Thanks for the idea SpicyMikey!

 

I want the NAMES of the people responsible for that mess.

Then I will form a posse, hand out torches and battering rams. Off to Torrance to slay the beast.

Who' in?

 

I am so happy I have my 2005 RL. Instant classic. that grille will be Acura's Edsel. 400 / month....how about 20 cars/month with that grille. Awful.

 

The face only an Edsel would love!!!

 

I'm hoping that the design team will get wind of the negative reaction and tone it down at the last minute before production. The current RL is almost a lost cause, but I'd hate to see them use this grill design in the new TSX and TL. My friends at the dealership will not be happy

 

(raises hand and gets pitchfork ready for use)

Precisely how I feel about my 2006. I'm in my office now and can see my car from my corner window. I almost have to look at my car to cleanse my mind of that nightmare grille.

 

I agree with everyone here, although I don't have an RL. The new RL that shows up today doesn't look much different at all compared to current one. Once you look at the front , most likely you'll walk away and you won't care for the rear at all. A major let down . And most likely this grill design will trickle down to TSX and then TL . Big disappointment .

 

Here you go.

Oh, and btw, I drive a 6spd '05 TL, and if the next iteration of this car ends up looking nearly as bad as this '09 RL, that'll be the last Acura for me.

Corporate HQ
American Honda Motor Co., Inc.
Torrance
CA
Location Addresses
1919 Torrance Boulevard
Torrance, CA 90501-2746 USA
(310) 783-2000

Contacts
Mr. Rob Alen
Manager of Corporate Advertising
Mailcode: 100-3C-2A
rob_alen@ahm.honda.com
Name is spelled correctly.
Assistant: Myesha

Mr. Kurt Antonius
Assistant Vice President of Public Relations, Honda
Mailcode: 100-3C-2A
kurt_antonius@ahm.honda.com
Direct: (310) 783-3996
Oversees all public relations efforts for Acura, Honda, and Motorsports.

Mr. Robert Bienenfeld
Senior Manager of Strategic Planning & Research
robert_bienenfeld@ahm.honda.com
Resume:
Previous Title
Senior Manager of Product Planning, Honda & Acura (American Honda Motor
Co., Inc.).

Mr. Steve Center
Vice President of Sales, Acura Division
steven_center@ahm.honda.com

Mr. Dick Colliver
Executive Vice President of Sales
Mailcode: 100-3E-8G
richard_colliver@ahm.honda.com
Direct: (310) 783-3078

Mr. Eric Conn
Assistant Vice President of National Advertising, Automobiles
eric_conn@ahm.honda.com
Top advertising person.
Assistant: Kathy

Mr. Jeff Conrad
Vice President of Advertising & Public Relations
jeff_conrad@ahm.honda.com
Top marketing contact for Acura brand.

 

I have written to these people before. I complained at the lack of acknowledgement to the RL in Acura STYLE magagzine. The response I got was a poo poo form letter thanking me for my criticism and they cancelled my subscription to STYLE magazine. I never received one since.

I am seriously considering writing to them about this restyle. It will carry no weight, but when I draft it, I will post it on AZ should anyone else want to let Acura know how out of touch they have become.

IMHO, this kills the Acura RL. If this design carries over to the LEGEND, what a disgrace to Honda they have done.

This actually makes me consider rebadging my RL to a Honda LEGEND. This restyle offends me so I am almost embarassed to be associated with Acura.

 

Ok...WHO VOTED YES?!?!?!?!?

 

A face for radio.

 

Everyone is talking about the ghastly grille but what about the blobby bulge just below it? That's just as bad.

 

Altho I do prefer the older grill this one is not bad - I like it more than the MDX battle shield. I am not feeling that yellow stripe on the headlights tho.

 

The grille is perfect im loving it, that what Acura needed step by step they coming alive

 

Someone voted "YES"!? They must be joking.... ROTFLOL

 

I did! im for real

 

Horrible man...make me want to puke!

 

MEE!!

 

I believe that the Acura design team and Honda in general have lost their collective damn minds!

 

I just saw the pics of the 2009 RL and I want to thank Acura for increasing the value of my 2008 RL. This has got to be the ugliest luxury sedan around. Grill from an MDX and rear from the MB S class.

Come on, can't they hire a designer from Infiniti or Lexus.

 

[QUOTE=TampaRL]I have written to these people before. I complained at the lack of acknowledgement to the RL in Acura STYLE magagzine. The response I got was a poo poo form letter thanking me for my criticism and they cancelled my subscription to STYLE magazine. I never received one since...QUOTE]

I did write those fools and here is what I wrote:

Gentlemen,



Have you guys collectively lost your damn minds?



Color me on the verge of joining the ranks of BMW or Mercedes…No, wait, maybe I’ll do something smart and buy a Hyundai Genesis…



Bob Wilson

 

Me too...Think I'll hang on to my 05' baby for awhile...

 

Guess my next car will be an Audi S6 afterall, way to go acura.

 

Maybe we should write them one collective professional email and all sign it/make it a petition. With links to all the other cars sites bashing it as well. Each person should sign it with their name email and how many hoda/acura's they've owned.

 

I live 30 min away from Torrance! I'm IN

 

Take that top shield and slide it down to be centered and balanced in the available grill space. Everything then becomes right in the world again.

 

I like the grill - just not with the silver color. If you look at the photos of the car in Graphite or Black - I think the contrasting chrome looks ok (and I am by no means a fan of chromed out wheels / etc.)

 

There should be a "F*** NO!" option, too.

And look who voted yes -- the guy who thought that the RL wasn't selling enough because they don't come with donk wheels on them.

I guess that says everything we need to know about the grill, huh? Rather than trying to compete with BMW and Lexus, they're targeting the sideways hat crowd now.

 

I totally agree with everyone. No one saw this coming.
The funny thing is, all the features i want are in this car, so i might be trading my RL for it.
Am i seeing rear fog lights in the rear trim above the lisence plate, or is it a reverse light?
Another thing is, condisering that this vehicle is built in the US and not Japan, would it be any cheaper? would the materials in this car send the RL the TL route?

 

Wait a minute, did i miss something or Acura continues with 5spd.
I cannot believe Acura continued with 5sp.
This is ridiculous. Forget it, i change my mind, when they get a 6 speed, i'll consider trading mine

 

Are they building the RL stateside now?

 

email sent:

--
Dear Sirs

Until now I had been considering buying a 2009 RL, assuming it added full USB iPod integration to the audio system, because that was the one thing I felt was truly lacking from the '05 - '08 model. I was very pleased to hear that this feature did in fact make it into the 2009 refresh. Then, unfortunately, I saw the pictures and video of the new exterior - particularly the new asymmetrical, gap-toothed grille.

If this is truly the new Acura corporate grille, and if it is also included in the new TL and TSX full-model changes, then I honestly believe that I will not be the only person leaving Acura for good - or at least until they come to their senses - when I trade in my 2004 TL for a new Hyundai Genesis. Its styling may be a bit derivative of several other top luxury cars, but at least it was derived from things that actually looked good.

If you gentlemen continue in this direction, I suggest you have your design team share some of the crack they were smoking when they came up with this bastardization of a perfectly good-looking luxury car, because you will most definitely be needing it at the next quarterly sales meeting.

Sincerely,

xxx x xxx

 

Amen to that

 

damn...harsh words...

 

hah i wonder who's gonna be the first to get one and show it off on here...

im sure they will receive great responses

 

No you didn't send that.....did you?

Gotta keep it professional, people.

 

I don't believe so.

 

Damn skippy I sent it! On the off chance that one of them would actually read my email, I wanted them to have something remotely similar to the reaction I had when I saw the Barbra Streisand nose-job they gave to one of my favorite cars.

They're just lucky I hadn't come up with that Streisand line when I wrote the letter, or that would've been in there too.

 

 

2009 Acura RL is manufacture in the United States for the United States market.
JDM Legend still has the current design (2005-2008)