2007 RL Offered in 3 Levels
Date: July 08, 2006 10:56
Submitted by: Jeff
Source: Various
Credibility Rating: 9

We've received reports from several Acura dealers that the ordering information for the 2007 Acura RL has been made available to them.

There are now 3 packages that are offered - RL, RL Tech, and RL CMBS/PAX. From what we've heard, the "base" package is just like the current RL without navi. The 2007 Tech package will add the navi system, and the CMBS/PAX package is basically the current "Tech" package, which includes the collision mitigation braking system, PAX tires, navi system, and adaptive cruise control.

As for color availability, Platinum Frost Metallic will replace Celestial Silver Metallic and Meteor Silver Metallic has been dropped.

 

Dumb idea.... instead of offering MORE in a higher level package, they are reducing content to compete at the Accord/Camry level.
After reading the Euro Legend, it pisses me off that we cant get a higher level of features (like rain sensing wipers, pop-up hood, ventilated seats, headlamp washers, etc) but they want to strip out the car just instead of putting more content in or making them options.
The idea that someone would buy a car at this price level and would want to strip out the navi to save a few $$$ is stupid.

 

Well, I believe this car most closely competes with the Lexus GS and Infiniti M, and both of those cars are available without navi. They're also available without upgraded (Mark Levinson, Bose 5.1) sound systems, etc. so the RL still has an advantage in terms of equipment. Not sure about the current gen Lexus GS, but the previous gen GS300 was even available with cloth interior and no sunroof. Very few people bought them, but it gave Lexus a lower price point to advertise.

Acura has been competing by offering a car that has more equipment at a lower price which is counter to what every other luxury car manufacturer has been doing. Maybe they have decided to try a new strategy.

 

If Acura can't sell a 50k or 53k RL how are they going to sell a 56k RL? Or a 60k model? They're not. What is stupid is to market the 06 RL as being a 'Tech Package' then change this definition for 07. I suppose Acura is lining up 'Tech Package' with what it means in the RDX, but with the RDX 'Tech Package' means much more than simply 'Navi.' This shows that Acura was caught off guard by the RL being a dullard in sales and had to scramble to change what 'Tech Package' meant I think. I bet Acura isn't taking out the DVD-A and other things because they don't make the car like that anywhere else whereas they do built the RL without Navi already (Alaska and Hawaii) outside US.

What I want is the headlight washers and the cool rear back-up lights over the license plate as seen in that Legend review. And the seat coolers which they already have in Canada. The shift knob with the leather boot is cool, too. The RDX has one of those.

At least Acura isn't offering the RL with manual windows and locks.

 

Oh come on...

Taking out the navi is absolutely the smart thing to do. The main objective for Acura in adjusting the RL was not to offer more content for the money (i.e. value increase), but rather to lower the starting base price. $50k has proven to be too much for Acura at this time. The navigation is the perfect piece of equipment to remove for a realistic $2k slash off the price. BMW doesn't have a navigation system standard on 5 series models, so it's not a big deal that the RL's navi becomes an option as well. In this segment, it's ideal to have a bigger range of pricing.

We could yet again delve into why the RL doesn't sell (brand image, style, pricing, etc.), but the new trim offering is a smart mid model adjustment that should provide a slight boost to Acura's sales.

 

So...if I was to believe what is written, the base 2007 RL is the same as the '06 but w/o the nav system, then that would drop MSRP from $49.3 to $47.3. Better, but still not a competative price point against the M35 or GS 300/350. Acura should also eliminate the sunroof and HID lights to take another $1,000 off the base. And...even if they could offer just FWD (or RWD) and not SH-AWD, that would take another $2,000 off MSRP.

That would make the RL MSRP at about $44.5K, the GS and M35 at appprox $40.5K. If this was all possible, Acura has to look within itself and trim a 'few more dollars' w/o sacraficing amenities.

 

Imo, that would be taking it too far. Those types of options come standard on G35's, TL's, and even TSX's. Thus one would expect such features to be standard on the flagship RL. There's a difference between offering the navigation as an option (something many folks would like sense they could care less for the navi) and moving into BMW territory where leather becomes an option over leatherette, etc.

 

of course they could instead offer Navi as the base model, lower the price of the base model, and offer new higher trim model with more options at a higher price.
If sales are the goal, de-contenting is one way to lower the price, but it also cheapens the brand. A cheapened brand does not result in more sales.
The fact is that if I want more-I should have the option to have more, otherwise I am left with leaving Acura to go to Lexus or MB (BMW is not an option).
Lexus had got a car for just about every trim a person might want...
Acura is vacuuming scraps instead of taking a spot at the table.

 

I think that part of the problem w/ this plan is that they have been selling the RL w/ Navi for ~$42 so unless they plan on selling the non-navi for $40 I am not sure how this will work out. Then again, I guess not everyone surfs the web & will know this but still ...

I think that they really do need to add more content to the RL & keep the price the same. Whatever Lexus/Infiniti has they better have too -- like ventilated seats -- and then some. This will also help them sell the car as value which seems to be a big part of the Acura mantra.

I do not really care about 8 cylinder engines or RWD but I have heard enough people comment about it from many different places that it must be necessary for this car to succeed.

 

I still wouldn't pay more than $42k for an RL with Navi - there's nothing unique or special about it.

As others have echoed, why not add the ventilated seats, headlamp washers, rain-sensing wipers, and even larger (18") wheels as a factory option (instead of f-cking raping owners for $2k-4k for ugly dealer-installed polished wheels).

-j

 

I love my '06 RL as it is. However, I also know Honda/Acura is in the business of making money and not cars. So whatever it takes to keep afloat Honda/Acura will do, even if it means "cheapening" the brand. Check out the latest numbers for Honda at www.hondanews.com to see where they are selling. It certaintly is not at the top of the line.

 

Cheaping the brand will not result in more sales, it will result in less sales, and could actually result in more sales with less margin.
This is the path GM, Ford, went down... and Chy was already on it until MB came along and bought them (ask how well the C series went over).
I dont think this is the way to go... but what the hell do I know, I am just a professional trader, and I have been wrong before.

 

So they're going to offer a base RL for a little more than what they're selling an RL w/Nav today with the incentives? How is this going to get people in the door?

 

OK...what is unique about any of the models in its class?

Fact is aside from crazy sedans like the M5, etc and the GS450H and ultra luxury sedans there is nothing unique about any sedan.

Oh and what do you feel would make the RL unqiue or special? I tend to think the SH-AWD is pretty unique since no other competitor offers a torque vectoring AWD system but to each their own...



To those bitching about wanting headlamp washers. Do you guys really want them? I have them on my RL. What on earth makes these so desired in this thread or is it just one of those "I want more shit on my car" type deals? This is how the washers work....car needs to be in park and if you hit the windshield washer fluid button it blasts the headlights too and when I say blast I mean blast. It shoots up onto your hood.

The only 2 features I wish my RL had (again, I have a 05 RL) were laser/radar cruise and auto wipers.

 

After reading through the responses at TOV (which is Temple of VTEC, btw, not vtech), it is imminently obvious that a lot of the idiots over there have no clue how the automotive industry works.

It never ceases to amaze me that people will ask for a ridiculous amount of stuff and not want to pay a dime for it, but when someone actually pulls it off, they bitch about what it doesn't have. People expect 3 times the car, for less money. It just doesn't work that way in business.

As for the RL getting a version without navi, it's probably a move in the right direction. The average joe consumer out there doesn't look at equipped prices when taking first glances at cars and the RLs sticker price probably does make a few people cringe. Dropping the price by a few thousand would allow the RL initial sticker price to be lower and hopefully attract more people to the dealership to at least experience the car.

I will agree that one of the biggest problems is the lack of a well-trained, well-informed sales team. It should be the exception, not the norm, for the customer to know more about a car than the sales rep. With regards to the large number of Acura dealers that I have visited, most of them could not give me a clear explanation of the RL's various systems and advantages, which I'm sure doesn't help the sales numbers.

As for service, that seems vary from dealership to dealership, which could prove problematic as well. Many dealers I have been to have excellent service and are easily on par with the competition. However, there have been some with less than stellar service staff. A consistent level of service across the country and from dealer to dealer would go a great distance towards shoring up Acura's image, which seems to be only as strong as the weakest link.

 

Good stuff by the moderator here. I go to the TL, MDX and RL forums and see the same thing; much worse in the TL forums.

I'll pick on the TL forums because they're the most outrageous; tends to be a younger crowd, more of these vehicles have been sold recently, and people tend to have a smaller income.

Typically the writer will rattle off a laundry list of features that the TL doesn't have and bitch about it. They'll primarily pick features that are included on much more expensive cars. I think people like to complain and these forums allow a vehicle to make that happen.

 

I would wager that Acura brings in less than 100 "stripper" RL's without Navi, and that the lead time on ordering will be months and months... it's the same way at MB and BMW -- "Sure, you can get one without nav and leather, but we'll have to order it, please give me a $5000 deposit and wait 6 months... but I can make you a good deal on the loaded one right over here, that you can take home tomorrow...." And then the $3000 price difference will be irrelevant.

I still think, though, that Acura needs to move UP market, not DOWN market....

 

I had to stop reading that thread because their stupidity was irritating me to much.

 

I was thinking the same thing...

I am guessing there is more repackaging than just the deletion of the navi.

 

I want a loaded Lexus LS600H for the price of a corolla. MAKE IT HAPPEN

Yeah people are hilarious with their wants yet bitch at price. They need to get a grasp of reality.

I also love when people say a car costs too much when it is cheaper than almost all its comeptitors yet offers more stuff like *ahem* the RL. Apparently the RL should be priced the same as the TSX but then it can't be too cheap some say because it loses out on the big bad prestige factor people want.

Humans....want everything for nothing.

 

So... basically its an Acura RL "DX" trim ?

 

I think it's a good move. The RL was the only car in its class that had navi standard.

However, I think they should have gone a step further. The 2007 RL should also make the premium 5.1 sound system an option, and just offer a not-as-powerful 2.0 system standard. That should enable the base model's price to drop by about another $1000 or so. Quite a few luxury sedan shoppers that I know don't give a rat's ass about the stereo, and just listen to talk radio, or never listen to music at all.

One thing that they should upgrade (even in the base RL) is the 6 way power passenger seat. The 2007 M now offers a standard 10 way passenger seat, so the RL is the only one in this class that offers minimal adjustments. Even the $30,000 IS250 now has a standard 10 way power passenger seat.

 

I wonder if it's possible (engineering-wise) to rework the SH-AWD to permanently funnel max power to the rear wheels and do away with the variable AWD features. In other words, make it like a "locked" 85-15% RWD/FWD. That should reduce the complexity and the cost by a fair amount, and might even improve the performance a bit by reducing some transfer case losses.

Acura could still offer the full-boat SH-AWD as the top package, but for those of us who don't want or need variable AWD there would be an alternative at a lower sticker price.

(Just thinking out loud.)

 

Give that man a gold star.

 

Not likely given the way the differential is set up. Plus, doing this would result in a greater drop in fuel efficiency, which would go against the corporate philosophy of Honda.

And just making it 2WD instead of AWD doesn't work either because people already bitch so much about the torque steer of the TL, which has less power and torque than the RL.

The best thing that Acura can do right now is get as many RLs sold while it prepares to update the car again in a couple of years.

 

Acura is not going to re-think the way the car is built. They would have to design a 2.0 stereo system. They're not going to do that. They should... but they probably are trying to go the cheap route. The RL is already offered w/out Navi so the cost to them for selling this version in the Lower 48 is $0.

 

Amen! The UK Legend offers an 8-way power passenger's seat, so we know they can do it for the US market too.

Please also filter this down to the TL, TSX and RDX too.

 

I hope it doesn't come with black bumpers, door handles and mirrors like the old DXs used to.

 

I don't think this would be a good idea. There are no real-world disadvantage to keeping the system, except for cost and weight, but there are more real-world disadvantages if they remove the system.

Retuning the system for rear-bias would have no advantage either, since the system drawbacks wouldn't be effected (any cost savings would be minimal, weight would be unaffected, handling would probably not change).

I think they are making the right moves, but not drastic enough. As mentioned before, a navi-equipped non-tech RL already can be bought for $42-43k...who would buy a non-nav RL for $47-48k? The answer is they can attract buyers who are turned off instantly by a $50k msrp for an Acura, while at the same time justifying why they are lowering the price. What they CAN do to attract more buyers, but really SHOULDN'T do is keep the car the same and start it at $45k. They can't do this because the only justification would be poor sales, and no company wants to advertise that.

In the end, I think this is a face-salvaging move until they can get another RL design to market. I'm sure they have analysts figuring out what went wrong with the current RL (rumors of a V8, rollout of more "choices" for Acura models, etc.) and they are working on the rollout of the next RL.

 

Essentially, I think the RL (and Acura's problem) is this:

Spending $45k+ for a midsize car, no matter what the brand or image or options, makes NO logical sense. The LEFT brain will say that if you have $50k to spend on a midsize car, buy a Hyundai Sonata or Honda Accord or Toyota Camry, or even an Acura TL. It's the RIGHT brain that makes someone spend $45k+ for a midsize car. It IS the image, the emotion, the styling, the illogical FEELING that it gives the consumer, that makes someone shell out $50k+ for a car.

The RL is a good LEFT brain car...it makes perfect sense, it offers value, it offers safety, it offers just enough of everything one would need compared to its comeptitors...but it's also marketed to the LEFT brain rather than to the RIGHT brain.

NO V8...you have enough power with our engine = left brain thinking.
NO RWD...AWD is safer = left brain thinking.
NO choices, you got all you need and more = left brain thinking.
NO "sensual" or "bold" or "loud" styling = left brain thinking.

OTOH,

Logical reason for a V8 in a midsize sedan? None...right brain
Logical reason for making "luxury" standards optional, then charging more for them? None...right brain
Logical reason for offering RWD when very few drivers would realize a difference with AWD? None...right brain.
Logical reason for sacrificing fuel economy when most of these cars are driven under the same conditions and speeds anyway? None...right brain.

The success of Honda as well as the MDX, TL, TSX, RSX, and the RDX's most likely success, is probably contributed to their left-brainedness...the prices paid for these cars can be LOGICALLY applied to something, with a little "premium" going for the badge and other right-brained stuff. In my opinion, at $45k and up, that's when the right brain starts taking over and people will more likely buy what they FEEL is the right car rather than what they think/know is the right car. That's probably why the RL would probably sell really well at the $45k range...it's still appealing to the left-brain at a left-brain price threshold.

Just look at the commercials and how "artsy" some of them are (like Infiniti's brush-stroke commercials) compared to how "logical" some others are (RL with the arrow "ribbons" demonstrating SH-AWD, or TL commercial demonstrating the usefulness of the Navi). You can tell by commercials and ads what side of the brain they are marketing to in that specific commerical or ad.

Can anyone logically justify why an MB CLS needs to cost $65k+? Can anyone logically justify why anyone should spend $80k+ for 500hp in an M5? It's because of the right brain appeal.

 

^^ Makes a lot of sense.

 

hehehe yeah that was pretty good. I'll add one more:

Right brain thinking feels useless shit like prestige is important while left brain thinking realizes that is retarded and useless. That also helps explain some sales of overpriced german cars aka MB sedans.

 

I think that sums it up about as well as anything I've seen.

You, sir, get a gold star.