13. " Audi has moved on to even more beautiful designs, while Kia/Hyundai's are all starting to look like sap that's oozed from a tree"

    Last I checked the CC looked better prior to the facelift.

    Sap ozed from a tree? Ignoring that that sap in the new Cee'd and Kia GT won design awards. I'm jtz. Who wants some of me? I'll get me some Acura designs and put them up front.

  14. Anon 6:54

    I've played russian roulette and never had my brains blown out…People don't know what they are talking about when they say russian roulette is deadly!

  15. Anon 6:54

    I've played russian roulette and never had my brains blown out…People don't know what they are talking about when they say russian roulette is deadly!

    December 2, 2012 3:57 PM
    The best advice I can give someone like you is, keep playing….please BTW, Admitting you have ever played such a losers game really defines you.

  16. Side profiles: 5 Series, Subauru Legacy, Honda Accord, Lexus GS, Hyundai Genesis, Honda Civic, but only the Kia K9 was the copycat because it's Korean.

    Funny how the Cruze's tail lights got away with it. If Kia had those tail lights it would be the copycat but since Acura ain't Korean it's orginal.

  17. I like it!. I'm not into the flash and definitely not into an Audi and all of their issues. Honestly whoever compares the RLX or RL for that matter to an Accord has apparently never driven a RL. This will be an outstanding vehicle.

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