Okay, I have scoured the web, and these boards and still don't get it, I need an expert. I bought an 03 accord V6 and was astounded how great this car was for 20 grand. When the opportunity came around to buy an 04 RL in 05 for half price I jumped at it, figuring, if my accord is what Honda gives you for 20 grand, 45 will get me the ultimate ride. Reviews be damned I bought it. It is a good car, it does not break, it looks good, and I will probably use it as my work car for the next 7-10 years, but please explain...

The engine has less power then the TL, my MDX, and my Accord of the same year and has no Vtec. The tranny has less gears then every other Honda product. Did Honda put their bottom line engine and tranny in the top of the line car?

Why design the RL to look so similar to the old (very old) TL?

Why put an all new Navi, suspension, and other various upgrades in the 04 and then dump it all the next year?

My Accord, which cost 20 grand, felt like it was worth 30, my RL, a 45 grand car compares well to cars at least 10 thousand less. Am I missing something about this car? Again, I like the car, I just can't figure out why there are so many upgrades in models that cost half the price!!

 

Kaiser:

Your RL uses a motor that goes back to 1986! The C engine.

Its a stroked version of the C32 motor in the 1991 - 1995 Legend. The transmission is the same as the 1st gen 3.2 TL.

The body however is a heavily reinforced and very solid design. I'll bet it feels almost as solid as your 2003 Accord.

Keep in mind that your car was designed in the mid 1990's and uses parts that were updated from designs from the late 1980's! Sure its been refined over the years but the roots are old. I find it amazing that the RL in spite of its ancient design is so competent even today.

 

Kaiserseal:

I owned all the previous models you mentioned (CL instead of TL whoopie) and I'll take the 4 speed tranny over the compact 5 speed kaaboom tranny any day. I'll also take this "outdated" RL over those models mentioned....I have an 05 MDX Touring Navi/RES and it DOESN'T compare to my 04 RL with TOO many things to mention.....

 

My loss here is just on paper. The car drives flawlessly, and although its biggest criticism is performance, it is only 8/10 a second slower to 60 than the new RL with 75 more HP. I have buddies with the 05 RL and E class, and on the way to work sometimes we race the interstate. My RL has no problems keeping up, and with the TL wheels and tires I put on corners great. The stability of the car in rain is better than my old 4wd Subaru SVX. I really can not say a bad thing about the car. I am just trying to figure out how it was marketed in 04 against a much less expensive TL, which on paper had better running gear and electronics. This problem really worked for me, since I bought the beast a year old for less than an accord. I am just thinking there has to be some spec sheet that identifies how this car has parts that exceeded the lower end models.

 

I have what you are looking for but have NEVER figured out how to post images on this web site for the longest!

This is the best car I've bought YTD!

 

The RL's main strengths were interior material quality and refinement.

Real wood, high quality leather, forged engine parts, well damped driver's seat. The RL had a lot of firsts as well such as navigation system, side airbags with passenger sensor, VSA.