Acura · 2012–2020

Acura RLX

The Acura RLX is a mid-size luxury car manufactured by Honda and produced under their Acura division since March 2013 for the 2014 model year, replacing the RL. The RLX was discontinued in 2020 after the 2020 model year.

Text from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0).

Predecessor: Acura RL

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Background and development

In October 2009, Car and Driver blog cited a dinner with Acura executives who acknowledged that the introduction of the new, larger, and in some guises, more powerful, fourth generation Acura TL made it difficult to market the then-current RL. In November 2009, an Autoweek article reported that new Honda CEO Takanobu Ito told Automotive News that Acura is going to change course. Speaking of the worldwide economy before the collapse of investment bank Lehman Brothers, Ito said through an interpreter, "Pre-Lehman, we did have the idea to produce more multicylinder engines... I see the future of Acura as a merger of BMW and Audi -- something between high performance and high technology." As a result of this midstream change, Acura will be in a "low-growth period of developing new products," Ito said. "We were thinking that we could come up with glamorous, gorgeous products that would sell. Now, our premium products will be expressed in advanced environmental technologies, rather than glamorous things attached to the product," he said. RLX Concept. On April 4, 2012, Acura unveiled the RLX Concept, a replacement for the RL sedan, at the 2012 New York International Auto Show. The production model, which changed little from the concept, was unveiled globally at the Los Angeles Auto Show later that year.

History

Production of the Acura RL ended at the Saitama facility on June 16, 2012, to begin factory changeover to the RLX. The RLX was offered for sale beginning on March 15, 2013 for the 2014 model year. The RLX is offered in two versions, a front-wheel drive base model equipped with four-wheel steering system, marketed as Precision-All Wheel Steer (P-AWS), and a hybrid variant of the Super Handling-All Wheel Drive (SH-AWD) as Acura's flagship. RLX Sport Hybrid. The RLX Sport Hybrid debuted at the 2013 Los Angeles Auto Show. Overall vehicle weight was up 357 lbs, with weight distribution (front:rear) improved from 61:39 in non-hybrids to 57:43 in hybrid models. It was offered as the Honda Legend in Japan. US sales began during September 2014, with 250 models produced for the 2014 model year and an additional 250 models produced in 2015 for the 2016 model year. Powertrain. A direct injected 3.5-liter Earth Dreams V6 gasoline engine using VTEC and Variable Cylinder Management (VCM) marketed as i-VTEC like other J-series Honda engines. It is paired with a 6-speed automatic received an EPA-estimated fuel economy of 20/30/23 mpg (city/highway/combined) and the maximum output was 310 hp (231 kW) at 6,500 rpm and 272 lb⋅ft (369 N⋅m) of torque at 4,500 rpm. The VCM system was updated to worked in either 6 or 3 cylinder configurations; the new model used more sophisticated engine mounts which bypassed the need for a 4-cylinder mode which would result in a lower NVH. Hybrid models featured the VCM capability as well, with an added start-stop system to boost fuel economy as well as the ability to operate entirely on electric power up to 58 miles per hour with light throttle usage. The hybrid also used a 7-speed dual clutch transmission using an integrated 35 kilowatts (47 hp) electric m

Sections adapted from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0); text is shortened. Read the full article for the complete history and citations.

Specifications

name

Acura RLX

Manufacturer

Honda

aka

Honda Legend (Japan)

Production

December 2012 – June 2020

Model years

2014–2020

Assembly

Japan: Sayama, Saitama (Sayama Plant)

Designer

Hideaki Uchino (2009) , Michelle Christensen

Class

Executive car (E)

Body style

4-door sedan

Layout

FF / F4 layout (SH-AWD)

Platform

Honda D-5

Engine

3.5 L Earth Dreams J35Y4 V6

Transmission

FWD: (RLX only) , 6-speed automatic (2014-17), 10-speed automatic (2018–2020), Hybrid AWD:, 7-Speed DCT Motor-Integrated

Battery

Li-Ion

Wheelbase

2850 mm

Length

4982 mm (2014 - 2018), 5032 mm (2018–2020)

Width

1890 mm

Height

1465 mm, 1480 mm (Legend)

Kerb weight

1800 -, 1956 - (AWD), 1990 kg (Legend)

Predecessor

Acura RL

Specification summary from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Measured facts from Wikidata (CC0). Check the linked sources for citations.

More photos

US EPA fuel-economy records

US EPA test figures (US MPG, US test cycle).

Sources

• Wikidata — https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q2263998CC0 1.0 · retrieved 2026-10-01
• Wikipedia — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acura_RLXCC BY-SA 4.0 · Text © Wikipedia contributors; revision 1369261110 · retrieved 2026-10-01
• Wikimedia Commons — https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:2018_Acura_RLX_sedan_front_4.2.18.jpgCC BY-SA 4.0 · Photo: Kevauto · retrieved 2026-10-01
• Manufacturer website (link only) — https://web.archive.org/web/20210127115028/https://www.acura.com/rlxLink only; no content copied · retrieved 2026-10-01
• Car Model Index — https://models.autoculturesociety.com/Compiled record. Sources that do not permit reuse are not copied; this index is credited instead.

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