Acura RL thread(new pics, A-Spec) $49,479
09-02-04, 10:13 AM
#46
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Join Date: Jan 2004
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Heres some pics of the honda legend from japan. Looks really good in these pics imo. I love the color 
This will be a good competitor
This will be a good competitor
09-02-04, 10:24 AM
#47
Instructor
First Drive '05 RL
http://www.vtec.net/articles/view-ar...icle_id=265741
This article is intended to satiate those who need to know how the long-awaited 2005 Acura RL drives and behaves. The views expressed here are my initial impressions formed through a day of driving the car. For our normal road tests, we live with the car for at least a full week. While this article sets forth a number of opinions on various features, my judgment on them will not be final until I've spent a longer time with the car.
Replacing the aptly named Legend in MY1996, the 3.5RL seemed to be always behind the curve in the luxury sedan market. Many were put off by the sterility of the 3.5RL - in one fell swoop it had seemingly lost the mystique of the Legend. Far from successful, this model languished in showrooms for a full eight years before it was mercifully supplanted by the 2005 model you see yere. It wasn't necessarily planned this way - there was actually an aborted step where an entire design was scrapped, leaving the hapless 3.5RL to soldier on for several more years while another all-new design was developed. All is forgiven with the new 2005 RL.
The RL may invariably get criticized for its lack of certain gee-whiz (I call them coddled-person) features. There is no front or rear parking assist (by radar or camera), no radar cruise control, no headlight washer sprayer, no heated steering wheel, no split folding rear seat, no self-leveling headlights, and no rain-sensing wipers. Of these features, I only find the split folding rear seat a big oversight. Many luxury sedans have this and can still have comfortable rear seat designs, so I don't buy the argument to the contrary. Mentioning this to the Honda engineers and hearing their feedback, they clearly have considered all these features, but it comes down to choosing a feature set and target price range. I believe they are leaving some measure of room for the RL to mature.
On the other hand, the new RL bears quite a few new features. My initial impressions follow.
Active Front Lighting System - It wasn't dark enough during our ride and drive for me to fully take advantage of this system, but I feel it's a valuable safety feature.
Manual side and rear power sunshade - This is a nice feature which cuts down on interior heat when you park your car outside. Acura has been a little slow to add this to their luxury sedans.
Power pop-down rear headrests - This feature retracts the rear headrests to aid rear visibility, but the money would have been better spent on a rear park assist camera.
Keyless ignition system - I'm still undecided about the keyless ignition system. You can have the key fob in your pocket while you turn the ignition **** to start the car or programmed to automatically unlock the car door when you are in close proximity. There are safeguards which will prevent you from closing the trunk while the key fob is in the ignition. And should the wireless transmitter or battery ever die, there is a real mechanical key hidden inside the key fob. Just for kicks, we even threw the keys many feet away from the car while it was running. After a few seconds, the RL chastised us with a warning buzzer and urgent display on the MID. The car would still run, but if you should drive away without the key and then stop the engine, you will not be able to start it again. Maybe this is where the free first year of your Onstar service will come in handy. We'll hold off final judgement until we spend more time with the car.
While the XM antennae is embedded in the rear glass, a sleek shark fin antennae is still required for Onstar service.
Tire Pressure Monitoring System - This is a very convenient feature for those who don't bother checking their tire pressures regularly. Warning indicators appear in the MID if any of the tires are underinflated.
Paddle shifters - The paddle shifters worked well though I expect few owners will use it. They provide a solid positive feedback
Active Noise Cancellation - We have a plan on how to test this feature. Stay tuned for our future road test.
Navigation system with integrated traffic - The ability to recognize more voice commands and the integration of traffic information is an outstanding step for Acura. It was initially a little more difficult for me to use than my TL Navigation system, but once I understood that choices along a curved path required turning the **** rather than using it as a joystick, I got more comfortable with it. The traffic integration is not perfect yet, but it's a courageous step for Acura to offer this service given the hodgepodge of traffic information available in major cities. I can see Honda leading the way in automotive telematics. A deeper analysis of this feature will be done during a future road test.
Styling - I really like the front end styling of the car, but this is a subjective choice. I will mention that I noticed the RL didn't seem to attract that much attention from other drivers in the Washington, DC area. RL owners will have to feel secure in their purchase of this world class car. It may not have the eye catching styling of the European cars, but I feel it has a sophisticated style that will age very well.
SH-AWD display in the MID - This is a great feature, but I hope owners don't spend too much time staring at it while they drive! :-)
DVD Audio System - The audio quality was very high and I couldn't tell any significant differences between my TL's ELS system and the Bose system in the RL. A back to back test would be the only way to tell a difference. Given this, the Honda engineers informed me the sound quality in the RL is optimal for all passengers whereas the TL's system only provides optimal staging for the front passengers.
Engine - While the engine feels torquey and strong, I must reserve my comments until we do instrumented testing and put the car on Shawn's Dynapack 4-wheel drive dyno. The 300hp Acura V6 easily bests competitors' V6 models.
Driving around traffic in the Washington DC area, the car was very smooth and quiet as expected. For those who criticized the '04 TL for being too firm, the RL will be right up your alley. It has a slightly softer initial compression feel, but still has enough rebound to control the car. Tire noise was minimal which made me recognize a tiny bit of wind noise coming from the driver's side; possibly due to a pre-production fit issue. Brake pedal feel was solid and the car stopped straight. I was able to get comfortable in the seats quicker than in my own '04 TL. The steering was well weighted with a good amount of feedback while the chassis soaked up any bumps with aplomb. All in all, the RL was a very efficient cruiser.
The Jefferson Circuit at Summit Point Raceway is a short 1.1 mile track with elevation changes, off-camber turns, decreasing/increasing radius turns, and double apex turns. Chicanes were set up in the middle of the front and back straight in an effort to prevent overzealous journalists from igniting brake pads. The S-turn and the chicane cones on each straight tested the transient response and turn-in feel of a car. The big decreasing radius turn onto the back straight tested the traction and balance of the car on throttle.
Acura provided several cars for us to sample and compare to the new RL. They included an Audi A6 3.0 Tiptronic Quattro, Mercedes E320 4Matic, BMW 530i (non-Sports package) as well as the current '04 Acura 3.5RL.
I jumped into the first available car, the Audi A6 Quattro. Since it was my first time on an unfamiliar track, I drove at a moderate pace. Immediately, I noticed huge amounts of understeer as the car drove like a nose-heavy front wheel drive car. Getting on the throttle in the middle of a turn resulted in instant understeer, easily overworking the front tires. This car requires that it be driven like it's a front wheel drive car with a small rear anti-sway bar. I even had a hard time getting the car to rotate with trail braking. The suspension was too soft for the quick steering wheel inputs required to negotiate the chicane. The Audi A6 Quattro really felt out of it element and is definitely not suited for track driving. A fellow journalist concurred by summarizing to me that the Audi handles fine at 7/10th on the streets, but performs very poorly at the limit.
The new RL was next. I purposely left the VSA on to get a feel for the car in this mode. The brakes were firmer and stronger approaching the first turn. Driving through the first S-turn under small amounts of constant throttle, I could feel the car's weight but the car remained fairly neutral. Now that I had a feel of what the car felt at slower speeds, I started to slowly accelerate in the increasing radius turn and found myself with plenty of grip to spare. Next lap around, I got on the throttle even earlier and harder and the car just clawed its way around the turn in perfect balance. Very impressive. Next time around, I decided to take it as if I was going for a good lap time and the car pivoted just like it was a rear wheel drive car, yet it remained absolutely stable. There was no hint of pending sudden oversteer and no hint of any wheels slipping as the car pivoted. The RL just rocketed through the turn and onto the back straight. The VSA had not even kicked in.
Exiting out of the RL back in the car staging area, I was instantly greeted by several Japanese engineers including the Lead Project engineer. They were eager to hear my feedback on the car. I communicated to them what I just experienced and they simply smiled and nodded.
The Mercedes E320 4Matic chassis felt very solid and stiff. It was relatively neutral under throttle as you accelerated out of a corner. The car exhibited a decent amount of grip in steady state cornering. However, its downfall was transient maneuvers. Soft shocks and a slow steering ratio contributed to lethargic Queen Mary type response.
Hopping back into the RL, I decided to do some experimentation with the car. I purposely coasted into a turn and cranked on the steering wheel. This induced a very reasonable, safe amount of understeer given what I was doing. Continuing with my experiments to see how the SH-AWD acts under real world conditions, I purposely lifted the throttle suddenly in a middle of a turn and the car went from neutral to very slight understeer Under these common driving mistakes, the RL still exhibited very benign traits. In addition, the RL rewards drivers will a well balanced car that will willingly rotate when the driver WANTS it to.
Next victim, I mean, RL competitor, was the BMW 530i (without Sport package). I explicitly mention this because this BMW's handling was quite bland. Maybe the engine was so weak that I simply could not affect the car's behavior with the throttle. The BMW's steering feel was also a notch lower than the new RL's feel which is a revelation. BMW had it right with their previous generation 5 series in terms of steering feel and weight. If it was not for the RL, the BMW would be the king of the hill between all these cars. However, the RL simply outshines the BMW in handling dynamics.
The 2004 3.5RL actually surprised me a bit. Sure, its default handling trait is constant understeer, but I was able to get it to rotate somewhat with more aggressive trail braking.
Receiving permission from the track marshals, I stayed out with the new RL for quite a bit longer than the normal 3 laps at a time they wanted us to do. I really began to get aggressive with the car. I enabled the MID display to show the SH-AWD torque distribution in action. Getting on the throttle as I initiated a right hand turn, I could see the bar graph on the rear left tire grow very long. You can really sense the rear left tire working harder to rotate the car, which admittedly felt very alien to me at first. How could a 4000 lb. luxury car rotate like this?! After getting accustomed to it and learning to take advantage of it, the RL simply felt like a car that was much lighter on its feet, but only under throttle. You do have to be fairly aggressive with the throttle before you'll be able to fully take advantage of the SH-AWD's enhanced handling benefits. Just as a check, I did use the Tire Pressure Monitoring System to confirm the tire pressures. All 4 tires were set to 28psi, yet the track performance was impeccable.
To rate these cars from just this particular track driving experience, I would place them in this order:
2005 Acura RL
BMW 530i
Mercedes E320 4Matic
2004 Acura 3.5RL
Audi A6 Quattro
Just as the track session ended, it started to rain! I agonized over the missed opportunity to drive the RL in the rain on the track, but the PR guys may have just cut our track time short anyway. Regardless, I was able to drive the car in the pouring rain on the winding country roads leaving Summit Point. The rain was coming down very heavily and visibility was severely affected at some points. There were deep puddles on the uneven roads, but the RL handled them with great confidence. Only on one occasion did the car experience a sight touch of hydroplaning, but neither the steering wheel nor the car flinched; an impressive feat considering the amount of water present, my speed, and the fat 245 tires. Approaching a red light and with the rain abated, I decided to experiment a little bit more. I gave my driving partner a quick warning, and then I proceeded to floor the accelerator when the light turned green. I proceeded straight forward for a few feet but then with the throttle pedal buried in the carpet, I initiated a left hand turn. The RL smoothly and QUICKLY negotiated the turn without much drama. Wonderful!
My impressions of these cars are under track conditions which 95% of owners will never see. Many owners will never take advantage of the enhanced handling provided by the SH-AWD, and instead will only appreciate the high margin of safety afford by the SH-AWD mechanism. The additional weight and cost of the mechanism will limit it to the luxury sedan market, so don't expect to see an S2000 or NSX with SH-AWD anytime soon. I did learn from the "father of SH-AWD" that he had been working on this technology for over 14 years. I'm glad to say that it has been well worth the wait. SH-AWD is a groundbreaking technology in the automotive industry and I look forward to experiencing it in future Honda/Acura sedans.
This article is intended to satiate those who need to know how the long-awaited 2005 Acura RL drives and behaves. The views expressed here are my initial impressions formed through a day of driving the car. For our normal road tests, we live with the car for at least a full week. While this article sets forth a number of opinions on various features, my judgment on them will not be final until I've spent a longer time with the car.
Replacing the aptly named Legend in MY1996, the 3.5RL seemed to be always behind the curve in the luxury sedan market. Many were put off by the sterility of the 3.5RL - in one fell swoop it had seemingly lost the mystique of the Legend. Far from successful, this model languished in showrooms for a full eight years before it was mercifully supplanted by the 2005 model you see yere. It wasn't necessarily planned this way - there was actually an aborted step where an entire design was scrapped, leaving the hapless 3.5RL to soldier on for several more years while another all-new design was developed. All is forgiven with the new 2005 RL.
The RL may invariably get criticized for its lack of certain gee-whiz (I call them coddled-person) features. There is no front or rear parking assist (by radar or camera), no radar cruise control, no headlight washer sprayer, no heated steering wheel, no split folding rear seat, no self-leveling headlights, and no rain-sensing wipers. Of these features, I only find the split folding rear seat a big oversight. Many luxury sedans have this and can still have comfortable rear seat designs, so I don't buy the argument to the contrary. Mentioning this to the Honda engineers and hearing their feedback, they clearly have considered all these features, but it comes down to choosing a feature set and target price range. I believe they are leaving some measure of room for the RL to mature.
On the other hand, the new RL bears quite a few new features. My initial impressions follow.
Active Front Lighting System - It wasn't dark enough during our ride and drive for me to fully take advantage of this system, but I feel it's a valuable safety feature.
Manual side and rear power sunshade - This is a nice feature which cuts down on interior heat when you park your car outside. Acura has been a little slow to add this to their luxury sedans.
Power pop-down rear headrests - This feature retracts the rear headrests to aid rear visibility, but the money would have been better spent on a rear park assist camera.
Keyless ignition system - I'm still undecided about the keyless ignition system. You can have the key fob in your pocket while you turn the ignition **** to start the car or programmed to automatically unlock the car door when you are in close proximity. There are safeguards which will prevent you from closing the trunk while the key fob is in the ignition. And should the wireless transmitter or battery ever die, there is a real mechanical key hidden inside the key fob. Just for kicks, we even threw the keys many feet away from the car while it was running. After a few seconds, the RL chastised us with a warning buzzer and urgent display on the MID. The car would still run, but if you should drive away without the key and then stop the engine, you will not be able to start it again. Maybe this is where the free first year of your Onstar service will come in handy. We'll hold off final judgement until we spend more time with the car.
While the XM antennae is embedded in the rear glass, a sleek shark fin antennae is still required for Onstar service.
Tire Pressure Monitoring System - This is a very convenient feature for those who don't bother checking their tire pressures regularly. Warning indicators appear in the MID if any of the tires are underinflated.
Paddle shifters - The paddle shifters worked well though I expect few owners will use it. They provide a solid positive feedback
Active Noise Cancellation - We have a plan on how to test this feature. Stay tuned for our future road test.
Navigation system with integrated traffic - The ability to recognize more voice commands and the integration of traffic information is an outstanding step for Acura. It was initially a little more difficult for me to use than my TL Navigation system, but once I understood that choices along a curved path required turning the **** rather than using it as a joystick, I got more comfortable with it. The traffic integration is not perfect yet, but it's a courageous step for Acura to offer this service given the hodgepodge of traffic information available in major cities. I can see Honda leading the way in automotive telematics. A deeper analysis of this feature will be done during a future road test.
Styling - I really like the front end styling of the car, but this is a subjective choice. I will mention that I noticed the RL didn't seem to attract that much attention from other drivers in the Washington, DC area. RL owners will have to feel secure in their purchase of this world class car. It may not have the eye catching styling of the European cars, but I feel it has a sophisticated style that will age very well.
SH-AWD display in the MID - This is a great feature, but I hope owners don't spend too much time staring at it while they drive! :-)
DVD Audio System - The audio quality was very high and I couldn't tell any significant differences between my TL's ELS system and the Bose system in the RL. A back to back test would be the only way to tell a difference. Given this, the Honda engineers informed me the sound quality in the RL is optimal for all passengers whereas the TL's system only provides optimal staging for the front passengers.
Engine - While the engine feels torquey and strong, I must reserve my comments until we do instrumented testing and put the car on Shawn's Dynapack 4-wheel drive dyno. The 300hp Acura V6 easily bests competitors' V6 models.
Driving around traffic in the Washington DC area, the car was very smooth and quiet as expected. For those who criticized the '04 TL for being too firm, the RL will be right up your alley. It has a slightly softer initial compression feel, but still has enough rebound to control the car. Tire noise was minimal which made me recognize a tiny bit of wind noise coming from the driver's side; possibly due to a pre-production fit issue. Brake pedal feel was solid and the car stopped straight. I was able to get comfortable in the seats quicker than in my own '04 TL. The steering was well weighted with a good amount of feedback while the chassis soaked up any bumps with aplomb. All in all, the RL was a very efficient cruiser.
The Jefferson Circuit at Summit Point Raceway is a short 1.1 mile track with elevation changes, off-camber turns, decreasing/increasing radius turns, and double apex turns. Chicanes were set up in the middle of the front and back straight in an effort to prevent overzealous journalists from igniting brake pads. The S-turn and the chicane cones on each straight tested the transient response and turn-in feel of a car. The big decreasing radius turn onto the back straight tested the traction and balance of the car on throttle.
Acura provided several cars for us to sample and compare to the new RL. They included an Audi A6 3.0 Tiptronic Quattro, Mercedes E320 4Matic, BMW 530i (non-Sports package) as well as the current '04 Acura 3.5RL.
I jumped into the first available car, the Audi A6 Quattro. Since it was my first time on an unfamiliar track, I drove at a moderate pace. Immediately, I noticed huge amounts of understeer as the car drove like a nose-heavy front wheel drive car. Getting on the throttle in the middle of a turn resulted in instant understeer, easily overworking the front tires. This car requires that it be driven like it's a front wheel drive car with a small rear anti-sway bar. I even had a hard time getting the car to rotate with trail braking. The suspension was too soft for the quick steering wheel inputs required to negotiate the chicane. The Audi A6 Quattro really felt out of it element and is definitely not suited for track driving. A fellow journalist concurred by summarizing to me that the Audi handles fine at 7/10th on the streets, but performs very poorly at the limit.
The new RL was next. I purposely left the VSA on to get a feel for the car in this mode. The brakes were firmer and stronger approaching the first turn. Driving through the first S-turn under small amounts of constant throttle, I could feel the car's weight but the car remained fairly neutral. Now that I had a feel of what the car felt at slower speeds, I started to slowly accelerate in the increasing radius turn and found myself with plenty of grip to spare. Next lap around, I got on the throttle even earlier and harder and the car just clawed its way around the turn in perfect balance. Very impressive. Next time around, I decided to take it as if I was going for a good lap time and the car pivoted just like it was a rear wheel drive car, yet it remained absolutely stable. There was no hint of pending sudden oversteer and no hint of any wheels slipping as the car pivoted. The RL just rocketed through the turn and onto the back straight. The VSA had not even kicked in.
Exiting out of the RL back in the car staging area, I was instantly greeted by several Japanese engineers including the Lead Project engineer. They were eager to hear my feedback on the car. I communicated to them what I just experienced and they simply smiled and nodded.
The Mercedes E320 4Matic chassis felt very solid and stiff. It was relatively neutral under throttle as you accelerated out of a corner. The car exhibited a decent amount of grip in steady state cornering. However, its downfall was transient maneuvers. Soft shocks and a slow steering ratio contributed to lethargic Queen Mary type response.
Hopping back into the RL, I decided to do some experimentation with the car. I purposely coasted into a turn and cranked on the steering wheel. This induced a very reasonable, safe amount of understeer given what I was doing. Continuing with my experiments to see how the SH-AWD acts under real world conditions, I purposely lifted the throttle suddenly in a middle of a turn and the car went from neutral to very slight understeer Under these common driving mistakes, the RL still exhibited very benign traits. In addition, the RL rewards drivers will a well balanced car that will willingly rotate when the driver WANTS it to.
Next victim, I mean, RL competitor, was the BMW 530i (without Sport package). I explicitly mention this because this BMW's handling was quite bland. Maybe the engine was so weak that I simply could not affect the car's behavior with the throttle. The BMW's steering feel was also a notch lower than the new RL's feel which is a revelation. BMW had it right with their previous generation 5 series in terms of steering feel and weight. If it was not for the RL, the BMW would be the king of the hill between all these cars. However, the RL simply outshines the BMW in handling dynamics.
The 2004 3.5RL actually surprised me a bit. Sure, its default handling trait is constant understeer, but I was able to get it to rotate somewhat with more aggressive trail braking.
Receiving permission from the track marshals, I stayed out with the new RL for quite a bit longer than the normal 3 laps at a time they wanted us to do. I really began to get aggressive with the car. I enabled the MID display to show the SH-AWD torque distribution in action. Getting on the throttle as I initiated a right hand turn, I could see the bar graph on the rear left tire grow very long. You can really sense the rear left tire working harder to rotate the car, which admittedly felt very alien to me at first. How could a 4000 lb. luxury car rotate like this?! After getting accustomed to it and learning to take advantage of it, the RL simply felt like a car that was much lighter on its feet, but only under throttle. You do have to be fairly aggressive with the throttle before you'll be able to fully take advantage of the SH-AWD's enhanced handling benefits. Just as a check, I did use the Tire Pressure Monitoring System to confirm the tire pressures. All 4 tires were set to 28psi, yet the track performance was impeccable.
To rate these cars from just this particular track driving experience, I would place them in this order:
2005 Acura RL
BMW 530i
Mercedes E320 4Matic
2004 Acura 3.5RL
Audi A6 Quattro
Just as the track session ended, it started to rain! I agonized over the missed opportunity to drive the RL in the rain on the track, but the PR guys may have just cut our track time short anyway. Regardless, I was able to drive the car in the pouring rain on the winding country roads leaving Summit Point. The rain was coming down very heavily and visibility was severely affected at some points. There were deep puddles on the uneven roads, but the RL handled them with great confidence. Only on one occasion did the car experience a sight touch of hydroplaning, but neither the steering wheel nor the car flinched; an impressive feat considering the amount of water present, my speed, and the fat 245 tires. Approaching a red light and with the rain abated, I decided to experiment a little bit more. I gave my driving partner a quick warning, and then I proceeded to floor the accelerator when the light turned green. I proceeded straight forward for a few feet but then with the throttle pedal buried in the carpet, I initiated a left hand turn. The RL smoothly and QUICKLY negotiated the turn without much drama. Wonderful!
My impressions of these cars are under track conditions which 95% of owners will never see. Many owners will never take advantage of the enhanced handling provided by the SH-AWD, and instead will only appreciate the high margin of safety afford by the SH-AWD mechanism. The additional weight and cost of the mechanism will limit it to the luxury sedan market, so don't expect to see an S2000 or NSX with SH-AWD anytime soon. I did learn from the "father of SH-AWD" that he had been working on this technology for over 14 years. I'm glad to say that it has been well worth the wait. SH-AWD is a groundbreaking technology in the automotive industry and I look forward to experiencing it in future Honda/Acura sedans.
09-02-04, 10:54 AM
#48
Super Moderator
In Canada, they just announced he MSRP of the new 05 RL will be $69,500, up from $55,800 for the 2004 3.5RL model 
That's a whopping ~24 % increase, an extraordinarily high price increase for a new model even though it offers vast improvements over the old.
That's a whopping ~24 % increase, an extraordinarily high price increase for a new model even though it offers vast improvements over the old.
Last edited by Gojirra99; 09-02-04 at 11:17 AM.
09-02-04, 01:06 PM
#51
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Originally posted by VSsc400
sounds like a supercar to me.
sounds like a supercar to me.
Honda knows less than I do about AWD and their concept of luxury and style is second-class at best. As 1Sick might say, I get more excited about vacuuming my room than thinking about this RL.
09-02-04, 02:07 PM
#52
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Originally posted by wantAnewLex
You can't possibly be serious.
Honda knows less than I do about AWD
You can't possibly be serious.
Honda knows less than I do about AWD
Last edited by DC52E55; 09-02-04 at 02:15 PM.
09-02-04, 02:20 PM
#53
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Originally posted by SexySC
In Canada, they just announced he MSRP of the new 05 RL will be $69,500, up from $55,800 for the 2004 3.5RL model That's a whopping ~24 % increase, an extraordinarily high price increase for a new model even though it offers vast improvements over the old.
In Canada, they just announced he MSRP of the new 05 RL will be $69,500, up from $55,800 for the 2004 3.5RL model
That's a whopping ~24 % increase, an extraordinarily high price increase for a new model even though it offers vast improvements over the old.
09-02-04, 02:40 PM
#54
Lexus Fanatic
Originally posted by SexySC
In Canada, they just announced he MSRP of the new 05 RL will be $69,500, up from $55,800 for the 2004 3.5RL model That's a whopping ~24 % increase, an extraordinarily high price increase for a new model even though it offers vast improvements over the old.
In Canada, they just announced he MSRP of the new 05 RL will be $69,500, up from $55,800 for the 2004 3.5RL model
That's a whopping ~24 % increase, an extraordinarily high price increase for a new model even though it offers vast improvements over the old.
The content increase is sufficient enough to warrant such a price hike IMHO.
EDIT: altho the badge may not be.
Last edited by XeroK00L; 09-02-04 at 02:43 PM.
09-02-04, 02:42 PM
#55
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Originally posted by SexySC
In Canada, they just announced he MSRP of the new 05 RL will be $69,500, up from $55,800 for the 2004 3.5RL model That's a whopping ~24 % increase, an extraordinarily high price increase for a new model even though it offers vast improvements over the old.
In Canada, they just announced he MSRP of the new 05 RL will be $69,500, up from $55,800 for the 2004 3.5RL model
That's a whopping ~24 % increase, an extraordinarily high price increase for a new model even though it offers vast improvements over the old.
09-02-04, 02:51 PM
#56
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Originally posted by 1SICKLEX
So here that is what like 49k? WIth that high price, this sucka will be rusting with the Q45s......
So here that is what like 49k? WIth that high price, this sucka will be rusting with the Q45s......
"Quote of the Week" Award
09-02-04, 04:16 PM
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A few thoughts:
- That review was well-written by a journalist who obivously knows his stuff. Still, I wish he hadn't mentioned so often that he has an '04 TL. Whether a problem or not, I felt it called his objectivity into question.
- The styling of the new RL, while not radical (see where that got Bangle), is pretty aggressive for Acura. Just like the new TL, I think they are taking to heart the frequent complaints that their cars lacked soul.
- $49K is a bargain for that car, just like the previous model at around $45K. Come on folks--that's GS300 territory! I don't want to open another Lexus vs. Acura can of worms, for there are certainly pros and cons to each, but at the high forties price point you can't find another vehicle with the feature set of the RL.
- Regarding this being Acura's "flagship sedan", it's true that it is not in the same class as the LS430, S500, 745Li, etc. But Acura gave up that market a long time ago. The fact of the matter is that the RL still sits atop Acura's 4-door lineup and is by definition their flagship.
- Bottom line: this car, just like the restyled TL, is likely to bring customers into Acura dealerships who wouldn't have considered the brand until very recently. Whether or not the RL is the right car for YOU, it is increasing competition which is good for all of us since it forces Lexus (among others) to keep improving their products as well.
- That review was well-written by a journalist who obivously knows his stuff. Still, I wish he hadn't mentioned so often that he has an '04 TL. Whether a problem or not, I felt it called his objectivity into question.
- The styling of the new RL, while not radical (see where that got Bangle), is pretty aggressive for Acura. Just like the new TL, I think they are taking to heart the frequent complaints that their cars lacked soul.
- $49K is a bargain for that car, just like the previous model at around $45K. Come on folks--that's GS300 territory! I don't want to open another Lexus vs. Acura can of worms, for there are certainly pros and cons to each, but at the high forties price point you can't find another vehicle with the feature set of the RL.
- Regarding this being Acura's "flagship sedan", it's true that it is not in the same class as the LS430, S500, 745Li, etc. But Acura gave up that market a long time ago. The fact of the matter is that the RL still sits atop Acura's 4-door lineup and is by definition their flagship.
- Bottom line: this car, just like the restyled TL, is likely to bring customers into Acura dealerships who wouldn't have considered the brand until very recently. Whether or not the RL is the right car for YOU, it is increasing competition which is good for all of us since it forces Lexus (among others) to keep improving their products as well.
09-02-04, 05:18 PM
#58
Lexus Test Driver
This car looks like the Accord with different taillights. IMO it has a HORRIBLE and CHEAP looking exterior compared to cars in its price range............. I think even the current RL looks much more luxurious. 
09-02-04, 05:21 PM
#59
Super Moderator
Originally posted by SexySC
In Canada, they just announced he MSRP of the new 05 RL will be $69,500, up from $55,800 for the 2004 3.5RL model That's a whopping ~24 % increase, an extraordinarily high price increase for a new model even though it offers vast improvements over the old.
In Canada, they just announced he MSRP of the new 05 RL will be $69,500, up from $55,800 for the 2004 3.5RL model
That's a whopping ~24 % increase, an extraordinarily high price increase for a new model even though it offers vast improvements over the old.
The option packages are different in Canada though (we usually have less choices in choosing packages for cars
) At $69,500, it better be fully loaded.
Last edited by Gojirra99; 09-02-04 at 05:22 PM.
09-02-04, 05:32 PM
#60
Guest
Posts: n/a
Originally posted by SexySC
Oh, the link is HERE. Anyone knows the price increase in the U.S. ?
The option packages are different in Canada though (we usually have less choices in choosing packages for cars ) At $69,500, it better be fully loaded.
Oh, the link is HERE. Anyone knows the price increase in the U.S. ?
The option packages are different in Canada though (we usually have less choices in choosing packages for cars
) At $69,500, it better be fully loaded.
The 2nd gen GS 400 costed as much as a 1st gen GS 300 upon introduction for instance.
14k increase!
I hope we don't get a 14k increase here. That would be from 44k to 58k. No way in hell. Something ain't right here.