Well if they want to keep the V6, they better beef up elsewhere - luxury, technology or just plain cool items to distinguish them from the competitors. MB has the Night Vision, Lexus has APGS and A-PCS, Audi has LEDs, BMW has driving dynamics, Volvo has supremely comfortable seats, Jaguar has timeless, classic designs (although the XF is wickedly cool).

 

Agreed.

@regarding Night Vision
The KB1 already has Night Vision display (and it works quite well too). Unfortunately, the feature was never released outside Japan hence why overseas versions never had the feature whilst the JDM version had it since the car came out (and when Takeo Fukui was still head of Honda). Hayzz, I guess when it comes to Japanese cars, only Japan gets the good stuff (which is understandable as that is their home market but still........)

Hopefully, in the next version, this feature would be available in all countries (and not just in Japan) hehe.

@ LED
Are you referring to LED as Daytime-running lights (like what Audi did to its entire car lineup)? If so, then this may be a given for the next-generation (though this will depend as to when the EU government will require new automobiles to have DRLs as standard).

Anyways, with that said, I hope that if Honda/Acura is reading this forums, then they should take down some notes from our suggestions hehe.

That is if they want to make the Acura RL/Honda Legend better than the current model.......

 

Honda needs to stop making an odd transmission for a more conventional planetary gear-based one - even if they have to buy it from Nissan(Jatco) or Toyota(Aisin-AW). They are better, but reports over at OdyClub have saying the newer 5-speeds are developing a jitter or whine.

 

Aisin gearboxes would be neat and Jatco would neat as well. Heck, if it were possible, then going with Nissan-Jatco would mean access to their 6-speed CVT (which is crazy in that it can work on a non-hybrid V6 engine + AWD like in the Murano).

Unfortunately though, I dunno if Honda is keen on using gearboxes/trannies from other companies apart from their own. Hopefully though, the 6AT will be better and SHOULD be better than the current 5AT their using.

I dream for their 7-speed CVT though......but apparently it maximum is only up to 2400cc engines with 4WD/AWD. Hence unfortunately, the Honda CVT is not yet ready for anything above four cylinders.

 

As long as Acura is happy with their "flagship" vehicle being in the "market segment" of the GS, Genesis, and the likes, then of course a V6 is sound and fine. However, REAL luxury flagships come with V8 and even with options for "6" they still sell more 8s. End of story.

Acura thank you for showing up, your resume looks good, but your qualifications fall short of what we expect... AGAIN...

 

No. It is not the end of the story. I know that there are those, like you, who feel that way today (and, of course, I respect their opinions), but the future is likely going to prove things very differently. If V8s DO survive into the future, they are going to be very different from many of the V8s we know today.

 

V-8s are not dead at all, they will only get better. As Kenn posted, V-8s are already more efficient than their own V-6s. There has been no mass exodus of people not buying V-8s. They have ALWAYS sold in smaller quantities and always will. The fact is they are indeed offered.

I said it once and I will say it again. If Lexus didn't offer a SC 400, a LS 400 (clearly) and a GS 400, this place would be dead. I would not be posting here. There is NOTHING like the sound and nice torque of a V-8.

If V-8s were dead, Hyundai of all people would not have invested in a big 4.6 and the coming 5.0 V-8. They understand what a V-8 does for a brand.

The RL will continue to be a good car, sell under expectations and do nothing to elevate the brand. They better be at least working on a hybrid RL or FI or something. They also need to hold off on any weight gains if it will gain power.

I mean for goodness sakes this car has sold poorly for 15 years now. They can't figure out what works in 15 years?

Imagine if the GS continued its 2nd and 3rd generations with no V-8 being offered? Just think about that. The GS forums would be DEAD.

 

Their transmissions are definitely keeping their engine numbers looking subpar. The new ZDX (we all know how much CL loves that thing ) gets 16/22 (or same as the RL) with the new 6 speed transmission. I'd love to see what it could do on a lighter car.

 

Well they do have SH-AWD. That in itself is an amazing system I think. However, they don't promote it enough. Most people don't really know how technologically advanced the SH-AWD is.

I think, like many others have stated already, that they need to make the RL larger and more luxurious.

 

While the SH-AWD is a very nice system, a lot of people don't care about AWD because they don't live in a state with weather that would utilize it. Plus, without the need for it, the system just creates extra weight and power loss

 

Good points on the above statements.

I was hoping though that Honda would extend the SH-AWD platform to more of their vehicles in their lineup (similar to what Subaru is doing with their Symmetrical AWD). Hopefully, in the future, Honda/Acura would take that course of action.

Still, going with SH-AWD as standard is the best way to go for this vehicle.

 

Any pics of the next gen RL from the inside Acura correspondents here?

Perhaps the beginnings of the Acura renaissance with the new RL?

 

The full size luxury segment is incredibly tough to compete in; Infiniti tried 3 times with their Q series (a much superior product to the RL) and failed, and wisely decided to withdraw from this segment for now.

Acura on the other hand, living in its own ozone layer, is trying to convince the
automotive world, that a FWD based, V6 sedan, derived from the Accord platform is good enough to compete in this luxury segment, yet keeps failing miserably.

Lexus got the formula right from the start with the LS , even though the 2010 LS refresh looks a bit down market.

 

Only the 600hL grill and the optional sports kit, the other little changes and upgrades are fine ...

Back to the next RL, no need to bash a car that's not out yet even with no V8, let's see what they can do to improve over the current one ......

 

I would not say the Q series was superior to the RL. The original was nice and had the powerful v8 and rwd but was marketed terribly and many buyers were not into the styling even though I liked it. It sold poorly while the Lexus LS sold very well and the Acura Legend sold well. The Q45 did nothing for the Infiniti brand.

The next 2 generations of the Q were especially terrible. The 2nd was made to be more of a LS competitor like the first RL was and like the first RL, hp, performance, and sportiness was reduced. Quality or reliability was not very good on the 2nd Gen Q45 where quality and reliability was very good on the original RL, both did not sell well, but the Q sold poorly despite a v8 and rwd.

The 3rd Gen was heavily hyped but the end product was lackluster, the best thing about it was the gattling gun headlights. Despite having 340hp it was so poorly geared it was slower then the 290hp LS430. Quality was bad on this car and reliability was not good either and it did not drive like a large sports sedan but was awkward and floaty. It was a huge disappointment and poorly reviewed by most. Resale value was horrible on the car and it sold much much worse then even the slow selling RL despite a very powerful v8, large size, and rwd. The 2nd Gen RL on the other hand was much better made, used much better materials, had a very good fit and finish, received good reviews, and is overall a very reliable car. It has not sold very well but has still sold much better then the last Q45.

I test drove the 2nd Gen RL a few times and it is a great car and would not say the Q is better in any way, it may have a bigger engine with more power and is larger but it is certainly not superior. The RLs slow sales problems lie more with the last one being so poorly received, price and size compared with the popular TL, conservative looks, and only being available with 1 type of powertrain, and not the car itself.

When I was car shopping I test drove the last Infiniti Q45. I was considering the car because 340hp, a big v8, and a large lux sedan sounded like fun and it was offered at a great price. When getting in the car I immediately noticed how cheap the materials were, the poor fit and finish, and everything just did not feel that solid. When I drove it and punched it, it certainly did not feel like 340hp, it felt like 260hp in a big heavy car to be honest. It squeaked and rattled, it was floaty, and handling was not good. Some of the electronics did not work and I was like no way no matter what the price after driving it. My moms 99 TL was much better made, rode better, and quality was much better. The Acura RL and Lexus GS and LS were far superior to the last Q45 to me in pretty much every way.


The next RL was supposed to get rwd and a v8 as rwd sedan prototypes were being seen tested but were apparently killed by this new CEO Ito along with the v10 NSX replacement because of the economy. I doubt with the way things are these days a rwd or v8 option for the next RL would make much difference in sales but it would be very nice for enthusiasts. V8s are not dead or going to die in the immediate future but they are going to be much rarer as companies downsize engines and go to 6 cylinders with FI or hybrids instead of v8s for many models. It is happening already. When gas prices start skyrocketing again and all these CAFE regulations come into effect v8s will most likely just be reserved as really expensive rare options or reserved for high end cars like Ferrari's, Masserati's, etc. They will most likely be as popular as v10s and v12 in the future, still offered in some models but not very popular and very expensive.

If the RL ends up being the same size as the current TL, a little nicer, with a little more power and end up being much more expensive then it again will not
be a big seller but maybe Acura does not really want it to be a big seller and just want to offer a sedan above the TL in case buyers want a nicer Acura sedan with more features, technology, and is more luxury oriented. If they want bigger sales and a bigger impact they are going to have to do more with the next RL like make it a good deal bigger then the TL and offer a unique powertrain like a 350hp+ FI v6 or some kind of advanced hybrid. It needs to be a clearer step up luxury/performance wise and offer something the TL does not offer, it can't rely on just SH-AWD anymore. Acura does not need a v8 or rwd for the next RL for it to be a great car and sell well but it is going to have to be something truly groundbreaking to make a big impact.