Acura RLX: which version to buy
If the choice is between the two named versions that exist on the Acura RLX, the numbers split cleanly. 3.5 AT is the lighter Gasoline sedan: 310 hp (228 kW) at 5800 rpm, 272 Nm at 4500 rpm, 6-speed Automatic, FWD, 1784 kg, 6.8 s to 100 km/h, mixed 9.8 L/100 km.
Acura RLX: which version to buy
If the choice is between the two named versions that exist on the Acura RLX, the numbers split cleanly. 3.5 AT is the lighter Gasoline sedan: 310 hp (228 kW) at 5800 rpm, 272 Nm at 4500 rpm, 6-speed Automatic, FWD, 1784 kg, 6.8 s to 100 km/h, mixed 9.8 L/100 km. 3.5 DSG is the Hybrid: 377 hp (277 kW) at 6500 rpm, 464 Nm at 4700 rpm, 7-speed Robotic, AWD, 1956 kg, 5.2 s to 100 km/h, mixed 7.8 L/100 km, Euro 5. Both use a 3476 cm³ V-shaped 6-cylinder with 4 valves per cylinder, No boost, Front, transverse layout, Direct injection (direct), fuel 92, 70 L tank, 115 mm ground clearance, and 245/45 R18 or 245/40 R19 wheels. First generation ran 2013-01-01 to 2017-12-31; the restyling of that same generation starts 2017-01-01 with stop not measured. Specs for each named version do not change between those two periods.
Acura RLX generations: what actually changed
There is one generation of Sedan, not two separate model lines. First generation (2013-01-01–2017-12-31) offered two versions: 3.5 AT and 3.5 DSG. The restyling (from 2017-01-01, end not measured) offered the same two names with the same measured figures. Searching “2014 / 2015 / 2016 Acura RLX specs” versus “2017 / 2018 / 2019 / 2020 Acura RLX specs” therefore does not reveal a second engine family in this catalogue: horsepower, torque, gearbox, drive, weight, consumption, and clearance stay identical for the matching version name.
That matters for a buy decision. Moving from a 2013–2017 car to a restyled car does not, on these data, buy extra hp, extra Nm, a shorter 0–100, a larger tank, or a different kerb weight. The generation change is calendar and body continuity (Sedan throughout), not a step in the table. If a later year is chosen, it is not because this dataset records a new powertrain.
Acura RLX engine options: 3.5 AT vs 3.5 DSG specs
| Version | hp (kW @ rpm) | Nm @ rpm | cm³ | Fuel | Cylinders / layout | Boost | Gearbox | Drive |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 AT | 310 (228 @ 5800) | 272 @ 4500 | 3476 | Gasoline, 92 | 6, V-shaped, 4 valves | No | Automatic, 6 | FWD |
| 3.5 DSG | 377 (277 @ 6500) | 464 @ 4700 | 3476 | Hybrid, 92 | 6, V-shaped, 4 valves | No | Robotic, 7 | AWD |
Displacement is the same 3476 cm³, so specific output is arithmetic on the same litre count: 3.5 AT makes 310 / 3.476 ≈ 89.2 hp per litre; 3.5 DSG makes 377 / 3.476 ≈ 108.5 hp per litre — about 19.3 hp/L more. Peak power arrives later on the Hybrid (6500 vs 5800 rpm). Peak torque arrives only 200 rpm later (4700 vs 4500) but is 192 Nm higher (464 − 272). Compression ratio is 11.5 on 3.5 DSG and not measured on 3.5 AT. Bore × stroke is 89.7 × 92.3 on both. Engine position is Front, transverse on both. CO2 is not measured on either.
The extra 67 hp (377 − 310) is 21.6% more than 3.5 AT. The extra 192 Nm is 70.6% more torque. Those two deltas are the whole powertrain argument in this catalogue: same 3476 cm³, No boost on both, Hybrid versus Gasoline, Robotic 7 and AWD versus Automatic 6 and FWD.
Acura RLX horsepower, 0–100, and mpg-style economy
0–100 km/h is 6.8 s on 3.5 AT and 5.2 s on 3.5 DSG — 1.6 s quicker for the Hybrid. Top speed is not measured on both versions, so a speed-limit argument cannot be made from this table.
Fuel use (L/100 km):
- City: 3.5 AT 11.8 vs 3.5 DSG 8.4 (3.4 less on the Hybrid).
- Highway: 7.6 vs 7.3 (0.3 less).
- Mixed: 9.8 vs 7.8 (2.0 less).
The Hybrid’s economy advantage is concentrated in the city figure, not on the highway. Mixed consumption is 20.4% lower (2.0 / 9.8). With the same 70 L tank, mixed-range arithmetic is 70 / 9.8 × 100 ≈ 714 km on 3.5 AT and 70 / 7.8 × 100 ≈ 897 km on 3.5 DSG — about 183 km more tank distance if mixed figures hold. City-range arithmetic: 70 / 11.8 × 100 ≈ 593 km versus 70 / 8.4 × 100 ≈ 833 km.
Euro 5 is listed only for 3.5 DSG. Eco class on 3.5 AT is not measured.
Acura RLX weight, dimensions, and what the extra mass buys
Kerb weight: 3.5 AT 1784 kg, 3.5 DSG 1956 kg. Gross weight is not measured on both. The Hybrid carries 172 kg more (9.6% heavier). Ground clearance is 115 mm on both; tank 70 L on both; wheels 245/45 R18 and 245/40 R19 on both. Front suspension Independent, spring; rear Independent, spring; front brakes Ventilated disc; rear brakes Disc — identical labels on both versions. Body is Sedan on every row.
Power-to-weight (arithmetic):
- 3.5 AT: 1784 / 310 ≈ 5.75 kg per hp; 310 / 1784 ≈ 0.174 hp/kg.
- 3.5 DSG: 1956 / 377 ≈ 5.19 kg per hp; 377 / 1956 ≈ 0.193 hp/kg.
Despite 172 kg extra, 3.5 DSG still has the better ratio because 67 extra hp more than covers the mass. Torque-to-weight: 272 / 1784 ≈ 0.152 Nm/kg versus 464 / 1956 ≈ 0.237 Nm/kg. That is the largest relative gap in the sheet: the Hybrid’s torque advantage is larger than its power advantage once weight is included.
Size and dimensions beyond clearance, tank, wheels, and the two masses are not measured. A size-comparison search cannot be answered with length, width, height, or wheelbase from this dataset; those values are not measured.
Which Acura RLX version to choose
Choose 3.5 AT when the priority is the lower kerb weight (1784 kg), FWD, a 6-speed Automatic, and the Gasoline 310 hp / 272 Nm package. It is 172 kg lighter. It uses the same 3476 cm³, same 89.7 × 92.3, same No boost, same Front, transverse layout. It is slower to 100 km/h by 1.6 s and uses 2.0 L/100 km more mixed, 3.4 more in the city, 0.3 more on the highway. Compression, top speed, gross weight, CO2, and eco class are not measured.
Choose 3.5 DSG when the priority is 377 hp, 464 Nm, AWD, 7-speed Robotic, 5.2 s to 100 km/h, mixed 7.8 L/100 km, and Euro 5. It is the Sport Hybrid-style row in this table (Hybrid fuel type). You pay 172 kg of kerb weight for that set. Specific output is ~108.5 vs ~89.2 hp/L. City consumption drops 3.4 L/100 km; highway only 0.3. Clearance stays 115 mm; you do not buy extra ground clearance.
Do not choose by generation for powertrain. First generation 3.5 AT (2013-01-01–2017-12-31) matches restyling 3.5 AT (from 2017-01-01): 310 hp, 272 Nm, 6.8 s, 9.8 mixed, 1784 kg, FWD, Automatic 6. First generation 3.5 DSG matches restyling 3.5 DSG: 377 hp, 464 Nm, 5.2 s, 7.8 mixed, 1956 kg, AWD, Robotic 7, Euro 5. A 2014, 2015, or 2016 3.5 AT is not a different horsepower number from a 2018 or 2020 3.5 AT in these data. A 2026 production end is not measured (restyling stop is null).
What the “extra” Hybrid buys, in arithmetic only: +67 hp, +192 Nm, −1.6 s to 100 km/h, −2.0 L/100 km mixed, −3.4 city, −0.3 highway, +172 kg, AWD instead of FWD, Robotic 7 instead of Automatic 6, compression 11.5 instead of not measured, Euro 5 instead of not measured. Same displacement, same cylinder count and V-shaped layout, same boost (No), same tank, same clearance, same wheel sizes, same Sedan body.
If the use is mostly highway, the 0.3 L/100 km gap is small relative to the 172 kg and the AWD/Robotic change; the city 3.4 L/100 km gap is the economy case for 3.5 DSG. If the use is the 0–100 figure and torque per kilogram, 3.5 DSG is the stronger row. If the use is minimum mass and a conventional Automatic/FWD Gasoline layout, 3.5 AT is the only other named version.
Problems and reliability are not measured in this dataset; they are not inferred here. Prices and listings are not in the data and are not used.