2014 Acura RLX Sport Hybrid SH-AWD
With a hybrid drivetrain capable of pushing out a total of 377 horsepower, this version of Acura’s otherwise average RLX sedan could give it the kick in the pants it needs. It’ll be powered by a 3.5-liter V6 along with three motors, a single 35kW motor up front, and a pair of 27kW motors driving the rear wheels. It’s an unusual drivetrain setup, as there’s no drive shaft or differential in the SH-AWD, and the gas engine setup is basically a traditional front-wheel drive. Its combination of gas engine and motors is designed to provide improved torque at launch, along with better hard cornering by using the rear motors for torque vectoring. Check out the video clip below the gallery for an illustration of the SH-AWD’s drivetrain in action.
To top things off, the RLX SH-AWD is expected to offer very respectable gas mileage of 30 MPG combined city/highway.