2007AcuraRL

I've been a member on this site going back to when I bought my TL back in 2002. As I am trading my RL on Friday I'm done with Acura for now. I don't say it with bitterness since both my TL and RL were reliable cars (except for the 3 tranny replacements under warranty in the TL). Rather, its really quite a shame Acura had no new product for me to move into. The current RL is all but dead now with most Acura dealers having not even gotten new inventory in months, and to be honest, the mid-model tweaks did nothing to induce me to get another one anyway. With a replacement model either not going to come at all, or if at all another year and a half away there wasnt any reason to hang on to mine longer.
Being that I wanted an AWD drive car, I looked at the Infiniti M37x but wasnt thrilled about the styling but would have gotten one anyway had they offered a few decent color choices. Instead, it was either black, white, or 5 shades of gray. The new bimmer 5 series is flying off the dealer's shelf (they have the 535xi in all wheel drive) but with a few features it sure was pricy. The new E class Benz didnt excite me stylewise and would also cost a fortune with 4matic and Nav. So it came to pass that I went to an Audi dealership. The new A6 with the supercharged 3 litre engine drove great, price was perfect at about $50k with NAV, but the interior seemed so dated after my RL. Then I spied an A8 and fell in love. Plush and drives great. I know it will end up needing more expensive service down the road, but I'll deal with that when it comes. If Acura had been keeping up with the RL as its premium model the way Lexus does with its LS (fresh updates, long and short wheel base options, etc) I surely would have gotten a new Acura. But Acura seems to have given up and so have I. How Acura could think that their flagship vehicle right now should be that silly ZDX SUV which lacks real utility (if I want an SUV I'd get an MDX with a real back for storage, and if I want a car (which I do) why would I want a jacked up truck-like-car as my car???) is beyond me.
Peace to all of you guys in this forum. I'll miss the dialog.

TampaRLX-SH

Congratulations on the A8....it is a beautiful automobile.

The only vehicles I lust for currently are the A5 and the A8....and awaiting the new A6.

I could have written your post nearly verbatim. The primary difference is that I am still in love with my RL. But if it were gone tomorrow, Acura would see my ass waddle across the street to Audi.

You will be missed, but do share your initial impressions of the A8 and perhaps what you do miss from the RL.

And promise us you will not play 'Transporter 2' with the new ride!

christopher1

but that audi will keep you going to the shop for repairs. unlike most Acuras. good luck..

neuronbob

Sorry to see you go and I feel similarly about Acura right now after owning three over almost ten years. They seriously need fresh and non-ugly product to get me back.

I still hope to be back in the fold eventually.

kssod

I agree wholeheartedly!!!!! I was just going to post how utterly disappointed I am with Acura. I want to replace my 06 RL, yet Acura literally is forcing me to switch to a different brand. But, nothing really excites me in the 50-60k range, and offers AWD, or the standard options on the RL. I own an 06 RL, an 08 MDX, and have had 4 or 5 Acuras over the past 10 years, It is very disheartening that they are abandoning their customers by not improving their "flagship"

poppintec

congrats man Audi really has got a great lineup of cars, also the A8L has great styling and is relatively exclusive in that you don't see to many good luck with that first repair bill .... good choice though

princelybug

iTrader: (16)

I'd love to have an A8L. Hopefully reliability isn't a huge issue!

miner

A8L is a very nice car - enjoy your new car.

rtr

im sure Chevron will love you for the switch.

2007AcuraRL

Thanks for all the well wishes guys. I'm buying an extended warranty for the A8L to hedge against possible repairs down the road. The car is loaded with so many advanced features that repairs are probably over even my relatively skilled auto ability. (The A8 model years '04-'06 are apparently more prone to repairs than after the mid-model change '07+. Plus for '08 they swapped out a timing belt in favor of a timing chain, so thats at least one maintenance repair I will be able to avoid.)
For example even changing the rear brakes is a special procedure due to the electrical parking brake. One of the electronic system control modules has to be engaged first to unwind the electric motor and release the caliper and then its re-wound once the new pads are on. Fortunately there is a company that makes software and an interface for $350 that can be used on a laptop to log in an reset the system without the need to bring it to the dealer. Plus there is a whole bunch of stuff that can be tweaked using the module, including giving the car an additional 1" drop. Beats going with coil-overs! Apparently all the Audis have this ability.
Of course the upside of all the technology is that the car rides like a dream. Stuff like an air ride suspension that automatically lowers the car over an inch when it senses the car has been travelling at speed for more than 120 seconds. Driver blindspot warning that alerts you in the side mirrors if there is a car in your lane. Advanced parking features with both a backup camera and proximity sensors in both the rear AND front (makes parallel parking in tight spaces a little easier). And Audi has apparently always been known for high end interiors. As much as I liked the RL interior, the A8 interior is simply superb.
So again, if Acura had an up to date replacement for the RL, I would certainly have made it 1st consideration. In fact I was really bummed out that when I started car shopping I had to immediately cross them off my shopping list. One thing I noticed when car shopping was that Acura has never really been competitive with the other name plates it was supposed to be competiting against. I guess thats why the RL sales were so dismiss all along. I mean even Infiniti offers BOTH 6 and 8 cyl engine options on its M cars (M37 and M56) which are supposed to compete with the RL. AND so does Audi with the A6 (3 litre V6, and 4.2 liter V8), BMW with the 5 series (535 and 550), and even Mercedes has both the 6 cyl 350 and v8 550 in its E class.
Hopefully my A8 doesnt completely eat me out of house and home, but if it does at least I will enjoy the ride.

2007AcuraRL

Interestingly, the A8 gets better fuel economy than the other super premium luxury cars in its class. It is a V8 so I am not expecting high 20's even on the highway, but then again I have averaged only in the low 18s with the 63,000 miles of mixed driving on my RL. I never found the RL to be very fuel efficient for a six.

buzzmag

Same reason I got out of my 2006RL. Did a 2 year lease on a 2011 Infiniti M37x which is pretty ballsy engine-wise but can't say I'm thrilled with the styling. Audi wouldn't budge on price and the Jaguar XF isn't available with AWD which I need where I live.

Aman

Sat in an 09 A8L... holy jeebus that thing is huuuge

Congrats and good luck with it

Post pics!

rlerman

Acura is totally dropping the ball, products have become lackluster. Even the new Accords look better than Acura's TSX/TL. The A8 is a sweet car...good luck with it!

Blazing GT

congrats man!

CL6

A8 is a great flagship car.

neuronbob

Yes, it is. It looks good, too. I hope Acura takes note.

2007AcuraRL

Guys:

I picked up the car tonight and drove about 100 miles in it. Its got such an unbelievably comfortable ride. You can change the suspension functionality on the fly. Set to "comfort" you can feel the car soaking up all the bumps especially over tar strips on the road. Sort of like a lincoln town car only not as sloppy on the steering. Set to "Dynamic" the suspension set up goes into a sport mode. The car suddenly feels about 1000 lbs lighter. Road feedback becomes much more familiar and "RL-like". But road noise inside the cabin is about 50% quieter than the RL. Its just an amazing car. Will report more over the weekend since you guys have expressed interest.

Chas2

Wow, sounds awesome!

2007AcuraRL

My new love:

ichi d

Now all u need is a chauffeur!!! LoL

2007AcuraRL

The rear door is actually longer than the front and the amount of room back there is huge. This will probably be my last 4 door sedan. Once my daughter is off in college and all, I'll probably get a 2 door car next go 'round. I considered an S5, but it is just too small for my current lifestyle. As big as the A8 is, the entire car is made from aluminum (frame, body panels and all) so it tops the scales at 4400lbs., which is only about 300 lbs more than the RL. Granted the wheel base is longer so it might not be as good on twisty roads. but I dont have, or drive, any twisty roads where I live. Still, the handling is quite good for a big car.

Edmunds.com said about the car:
A couple of other attributes are typical A8: all-aluminum construction and the standard Quattro all-wheel-drive system. Contributing to its serene ride quality and composed handing is the A8's adaptive air suspension that provides a plush freeway ride as well as buttoned-down handling when the car is being pressed on a twisty road.
http://www.edmunds.com/audi/a8/2008/review.html

Motortrend said:
Steering is, indeed, great, with perfect feel and weight... it remains the German luxury sedan for drivers who want more all-weather sport than rolling boardroom.

http://motortrend.automotive.com/405...-a8/index.html

Cars.com said:
Audi's flagship sedan is civilized and refined and accomplishes most things in a manner that's close to flawless. Luxury and maneuverability are the A8's strongest attributes. On narrow two-lane roads, this full-size sedan whips from one curve to the next with ease. It stays beautifully flat while cornering and responds immediately to driver inputs.

http://www.cars.com/audi/a8/2008/reviews/?revid=

JeffS

Sweet! What color is the interior? Please post some pics!!

Chas2

Beautiful car!

tmnhs81

+1 on the chauffeur.

db22

I think that a large percentage of this readership would choose the A8 over the RL if the prices were comparable but the A8 is in a price bracket significantly above the RL.

The RL could benefit from the Sport/Comfort selection that is found in the MDX.

I too think that the RL is fairly noisy inside the ANC just doesn't cut it. It should be in addition to insulation not instead of it.

Lastly, The A8 is a great car and it also has a similar attribute to the RL - you can go for days without seeing another one.

rtr

oh that thing is ugly sorry you should have got the R8. You will need a chauffeur so you can hide in the back...

2007AcuraRL

+1 on the uniqueness of both the A8 and RL. Although I live in a fairly affluent county so I do see RLs from time to time, but the sightings are usually measured in the 5-10 range per week.

No doubt the RL had a lot of cutting edge features when I first came out. The full voice command control for example. But they really missed the ball in my opinion when they did the mid-model changeover. It would have been a good time to roll out new features. Maybe even could have captured a few current RL owners who's three year leases were just coming off leases, and sucked them back for a second car.

The A8 is so much quieter than the RL, especially noticable along side of the car as the air rushes by the windows and door handle. And I understand that when Audi did its midmodel refresher (I think in 2007) they doubled up on the sound insulation, changed the steering to be more responsive, made changes to the engine to be more fuel efficient, and replaced the timing belt with a timing chain to eliminate that costly service at the 100k mark. To me, that was a car company that was actively working on its flagship. Not so with what Acura did.

2007AcuraRL

Interesting. And I wonder what is the reason you say that? At least in the last few days there have been quite a few people that have posted they traded their RL for an Audi product.

It seems to make some sense to me. Just as the RL was the underdog in the field of cars that it competed with, still it represented tremendous value for all of its features and satisfied those that didnt feel the compulsion to buy a 5 series or a E class 'just because everyone else has one'. The Audi products are sort of also in that same boat. Technologically advanced, especially the Quattro system, yet doesnt quite garner the same status as the 7 series or S550.

It will be interesting to see what Audi does with the redesigned A6 series this fall. The car's price point puts it in the same range as an RL. Currently the interiors of the RL and A6 are miles apart. Unlike the plush interior of the A8 (which admittedly isnt in the same price point as the RL) The A6 feels spartan and not very inviting. I drove one and didnt feel I could get used to it after the RL. If they make the new A6 warm and inviting, it chould win over a good bunch of the thinking-man's RL customer base.

of course as always just my

db22

The kind of person that originally bought the RL are the same kind of (as you said) thinking mans car person and the Audi line is in that catagory. I have noticed, as of a few recent postings, that people are buying used RL's and haven't a clue about its features and attributes. I think that they assume that it's a larger Accord!
I remember a quote somewhere that stated that the only thing that worked reliably in their Audi was the check engine light - I hope that those days are over!
I am still not convinced that the Quattro system is as intelligent as the SH-AWD? It still brakes the inside wheel instead of accelerating the outside wheel.
The next RL could easily get 350 HP from a 3.7 V6 and be an understated masterpiece of conservatism and technology. We shall see but until then I think that Audi maybe the winner in the RL's absence.

NJ SHAWD

Beautiful car. Best of luck with it. How about some interior shots?

///M Roadster

I went the other way, I used to drive A8L. When it came for its first brake service and another minor thing, the bill was more than $3000. Even my E39M5 had much less expensive maintenance cost.

But I used to love the ride in A8. I even bought that OBDII scanner package that allowed me to raised and lowered the car as well. Excellent audio, excellent smooth ride, just all around better car than RL in its driving/comfort characteristics. But I've been quite happy with relatively inexpensive maintenance of RL so far.

When the time comes, in a year or two, I am thinking of getting rid of RL (which my wife drives these days) and buy mini SUV or new X3 for her.

2007AcuraRL

Yes, I've heard about the really expensive brake jobs at the dealer, but I've always done brake changes myself. The OEM front rotors and pads aren't much more expensive than for the RL (I priced them before I bought this car), and the rears can be changed DIY style so long as you have the VAG-COM to retract the rear electronic brake mechanism.

Do you by chance still have your VAG-COM? PM me if you do...

///M Roadster

Yup, I still have vag-com by Ross and I have Audi repair manual that covers A8. I bought those after the brake service so I would do other services myself. Then I came across such a good deal with RL, dumped A8 right away.

2007AcuraRL

I just sent you a private message (PM). Please check your unread messages on this site. Thanks.

Dr. Decatherm

I followed your logic two years ago, giving up my '05 RL for an '06 A8 (swb). I'm in the market again (that's why I'm here) and wish terribly Acura had a suitable offering. I loved that car. Besides its design, I miss the rear sun shade, rear head restraint switch and especially the nav. Audi's is nowhere near as user friendly. But you will transition quickly and revel in the handling, acceleration and interior. To me, Acura and Audi are kindred in many ways. I can't seem to make myself like the LS 460 or the 5 series. Maybe another look at the new M or wait for the A7 (hot!). All the best with the new beast.

kssod

Had my 06 in for service. Service guy was pretty sure our RL dreams will come true this fall, with a redesign, V8 and SH-AWD.

robarsan

No V8, but 6 speed AT with lower gear ratios and a next generation grille design (whatever that is). Someone mentioned this in another thread and I have since got the Acura Style magazine in the mail and it backs this up.

kssod

Also saw the same in MT buyers guide, much more probable than complete restyle. Too bad, since the have to do something if they want to sell any RLs. Sales manager offered a TL AWD tech for around 38.5, not quite as refined as the RL but still 6-8k less than the going price for a '10 RL, for essentially the same car.

2007AcuraRL

I got the latest Acura Style magazine in the mail today and there wasnt a single picture of the current RL in there. Losts of photos of the TL, and a few of the ZDX, but not a single view of their current flagship model. Its as if the car doesnt even exist. I wonder what the Acura dealers are thinking about this. Even if Acura has some grand design for the next version of the RL, (and assuming there will even be a replacement for it) how can a car manufacturer leave their current car unrepresented???