The Acura RLX was a flagship luxury sedan offered for the 2014 through 2020 model years. Introduced to succeed the RL, it continued Acura’s long-running premium-sedan lineage under a new nameplate while serving as a showcase for the company’s emerging design, chassis and electrification technologies. The production model debuted in late 2012 and reached U.S. dealerships in March 2013 as a 2014 model.
Throughout its single production generation, the RLX was sold exclusively as a four-door sedan. The original front-wheel-drive version introduced Precision All-Wheel Steer, which could adjust the rear wheels independently to improve maneuverability, stability and cornering response. Acura subsequently added the historically important RLX Sport Hybrid SH-AWD. That variant combined a gasoline engine with three electric motors, including two independently controlled rear motors, giving the sedan electrically powered torque-vectoring all-wheel drive. The system made the RLX an important technological bridge to the second-generation Acura NSX, which employed a related three-motor performance-hybrid concept in a different layout.
For 2018, Acura substantially refreshed the RLX rather than introducing a new generation. Revised front and rear bodywork brought the sedan into line with the brand’s newer design direction, including the diamond-pentagon grille. The conventional RLX also received a new ten-speed automatic transmission, while the Sport Hybrid gained refinements influenced by Acura’s experience developing the NSX. The updated cars retained the nameplate’s emphasis on passenger comfort, a spacious rear compartment and understated flagship positioning.
Although technically ambitious, the RLX occupied a difficult niche between established midsize and full-size luxury sedans and remained a relatively uncommon sight. That rarity, together with its rear-wheel-steering and three-motor hybrid systems, gives it particular interest among enthusiasts of unconventional Japanese luxury cars. Acura ended North American RLX sales after the 2020 model year, concluding one continuous production period without a later revival of the nameplate.