Comments re RL, GS300, M35
03-01-2005, 08:06 AM
#41
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Originally Posted by nicolasj
I was considering the RL until I drove the M35. Why do yo say for technology the RL wins hands down? It's got less impressive features than the M: the M has ventilated seats, adaptive cruise control/pre crash seatbelts, active head restraints, backup camera, lane departure warning system, etc, etc. You can even get the M with a premium package that includes reclining/heated rear seats and a motorized fold-down DVD screen on the ceiling...
Where does the RL wins hand-down in this area?
You can input data to the NAV by using the voice recognition feature, can't you? By the way the nav system is great on the M (and you can watch DVDs on it while the car is stopped and in Park; of course, that's a bit over the top but still pretty cool).
I always thought the RL looks better than the M. The RL looks very classy (Jaguar type of thing) while the M feels and looks sporty (BMW-like). Only my opinion. Both cars are wonderful.
Where does the RL wins hand-down in this area?
You can input data to the NAV by using the voice recognition feature, can't you? By the way the nav system is great on the M (and you can watch DVDs on it while the car is stopped and in Park; of course, that's a bit over the top but still pretty cool).
I always thought the RL looks better than the M. The RL looks very classy (Jaguar type of thing) while the M feels and looks sporty (BMW-like). Only my opinion. Both cars are wonderful.
Nicolas,
You are right...the RL doesn't win hands down. After you list all the features, I can see that it's pretty close. I guess I just got the "impression" that the RL had more technology, maybe because the presentation is much better in the RL. But you are right, the M does have lots of cool features too.
Curiously, NEITHER car has rain-sensing wipers, something found in every other Acura and most Inifinitis. There must be a reason why cars in this category don't have this wonderful feature (which works so well on my MDX), but I can't figure out what it is.
And yes, you can do voice entry while moving. My bad for actually believing a salesperson
.The NAV system of the M is most impressive (the birdseye view is very cool).
thanks!
03-01-2005, 08:25 AM
#42
Originally Posted by catsailr
Who rides in the back seat anyway. The M's reclining seats look great if you don't have any legs. BTW the 01 Ford Escape I used to own had reclining rear seats and so does my 04 Trailblazer.
03-01-2005, 08:34 AM
#43
Originally Posted by fifty_rocks
Curiously, NEITHER car has rain-sensing wipers, something found in every other Acura and most Inifinitis. There must be a reason why cars in this category don't have this wonderful feature (which works so well on my MDX), but I can't figure out what it is.
03-01-2005, 09:30 AM
#44
Originally Posted by phile
Almost all the SUVs out there have that feature as there is space in back of the seats to allow for them to recline. But it's much harder to do in a sedan. And IMO unless there is enough room, I think it's pointless to even have them.
And to Nicolasj...
The SH-AWD is a seamless system, so it is basically helping you most of the time without your even knowing it. It becomes evident only when you take a curve fast and floor the gas. You can feel the torque going through the outside rear wheel. In my everyday commute, I have at least 3 winding freeway onramps that require I pick up speed and merge into traffic, not to mention a few corners. Each time I enter one, I appreciate SH-AWD.
Not to say the M is a bad car in any way. In fact, my AWD FX is just as fun as the RL. It's just that we were talking about which car had the most impressive technology. I consider SH-AWD quite a feat of technology on Acura's part.
03-01-2005, 01:09 PM
#45
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Originally Posted by fifty_rocks
Nicolas,
You are right...the RL doesn't win hands down. After you list all the features, I can see that it's pretty close. I guess I just got the "impression" that the RL had more technology, maybe because the presentation is much better in the RL. But you are right, the M does have lots of cool features too.
Curiously, NEITHER car has rain-sensing wipers, something found in every other Acura and most Inifinitis. There must be a reason why cars in this category don't have this wonderful feature (which works so well on my MDX), but I can't figure out what it is.
And yes, you can do voice entry while moving. My bad for actually believing a salesperson.
The NAV system of the M is most impressive (the birdseye view is very cool).
thanks!
You are right...the RL doesn't win hands down. After you list all the features, I can see that it's pretty close. I guess I just got the "impression" that the RL had more technology, maybe because the presentation is much better in the RL. But you are right, the M does have lots of cool features too.
Curiously, NEITHER car has rain-sensing wipers, something found in every other Acura and most Inifinitis. There must be a reason why cars in this category don't have this wonderful feature (which works so well on my MDX), but I can't figure out what it is.
And yes, you can do voice entry while moving. My bad for actually believing a salesperson
.The NAV system of the M is most impressive (the birdseye view is very cool).
thanks!
I'm a bit bummed that neither of the cars have rain-sensing wipers, you are right. I love this feature, even if I would not have much use for it here in CA ;o)
The wipers on the RL and M are speed sensitive, I don't see why the manufacturers didn't go the extra mile and put the rain-sensing feature as well, especially since it's a technology that they have been mastering for some time now. Doesn't make sense to me.
One thing I was impressed with the Nav system in the M is how fast it is. You speed through the menus at the speed of sound... And one cool feature is that you can use buttons on the steering wheel to move through/select menus on the screen (for the nav, climate, audio). I don't remember if the RL has this as well.
03-01-2005, 04:00 PM
#46
Originally Posted by fifty_rocks
I drove all three today, as I'm considering these vehicles.
Quite an interesting day!
For vehicle dynamics, the overwhelming winner was the M35 (non-sport, btw), followed by the RL with the GS a very distant third. The M is a very sweet handling car, that responds fluidly and accurately to input from the helm. The RL felt muted and distant. The GS, well, is a Lexus after all
For ride, I liked the M35 (though it's not the softest ride, it's beautifully damped) followed by the RL with the floaty GS coming in third.
For quiet, the RL was the winner, followed by the M35 and the GS (somewhat surprisingly, the GS was louder than the competitors, especially tire noise).
For power, the M35 was the clear winner, followed by the RL and the GS.
For the interior quality, the RL wins hands down, followed by the M35 and the GS.
For solidity, the M35 won, followed closely by the Lexus, with the RL in third (again, a test car with numerous creaks).
Fun to drive? M35, with the other two not even close.
For technology? The RL wins hands down....you could spend all day running through all the menus. The GS and the M35 tie for a distant second. though the GS Bluetooth wouldn't work with my Treo 650. The lane warning system in the M35 is quite cool, and I didn't think it would be. Both the GS and the M do NOT allow data input for the nav system while the vehicle is in motion, which would make for a very unhappy co-pilot.
I'm still waiting to drive an M45 before deciding, but right now, my order of preference is:
M35
RL
GS300 (not even close).
Hope this is interesting.... let the games begin....
Quite an interesting day!
For vehicle dynamics, the overwhelming winner was the M35 (non-sport, btw), followed by the RL with the GS a very distant third. The M is a very sweet handling car, that responds fluidly and accurately to input from the helm. The RL felt muted and distant. The GS, well, is a Lexus after all
For ride, I liked the M35 (though it's not the softest ride, it's beautifully damped) followed by the RL with the floaty GS coming in third.
For quiet, the RL was the winner, followed by the M35 and the GS (somewhat surprisingly, the GS was louder than the competitors, especially tire noise).
For power, the M35 was the clear winner, followed by the RL and the GS.
For the interior quality, the RL wins hands down, followed by the M35 and the GS.
For solidity, the M35 won, followed closely by the Lexus, with the RL in third (again, a test car with numerous creaks).
Fun to drive? M35, with the other two not even close.
For technology? The RL wins hands down....you could spend all day running through all the menus. The GS and the M35 tie for a distant second. though the GS Bluetooth wouldn't work with my Treo 650. The lane warning system in the M35 is quite cool, and I didn't think it would be. Both the GS and the M do NOT allow data input for the nav system while the vehicle is in motion, which would make for a very unhappy co-pilot.
I'm still waiting to drive an M45 before deciding, but right now, my order of preference is:
M35
RL
GS300 (not even close).
Hope this is interesting.... let the games begin....
03-01-2005, 05:02 PM
#47
Originally Posted by nicolasj
fifty_rocks, let's say they are both great cars :o)
blah blah blah blah
blah blah blah blah
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