http://www.vtec.net/news/news-item?news_item_id=769653

anyone see one yet at the dealers?

 

The web site still shows the 2008 model, except the future models link as before.

 

Hide the women and children!

 

Maybe that was just the announcement to the dealers. Maybe there's a delay of a few days as they deliver these cars now. I heard they have been state side for quite some time sitting on the dock. Acura was trying to clear out the 08's as much as possible before selling 09's

 

They didn't change the price from the 2008 model despite the engine and interior updates. Good on Acura!

I'll have to see whether my dealer has one to test drive.

 

Just called my dealer and they are not in yet.

 

Wow, same price. Considering that the RL is imported from Japan and the now much weaker US dollar, ..and all the improvements added, they are definitely taking a hit there. Good for us!

 

They are trying hard not to get people like me(06 lease it up) from leaving. I think it will take a bit more for me, like maybe a new grille.

 

Or an optional grille like on the Pilot. That'd be such a no-brainer.

 

I didnt know they offered that for the Pilot.

Am I the only who got more used to the 09? I just went to the website to remember what it looked like and it wanst that bad. I think now that I am used to the shock it first gave me that its fine. I do not love it but I do not dislike as much as I did when it first came out.

 

I think all of us will take a look in person before making a final decision. I know I will, but I do not have any high hopes. We shall see.

 

For reference: optional one on the bottom

http://automobiles.honda.com/pilot/a...ory=PILOT09053

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

Perhaps this is one reason they have been able to hold the price line. I find it amazing that they even thought to spend the money to do this...but if you believe the CSX ads, you get 400+ miles per gallon on the train to move 1 ton of freight.

http://www.hondanews.com/categories/...utomax&s=honda

 

Yet another reason Honda is my favorite auto company, even with the recent styling missteps. Environmental concern, AND protecting the cars from the elements as they are transported. Thanks for the link, Chas2.

 

Is it just me or that Pilot grille looks like a big USB plug-port?

 

Lol! HDMI?!

Ok back on subject!

 

For PAX owners: PAX is now out. Time to swipe those out and replace with other rims and tires. Only one problem the new 18 inchers are fugly.

 

I'm going to the dealer now to have a free car wash. I'll take a look.

 

DO NOT LOOK INTO IT'S FACE!

Only look at it through a reflection.

You have been warned.

I wonder if dealerships have been instructed to serve Marek Cool-Aid?

*I'm not bitter....*

 

I received the new sales brochure for the 09 RL in the mail today. It's not the "trading cards" brochure that was available at the auto shows and that they mailed to me a few months ago. It's a new brochure, and it's very well done. The front has a fold-out with the Advanced Sports Car concept in the same color as the RL on the cover - they're obviously trying to tie the 2 together.

There are 8 colors available: Alberta White Pearl, Silver Jade Metallic, Tuscan Beige Metallic, Crystal Black Pearl, Redondo Red Pearl, Grigio Metallic, Platinum Frost Metallic, and Opulent Blue Pearl. The OBP car in the brochure looks really good. Same 3 leather color options.

Coincidentally (or not) I received the summer issue of Acura Style yesterday - it has a story about the photo shoot for the new RL introduction - it's obviously the photos in the new brochure.

 

i still can't stand the grill on the revised RL. it fits better on the 2nd gen TSX more.

 

Not yet. I asked my favorite service advisor and he said no new RL shipped to them this morning. Probably tomorrow he said. But I picked one of new RL brochure.

 

or eSATA port.

 

This may be OT, but the 09 RL has competition, see the new TL spyshots, this one with SH-AWD.

If the new TL outperforms the RL, and has SH-AWD, the 09 RL MMC may be for nought. Very few will probably look at the quality and materials differences, and go for the presumably less expensive package, unless the SH-AWD TL is designed to take the place of the current RL, and they are hoping the new RL will be the step up to compete against the 7 series, S Class and LS.

http://www.leftlanenews.com/acura-tl-future.html

 

It ain't no S Class. But it will make the RL seem out of place.

 

I asked today, was told by the fleet manager it would be a couple weeks.

 

That announcement we read from my original post obviously was meant for the dealers to signal that they are releasing the vehicles for sale. Not surprised we saw none on the lot yesterday. But, I would be surprised if it takes another few weeks for them to arrive on the lots. Not that it matters too much, but I'll bet they're already inbound and might show up this coming week.

 

If they sell the new SH-AWD TL with those BLACK wheels, I will be seriously considering getting one.

 

Wow. The TL does in fact look bigger. Maybe Honda really is trying to push up their models to another class.

The TSX grew and now the TL seems poised to get bigger, so maybe the "new" RL will finally step up to the big leagues, so to speak.

 

Indeed the SHAWD TL will seriously overlap the RL. It will also likley cannibalize potential RL buyers considering the cost difference (which is shrinking). Just as the Altima was detrimental to the Maxima, I think the SHAWD TL will all but snuff out already miniscule RL sales.

Very few people will differentiate the sport nature of the TL from the refinement of the RL. On paper the SHAWD TL model will likely compete nicely to the RL sibling and be the wiser buy. Dealers will likely favor TL sales as well.

Which is why the 09MY required extensive revisions, IMHO. But the 09 has enough going against it with the unsettling reaction to the styling. The Acura Maxima, umm, 09 TL may all but kill off the waning RL in the approximate 24 months it has to live in the 09 guise.

I expect the 2011 RL to be introduced early in the 2010 calendar year. Just as the 09 RL was introduced early in attempt to not be so obviously surpassed by the new SHAWD TL. I, personally do not think it will be enough.

Likely, this is why so much information is abuzz on the 2011 RL already. VERY uncharacteristic of Honda / Acura. It seems to be information leaked to keep hopes high and dreams alive. There is plenty of info already that the next RL will be a significant leap for competitive flagship status, all but confirmed V8 and RWD based SHAWD. Even mentions that Acura is acknowledging the Advanced Concept Sedan styling exercise was 'not well received' in some publications I read. I find it interesting that there is SO MUCH buzz on the 2011 RL before the 09 RL even hits the dealerships.

Fortunately my RL will keep me happy until the 2011 RL becomes a reality. I then can decide if Acura has decided it likes it's existing customers and will consider keeping us.

 

It does seem counterproductive to redesign the TL to compete so closely to the RL. I agree with the majority of the posts here. As if the RL already was having a tough time, now it's competing with its own?? The TL (and previously the MDX) having more power than the 'flagship'? Seems like blasphemy to me. When I test drove the RL and TL back to back there was a definitive difference IMO and I preferred the RL. I wonder if the same will be true for the 09s?? That V8 is gonna be 2 years too late. The RL may be all but forgotten by then.

 

Yea but have you seen the new pictures just out today of the TL?
odd looking IMO.

 

Acura knows that the RL is a lost cause. It would have been very stupid of them to limit the TL's luxury and amenities in order to keep off of the RL's toes.

As far as people forgetting about the RL, I really doubt it. Not many people know about the RL as it is so there aren't that many people to forget about it either. As a car, there is nothing negative about the RL such as reliability failures or extremely ugly styling to stick in peoples minds. Right now, Acura can do whatever they want with the RL. They can keep it in the same class that it is in right now or move it up into S-Class and 7 Series territory. A perfect example is the Infiniti M. The first generation M was a two-door and convertible. The second generation was a 4-door V8 sedan. Both generations failed. However, the third generation M has good sales and most people like it. The M never had any negativity related to it. The M was actually even discontinued for a while. Just like with the RL, people didn't know about it so there wasn't really anything for them to forget either.

 

I agree with VTEC Racer's sentiment. The SH-AWD TL will likely be placed, at least price-wise, at or near what the RL has been selling for, a bit over $40k.

The MMC RL is a goner once people start comparing TL and RL. People already had trouble justifying the $15k MSRP difference between the TL and RL. Now the two will have similar features and drivetrains, and the TL will have more power. Seems like the TL will be the real flagship as well as primary breadwinner for Acura.

Given this, I now think it would have been a lot smarter and cheaper for Acura to simply cancel the RL for two years while they are working on the new version. Frankly, if I were looking to move out of a TL to an RL now, I'd have to leave Acura. In 2006, when I bought my RL, there was still a compelling argument featurewise allowing me to justify my purchase. In order to move RLs now, Acura will have to work really hard to find people who haven't yet heard of an RL....and hope they don't find out about the TL.

The good thing is that VTEC Racer is right--the RL hasn't proven to be a bad car at all. It's reliable, it's got understated looks, and it has a good feature set. It just hasn't caught the world's imagination yet. Therefore, Acura has another chance to build the RL name into something bigger than it is now with the 2010 model.

That RWD mule is a good sign of things to come for the RL. However, there are dark days ahead for our favorite car for the next two years.

I hope I'm wrong about this, though, and that RL sales bounce back.

 

I would not go as far as declaring the RL as a lost cause.

In it's 1st year of production, it was named Japan's car of the year and sold around 25,000 units. That is not bad numbers for a small(er) manufacturer with an admitted niche vehicle.

Also SHAWD is making it's way into the entire Acura lineup...introduced with the RL. Now BMW, Porsche, Audi, Saab and Mitsubishi all are copying it.

The RL's NAV / telematics have trickled down as far as the Accord and remain, arguably, the best in the biz.

The RL's ACE Body structure is now hallmarked in all new Honda & Acura designs.

That tells me the RL has served well. It may not have been a sales success after the initial year, but it has notable inpact the Acura and Honda brands, and it's engineering is being copied by other notable brands.

Who would do that with a lost cause?

 

yeah. i was looking in that wierd ass mag that acura sends me and they had a behind the scenes photo shoot article for the 09 RL. the one they used in the pics was hand built and supposedly cost $100,000, or so the caption says

 

will check out the dealership in a few weeks.

 

The 09 RL will sell just like the 08, nice tweaks to the car but as we know one of the reasons it did not sell was it was not big enough. The NEW 2011 model will be long and look bigger and sell better, IMO.

Still love the car, still best kept secret out there.

 

I agree that with this new TL, the 09 RL should have just been canceled. I can't imagine many buying the RL over this new TL UNLESS somehow the TL is severely lacking in features and I doubt that. If anything it will probably match the RL feature for feature. Wel, at least features that matter the most to most people.

Silly move by Honda to not just pull the RL...IMO that is.

 

I see it differently: the price difference with the new top of the line TL will be only around $3-5K now. And I still think the RL will have an edge (better materials, cooled seats, CBMS, adaptative headlights, made in Japan -fwtw-, new noise cancellation system and isolation, better stance, and many other small upgrades on an already refined and proved car that make it a superb package IMHO. Actually if one is already shelling out $42K for a TL why dont put a few extra K and get an RL?