true, but my experience is definitely that hondas and at least more recent acura have a lot of road noise. i don't recall my '94 legend having a lot of road noise though.

 

The technology is relevant, but its such a dull and bland package....it looks so much like the super boring current RL, and adding an X to its name and changing the front and rear fascias again isn't going to help those slow sales. Honda has really lost its way in the styling department. And that makes no sense since styling is 90% of why people buy a car...
I used to be a big Acura fan back in the day. I owned an Integra as my first car and it was a blast to drive, got excellent gas mileage and was reliable as hell and i loved it....I loved the Legend, the Vigor, the CL, NSX and (until recently) the TL...Acura used to build a solid car in a very attractive package for a reasonable price. They seem to have thrown all the laurels that brought them success out the window. All the former Acura fans (logically) jumped ship to Lexus (like I did), Infiniti or to European marques.
My dad has owned 6 Acuras....1988 Legend sedan L 5MT, 1995 Legend TYPE II coupe 6MT LS (he had this one 9 years...it was his favorite), 1997 3.2 TL, 2000 3.2 TL, 2003 3.2 TL and 2006 TL. I grew up with Acura and its sad to see what they have become. Even my dad the Acura loyalist is jumping ship this summer and is going to take the plunge on the 2013 ES350 since he held out for the new one and more so because the new TL is so grotesque. And it doesn't look like much is changing there.
Cant we just get the 91 legend back? Please?

That all said, Lexus for life.

 

The Legend Type 2 Coupe was their best design (IMHO) aside from the original NSX. Loved that car. My friend had one, we would hang out, me in my SC300. We had the two "hottest" coupes of the time. HA!

 

You have the Corolla/Civics/Camry/Accords sedans/Prius selling, and those are some of the ugliest cars on the roads right now.

 

I feel the same way too, I used to love Honda and Acuras when they have Integra ( had a GSR myself ), Legend, Type-R, NSX, and S2000. Now they offer nothing exciting and excel in nothing. And their cars are just getting uglier. Look at the TL, ZDX, Crosstour, and Pilot, I have a headache everytime I see one.

 

I dont see whats wrong with the corolla, camry and prius. I work at toyota and they all sell like hell and i find them all to be non offensive and they do their jobs very effectively. My girlfriend has a 2010 corolla and we love it. Its great for what she needs it for.
The RLX is trying to excell in a place where style really matters. If you are paying so much for a vehicle you at least want it to be stylish. Id just spend my hard earned dollars for a GS in RWD or AWD configuration for the price of this boring RLX.

 

Production-Ready Acura RLX Revealed in Patent Images

Acura’s push for more radical, independent styling could be over before it starts. These pictures, which were made public this week in a European design patent database, show an RLX sedan that’s been dulled down from the only slightly edgier concept version presented last April. The RLX will arrive in early 2013 as the replacement for the RL as Acura’s range-topping sedan.

The lower front and rear clips on (what we presume is) the production RLX have been changed from the concept car, with a standard rounded lower air intake up front and integrated exhaust outlets in the rear. These bookend a generally uninspiring shape, with the front looking rather like that of a current RL or TL, and the side and rear reminiscent of everything from a Lexus GS to a Chevy Cruze to a BMW 7-series.

Although Acura will undoubtedly promote the RLX as a fun-to-drive, high-tech showcase, the truth is that this car is aimed squarely at aging Baby Boomers. RLX customers are more likely to be cross-shopping the RLX with a Cadillac XTS, we think, than an avant-garde Audi A6. As such, Acura has said in the past that the RLX’s interior is significantly more spacious than in the company’s previous cars—despite its size, the RL has always had compromised interior packaging.

The only major U.S. auto show left on the calendar for 2012 is Los Angeles in November. Acura could pull the sheets off of the production RLX there, but an earlier non-auto-show debut is always possible.

 

Overall design is pretty good, but I dislike the rear design especially the taillights.

 

That's really interesting, I wasn't expecting such a thing. How in the world do they find these patent photos? I look for them, but most of everything that it is exposed is already on sale. A leak by patent examiners?

 

I, for one, wasn't really expecting any more than that. Good points about the RLX being more of a ride for the XTS-shopping group. Acura's outlook continues to look bleak...

 

Is it just me or does the RLX rear look VERY similar to the new BMW 5 series rear?

 

BMW rear and LS460 rear quarter panel, and ugly Acura front. The whole car doesn't even flow right.

 

Strange and generic styling. This car will blend in, fall off the radar, and be another dud. There is nothing special or exciting here at all. Bye bye Acura. You are dead.

 

It looks good, IMO.

 

I need to see the car in better pics or in the flesh before I make up my mind on it.

IMO Acura isn't going anywhere and will be around for the long haul.

The ILX, not necessarily my cup of tea, is ranked #4 on the list for shortest # of days to turn for May at 8 days. It's in the May New Car Sales thread.