I am still holding on to my first gen RL a 97, I took my car in to the dealership because I had a egr valve was making the engine check light go off. I did research beforehand and found it was covered under an extended warranty.

They gave me a TL as a loaner, I knew the dealership only had one RL as a loaner but it looks like someone else was getting some work done a few days before me and they had the car for the last few days so no driving test on the 2010 RL for me.

Tried the new TL, it's definitely a lot faster than my old RL, has some nice features, sportier. Things that were not as nice was that there was too many buttons and they were no as easy to reach like my old RL, there's actual les Field of view up front because the dash takes up a lot of space and cover's a lot of your front viewing area, looking back does not help too much because the trunk is high and the window is small. I still enjoyed some of the creature comforts of it such as nav, xm and it's sportier.

I took a limited looked at the new RL, they didn't have too many of them, seems like the RL and the TL are too similar sized, and they actually shrank the car compared to the first gen, so it got my thinking it really feels like the RL is having to compete with the TL because the TL is 10k cheaper and they are similar size.

Now here are a few things I wish they would change on the RL, Size, make it bigger, make it faster, Acura really needs to man up and drop a V8 on that car because even the TL SH-AWD can be obtained with the same 3.7 v6, I noticed this on the RL and was wondering would it kill Acura to finally add a pass through folding seats? I can understand that the RL is a luxo cruiser but almost taking a little over 7 seconds. About the looks it doesn't matter as much anymore, the RL is known to be a car that grows and you slowly becomes more acceptable.

So what do you guys think it will take for them to change on the RL so that it can space away from the TL and it's true competitors? Have you guys tried the new RL and TL and what do you think?

 

The TL SH-AWD now competes with the 2G RL and unfortunately, the primary differentiation is with build and interior quality, and with sportiness (TL more so). The differentiation was better between the 3G TL and the 2G RL. The TL's FMC came first and added features pioneered in the (RL SH-AWD, XM nav/traffic/weather, etc.). The RL FMC....well, we don't know when it's coming yet.

The mass of buttons is considerable, but the voice activation system is ridiculously easy to use, so you don't have to push that many buttons.

As far as the V8 is concerned, Honda has already officially announced that the V8/RWD originally thought to be planned for the 3G RL is dead. The latest scuttlebutt is that the next RL might be a hybrid. Again, we won't know until Acura lets us know, which won't be this year and possibly not next, either.

Yes, the RL has a passthrough in the back seats. It came in handy when I had an exhaust installed for my RL and I had to take the exhaust to the shop.

Last, if you do a search, you will see that this issue has been discussed at least dozens of times in the last two years. We RL owners (and in my case, former owner), are passionate about what we want in the RL. Mostly, we want the car to look good, to have a powerful engine, FWD or preferably RWD as an option rather than only SH-AWD, a larger back seat, and a sporty option for those who want sport with their lux.

 

Yeah, I was kinda disappointing when they killed/delayed the NSX project since they were mentioning about shoving that engine in the RL. The new updated RL kinda grows on you, I like what they did with the rear, the lights extend too much on the side and the grill is something a mother could only love. I've seen ppl paint the grill in the new RL and it looks pretty good (I think 036 member has it painted).
About FWD vs RWD I think they should stick to awd but remap it like the BMW, Audi and Infinity to perform more like a rwd and act like awd when you do something stupid or for weather security reassurance.
The newer RL is not that bad looking, is mostly that odd grill that's killing it and the light extend too much on the side, I do like how the side of the front wheel kinda give it that spear look.

Maybe Honda needs to make a model above the RL, bring back the Legend name, something to really compete with the 7 series. How does the New RL feel compared to the old one.

 

I had my RL in for service and they gave me a 09 TL to use, at first I like it but after about an hour or so of beating the crap out of it I began to like it much less than the RL.
First of all, I hate the front wheel drive, torque steer, etc.
Fit and finish really are much better in RL, I did not notice it right away, took a while. Hated using a key again, small item but I love the RL key staying in my pocket. Stereo was not near as nice. The seats were a bit hard in the wrong places.
Most important thing for me is if looking for a new or used car, drive it for much more than a short test drive, some of these things take time to discover what you like or do not like, more than 30 minutes for sure.

 

and some wonder why loaners are sometimes hard to get.
hope you are exaggerating.

 

I am not , I admit it, I am 58 and drive loaners very hard, not abusive but redline shifts, hard braking, strong cornering.

 

I drove a TL loaner a few months ago and posted my impressions. Sportier, quicker drivetrain; less luxurious and somewhat cramped interior; absolutely hideous, butt-ugly, horrid, appalling, repulsive, ghastly exterior. (Did I mention that I don't like the looks of the TL?)

In no way is the current TL equivalent to the RL. I can't understand why Consumer Reports keeps saying, year after year, that the the TL brings almost as much to the table as the RL. They are very different cars. In my view, they don't really compete with each other. I would never consider trading down.

I'll keep my RL until Neuron's Legend hybrid gets built. Assuming, that is, that Acura fires their current incompetent designers and makes the next Legend a decent-looking luxury vehicle. A bigger bro to the TSX--minus the "toof"--would do me just fine.

 

I am with the OP. Had a 09 TL as loaner when my 02 RL was being serviced, and did not like anything about the TL except it being faster and better handling. Exterior is hideous and interior seemed to have a GM-cluttered look. Hate the textured instrument panel binnacles ... just felt so busy and cramped! I was so glad to get back into my (old) car again. I know I don't have a G2 RL, but my G1 RL feels like subdued and classy luxury to me.

 

You must not have had a tech package. The TL sound system in the tech package is superior to the Rl. I had a 06 RL and though the sound system is good not on par with ELS in tech TL. In fact the tech ELS is recognized as one of the best stock radios out there. There was an article in RD that said it was THE best. Tech TL also is keyless, with pushbutton start.

 

I have a '05RL & an '09TL Tech and IMHO the TL has a better ride, better handling and sound system is superior to the RL. And, as in the RL, key stays "in my pocket" for entry and superior push button start. Now if they could only improve the front end (although the look does grow on you!).

 

Mostly agree with the above.

I'm driving a base '09 TL right now as a dealer loaner. It's painfully obvious that they ported a ton of thinking from the RL to this car. The configuration of the speakers, the look of the gauges (though not the elegance), a lot of the controls and interior toys. They're all there, just cheaper and less tasteful.

Even in 2WD base form, the car is noticeably louder and stiffer than my '06 RL (pretty similar in stiffness to the '09 RL I drove briefly). I despise the exterior styling as many do, but I also have to say the interior is pretty cheap-looking and spaceshippy-tacky, too. The pity is, it seems to actually be made from pretty good, solid materials -- I think it's a design matter.

Honestly, I'm more impressed with the base Maxima I test-drove than with this car. I trust the long-term quality of the Acura much more, but this one aesthetically just doesn't flip my flapjacks.