Acura RLX – Japan’s new 5-Series fighter debuts

Acura is a brand that’s not available in Malaysia, but you can find the A badge in Malaysia sometimes stuck on Honda cars, replacing the H badge, similiar to how some Toyota owners place Lexus badges on their cars.
Like Lexus to Toyota and Infiniti to Nissan, Acura is Honda’s luxury car brand, and this is the new generation Acura RLX, which replaces the Acura RL in the Japanese carmaker’s line-up. The RLX is positioned against other mid-sized luxury sedans like the Audi A6, BMW 5-Series, Mercedes-Benz E-Class, Infiniti M and Lexus GS.





New to the RLX is an all-new direct injection engine, a lighter weight body structure, and the first time usage of Acura Precision All-Wheel Steer technology in an Acura. Acura also debuts the next generation AcuraLink cloud-connected in-car entertainment system in the new RLX. It’s claimed that the RLX has class-leading interior space, with three inches more rear legroom than competing models.
The base model’s new direct injection SOHC V6 engine produces 310 horsepower from it’s 3.5 litre displacement. Maximum torque is 370Nm, and Acura says over 90% of this is available across a wide spread of 2,000rpm to 6,000rpm. During economical driving, the engine can shut off some of its cylinders and operate in reduced displacement mode for fuel savings. The engine is mounted to a lightweight and rigid aluminum front subframe using a vibration-canceling Active Control engine Mount (ACM) system.






Although there were rumours that the RLX would be using a newly developed longitudinal engine rear wheel drive platform to match the other competitors in the segment, it turns out the Acura has continued with a transverse engine front wheel drive platform with the car and given it the option of all wheel drive instead.
This version has Acura’s new Sport Hybrid Super Handling All-Wheel Drive technology and its hybrid drivetrain produces a combined 370 horsepower. This will debut later.