woof

The three year lease on my Lakeshore Silver 2005 RL is up, and I replaced
it with a new Opulent Blue Pearl 2008 RL with the tech package. Having
driven the 2005 for 3 years, and dealing with the quirks of a first
year, first generation design, I am in a unique position to detail
the differences between the first and fourth year of production of
what is basically the same car. While the 2005 features are still
fresh in my mind, here is a list of the differences I've noticed.


Start Knob in ACC(I)

In the 2005 RL, many drivers would not turn the start knob fully to "off"
when leaving the car, which left the knob in the Accessory(I) position,
allowing the battery to drain over time. The RL start knob is similar
to the knobs on other Acuras, just covered with a plastic hood in place
of the key. However, in the non-RLs, it is impossible to remove the key
unless the knob is turned to "off". As there is no key in the RL's start
knob, there is nothing forcing the driver to turn the car to off.

To alleviate this problem, in the 2008 RL when the "start knob" is turned
to the Accessory(I) position, a graphic appears in the MID showing a picture
of the knob and the words "Accessory (I) Position".

If the drivers door is opened while the knob is in the Accessory(I) position,
a yellow warning graphic appears in the MID showing the knob and an arrow showing
which way to turn the it, with the words "Return Ignition Switch to Lock(0)
Position". At the same time, a warning chime sounds.


Cruise Control MID Display

2005, when cruise control set, the whole MID display switched to a white
rectangle with rounded corners with the words "Cruise Control" in black letters.
If another mode is selected while in cruise via the The up/down
arrows on the steering wheel, the left half of the MID shows a
smaller version of this same graphic, and the right side cycles between:
1: Elapsed Time
2: Avg Fuel
3: Range
On the fourth selection, the display reverts to the full "cruise control"
graphic. It is not possible to select "instant MPG", "tire pressure",
"SHAWD torque", or "Average Speed" display modes while in cruise.

When cruise is cancelled, the MID display reverts to the mode it was
in before cruise was set, no matter what the mode was while in cruise.

If the HFL is used while in cruise, the left half of the MID shows
the "cruse control" graphic, and the right side shows the
HFL graphics shrunken to half their normal width.

In 2008, when cruise control is set, a small white rectangle with
rounded corners showing "cruise control" is shown in the upper right hand
corner overlaid over whatever was displayed on the MID at the time. No
functionality is lost.

When cruise is cancelled, the white rectangle disappears, and the display
mode of the MID is unchanged.


Headlamps on "Auto"

When turning off the car and opening the drivers door when the headlamp switch
is set to "auto" in the 2005 RL, if it is dark enough for the lamps to
be turned on, a "lights on" warning chime sounds. This warning is not valid,
as the lamps will be turned off automatically once the driver's door is closed.

In the 2008 RL, this warning chime does not sound.


Backup Camera

The 2008 RL w/Tech has a backup camera installed near the rear license
plate holder. When the transmission is placed in reverse, the
Navigation display switches to a full screen camera view.


"Aux" audio input

The 2008 RL has a 1/8 inch audio jack in the bottom section of the middle
storage arm rest. There is a button on the console audio controls
labeled "Aux/Disc". If a plug is plugged in the jack this button
will cycle between audio input from the jack or the currently selected
CD/DVD-A disk (if any). The button has no effect if there is no plug
and no disk.

The 2005 has no auxillarly input, and the console audio control is simply labeled "Disc".


Key Fobs

In the 2005 RL, if both drivers "1" and "2" key fobs are within detection distance
of the car when it is unlocked, the car uses driver "2"'s settings. This is backwards
from what the "quick start guide" and the owner's manual say, which claim driver
"1" should have preference.

Driver "1" has preference in the 2008 model. The salesman mentioned
that whichever fob is closest to the drivers door is selected, but
that doesn't match what I observed.


Personal Settings

The 2008 adds Elapsed Time reset choices. In the 2005 RL, there
was no choice and the elapsed timer reset every time the car
was turned off. The 2008 gives the ability to reset the timer
when the ignition is turned off, when Trip A is reset, or when
Trip B is reset.

In the 2008, there is a slight wording change in the Meter Setup
section. Previously it said "Trip A Reset with Refuel". Now
it says "Trip A & Avg Fuel Reset with Refuel". The functionality
has changed as well, as in the 2005 the only way to reset the
Avg Fuel display was to manually reset Trip A. The automatic
mode selected here did not reset it.


OnStar

The 2005 RL came with OnStar, and the left hand side of the overhead
console had buttons and a microphone for the On Star service. There
was a "shark fin" antenna on the top of the car for the On Star
analog cellphone.

The 2005 RL came with some amount of free On Star minutes when purchased.
(I don't recall the amount, I never used them).

The 2008 RL doesn't come with On Star. There are blank panels where
the On Starbuttons used to be, and there is no "shark fin" antenna.



XM Radio Service

The 2005 RL came with one year of complimentary XM radio service, and
one year of XM Nav Traffic service.

The 2008 RL comes with 90 days of complimentary service for both.


Navigation Screens

There are extra choice on the NAV screens, but this is more likely a
feature of the NAV software version, not the model year of the car.

getakey

Nice write-up.

I have a 2005 RL and may trade to 2008 just to get rid of that auto light chime

Also, my experience with the FOBs is that closest wins.
I have 2 questions:
Auto climate control in my 2005 behaves oddly at times and I always have to adjust temp between morning and afternoon use. Did you have similar issues and if so is 2008 improved?
Second, I find the range indicator useless as it shows 20 miles left when low fuel light comes on. Have the changed the range to be more in line with actual miles left when at low fuel warning?

TampaRLX-SH

Interesting.

There has been some minor changes indeed.

I think some occured by the 2006 model year (as is mine).

The Start Knob in ACC I - was changed in 2006.

Headlamps On chime changed in 2006.

Cruise Control on MID changed in 2006.

My Backup Cam was dealer installed as an option for 2006.

Personal Settings changed in 2006.

No AUX input in 2006 (an MusicLink was available, but apparently poorly executed).

My Keyfobs 'appear' to favor Driver 1. Not many experiences with both in the car.

OSTAR in 2006 - dropped in 2007

XM & ONSTAR were 1 year comp in 2006.

I did not realize so many changes occured just between the 05 & 06 models.

Curious what contributed to your decision to get another RL, woof? Care to share?

GREAT color choice btw.

neuronbob

That's a great comparo. I'm impressed you chose another RL. I agree with Tampa, what made you choose to purchase another?

Chas2

I think the answer can be found in the first part of the write up:

"The three year lease on my Lakeshore Silver 2005 RL is up, and I replaced
it with a new Opulent Blue Pearl 2008 RL with the tech package. "

Great write up on the differences, woof!

woof

Why get another RL? I would think, after reading this forum for 3 years, it should be obvious! I think it is still the nicest machine out there under 50K. I looked hard at the TL-S and even the Civic Si (hey for 22K it's a nice toy), thinking I wanted to go back to a manual, but found that the refinements and SH-AWD of the RL still win out.

I'm not a gear head, but I am a techie. I appreciate the tech in the RL, and was willing to "beta test" the first year (heck, first month!) production run to get it. It was fun. Even after 4 XM units, 2 sets of door handles, and gosh knows how many TSBs later, there was nothing that failed. Well, except for the windshields (2 of them) that took small stone hits that turned into a huge end to end cracks literally overnight. I still think there is something amiss with the Acura branded glass that caused this, but here in MA there is manditory glass breakage insurance, so it cost me nothing to replace, and the dealer had no interest in reporting it to corp.

So now's the time to reap the rewards of all that "QA" I did for Acura, and see what the 2008 has to offer

neuronbob

Well, duh.

TampaRLX-SH

Good Dog! GOOD Dog!

<tossing bone>

Gator5000e

Congrats on the 08. One question I have is very petty, but I need to know anyway. Does the 08 still have only 2 pages of XM presets (XM 1 & XM 2) with 6 presets per page?

I have always found this to be totally inadequate on my 05 as I would like 4 pages of presets for music, sports and talk. 12 presets for 170 channels just doesn't cut it, IMHO.

Thanks for any info you care to post on this most pressing question! ;-)

Thumper

I have an 06 RL and am moving to Florida ASAP. My 06 is a US model with only heated seats, (who @ Acura decided to send cool seats to Canada).

Does the 2008 RL have cooled seats ???

Thanks in advance...

db22

Woof - How many miles on the 05?
Did you lease or buy the 08?
Does the rear shade go back up when you come out of reverse?
Does the MID show on start-up or do you have to reselect every time you re-start the car?
Is there a clock display and outside temp display on the LCD?
Is there a "back" option when navigating the menus? I.E. list songs on a CD then go to map. If you then go back to audio, you have to go through the whole list process.
Do the tire pressures show on the TPMS menu or do you still have to cycle to TPMS and then select it to show the tire pressure?
Can you playback MP3 DVD'S?
Is the "ashtray" still lit with the incandecent bulb instead of all of the blueish LED's in the rest of the car?
Do the headlamps go on if the wipers have been operated for more than 20 seconds?
Does the passenger seat have a height adjustment?
Can you software select that the mirrors do not dip when selecting reverse even if the switch is defaulted to the drivers mirror?
Thank you and congratulations. I too would not hesitate to buy another RL is I weren't so broke!

Don Melcher

The Cruise/MID Display is a change from 07 also - a change I would welcome.

The Aux input came in 07 - I beleive it will switch the audio to AUX when you plug something into the jack also. That happened when I plugged in my Ipod as I recall. Haven't unplugged and plugged it back in since.

woof

44.9K ('twas a 3 year, 45K lease) I would've gone over milage if I hadn't "traded" it in 6 weeks early.
3 year, 50K lease. We'll be doing this again with the 2010! Hoping the 2010 is a hybrid, or pure electric (ala the Tesla). Hey, I can hope! Too bad the Accord hybrid didn't work out. The "lurching" of the Accord as the engine cut in/out at driveway speeds reminded me of my '85 Prelude when the A/C would cut in while in first gear, and the car would almost stall.
No, it stays down.
It starts with a blank display. However, the first press of the up/down buttons reselects the previous mode. I believe (but cannot truly recall) that the 2005 did NOT recall the previous mode, and always started at the "top" of the list.
No. Clock is still only on the upper display (unless you are setting the time, 'natch). Outside temp is only on the lower part of the MID.
No. Once a button is used to select the menu (i.e. one of the Menu, Audio, Info, etc. buttons) that menu starts at the top. Back will only get you back to that menu, and then to the default map display.
Same as it ever was. Still have to "select" while on the TMPS overview page.
I've never tried, so I don't know.
Yes, the "not an ashtray" light is a white bulb. I think that helps see what is inside. The "blue" is pretty, but not the best for actually seeing the difference 'tween dimes and pennies!
No. That is a feature I would like (it is the law here in MA), but the DRL's cover the legal requirement.
Nope.
Nope. Placing the switch in the middle disables the "dip", just like the 2005.

woof

Still only XM1 and XM2, for a total of 12.

I am in total agreement. I can understand having the first 6 directly selectable by the "1-6" buttons on the head unit, but there should be more that can be rotated thru via the up/down buttons on the wheel.

I would also like to see them "meld" the XM1 and XM2 pages into one larger page when using the up/down buttons.

dwboston

Where in MA are you at? What dealer did you buy from?

woof

North Andover. Acura of Peabody.

dwboston

That's the only Acura dealer in MA that I haven't dealt with. I avoid Acura of Boston like the plague.

JasonNCohen

Annoyingly, to a former 2005 RL owner, the 2008 RL has different anchors in the trunk for the cargo net. The 2008's anchors are designed to each hold a grocery bag, not the cargo net. I just bought a cargo net for the 2008 ($41) but, after looking over the three pages of installation instructions (includes removing the trunk floor, weatherstripping, floor tie-down hooks, and side trim panels), I decided to have my dealer do the work when I next service the car.

Chas2

FWIW,

An 06 has to have the same changes made to the hooks. Interesting to know the 05 came with different hooks. I would have figured it had the same hooks as the 06, which would have been the grocery bag hooks.

Acura Fan-atic

If you were planning to purchase a pre-owned RL today knowing what you know now, would you save about $5k and go with the '05 or spend the extra $ and purchase a '06?

neuronbob

DON'T go to the dealer! I simply hook the upper part of the net on the hooks, and the lower part of the net on the metal hooks on the floor. I looked at the installation instructions, too, and said "WHAT!?" It wasn't worth the dealer taking the car apart.

TLover8888

i wonder why Acura just didnt add a start/stop ignition button instead, like in the new TL?? that would have been a nice updated feature