2014 Acura RLX Video Review

Acura's flagship sedans have been going through a constant evolution. There was Acura's first flagship, the Legend, which came in a sedan and a two-door coupe. Following that was the RL, which brought forth a number of new technologies such as satellite navigation and Acura's Super Handling All-Wheel Drive (SH-AWD) system. Now Acura has introduced the latest evolution of their flagship; the 2014 RLX.

The RLX is, well, an odd duck in styling. It's very much one of those vehicles that looks better in person than in pictures (or in this case, video). Up front, you have Acura's well-known and somewhat infamous shield grille. Sitting on either side is a set of alien-like headlights or what Acura calls Jewel Eye LED headlights. You have a set of nineteen-inch alloy wheels and LED taillights. Inside the RLX, you have seating for five passengers and a dual-screen infotainment system. The top screen provides information about what you're listening to and a number of other items. The bottom one is a touch screen that controls a fair bit of the RLX's functions. The infotainment system also features AcuraLink which provides owners such features as traffic updates, Aha Radio, and Pandora.

Powering the RLX is a 3.5L i-VTEC V6 with 310 horsepower and 272 pound-feet of torque. This is paired to a six-speed automatic that routes power to the front wheels. EPA rates the 2014 RLX at 20 City/31 Highway/24 Combined. Being an Acura flagship, there has to be some new piece of wiz-bang tech. The RLX has it with the new Precision All-Wheel Steer or P-AWS, P-AWS turns the rear wheels up to 1.5 degrees in either direction to provide better handling.

The 2014 Acura RLX starts at $48.450 for the base model and climbs up to $60,450 for the RLX with Advance Package. Competitors to the RLX include the BMW 528i, Lexus GS 350, and Volvo S80.