Hou-RL

Check this out! MSN has a link on the home page comparing the 2 cars. Though they don't have all of the data needed to really prove the point, I beleive the Acura blows the BMW away. They also threw the Cadillac STS in for price comparison.


http://autos.msn.com/research/compar...00453&v=t98976

hemants

Well, the BMW has a tighter turning radiius!

That's about it.

MaxBuck

For what it's worth, I fully intended to buy an RL until I drove the BMW 545i. Major difference between the V8 and I6 flavors of Bimmer, and the 545i is one magnificent beast. It will almost certainly be my next vehicle, reliability problems notwithstanding.

hemants

I agree you cannot compare the V6 to a V8.

But the BMW would be last on my list behind :

GS430
M45
E500
A64.2


Make sure you go sit in one. The interior sucks big time - the screen is recessed 8 inches which destroys any flow to the interior, and the hump above the screen makes for poor visibility. I really don't know what they were thinking.

Hou-RL

My pick would be in this order

E500 4MATIC
BMW 545Xi
A64.2 Standard 4 Wheel drive
GS430 4Wheel drive
M45 4Wheel Drive

hemants

Brabus CLS!!!!!!!

8-)

I thought the GS430 was rwd only???

phile

It is.

8-)

An awd gs430 would have been the only car to make me think twice about the RL.

MaxBuck

If we are ranking autos in the 50-65k price range, my vote would look like this:

BMW 545i (by a wide margin; a beast with great luxury; best handling by far)
Acura RL (the best buy in the bunch by a long shot)
Benz E500 (great motor)
Caddy STS V8 (powerful but a bit unrefined)
BMW 530i (too few ponies; "fencing champ at a gunfight")
Lexus GS 430*
Benz E320D (just drive this diesel if you don't believe it belongs here; it rocks!)
Jaguar XJ8L (yes, you can easily get one for less than 65k; L-variant easily the roomiest of this group)
Infiniti M45 (great acceleration but feels cheap; handling is mediocre compared to most others in this group; feels gimmicky to me)
Audi A6 4.2L V8 (harsh ride and church-pew-like seats; this is NOT a luxury car IMO)

*Didn't drive this one; based on the nice, but very cramped, interior.

Interesting discussion proves that one's preferences are very individual. That's why there are so many auto makers!

sufall96

I would't call the 545i a beast. The M5 would be in more of the Beast category. Along with the E55 and RS6, CARS LIKE THAT ARE BEAST.

KidK

They have a Brabus CLS in the window here at the dealership (Newport Beach, CA) and it looks hot.

My wife wants the CLS 55 but I am leaning towards the RL for two reasons aside from price; 1. everybody and their maid drives a Mercedes in SoCal and 2. I need room for five when we hire a driver to cart our drunk butts around in my car.

I know the RL isn't huge, but it is big enough for five on the weekends and small enough for my wife to drive daily.

Thoughts?

mungoac

You can compare anything to anything you like. You can compare a V6 to a V16, a V2 to a VFW brigadier general (ret.); George Bush to the Pope and Clinton to the Great Auk. This is America; you can do any g.d. thing you want, this side of the law. But for cheese sakes, stop this endless, sophomoric, sophorific banter about the V8. V8 makes a pretty interesting Bloody Mary; it's downhill from there as far as interesting goes. It's a bloody motor; it's a matter of what it has to pull, whose lead foot is on the pedal and what's in front of you. Why don't you V8 freaks start a bulletin board strictly dedicated to the niftyness of the V8, then come back here and discuss somethingmore interesting, such as how to consistently get out of bed, into the car and on the road in the morning with the fly forward. Now that ought to be a challenge. Gimme a break.

actright

yeah listen to the old dude!

catsailr

I second that. Listen to the old dude. He's the only one I've found on here older than I am.

hemants

Okay, you CAN compare a pontiac firefly to an escalade if you really want to.

Doesn't mean you will gain much interest in the discussion however.

My point was that the RL is better compared to the 530xi than the 545.

It's called controlling the variables.

ie. V6 vs V8, AWD vs RWD, and Acura vs BMW.

Rob L

Hell yeah!!!


I say if people want to compare the RL to V8 cars costing much more and bitch about the RL's apparently pinto like power then they can go right ahead and have fun with that.

DCRL

If reliability were thrown into the mix, I'd strip out the Audi, BMW, Cadillac, Mercedes, and Jaguar. That would leave me with just the Acura and the Lexus. What do you know? I bought the RL!

MaxBuck

Yeah, well, had Acura offered a V8 I would have included it in my considerations.

My comparison was: what I could afford, needing a 4-door sedan, wanting sporting character. I think it says something that the RL plays in the same league with the V8 offerings from Lexus, BMW, Benz, and Jag. Now, having owned the 545 for a few months and with 6300 miles on the odo, I'm happier than ever that I bought it. Hope you all are equally happy with your RLs.