I thought it was about time to give my review of the suspension and overall driving impressions when the RLX-Sport Hybrid was driven on a proper road with on and off camber, fast and slow, plus increasing and decreasing radius curves, while also giving both the throttle and the brakes an appropriate workout. This afternoon I took the Blackbird out to my favorite set of turns on Route 202 between the Camp Smith Army Base and the Bear Mountain Bridge, which is about 40 miles north of New York City. There are elevation changes on top of all of my ideal characteristics for a road workout for this very special car. It is possible that this unique sleeper may very well be a collectable in the years to come, but being a proud owner I feel compelled to share some of the very special qualities this suspension and drive train provide when driven at close to Hoonigan levels.
I experimented driving the same section of road in Sport Auto Mode as well as Sport Manual Mode. I actually preferred the auto mode as the computer did a better job managing the weight transfer in the turns when it gears down and blips the throttle at the same time in preparation for the next throttle input. The the car's combination of VSA control and the wizardry of the e-motors doing their dance of over-driving the outside wheel and dragging the inside wheel to help it increase the yaw effect in the turns is one of the very unique traits to this car that only the few will ever experience. When you apply the throttle in 2nd through 4th gears between 3,000 and 5,000 rpm, the waves of power truly transform this 4,400 pound car into something that feels both very substantial and also 1,000 pounds lighter than it is. It is a strange paradigm that the Acura engineers managed to incorporate the complexities of physics while hiding the obvious mass with technology and transform it into driving magic.
The brakes are amazing considering the weight that needs to be managed, energy recapture for the hybrid batteries and the heat transfer from the high friction brake pads into the vented rotors. The weakest part of the car are the all season tires. I would imagine that a good set of summer performance tires with the proper amount of heat in them, would extend the handling outer limits to truly sensational levels, just short of BMW M5 territory without the threat of over or under steer. Within 5 minutes is was easy to overheat the tires. Although there have been complaints that the suspension is too brittle or harsh, when driven at 8/10ths or more, the settings make the car come alive. All complaints disappear and suddenly the brilliance of the engineering makes those who complain seem foolish. I can only imagine this car on a track where 100% of its capabilities could be explored. My g-meter showed a peak g in one positive camber banked turn at 1.22g. On a perfectly flat right hand turn it posted a .94g. Driving back into the same turn from the other direction it posted a .95g which is remarkable for any car, much less any sports car with 1,000 less weight and wider performance tires.
Thanks for reading and as they say on Classic Car, happy motoring.
I experimented driving the same section of road in Sport Auto Mode as well as Sport Manual Mode. I actually preferred the auto mode as the computer did a better job managing the weight transfer in the turns when it gears down and blips the throttle at the same time in preparation for the next throttle input. The the car's combination of VSA control and the wizardry of the e-motors doing their dance of over-driving the outside wheel and dragging the inside wheel to help it increase the yaw effect in the turns is one of the very unique traits to this car that only the few will ever experience. When you apply the throttle in 2nd through 4th gears between 3,000 and 5,000 rpm, the waves of power truly transform this 4,400 pound car into something that feels both very substantial and also 1,000 pounds lighter than it is. It is a strange paradigm that the Acura engineers managed to incorporate the complexities of physics while hiding the obvious mass with technology and transform it into driving magic.
The brakes are amazing considering the weight that needs to be managed, energy recapture for the hybrid batteries and the heat transfer from the high friction brake pads into the vented rotors. The weakest part of the car are the all season tires. I would imagine that a good set of summer performance tires with the proper amount of heat in them, would extend the handling outer limits to truly sensational levels, just short of BMW M5 territory without the threat of over or under steer. Within 5 minutes is was easy to overheat the tires. Although there have been complaints that the suspension is too brittle or harsh, when driven at 8/10ths or more, the settings make the car come alive. All complaints disappear and suddenly the brilliance of the engineering makes those who complain seem foolish. I can only imagine this car on a track where 100% of its capabilities could be explored. My g-meter showed a peak g in one positive camber banked turn at 1.22g. On a perfectly flat right hand turn it posted a .94g. Driving back into the same turn from the other direction it posted a .95g which is remarkable for any car, much less any sports car with 1,000 less weight and wider performance tires.
Thanks for reading and as they say on Classic Car, happy motoring.