Are 2014 Acura Rdx Reliable

[Rakeen Garreau]

Acura represents the luxury counterpart to Honda as a separate brand altogether, complete with the Acura NSX supercar. Whereas Honda privileges dependability and durability among its models, Acura equips its models with technological features and advancements characteristic of many global luxury brands.

The average lifespan of an Acura vehicle is well beyond the 100,000-mile mark and potentially into the 200,000-mile mark. The lifespan of any luxury vehicle, similar to all cars in general, depends mainly on ownership, from routine maintenance to annual miles driven.

From 60 dealerships back in the late 1980s to hundreds of dealerships nationwide, Acura has undoubtedly made its mark on history, including spurring Nissan and Toyota to create their own luxury arms. Regarding reliability, Honda's underpinnings shine through to help rank Acura among the top reliable luxury brands.

RepairPal ranks Acura second out of 32 best car brands, with a reliability rating of four out of five. Average annual repair costs are $501, with 0.4 visits to the shop yearly. Acura maintains an 8% chance of a severe repair, which is respectably low for a luxury brand.

While you can buy a car with a credit card (if you have the available funds), you may want to reconsider purchasing an Acura with this payment method after reviewing the common issues that plague this luxury brand.

The 2019 Acura TLX recently had two recalls regarding engine stalling, but additional engine issues apply to earlier generations. For instance, the 2010 to 2013 MDX models experienced excessive oil consumption due to clogged piston rings. Acura TL models from the early 2000s also experienced engine trouble, whether from a failed in-tank fuel pump or fuel pump relay. Clutch issues also plague several Acura models.

Similar to concerns regarding engine troubles, transmission failure remains a rampant problem on several Acura models. Several early-2000s MDX models suffered from shuddering, failing to shift, hard shifts, slipping, and lack of acceleration. The 2015 TLX and early-2000s TL models also experienced these same issues. The 2015 Acura TLX had four recalls and a class action lawsuit regarding the shortcomings of the transmission.

New Acuras come with a limited warranty of four years or 50,000 miles and a powertrain limited warranty of six years or 70,000 miles. Acura also offers additional warranty coverage for certified pre-owned (CPO) vehicles, including the Precision Certified and Precision Used car warranties. These warranties can help offset routine maintenance costs, although at roughly $500 annually to maintain, Acuras are affordable luxury vehicles to own.

One of the first steps in tackling a new car purchase is calculating the debt-to-income (DTI) for a car loan if you want to finance the deal. When you know your DTI ratio, you can look further into the following high-endAcura models that rank among the most reliable:

RepairPal ranks the ILX second out of 17 luxury compact cars, with a $435 average annual repair cost. The model earns 4.5 out of five stars for reliability. With only 0.3 visits to the shop every year and an 11% chance that repairs are severe, the ILX does the Acura name proud in reliability ratings.

The Acura MDX follows suit with four out of five stars from RepairPal for reliability, putting it second among 14 luxury midsize SUVs. This Acura SUV costs $571 annually to maintain. Average repair shop visits total 0.4 times yearly, with an 11% chance of severe repair.

The smaller of the Acura SUVs, the RDX earns first place among luxury compact SUVs with a 4.5 out of five-star rating from RepairPal. Annual repair costs of $497 and 0.4 shop visits are average for the segment, but the severity of repairs is only 6%, compared to 10% for luxury vehicles and 12% for all models.

Honda launched its luxury arm Acura in 1986, with its original lineup consisting of the Legend and the Integra. It aimed to "satisfy the most demanding driver while delivering the kind of efficiency intelligent people demand today," according to a Honda press release from the era. Nearly 40 years later, that mix of efficiency and driving dynamics still forms the blueprint for its cars today. Buyer tastes have shifted hugely since then, although it's safe to say that there will always be a market for cars that are both enjoyable to drive and easy to live with every day.

The original Acura NSX was a landmark car in more ways than one. Not only did it launch the Acura name into the public consciousness in America, but its blend of everyday driveability, performance, and handling forced European competitors to up their game. The second generation NSX, launched in 2016, never managed to make quite the same impact, although we've previously argued that it might just have been ahead of its time.

Most recently refreshed for the 2021 model year, Acura's TLX sedan is a strong contender in its segment. Our reviewer was impressed with the car's handling and thought its styling looked even better than the flagship NSX supercar. It is, however, subject to plenty of competition from both European and Japanese brands, many of which sport higher power outputs and sportier demeanors than the regular TLX. To counter that, Acura also sells the more powerful TLX Type S, which sports a 355 horsepower turbo V6 engine and uses the brand's SH-AWD system to ensure all those horses can be put to good use.

No matter whether you pick the wilder or milder variant of the TLX, a few things remain the same. Firstly, this is still a practical family car, and although the ride errs on the firmer side, it's still just as comfortable doing the grocery run as it is on the track. Secondly, it still lives up to Acura's strong reputation for reliability, with iSeeCars giving the TLX a reliability rating of 7.2.

As the luxury sedan market has shrunk in recent years, the competition between remaining entries has gotten fiercer. Acura's former offering, the RLX, was given a refresh for 2018, but that wasn't enough to boost sales, and it was axed after 2020. The issue with the car was not that any one element stood out as particularly a letdown, but rather that few elements stood out at all.

Much like the NSX supercar, the ILX was discontinued in 2023 after a lackluster reception among buyers. However, unlike the NSX, a replacement has already been launched for Acura's small sedan in the Integra, the latest revival of a long-standing enthusiasts' favorite.

The non-hybrid RLX is more reliable than the fuel-sipping electrified variant, scoring 7.8 from iSeeCars' reliability rankings. It's also the less exotic of the two. While the hybrid, which was refreshed alongside the conventional gas car in 2018, used an electric motor and V6 setup derived from the NSX, the regular RLX can claim no such supercar relations. There's less horsepower on offer, too, as the plain gas engine makes 310 horsepower, 67 horses less than the hybrid.

The exterior design has also been tweaked, with a revised grille at the front and new exhaust tips at the rear. The RDX sits a step below the MDX in terms of size, features, and pricing, and it's marginally less reliable too, although it's still a top performer. Reliability analysis from iSeeCars saw the RDX awarded an 8.6 rating, putting it at the top of the luxury small SUV segment and making it even more dependable than Acura's range of sedans.

Other than the luxury tax (no honda chassis shared) and being a Japanese car, they're pretty decent. Oh, the electric columns on these.... $4k. So if it's broken, and its in the right place leave it. If not... well move on.

Make sure he gets the Red key with the car. The immobilizer units on these use the red key to unlock and program new keys. Without it, or if someone uses the red key to drive on it, the immobilizer unit has to be replaced with a new red key and two new master keys.

They're a great car, but they are still a luxury car and with that some things just cost more. This was Honda's US flagship for almost 10 years and was built off the second Generation Legend platform.

I've spent some seat time in them, but I've never owned one. Arguably the Honda/Acura flagship since it's introduction as the Legend in 1985, renamed the RL in 1996 and ran through the 2012 model year, then renamed again as the RLX in 2014. All three models are based on the JDM Honda Legend. The 1996-1998 is the one I'm most familiar with. The 3.5 is no ball of fire, but the car makes a comfortable interstate cruiser.

the 96-04 were based on the second gen legend. Longitudinal engine/trans layout while still being fwd. The first gen legend was a V6 accord transverse layout. It's the blueprint for the NSX drivertain. The 05-up went back to transverse, but added the SH-AWD where it would overdrive the outside rear tire in corners to help push it around. Worked well, but a crap ton of recalls and bulletins on that first year. The 05-up were surprisingly cramped for being a flagship car. Not much bigger than the TL (TLX) and when the 09 TL came out it was the same platform and AWD.

Quick sidenote.... other than head gaskets every 150k-ish these were really solid. I can't remember the number of these I saw well over 250-300k miles. IMO, this was one of the last truely great Honda's that they ever built. Everything after this was a compromise of cost over quality. These were truly built like tanks.

My sister has one (1997). She's had it since about 2000 and was purchased with a little over 10k on it. It has close to 300k on it now. Most of the luxury things are broken (including AC, which I guess isn't really a luxury) and way too expensive to fix. She's got a short commute and six figures worth of debt from law school, so I'm guessing the the RL will continue to live life as reliable, but less than luxurious DD from now ad infinitum.

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