Top Safety Pick + Top Safety Pick criteria

2015 Acura RLX

large luxury car / 4-door sedan

Award applies only to vehicles with optional front crash prevention (2015 models); standard on 2016 models

2015 Acura RLX 4-door sedan
2014 Acura RLX shown

Crashworthiness

Rating overview
Small overlap front: driver-side
Moderate overlap front: original test
Side: original test
Roof strength
Head restraints & seats

Crash avoidance & mitigation

Front crash prevention: vehicle-to-vehicle
Optional system
Advanced
Standard system
Basic

Other available safety features

  • Standard daytime running lights
  • Optional blind spot detection
  • Standard lane departure warning
  • Optional lane departure prevention

Key

  • G
    Good
  • A
    Acceptable
  • M
    Marginal
  • P
    Poor
  • Superior
  • Advanced
  • Basic

Some ratings use a scale of Poor to Good. Others range from Basic to Superior.

Small overlap front: driver-side

Rating applies to 2014-20 models

Tested vehicle: 2014 Acura RLX Navi 4-door

The Acura RL was redesigned for the 2014 model year after a one-year absence from the market and renamed the RLX.

Overall evaluation
Structure and safety cage
Driver injury measures
Head/neck
Chest
Hip/thigh
Lower leg/foot
Driver restraints and dummy kinematics

Action shot taken during the driver-side small overlap frontal crash test.

The dummy's position in relation to the door frame, steering wheel, and instrument panel after the crash test indicates that the driver's survival space was maintained very well.

The frontal and side curtain airbags worked well together to keep the head from coming close to any stiff structure or outside objects that could cause injury.

Intrusion into the driver's space was minimal, and risk of injuries to the dummy's legs and feet was low.

Technical measurements for this test

Measures of occupant compartment intrusion on driver side

Test ID CEN1341
Lower occupant compartment
Lower hinge pillar max (cm) 4
Footrest (cm) 3
Left toepan (cm) 2
Brake pedal (cm) 5
Parking brake (cm)
Rocker panel lateral average (cm) 0
Upper occupant compartment
Steering column 1
Upper hinge pillar max (cm) 3
Upper dash (cm) 3
Lower instrument panel (cm) 3

Driver injury measures

Test ID CEN1341
Head
HIC-15 151
Peak gs at hard contact no contact
Neck
Tension (kN) 0.8
Extension bending moment (Nm) 10
Maximum Nij 0.20
Chest maximum compression (mm) 23
Femur (kN)
Left 0.7
Right 0.4
Knee displacement (mm)
Left 0
Right 0
Knee-thigh-hip injury risk (%)
Left 0
Right 0
Maximum tibia index
Left 0.44
Right 0.33
Tibia axial force (kN)
Left 1.9
Right 1.8
Foot acceleration (g)
Left 39
Right 52

How the driver-side small overlap front test is conducted

Moderate overlap front: original test

Rating applies to 2014-20 models

Tested vehicle: 2014 Acura RLX Technology 4-door 2wd

The Acura RL was redesigned for the 2014 model year after a one-year absence from the market and renamed the RLX. Moderate overlap frontal ratings are assigned by the Institute based on a test conducted by Honda as part of frontal crash test verification.

Overall evaluation
Structure and safety cage
Driver injury measures
Head/neck
Chest
Leg/foot, left
Leg/foot, right
Driver restraints and dummy kinematics
Technical measurements for this test

Measures of occupant compartment intrusion on driver side

Test ID VTF1222
Footwell intrusion
Footrest (cm) 6
Left (cm) 8
Center (cm) 6
Right (cm) 4
Brake pedal (cm) 3
Instrument panel rearward movement
Left (cm) 0
Right (cm) 0
Steering column movement
Upward (cm) -2
Rearward (cm) -1
A-pillar rearward movement (cm) 0

Driver injury measures

Test ID VTF1222
Head
HIC-15 338
Peak gs at hard contact no contact
Neck
Tension (kN) 0.9
Extension bending moment (Nm) 10
Maximum Nij 0.30
Chest maximum compression (mm) 31
Legs
Femur force - left (kN) 0.7
Femur force - right (kN) 1.5
Knee displacement - left (mm) 1
Knee displacement - right (mm) 0
Maximum tibia index - left 0.43
Maximum tibia index - right 0.44
Tibia axial force - left (kN) 2.7
Tibia axial force - right (kN) 4.2
Foot acceleration (g)
Left 58
Right 61

How the moderate overlap front test is conducted

Side: original test

Rating applies to 2014-20 models

Tested vehicle: 2014 Acura RLX Technology 4-door 2wd with standard front and rear head curtain airbags and standard front seat-mounted torso airbags

The Acura RL was redesigned for the 2014 model year after a one-year absence from the market and renamed the RLX. Side ratings are assigned by the Institute based on a test conducted by Honda as part of side crash test verification.

Overall evaluation
Structure and safety cage
Driver injury measures
Head/neck
Torso
Pelvis/leg
Driver head protection
Rear passenger injury measures
Head/neck
Torso
Pelvis/leg
Rear passenger head protection
Technical measurements for this test

Measures of occupant compartment intrusion on driver side

Test ID VTS1227
B-pillar to longitudinal centerline of driver's seat (cm) -16.5
Negative numbers indicate the amount by which the crush stopped short of the seat centerline.

Driver injury measures

Test ID VTS1227
Head HIC-15 244
Neck
Tension (kN) 0.6
Compression (kN) 0.1
Shoulder
Lateral deflection (mm) 42
Lateral force (kN) 1.3
Torso
Maximum deflection (mm) 29
Average deflection (mm) 25
Maximum deflection rate (m/s) 6.25
Maximum viscous criterion (m/s) 0.34
Pelvis
Iliac force (kN) 1.0
Acetabulum force (kN) 1.3
Combined force (kN) 2.0
Left femur
L-M force (kN) 0.5
L-M moment (Nm) 150
A-P moment (Nm) 84

Passenger injury measures

Test ID VTS1227
Head HIC-15 119
Neck
Tension (kN) 0.1
Compression (kN) 0.7
Shoulder
Lateral deflection (mm) 37
Lateral force (kN) 1.0
Torso
Maximum deflection (mm) 41
Average deflection (mm) 32
Maximum deflection rate (m/s) 3.31
Maximum viscous criterion (m/s) 0.51
Pelvis
Iliac force (kN) 0.4
Acetabulum force (kN) 1.7
Combined force (kN) 2.0
Left femur
L-M force (kN) 0.2
L-M moment (Nm) 104
A-P moment (Nm) 41

How the side crash test is conducted

Roof strength

Rating applies to 2014-20 models

Tested vehicle: 2014 Acura RLX Navi 4-door

Overall evaluation
Curb weight 3,919 lbs
Peak force 20,314 lbs
Strength-to-weight ratio 5.18

How the roof strength test is conducted

Head restraints & seats

Seat type: Power leather seat

Overall evaluation
Dynamic rating
Seat/head restraint geometry
Technical measurements for this test
Seat type Power leather seat
Geometry
Backset (mm) 36
Distance below top of head (mm) 34
Seat design parameters
Pass/fail Pass
Max T1 acceleration (g) 13.9
Head contact time (ms) 64
Force rating 1
Neck forces
Max neck shear force (N) 0
Max neck tension (N) 334

How the head restraint & seat test is conducted
Currently, IIHS tests apply only to front seats.

Front crash prevention: vehicle-to-vehicle

Ratings are given for 2 different trim variations available on this vehicle.

System details

  • Optional Collision Mitigation Braking System

Package name

  • Optional Advance Package

Overall evaluation

Applies to 2014-15 models

Advanced
Advanced
with optional equipment
  • This system meets the requirements for forward collision warning.
  • In the 12 mph test, impact speed was reduced by 7 mph.
  • In the 25 mph test, impact speed was reduced by 7 mph.

System details

  • Standard Forward Collision Warning

Overall evaluation

Applies to 2014-15 models

Basic
Basic
  • This system meets the requirements for forward collision warning.
  • Autobrake not available.

How front crash prevention is evaluated