dwboston

My sister brought over her new 2008 Honda CR-V EX-L tonight and I have to say I'm pretty impressed with the Acura technology that's filtered down to the Hondas. The CR-V has the Acura nav system, and the screen "pops out" and folds down horizontally to reveal a CD slot behind it, and an SD Card slot to play MP3 and WMA's (finally). Also head the backup camera and voice recognition, but no Bluetooth. It also had a scaled down version of the MID.

It's good to see the Acura tech make it to the Hondas and hopefully it sets the stage for more impressive stuff in the new Acuras coming out this year.

csmeance

honda is def. getting some good technology in their cars. Honda is the econimacal division, so if they are getting some good lux. stuff, acura better be getting some really good technology...

neuronbob

Remember, one of the roles of the RL is to showcase technology that is destined for Hondas within 3-4 years. That's simply the way of the world nowadays. You can get a navi in a CIVIC now that was in an Acura a few years ago. The RL also contains tech that is quickly copied by other makers (then the other companies claim credit for it....witness BMW's new torque transfer AWD and Ford/Microsoft SYNC). It's one reason sales of the RL languished after the first 18 months.

In other words, with the RL...."you saw it here first!"

Rexorg

As this thread is pointing out, a lot (make that everything) of tech/convenience/luxury is filtering down to ordinary cars. In the good old days luxury was defined as things you could not get in entry level cars, or had to pay a big premium for such as: AC, PS, PW, PB, tilt, cruise, auto trans, leather, power seats/heat, navi, wood trim, radial tires, disc brakes, alloy/chrome wheels, TPMS, HID, head-up display, rear defroster, power mirrors, auto on/off lights, etc., etc. Is an '08 Civic EX-L an entry level luxury car?

dwboston

It's a CR-V, and it is the top-of-the-line CR-V. Sticker was a little over $29k including the destination charge. Built in Japan as well.

The pop-out Nav screen was cool, if a little gimmicky. There's even a warning not to rest your drink on top of the screen when it's horizontal! The SD card, Nav disk, and MP3/WMA disk slots are behind the Nav screen. There is a 6-disk changer in the little console between the front seats but it can only play audio CD's. Also an AUX port down there as well.

I'm not sure I would want a pop-out screen in an RL unless there were a real reason for it

nyjohnchan

The Europe version of CR-V also gets CMBS/ACC as an option.

dwboston

I'd love to see some of the Euro and Japan Legend tech make it to the RL. Front side view cameras, Night vision, 3D nav, but most importantly, the pyrotechnic pop-up bonnet.

TampaRLX-SH

So for those who feel the RL is / was a bomb....

RL was the showcase car to introduce elements of Honda / Acura engineering and technology. The RL model did not sell much, BUT:

* Acura RL ACE body structure engineering tickles down into product line
* Acura RL SHAWD trickles down into Acura models (to be a hallmark of Acura brand)
* Acura RL Navi , arguably the best in the biz, now available in Honda brand models
* Acura RL telematics / interfaces, trickle down through Acura and Honda models in part or in some cases, improved upon (i.e. MDX HFL one up on RL HFL).
* Acura RL engine is now available in Accord in variant.
* Active Noise Cancellation trickles down as far as Accord.

And I am sure there are more elements, so please tack on to this list.

So the RL is / was a bomb? But what did it contribute to the Acura and Honda brands? Enough to sell a heck of a lot Acuras and Hondas touting features introduced with the RL. So how much of a failure is the RL? As a car model yes, as a platform to introduce engineering and technology into 2 brands... $$$.

Honda's visionaries are continually bashed for not getting into the flash and fashion race. But look at the big picture and they set enduring, practicle and reliable benchmarks. My RL may not win best choice awards, top sales or connect with a public drawn to trends like moths to a light. But it has impacted Acura and Honda with models the public is eating up. Honda and Acura are relatively small automobile manufacturers, but how MANY do you see on the roads in proportion to much larger manufacturers? At any rush hour traffic light I see 3+ Hondas and 2+ Acuras.

I will gladly swallow the pill of RL sales. The success of the RL I now see is in most every new Acura and Honda I see on the road. In my book, not only is that a success, it is visionary.

Rexorg

I know you were talking about the CR-V. I wanted to use a Honda car as an example. The '08 Civic EX-L is not considered an entry level luxury car, but if you look at what it offers compared to Civics only a few years ago it is indeed an entry level luxury car--leather, navi, good sound system, etc.

geronimomoe

Well said.....

dwboston

One other cool feature that I forgot to mention from the CR-V was the option to use an onscreen QWERTY keyboard instead of alphabetic when manually inputting addresses in the Nav. The CR-V has a touchscreen so obviously this would be less useful in the RL or MDX where the Nav sits too far away for touchscreen operation.

Rexorg

The RL "is a bomb" the last couple of years based on sales, but not value, technology, etc. As I've said before, a person with $50K credit or cash probably will look at the other more well known brands before buying an RL. Prior to the '04 TL I would not have purchased an Acura of any sort due to lack of information about the brand. I did not know anyone who had an Acura, but many who owned BMW, MB, Lexus, Audi, Infiniti. What I knew about Acura prior to '04 was that they had an old NSX and the RL 3.5 that looked like an old person's car (no offense) and was grossly underpowered for a luxury car. I was convinced to buy my '04 TL because of the rave reviews it received in the car mags. I am an avowed Acura fan now and will stay with the brand for the time being. However, if the 3G RL is indeed in the $60-70 range I probably will go with the the '10 TL-S in the $40-45K range next year.

SpicyMikey

Driving around in Orlando I see a lot of Acura's. Driving in a rather upity suburban town near orlando this week (Winter Park), I had another RL behind me, a TL in front of me, and an MDX to my right. I admit that was an extreme situation, but the point is, I find Acura is well accepted among people with the money to spend. Not everyone with $50k to spend is running out and buying MB's.

I'm not sure where you guys all live but around here it doesn't feel like "doom and gloom" for Acura sales or it's image

dwboston

Nor here in MA. We're right in the sweet spot for Acura and AWD cars. Lots of MDX's (both new style and previous-gen), TL's, and I'm seeing a lot more RL's on the road up here - looks like a lot of people have taken advantage of the bargain-basement RL prices.

lumpulus

An SH-AWD RSX with 250hp

Rexorg

In the podunk Indiana city (17,000 with 25% illegals) I live in there is only a couple 2G RLs and one TL that I know of. When I titled my RL last May the lady at the BMV did not have a clue what an Acura was. When I travel to Indy or Fort Wayne I see quite a few Acuras in the upscale areas, but mostly TLs and MDXs and an occasional 3G RL. My dealership in Indy (45 miles) has a tendancy to load up all their Acuras with pinstripes, optional wheels, A-Spec packages, plood steering wheels, running boards, rear spoliers, and window etching. They also push tire and wheel insurance. I was lucky when I first leased my current RL in June 2006 that it had just come off the carrier. Otherwise, I would have been paying a extra $3-4K. I paid $36,245 without tax after leasing for 11 months, or about $42K including the lease payments. I think I got a good deal.

TampaRLX-SH

My TL had the Qwerty keyboard, but I did not care for it. While jiggling around in the ride of the TL, it was nearly impossible to poiny and hit the character you wanted. Plus I hated having fingerprints on the screen! (kept a microfiber cloth in the console for stop light dusting and fingerprint removal. )

I thought I would miss the touch screen, but much prefer the RLs set up with better VR and the interface dial.

GoHawks

When I lived in the Chicago 'burbs, I would see 4-5 2nd gen RLs a day, and countless TLs and MDXs.

Having moved to southeast Michigan, it's more like 2 to 3 TLs a day, 1 to 2 MDXs a day, and 2 or 3 RLs a week.

Not surprsing given that I live and work in the Big 3s back yard, but it's still more than I expected.

Rexorg

Hey, SpicyMikey, will be in Kissimmee for 5 weeks starting 5 February. If you see my white '06 give me a wave.

SpicyMikey

Ahh, good time of year to come down. 75 degrees and sunny today It's also a quiet time of year. Have fun buddy

Kissimmee is tourist area right next to Disney World so probably wont see many Acura's around there. Expect to see a lot of Big 3 rental cars and minivans

F.Rizzo

My wife is from Van Wert!

In Los Angeles I can go days without seeing a 2G RL.
When I went to the dealer a couple of weeks ago I immediately got bum rushed by a sales guy. I told him: "listen up because I'm sure you dont hear this very often - I want to see a new RL". He agreed.