Odometer (ILX): 212,846
Odometer (RLX): 21,554
Things have gone full-circle – it was 4 cars and 9 years ago when my mom last drove an Acura, and she came back to the family in fashionable style earlier this week. After a Lexus, a Volkswagen, and an Infiniti: Please welcome mom and this black beauty to the fleet: a 21,500 mile RLX with the Technology package.
Originally sold at 137 miles on March 28, 2016 at Cardinale Way Acura in Las Vegas, Nevada, this RLX ended up at the local Honda dealer in St. George, Utah where my mom first test-drove it on February 18. It was love at first drive. Just look at her text message.
Without even knowing it, she’d just discovered P-AWS: Precision all-wheel steering – one of the car’s most innovative features. By the next day, she’d brought all the financials and logistics together, and drove away a happy new owner. The car had been listed at $28,810 for a President’s Day sale price, which was a deep discount considering it had sold new for $54,450 just a couple of years prior. Depreciation hits these cars pretty hard – but in this case, someone else has already taken the initial hit. Nice how that worked out.
I’ve shared some of the RLX chronology in the past – I’ve watched the model throughout its evolution, from the November 2012 debut for the 2014 model year at the Los Angeles Auto Show, to the debut of the 2018 mid-cycle refresh in August 2017 in Monterey.
I also had a 2014 on test for 7 days and put it through its paces on a drive up Mount Lemmon in the Tucson area.
While Acura’s flagship is certainly at the top of its game from a packaging and performance perspective (310 or 377 horsepower from its 3.5-liter V6), the competitive marketplace has given it a hard time from the get-go. As of the January 2019 sales figures, since the RLX went on sale in March 2013, it has sold only 15,080 units, and most were at the front end of its model launch.
To get even more granular: Mom’s car is one of 1,620 cars sold during all of 2016. And to put that in perspective: Acura sold 4,172 MDX models in the month of January 2019 alone. And Honda sold 21,553 Civics. That month! Now you start to realize why you never see an RLX on the road. And we are perfectly fine with that kind of exclusivity.
This is, in fact, the second time we’ve had a black RL(X) in the family – it was May 2, 2005 (pictured above), when I flew to San Francisco to pick up a 2000 model year 3.5 RL with only 22,000 miles on it and drive it back to southern Utah.
We’ll be having some fun with this new one for sure. I’ve already ordered an OEM rear trunk spoiler and splash guards for it, both pre-painted to match. It’s amazing to have parts readily available when I’m used to dumpster diving at the local pick & pull junkyard.
Congrats, mom!
Original listing
Photos from the listing
Speaking of new cars and key handoffs, my 1990 Accord EX met its new owner on Monday night. “Sid” flew out from Dallas and drove the car home the next day. The car made the 1,000 mile trip without breaking a sweat. This was the last pic of it in the garage.
drivetofive 