Here are some observations/ramblings after enjoying my RL for the past several weeks (in no particular order):

Doesn’t seem to be as much brake dust as previous cars (I’m anal about keeping my wheels clean) so I really appreciate this lower maintenance aspect.

The maps flaps (I mean splash guards ) are all the same – there is a little lip on the flaps which align perfectly to the front lower apron, however seem a bit out of place on the rear – minor I know!

I would love to have a lane change turn signal feature found on other cars (e.g., A6). Simply pressing the turn signal indicator once causes three blinks – pretty handy when changing lanes.

I haven’t noticed any of the whining noise at speed as others have noted. I am missing the grommets, so I hope my super quiet car will become even quieter once I get these installed for initial oil change.

I’m still blown away by the surround sound system. I purchased Seal’s Best of and enjoy it thoroughly (especially at volume)! Enjoy Steely Dan discs too.

VTEC rocks! Love the feeling when coming onto the power band – addicting!

My door dimples do seem persnickety sometimes – oh well, I look the door when leaving like many of you.

Really enjoy the wood wheel – although one reason I chose this was due to the ‘handles’ at 10/2. Very comfortable. On my previous ’95 Legend the leather on the top of the wheel wore out. The ‘wood’ should last forever – at least as long as I plan to own the car.

Given the technical nature of the car, I’m considering going for the extended maintenance. Somewhat counterintuitive for a Honda, but I imagine it would be very expensive if something were to go wrong after warranty.

Even after nearly a month, I still find myself preferring to drive this car rather than my sports car (89 Porsche Carrera). I’m getting spoiled by the creature comforts. Of course they are completely different cars, intended for different purposes/audiences.

Overall, it is a great car, at an excellent price. Like many of you, I could not refuse the car at the $40K price point.

Best regards.

 

40k??? good deal!

 

Brake dust is such a minimal problem it doesn't even rate on my scale. After all, I've owned 4 Bimmers and they are the brake dust queens.

I know some have complained about the RL's brakes, and I'll say this: I don't think the brakes on the RL are weaker ... they are simply set up to require a little more pedal effort. Now, if that sounds odd, consider that a luxury car shouldn't be "jerky", so setting the brakes up like this makes it harder to accidentally brake too hard and jostle your passengers around. Ditto for the slower steering.

Lexus, M-B, the big BMW's, Cadillac and others have used this same logic for years. Sports cars should have stop-on-a-dime-right-now brakes, but luxury cars are more refined and should glide to a stop without drama. So they make the brakes almost touchy in sporty cars and the ones in lux cars require more foot pressure. But slam the RL's stop-pedal to the firewall and it'll haul the car down to a stop right now.

BTW, have you noticed how the RL comes to a stop without dipping its nose, then rebounding to the rear? It seems to stay flat and level in all but the most aggressive stops.
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That's the electronic Brake force distribution at work. It adjust brake pressure front to rear to reduce nose diving.

 

I got the 100k mile waranty for that reason. Too many expensive things to fix on this car. For what it costs it will pay for itself if one thing goes wrong.

 

The effect is even better with the A-Spec suspension. That and no torque steer make this car more fun to drive than expected. It is no TL (and I know the TL!), but it is a more than reasonable substitute.

 

Bob, I'm watching with interest your comments about the A-Spec setup, but I'm getting old enough to really appreciate the smooth ride and lack of up-and-down jerking on bumpy roads usually associated with sportier suspensions.

But just out of curiosity, would you maybe say your RL with A-Spec is about halfway in between a stock RL and a stock TL in terms of overall ride quality? (Setting aside for a moment any improvements in cornering ability, etc.) If not, where would you put it?
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