CK6Speed

iTrader: (1)

Since mmarshall already pointed out his opnion about the RL interior, I'll just quickly agree and also say I too thought the RL interior was on par or better than the 06 GS. The leather is awsome and the seats are much more plush than the 06 GS which are much firmer.

Also, Acura has used real wood in past Acura vehicles before, so I'm not sure where you heard that they have never used real wood before. That rumor was probably created by anti Acura people who never drove any of the Acura products before.

GSteg

iTrader: (15)

The older RL and Acura Legends used real wood trim. All other Acuras that I know of had fake wood. I guess its only the flagship line that gets it.

bitkahuna

iTrader: (20)

Great review mmarshall. Every time I see an RL on the road, I do a double take and think 'wow that's a nice looking car'. I also REALLY like the circular LED tail lights.

I've not been in a new RL but would like to some day.

And Och, my '94 Legend 4 door GS had the most beautiful REAL burled walnut I've seen on any car. Certainly many models since then have lacked real wood.

We are all very lucky to have luxury sporty sedan choices like the GS, RL, M, E and 5 series.

Och

iTrader: (3)

I drove almost every frigging acura, except the new RL, including the TL, MDX, old RL, old Legends, integras, RSX, and the old RL, TL and MDX have exactly the same looking wood, and I can bet pretty much anything its fake. Maybe the optional shiftknob and steering wheel on the RL used real wood, but the center console was certainly fake.

But in any case, I dont care whether the wood is fake or real, as long as its good looking, and the old Acuras had some ugly looking wood.

CK6Speed

iTrader: (1)

I too have driven alsmot every Acura except suprprisingly the 04+ TL. The 91-95 Legends used both fake and real wood. The base models used fake wood, while the LS and GS models used real wood. The contruction was very similar to that in the newer Lexus cars where it used an aluminum base, a wood veneer, and clear coated and polished I've owned 3 Legends and they had real wood. The RL also always ued real wood, and even had a wood steering wheel option as well. I've owned 3 Acura Legend Coupes and mine had real wood. The wood in my Legends looked much better than the wood in my wifes 04 RX330.

mmarshall

Glad you liked the review guys, but this excellent car is about a lot more things than just wood paneling....that's why it costs $50,000 (and may be worth it ).

AUGuy21

My parents have had the new RL for a little over 6 months. I accompanied them when shopping and we test-drove the new Audi A6 V6, the TL, and chose the new RL. It is a great car and definitely turns heads on the road. I think I've only seen three others in our city. I totally agree with the review. The only downside for me is this:

If the key fob you're using is not set to your settings, you have to sit in the car for 5 minutes before leaving to get all of your seat settings and audio settings to your liking. There are so many buttons in the car, it gets confusing. The audio system is so complex, it takes a few minutes to set everything for your personal tastes. EVERY setting is stored within the key fob..... But, once you've got everything set, it's an awesome experience...

Och

iTrader: (3)

And so I went and test drove one (it's so easy to get a test drive when you pull up in GS430). I have to say - holy crap I'm impressed, it's not like any Acura I drove before. Truly a masterpiece, now get rid of half the electronics and give me a V8 instead for the same price!

AUGuy21

Ain't it funny..... I have no problem either with test drives.... Just pull up in my newly detailed GS in business casual... and wala... "Leave your GS with us and you're welcome to take a test drive...."

Incendiary

Why would you have a problem with getting test drives no matter what car or bicycle you pull up in?

mm9351

Well, I would also like to thank mmarshall on such an informative series of posts on the RL. I doubt that I can add much to the level of detail presented here, but here is my take on the RL.

I spent a lot of time in the Gold RL this weekend at the NY Auto Show at the Javits center. Mind you, I was only mildly interested in the RL before buying my 06 GS300 RWD. I have yet to drive one. This was my first experience sitting in one and bonding with all the electronics, Nav, etc.

What I liked...and having my GS as a baseline point of reference --

The RL doesn't have the touch sensitive screen! But it was very inutuitve to use. Why do I consider this a plus over Lexus' more expensive interface? Your screen doesn't end up in fingerprint city, and since nobody has to touch -- it probably will look great over time with no scratches! Sometimes hitting the small POIs, and other buttons on the Lexus Nav, you miss the mark. I really liked the difference using the RL joystick button. It was a nice experience.

I like the layout of the RL dash, maybe slightly better than the GS. It was more upscale, somewhat. The Nav screen was higher up and easier to read than the sloped, lower screen on the GS....mmarshal, correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe the 7" lexus screen to be larger.


SO...if I had to rate the two cars: Exterior: GS comes out on top / Interior: RL comes in as a close second.

Question...DVD player ... does the RL play DVDs? I never inquired.

Also, no backup camera on the RL -- or is it an option?

Looking back, if I could have landed a loaded RL for $45K, it would have been worth it. I do see that some owners are having problems with the RL transmission...not sure if it's systemic.

But. in summary * * * I LOVE my GS * * * and do not regret the purchase for one minute. I'm just commenting that I enjoyed my closer look with the RL and maybe down the road I'd buy one if a good deal becomes available.

Hypnotik

I dont think its necessarily the fact that the RL has a bad reputation. I mean, the former M45 was pretty much a sales flop but now it is among the top 3 best sellers in its class. The problem with the RL is that is it the same size as the TL and its exterior design lacks presence. The M45 and G430 are cars with exterior designs that are noticeable. I personally think the M45 has more presence than a GS, but i guess thats my opinion. As for the Q45, it doesnt sell alot at all. Its design is old and isnt on the same level of new designs by infiniti. Once its redesigned, it should sell alot better when it gets some of the new infiniti treatment.

My friend works at an acura dealership and she said the comments she hears from customers looking at the RL is "whats the difference between this car and the TL? They seem to have the same interior room and the TL looks bigger from outside." People cant justify spending over 10k more on the RL for a slightly better interior and AWD. This was acuras shot in getting back in the game, but based on sales, it seems they've failed.

LexFather

I month does not make a trend. You simply cannot point out 1 month of sales. Your also forgetting the M35/45 is the cheapest cars in its class. That also accounts for sales. Then you have lease deals galore for the car.


That cars success is based on the fact it is a huge improvement over the previous car and pricing.

That is one of the main RLs problems. Yes, it comes with all the bells and whistles but people cringe at seeing $50,000 for an Acura, no matter how good it is.

LexFather

And I am not trying to argue here. But we need to look at ALL Factors.

Also, this segment maybe even tougher than the 30-40k segment. You have established cars like the 5/E/GS and awesome revamped cars like the A6/M35/45 and then others, Jag S-type, Volvo S80, Lincoln LS (about to be discontinued), Caddy CTS/STS.

Its a very tough segment.

CK6Speed

iTrader: (1)

I can agree with you here in general. Simply put the RL is indeed a great car. Fit and finish is on par with Lexus. It performs well (Not about to get into powertrain here), style is subjective, but everytime I see it on the road I think it is very nice. It is one of those cars that has much more presence is real life than in pictures. However, I agree. Acura doesn't have the reputation to mearly offer an on par car to Lexus or even a slightly better one for the same price. While I hate to admit it because that is not how I buy cars, the brand name does bring in more sales. If the RL where sold as a Lexus model it would sell like hot cakes for $50K. Since I'm kind of the car guy at work, everyone that mentions the RL too me mentions how nice it is, but when they find out how much it cost they always throw in "You can get so and so" for that price. They haven't even test driven the car but like many don't give it a chance simply because of the brand image.

We all know that just because you have a good car doesn't mean it will sell. Also, just because the car iss junk, it doesn't mean it wont be a sales success.