Chas2

The website is incomplete. You cannot read the black lettering against the Redondo Red car in the night scene. The engine is still featured as a 3.5L 290 hp V-6. I am sure that will change over time. They had similar problems with the change from 07 to 08.

Trackruner228

iTrader: (1)

Remember how I said I saw this commerical? Well thanks to the power of DVR I just went back a few minutes and recorded it. Keep in mind its a camara pointed at my TV so its not great quality.

First video I have ever uploaded to youtube.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HzGPZOD0_nw

Trackruner228

iTrader: (1)

See above link I know what your thinking but that is the RL it even says the all new RL. I may be stupid but I am smart enough to know the difference between a TSX and an RL.

dwboston

No one called you stupid. The vague description that you gave sounded just like the TSX commercial. No need to be confrontational about it.

acuda

His description was not vague at all....he mentioned the steak, just like they did in the commercial. The TSX commercial you refer to has someone going for sushi (check it out...it is available on the acura website under "TSX Videos:commercials"). Chiding him for being confrontational is comical when you started this problem by erroneously stating that his description "... fits the TSX commercial perfectly".

Kudos to Trackrunner for the first commercial sighting and the upload.

dwboston

Yeah right. I'm way off base about the TSX commercial with the James Spader voiceover about a steak and showing guys in a steakhouse. Completely off base. Thanks for your opinion though.

P.S. - It's called "Howl" and it's on the Acura website in the TSX section smart-ass

TampaRLX-SH

Yep, I saw it this afternoon 4 times! On cable channels and network channels. It is very similar to other Acura Advance commercials, subtle and nicely done. It does keep the car in the shadows and focuses on the technology. I don't think it will sell more cars or raise awareness of the RL. The grille does stand out (and I still don't like it.) The tailights at night are VERY Mercedes. I like the circular 'starburst' LEDS we have, more unique.

It motivated me to wash and detail my RL tonight. It affirmed how much I love the styling of this underappreciated vehicle. the 05-08 RL style is very organic and flowing and the abrupt confused lines of the 09 make that very clear to me. In the early evening light, with thunder rumbling in the distance I gazed at it as the sunset reflected off the mirror finish.

I love the intersection of lines in the nose, headlamps and front fenders. I cannot forgive what they have done.

dwboston

And kudos to Trackruner for "finding" and uploading a video that's posted on Acura.com in the RL section. Great find!

GoHawks

I washed mine last night. I couldn't help but admire it tonight as I left work and was walking towards it in the parking lot.

It has an understated elegance to it. Kind of like a well fitting suit as opposed to a flashy outfit accessorized with a ton of bling.

After over two years, I still love this car.

neuronbob

Imaginary rep points to Trackrunner for making use of his DVR.

If only I could tear my two-year-old away from watching "Calliou" long enough that I can watch an Acura ad.

oban

So happy that I bought a 2006.

honda_nut

Well, hope this helps.

You could modify the gril by painting the frame body color. Then you could cut out the center portion and realign it with the headlights in the center.

Since many TL owners have modified their grills, I am assuming that this could also be done pretty cheaply.

before


after


Man, this car just makes me sad even though I can't buy one yet.

White92

I posted the accessories 3 days ago. LOL Post 135.

Trackruner228

iTrader: (1)

I know I was trying to make a joke it didnt come out right but at least you guys can enjoy the commerical. I didnt mean to cause issue and sorry if I did.

sufall96

I think the car is a handsome car with a much more aggressive stance. I sense a lot of hating on here. Just be real with yourself. "To thine own self be true".

Hey I've owned an 04 TL since 04 and I am looking foward to getting either the 09 TL, 09 RL or 08 GS 350. Which ever I get the most for my money, but I'll audition all. It is a lot of factors I will consider. And without hating on neither.

Treblig

I had a chance to drive the new '09 RL Saturday afternoon. First of all let me say that the car, IMO, actually looks pretty good in person. The look is more "sporty" as opposed to "luxury" in the case of the 04-08 (our) cars. The removal of the chrome from the bumpers and the side moulding also adds to the "sportier" look inspite of the of the chrome trim that has now been added to the lower rocker panels (ala Lexus LS). The grille doesn't look as bad as I thought it would and the rear end of the car looks....different (I haven't quite decided yet although the exhaust tips look "added on" to me.) I like the taillights but like the old style lights better.

As far as the interior, it most definitely felt familiar. In contrast to the sportier exterior, the interior felt a bit more on the luxurious side...a function of the center console which now features wood and the new shifter. Standard fare now the includes the "wood" steering wheel and shift knob. The cooled seats doesn't feel like one is sitting on an iceberg, actually it was hard to tell that they were cooled until I touched them, but it did feel less "sticky". The real time weather feature was interesting and I'm sure would be helpful when planning one's drive.

The drive...again, quite familiar. However, the car felt a bit torquier and a bit more solid. The ride is now very close to my A-Spec suspended car providing less float and more control through turns. Wanting to make sure that it wasn't just the newness of the car and the excitement of driving the new model, I went home and drove mine. The difference in the torque feel was real. Everything else felt basically the same to me.

In conclusion, if you like your car now, particularly dynamically, you will like the new car. You will have to decide on how much you like the car aesthetically. As for me, I did think about trading my '06 for the new '09 but concluded that the differences don't justify the cost right now. The '09 model is the last of the RL as we know it and the next model will be a complete redesign (according to the Acura guys). The newly redesigned TL maybe different enough for me to consider a change so I will wait to hear more about that car.

Sorry, nothing earth shattering in my report, but this is just one of many opinions that you will undoubtedly read.

Mokos23

i saw the 09 RL at the chicago auto show, in person that grill is just ugly, it looks better on the TSX

lumpulus

You got that right, I HATE the front end, and nothing will make me unhate it.

Car and Driver's "Hit in the face with a frying pan" comment perfectly describes it for me.

SpicyMikey

You're absolutely correct. You did. I remember.

It's just that seeing it on the Acura site was "seeing is believing" confirmation. No offense my friend.

SpicyMikey

Thanks for the feedback. I haven't seen one in person yet but I tend to agree with your styling impressions based on the photo's. All in all I think it looks better than ours. The grill is hard to like, but it's not a catastrophe either. I've said that from the beginning and still think that. It won't cause Acura to loose sales. It might actually help by distinguishing it from Honda's face.

The torque and suspension improvements are interesting to hear. THAT is very important and will help sell more RL's for those cross shopping the competition. This MMC tweek may help sales more than I originally thought.

lumpulus

BZZZT. You are incorrect, sir, because they already lost my sale, and I'm sure I'm not the only one. I compare the front end disaster with the Subaru Tribeca a couple years back, and that only lasted a year and was changed.

neuronbob

Thanks, Treblig!

So maybe our A-Spec comments helped Honda tweak the suspension? It sounds like the cooled seats work.

Did you try much of the electronics? XM Weather? Directional microphone? Huh? Huh?

I agree with your comments on the TL. From the description, the SH-AWD TL will probably take its place in the Acura lineup where our RL is now, and the next gen RL will move upmarket.

My dealer still doesn't have them, just called again. Surprised as they're a high-volume seller.

SpicyMikey

Dude, its a net sum game. They'll loose sales and gain some. Not going to say I know for certain what the affect will be. However, my money is on this new look helping not hurting. You and I might have liked the current look. But obviously we were odd.

SPUDMTN

Correct. I love my G1 RL and love the G2 RL even more. Both did not sell well. It would not be wise for Acura to listen to the opinion of the few faithful to direct the design of the vehicle, as we are obviously a minority. The goal is for the vehicle to polarize and "stick" and those who like the look of the currently conservative RL won't fully appreciate the bolder designs (SIDE NOTE: I think the headlamps of the '09 RL make it look more anonymous )

Take the BMW 5-series for example: when it first came out, everyone was crying foul (especially the bimmer faithful, many of which still claim the E39 5er and E38 7er are the last of the REAL bimmers)...it's flying off the shelves now, a leader in its segment. The new MDX was quite polarizing at first with the brash grille, and forced some of the MDX faithful to jump ship...but its been an incredible success, especially given the competition in the segment (this is a better example for those who will say that the only saving grace for the 5er is the blue and white propeller on the hood and trunklid). And while it was a questionable design at first, now it is aggressive and handsome (as many would agree).

ANYWAY...in the process of "advancing" the appeal RL, Acura will no doubt alienate some of its current buyers--the minority of the midsize lux segment who don't mind being proud owners of the segment wallflower.



--hope this doesn't spiral off into another "Philosophy of the Acura Brand" thread--

neuronbob

Too late....

The Mercury-sedan front look will certainly hook some more Americans, I guess. We'll soon see. We who like the 2G RL are definitely odd birds, I guess.

BradleyDichter

This kind of modification would be a problem if you intend to get the Technology package and ACC/CMBS as it needs an additional plastic bit underneath the power plenum that fronts the radar unit.

BradleyDichter

The new 09 RL commercial "Smartest" is on the Acura web site now, the last choice in the Photo and Video Gallery. And you can see from the exterior spin view showing the Technology Package's additional glossy-black tooth dangling from the Power Plenum grin, I mean grill.

SpicyMikey

Agree totally

If you're right, the fact that we don't like the front end probably is a good sign for the Acura design team. They obviously don't want to cater to us for design feedback. We're clearly a minority and would probably lead them off a cliff. I think the Lexus GS is ugly but it outsold the RL 10 fold. So, what do I know

BradleyDichter

And what do you think? Darken the power plenum except for a thin line to either side, and it starts taking on the bright trim on the vents lower down inside of the fog lamps.

TampaRLX-SH

I recall the initial reviews of the 05 RL were very favorable, even exciting and most spoke of the 2nd Gen RL as aggressively styled.

Only after sales started to tank (in the 06 model year) did the carping begin on the styling (interesting corollary).

In a designer's mind ANY kind of attention is a successful design. Even if it is negative attention. I have yet to see a review of the 09 RL where a hesitant if not direct slam (frying pan) was the reaction to this hatchet job.

For any of you who have ever watched Trading Spaces, this grille design is definately a 'Hilde'.

That is my story, and I am sticking to it.

SPUDMTN

For me, the issue isn't the grille itself--it's the placement of the grille. The leading edge of the hood should be aligned with the top of the headlamps (in other words, the grille is too high).

It seems the grille was aligned with the bottom of the headlamps

Here's a picture from back when the '09 ranting originally began.


https://acurazine.com/forums/showpos...postcount=1192

TampaRLX-SH

The reason for this was to make the nose of the RL compliant with new pedestrain safety standards in Europe and North America. This requires the nose of the car to be higher, more blunt and the ability to absorb the impact of a pedestrian.

This design was a stop gap measure. In order to raise the front edge of the grille, the hood had to also be raised, and then shortened to accomodate the new front facia. The result is the choppy panel alignment most have commented as the sore spot of the design. However, if you read the spin, they say it was to make the front of the car more pronounced and stately, and it likley does make it seem larger.

Personally, I think this could have been acheived without this hack job.

SpicyMikey

I agree with this last exchange about the grill size and placement. No defending it. It's a mistake. If the car sells more units, it's inspite of this, not because of it.

If Acura wants to use this "plenum" design going forward, they clearly need to implement it better. Even the TSX version looks 10 times better than the RL implementation (and there's still areas for improvement there also). The photochops floating around all looked better than the current desgn.

Bottom line; I don't think this concept is a catastrophe. I doubt they are considering scratching it. However, the design definitely needs to mature (to put it nicely). I'm certain the designers are looking at it and saying; "oops, it's amazing how much better that looked on paper....".

I'm sure there's a version 2.0 on the drawing board already.

lumpulus

I'm confused...by current if you mean the 2GL up till '08 then fine.

There are no words for how much I HATE the 09 front grill.

kenny5

If you hate the front grille of the 09 RL, how do like the one from Audi? I think car designers nowadays want to present a LOUD, attention-grabbing feature (be it the front grille or the overtly HIGH belt line) to attract buyers. For those buyers who want others to notice them, this is a formula for success. For those who prefers an understated elegance (as much of the RL owners), the attention getting design is unwarranted and a turn off.

CL6

I saw this beast today and the grille needs slaying. It really ruined the looks. That and the rectangular light inside the headlights. I did not care for the chrome strip along the trunk either. The inside looks the same although the non-Techs apparently have black plood on the dash. I think the Tech I saw had wood but I'm not sure. The grille is just really ugly and it didn't look like a $50,000.00 car to me. Those tiny fog lights in the bumper looked strange as well. Nobody at the dealership liked the looks of that car and I don't blame them. The TSX actually looked okay except for that ugly grille but the RL looks messed up. I didn't care for the Japanese gearshift lever, either. Looks like the Tech version comes with the wood wheel.

I'm very glad I left Acura. Their sales are down and their new products are looking disappointing. The TL looks like it will be a good car except for that nasty grille.

Basically the thing I liked about the RL's looks in front were the curves now it seems much more square and, well, that grille... Nasty stuff I think! Too bad it was a nice car.

Makes me wonder what idiot thought this redesign was a good idea.

halfaznguy87

The reason I got disappointed over this MMC is cuz I felt like Acura/Honda didn't go far enough with this design.. I mean this only within exterior design, I've been with Acura/Honda long enough to learn that their engineering/performance is nothing to ever complain about no matter how bad it looks on paper...

I've relaxed from my extreme dislike of the exterior design, the quality of design is outstanding..

Are the current owners odd? I'm going to say no. The First Gen RL just wasn't good enough to protray the image Acura/Honda had hoped. The second gen was something that could, but with most things you don't build a reputation over night.. I was at costco getting something to eat, and there was a gold RL right next to the line. At some point almost everyone gave their attention to it. Some commenting on the nice design, others at the ultra cool interior (car had no tints). One even attempted to estimate its cost at around 60k.. I smiled thinking many refuse to pay over 45k for it.. Point being I was actually surprised by the positive feedback that RL accumulated just in that line. So I don't think RL owners are odd for their choice, I'd say they're head of the game and caught onto something good way early.. IMO

Chas2

So Pohanka Acura in northern VA now has 15 2009 available. 1 base, 13 tech 1 CMBS. If I get some time for test, I let you all know what I think compared to my 2006.

CL6

One thing I found odd was that the engine cover and hood latch for the 09 were changed and 'VTEC' was removed from the engine cover. I wonder why?

carlos9827

iTrader: (2)

I just wanted to say when I first saw the pictures of the newly redesigned 09 RL on leftlanenews.com, I wasn't really feeling it. I heard from some people that it has actually hit some showroom floors but I don't think we have one in San Diego yet. So anyway, I went onto Acura.com and did the whole Interactive Showroom thing, I have to admit I was impressed and IMO the new RL has more similarities to the styling of my 05 TL than the 05-08 RLs did. I don't know I want to spend $55k on it though, since I would definately want the RL with Technology and CMBS / ACC Packages if I decided to get one. I am really anxious to see the 09 TL as many others are.