03TL-S

After seeing those pictures from NY, i think the car looks hot. I think it all just depends on the color. But wow..it look agressive in that one pic where people are crowding around it

03TL-S

Okay, now that i look at it more, i think it looks very nice...the indentations and curves in the body look really good. It doesnt look bland at all. Maybe its like the TL. In pictures it doesnt look all that great, but in person its beautiful.

Python2121

it looks nice to me, im warming up to it but there are still a few things i dont like about it.

all that space under the hood and all thats there is a 3.5L v6. IMO they should have waited and come out with something class leading (i.e. 400 hp, with the 300hp gas 100hp electric split)

ill reserve more style judgements until i see it in person

gavriil

Excellent point.

gavriil

A 100 and a 160 HP electric motor (or motors) is/are rumored.

nandowong

I wish it would have TL , TSX style head lights. Those look awesome.

AcuraFan

You're right. The TL/TSX headlights rock. These RL headlights are very Toyota/Lexus-esque. I thinkg that's what I don't like about it the most.

nandowong

dosent it have an "accelerator" on the rear differential? Maybe they will hybrid the car at that point. I would make sense to have two separete motors in rear to control the left/right torque split instead of that clutch work.


btw: can any one PS the TL headlights on the RL? I bet I would look a million times better and much more aggresive.

titan

Yeah, they're leaning towards Lexus with those lights. The TL/TSX lights look nicer; and it would have given all the cars a familar family face.

1SICKLEX

I think we all pretty much thought the RL would mimic the TSX/TL with the lights, proportions and basic design. A bigger looking TL would have been pretty tight (as the TL is a good looking car).

This RL is okay but totally does not look like what I thought was Acura's new design direction.

thai

the new acura rl has it all. class, elegant, and sporty + a beautiful interior and high tech toys. it is the best honda ever.

Davediego

I agree the TL is a great looking car, and its kind of odd Acura didnt try to build the family image of the TSX/TL more, but perhaps they are trying to attract all the people they turned off with the TL. Lots of people hate the new TL for whatever reason, but it seems those same people like the new RL...

goldmemberer

I don't know if you guys realized this, but I am nearly positive that the production version will come with 17s stock (which is somewhat of a disappointment). Here's why I think that:

(cut and paste this into the browser) http://sohc.vtec.net/article_files/2...nyias-0098.jpg

Crazy Bimmer

yea i think most of us figured that acura wouldnt put 20s on it. I was kinda hoping ffor at least 18s... but guess not.

At least they are putting on 245 tire on there instead of the current 225.

titan

REALLY? Everyone I've talked to loves the new TL. I haven't met anyone who has had something bad to say about it.

soopa

I have been a big critic of the new RL since the pics started coming round last week.....

This weekend I saw it in person at the NY show....

I have to retract a good bit of my comments.... in person it is VERY VERY appealing.

I was a big fan of the new GS in pictures... but with Acura and Lexus's booths close together..... I have to rate... on looks inside and out....... the RL > GS.


The M45 is hot tho... I dont really like the looks of it. its misproportioned... but feature and interior wise it looks like a total package. and i could learn to like the looks.


but in person... this new RL is HOT.


the Acura booth this year had more visitors than almost any other brand....

Every other year its a graveyard.


Acura has really pulled it off. Lets hope they come through in production

TypeSAddict

WTF soopa when did you go down to the auto show? I was there on saturday....we shoulda met up

gavriil

Wow! That's a pretty drastic comment here Soopa

The same thing happened to me with the GS. Not very impressed from the photos till I saw it in person at the Chicago Show.

So if the RL looks even as good as the GS, we got a winner here.

gavriil

17s would be fine for the category. Large wheels are torque hoggers and this is not a large engine, no matter how much HP it makes, the torque will always suffer.

gavriil

Even the 245 I think is overkill. Mainly becuase the car has AWD. I think 225 would have been fine.

You can do wonders with 225 mm wide tires and AWD.

titan

Damn Soopa. I can't wait to see this car in person.

Crazy Bimmer

Soopa is does the car look wider in person than in pics?

TypeSAddict

I agree with soopa. In person, the car looks JUST like a Phaeton, much better than the Corolla looks in the pics. Wider? I didn't really notice, so I guess it wasn't significant Suffice to say, it looks more European in person and I think it looks really agressive from the front, and more elegant from the back. The two personalities jive real well though, so it doesn't look like one person designed the back, and another designed the front.

TypeSAddict

Here's the RL Brochure I picked up from the Acura Display in NYC:

TypeSAddict

Blah, red x's. Just go here for all the pics:

http://public.fotki.com/Prozach/2005_rl/

soopa

saturday bish. went with my girl too so i was even startin out from your side of teh river

shoulda told me

soopa

www.imageevent.com/soopa/nyias2004 for my pics.

it was really hard to get good pics of the RL because the acura booth was seriously just about the most crowded booth on the floor.

bmw was probably the only booth with a larger audience in that area.

titan

Great pics Soopa. Thanks.

soopa

btw those m45 headlights were straight wacky. i hope they go to production like that. doubt they will. but their cool as shit

titan

Yeah... I'll bet the pic doesn't even do the M's headlights justice. I can't wait to see that thing in person. The pic of the Soltice is tight... I'm liking it more and more.

soopa

The M45 is reallly nice. Like I said its a total package...

Unfortunately, the price adjustment last week I think will put it out of manys price range.

At the same time tho... seeing it in person... i think it will appeal more to that price range then the `sporty young cant afford more than 45k range` heh

The M45 is REALLY BIG... at least REALL BIG looking. It looks rather disproportionate as well. The rear is not very attractive... mostly because of those tail lights.

But nothing on it is UGLY.


I think it will do very well.

titan

Actually, Infiniti changed the prices back to what was orignally posted A V6 RWD begins at $39,200, and so on and so forth. Check it out when you get some time. Now it's back to being a really great value again. Personally, I like the entire rear (but I'm biased). I hope they leave the exhaust as is.

bullseye007

ANy info on what the new RL will cost? It would compete really well if Acura can price it to compete with V6 versions of other mid-size sports luxury sedans (M,GS,A6,5,STS,E) ...somewhere around the 45k mark well-equipped(mono-spec like the TL and TSX) with the SH-AWD.

titan

It'll be great if they keep the pricing under control, but it'll also be necessary. People will be turned off if this car goes north of $45K when you have an established performer like the GS coming out this year all new, not to mention the M (which should run with the best of competition in this class). If they mono-spec it like the TL and TSX and have the SH-AWD and maybe navigation as the only options, and this thing will fly out the showroom at the right price.

bullseye007

I agree. A FWD V6 45k car just wont do, no matter how many other goodies they give standard. The SH-AWD needs to be standard on the base model, whatever the price. They should attempt to undercut other more established players by several k. Taking the GS as an example and assuming that Lexus keeps their current price point for the GS(my assumption is that they will, since they are way better at sharing unseen parts now than they were 6-7 yrs ago), we are looking at a ~45k price for an AWD V6 powered GS. It will have around 255HP(the 245HP numbers are preliminary and since its the same engine and platform as the Crown, it should get the same power unless it is some exhaust routing issue which makes no sense to me). So, at this price, an Acura RL is a good buy with 300HP and SH-AWD. The GS should still be close in 0-60 numbers since it gets the 6-speed transmission standard vs the 5-speed for the RL. Point is that anything more, and the customer refuses to enter the showroom to check the new RL out.

titan

Well, I'm with you for most of that. But just to clear up my point, I think that the SH-AWD should be an option, with stand FWD starting at right around the $40K range, or right under that. I think that with a comprehensive list of equip, and a price of $40K, the RL will still sell. Alot of people buy FWD A6's (or atleast most of the ones I see in New Orleans), so if Audi can do it, Acura can do it. As long as they don't go bananas with the price, and have a long equip list (which I'm sure they will).

goldmemberer

We should all be members of Acura's marketing staff.

titan

hehehe

Davediego

I love it too, I think ive warmed up to the RL now as well. Read some posts on this board about the new TL, quite a few members seem to not like it

jts1207

My only worry is that Honda is going to price this thing in the mid $50's. I cant see them bringing it down to low to mid $40's