gavine

The SHAWD guage should be somewhere other than the dashboard. The only time I want to see the guage is when I'm turning but the steering wheel blocks my view when the wheel is turned. Makes no sense.

Also, I prefer the paddle shifters be mounted to the shaft instead of the wheel. I find myself not able to shift while turning so I have to reach for the shifter knob if I need to shift during a turn.

Another thing I'd like is for the gear indicator to show which gear you're using in automatic shift mode as well.

One thing I do like is the ablility to start in 2nd gear. I don't know why, but I just love that.

getakey

Gavine - agree with you on the SHAWD gauge location. Can never see it when I really want to. Also agree on displaying which gear in automatic.
By the way, how do you start in 2nd gear? When I put it in manual shift mode, it always starts in 1st.

lumpulus

Just shift it into 2nd as soon as you see the 1 in the display.

mwiles

I would like the ability to use the paddle shifters while in D. The $15,000 Honda Fit Sport has this ability, why can't we?

static808

Less creaks and rattles. I am in Brussels this week on business and have been in all kinds of cars, Renault's, BMW's, Mercedes, Seat, VW, Audi and all of them are rock solid inside. These are the lower model trims, cloth seats, manual trans, diesels, etc.. My RL does have a little give in the dash and its annoying...other than that, nothing..

Touge

Miner, I sent you a pm so that we keep the thread on topic. Anyone else who wants to know more send me a pm. Thanks.

cwdonahue

Winter has arrived in Chicago, so when I got into my cold car the other night, it became really obvious what I'd like to change....

I want my heated steering wheel that I had on my Audi A6 4.2!

I loved that feature. Never needed gloves. Everyone needs a $50K hand warmer!

jftjr

It also makes no sense to not have your eyes ON THE ROAD when you're negotiating a turn.

gdevine

I miss the heated rear seats in the Audi A6. That would have been a nice feature for the RL.

VOdoc

1. Trapezoidal exhaust tips like TL and MDX
2. Better-looking rims -- the 18" A-spec ones look very sexy
3. Dynamic re-routing on NavTraffic
4. Higher-definition nav screen and no downward slope to screen -- collects dust
5. Mute button for nav to shut her up when I'm talking on the HFL
6. Lane-departure warning like Infiniti M
7. Selectable shift algorithm -- economy vs. performance
8. Height adjustment on front passenger seat
9. Someplace to put my left arm when I'm cruising! Door sill is too high, armrest is too low and far forward.
10. Backup camera for 2006.

OK, that's more than one thing, but all very nitpicky considering I'm only on my third tank of gas. Santa came early. This car (2006 RL Tech CMBS-PAX, NBP/ebony) is just about perfect!!

neuronbob

a) ventilated seats
b) bigger trunk (that stuff is teeny tiny!)
c) better stock rubber
d) e-brake on the center console like on the TL (I don't use the e-brake anymore because it's too much trouble to step on it when I leave the car)

and most importantly....

BETTER MARKETING FROM ACURA.

lland

Heated steering wheel
Headlight washers
Rear fog light
A/C seats
Heated rear seats


LL

kirbyflorida

I for one do not want too much extra stuff that I seldom use and thus gives the car a higher chance of problems.
There are things I would remove from the car, such as onstarand auto head lights.

getakey

there's a web site that you can sign up and using your phone location services, it alerts you when you are near friends who have also signed up. You can also tag locations such as restaurants, etc. They also allow you to "tag" speed traps and anyone signed up gets an alert when they come in range of the trap.
Now that would be a good feature to have in Navtraffic!

Qest

Heated wheel & heated rear seats should be in a cold weather option package along with the SH-AWD. Ya, I know SH-AWD is great in the dry, and I'd want it on my RL even if I lived in Florida, but they'd sell more RLs if they offered FWD, and that would be good for resale value.

Headlight washers and rear fogs are for the rest of the world. Americans would just whine that their washer fluid reservoir runs out too quickly, and leave the rear fog on all the time except when it's really foggy they'd have turned it off and forgotten it existed.

Mike_TX

I would vote for:

1. Push-button start

2. Ventilated (or A/C) seats

3. Outside temp. display on center stack of console

4. Bluetooth icon to show phone is connected (like on TL)

5. Backup camera standard equipment

6. More trunk room

7. And of course, more power.


That's more than 1, but these things would make the RL completely awesome.
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GoHawks

auto headlights or adaptive? A flagship car in today's day and age better have auto on/off headlights and I love them.

I could see someone saying it about the adaptive headlights, but then you would get people complaining that they are offered on other models (i.e. Lexus) and "why is Honda so behind the times to not offer it as well?". Similar to the cooled seats.

for me the list would be as follows.

Cooled seats
More low end torque. it doesn't have to be a V8 (I'm not into that)
Backup camera standard
Nicer looking stock wheels

I'm being nit-picky though because I love my car.

Benush

I want a CVT!!!

First, I am considering getting the new 2007 MDX this coming fall with a true 300hp engine and nearly all the goodies of the RL so I can go back to just one vehicle, but regardless of the RL staying or going, I want Acura to start looking at a CVT like the one in the new Lexus GS 450h. A friend and his wife from California met me in Las Vegas and he was driving his new Lexus GS 450h and all I can say is WOW

I don't want to get into a Lexus v. Acura discussion (though I don't really think the interior is as nice as an RL) and yes it is rear-wheel drive but Wow does CVT plant those 340 hp (and a hybrid no less)!!!! I had ridden in his RX400h with a CVT and was not impressed by much of anything, but he got a screaming deal on the GS 450h and took it. Talk about plant your butt in the seat and zip through traffic kind of power! Yes, I know and admit that there is a 50hp difference, but the way that CVT handles it is nothing short of awsome. It didn't seem to matter where or when you want the transmission to give you power, it just DID! Mating a CVT to the new 300 hp Acura v6 (in the 2007 MDX) and sticking it in the RL would reduce most of the v8 wanters to v6 believers.

While in las vegas I also drove the new Hemi 300 AWD and it has some real punch, but I still can remember driving that GS as though I was a teenager again! The GS rear wheel drive is not near as confidence inspring as the SH-AWD and so there were a couple windy stretches where I and the RL kept up with the GS just because of the handling difference. Oh, and I'm a MUCH better driver lol.

Once again, I know I'm comparing apples to cranberries , but imho the new RL with a CVT and a true 320hp V6 would satisfy even most of the most fanatical horsepower junkies and since this is a WHAT I WANT thread, give me that CVT.

Mike_TX

I think one reason the GS450h feels so tight is not the CVT, but the instantaneous torque of the electric motor(s).

CVT's in general feel like a continuously slipping clutch because of the "motorboat" effect ... floor a car with a CVT and the engine goes to redline and stays there while the car picks up speed, much like a motorboat. The GS avoids much of that by directly drivng the wheels with electric motors.

Don't wish CVT's on us!
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Benush

LOL - okay Mike, just for you and ONLY because its Christmas and Santa maybe listening I'll take away "that" wish.

I hated the CVT on Jerry's RX400 because it always felt like the hamsters on the wheel had one foot asleep. Once in California while we were trying to get up to speed and into traffic I felt like I should open the passenger door and get out and push to makes us go fast enough. And since I don't know better, maybe the electric motors in this new 450h are the reason for the performance 'feel', but his new GS450 really really really kicks some butt! I never remember a single time where I felt a lag. I even got used to driving cars with a turbo lag so I know the sensation /frustraton (Porsche 924).

I recently moved to a new SCCA racing class called F Modified and the engine is a Rotax with a snowmobile transmission. I'm consistently faster than in conventional clutch toys because the engine is always operating in its powerband. Though I have no engineering nor anecdotal proof that the new lexus CVT system works the same way, I would swear that the engine is always putting out peak power at WOT. How well it works for normal day to day drudge driving I couldn't honestly tell you, because I never did drive it in a safe and sane manner.

Not to get to reflective about this, but if electric motors don't add too much weight (the SH-AWD does enough of that) and they signficantly boost responsiveness, are they really a bad thing? Maybe CVTs are junk or maybe the electric motors are the only reason they seem so powerful, but 'maybe' someone got smart and figured out how to take them into the 22nd century. Yes, thats the mediator in me coming up with as many alternatives as possibile. I just know that with my new race toy I am wickedly faster than I used to be with conventional clutch systems (manual and automatic) and the new GS 450h really got my speed junkie mojo going and for a 53 year old fart, that aint half bad.

So Santa, if you are reading this, i take back my wish for Acura to put a CVT in the RL (at least for this year :wink

jftjr

By the 22nd century, I want my Jetsons flying car that folds into a briefcase, dammit!

CVT's potentially have the ability to keep the engine at the top of the torque band from stop through top speed... but I really do worry about the viability of a CVT as a primary drive system in any car that has much more HP than a lawn tractor. That belt is gonna fail, and either (a) there's an expensive maintenance schedule, or (b) there's a lot of high-dollar cars on flatbeds.

And I'm with Mike, I hate the "sewing machine" effect where you floor it and the car gathers speed. Ugh.

iforyou

iTrader: (1)

That GS450h is fast. It's much faster than the normal GS430. In fact, I was just watching this new Best Motoring video (Jan 07) and the hybrid finished the 1/4 mile race in 13.8s, which is 0.5-0.6 s faster than the V8-powered GS430. I don't know how they did it, but man their CVTs can sure handle a lot of torque! But I guess I still prefer conventional manual transmission just for the fun of it.

synth19

I might be the ONLY person who LOVES the trunk. Mind you, I have a civic and a z. When I saw the trunk on the RL, I almost cried.

Mike_TX

That's the thing with CVT's right now - they can't reliably handle more than about 240-250 ft.-lbs. of torque. The GS gets around that (as I understand it) by virtue of the fact the electric motors drive the wheels directly, rather than through the transmission.
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NYCBRUNO

All of the above plus an AUTOMATIC STARTER for us up north. I want to start it up from inside the house so it is nice and warm when i get in it.

iforyou

iTrader: (1)

Yea that makes sense since the 3.5L V6 makes around 250lb/ft of torque anyways.

sab35263

If it's up to me I would add the following things:
1. Power folding mirrors
2. More horsepower
3. rear DVD player

ggesq

iTrader: (1)

Don't have a RL but am a fan of it. I would take a second look at it over the TL if it had a manual tranny option and a V8.

taitando

1. Push button start
2. Ventilated seats (Summers in NorCal = roasted rump)
3. Rear folding seats (Rigidity? Why can the Germans do this, but not the Japanese?)
4. Full bluetooth phonebook link/upload (What's up with having to store phone #'s again?)
5. Voice command for MP3 CD's to be able to go pass track 30
6. Put the piggy on a diet. Shave some weight off this sucker.

dwboston

In regards to #4, does the 2007 RL support bluetooth phonebook upload? I drove a 2007 MDX as a loaner last week and it did have a "Cellular Phonebook Upload" option via bluetooth in one of the setup screens. It didn't work with my RAZR but the functionality is there in the MDX at least.

Rob144

One of the things I like about NOT having a pushbutton start is that I can keep listening to the radio or talking on the phone after I park the car and shut off the engine. I don't know how a pushbutton works in these other cars, but can you shut down the car and leave the electronics on? If you can't then the RL has a great solution.

My only change would be to have the ignition switch on the dash instead of the steering column.

Rob144

taitando

Not sure about the '07 RL, but my '05 definitely doesn't have it. Granted it's pretty cool to be able to hit the button and say "Call Joe Schmoe", but if I don't store the number with the car, I have to manually/vocally dial the number. Which involves me looking up the number on my phone and audibly dialing which gets tedious. On the other hand, my cheap little Audi A4 reads the entire phonebook via bluetooth and I just scroll to the number that I want to call via a scroll button on the steering wheel. I've found this to work faster than using the voice feature that goes through prompts and confirmations (i.e. The RL responds "Would you like to call xxxxxx." And then you press the button and audibly confirm with a "Yes.")

Qest

Why?

What would you prefer:

Smaller?
Thinner sheet metal?
Less paint?
Less sound deadening?
Thinner glass?
Fewer features?
Less power?
Small, peaky engine with a turbo?
FWD?

jhr3uva90

Push button start would be great, because some valets out there are too dumb to turn off the RL properly.

I think Honda did whatever they could make the Legend/RL lighter the problem is the SH-AWD. This is another reason why a RWD platform is needed. That being said, I like my heavy car!

black label

Unfortunately, the 07 RL does not support the phonebook up load. Even on the MDX, it is only tech and sport models (with or without Ent pack) that have this feature. The bigger issue is that most phones can not support the feature, the last time I checked, there were only 5 phones that can.

Some one else had mentioned having the back up camera as standard equipment. At this point, all Acuras with nav (except TSX) come standard with a back up camera.

taitando

Because it's just cool. Seriously though, I've taken my car to the car wash and the attendants get confused, sometimes "cranking" the car which is a No, No.

None of those, thank you very much, although some of them already came as standard features. For one, the RL isn't that large of a car as its interior room is similar to the size of a TL. The paint is already pretty thin and prone to chipping. The leather seats are already starting to crack after 1.5 years. And the sound deadening hasn't been able to defeat a mysterious rattle that comes and goes near the center dash. Lastly, through extensive scientific data gathered through my butt dyno, I've found the 290 horses to be indiscernible. Anyhow, this wasn't meant to be a gripe fest, as I really do like the car, but you asked what I preferred. I just don't prefer any of those. Can I have my cake and eat it too?

Whew, I realize Honda engineers have already taken a stab at weight reduction, but I just figured less weight would make for an even more impressive ride.

jhr3uva90

Acceleration is more about torque than HP, despite Honda brainwashing to the contrary.

If you really want a lighter car, the M35 is available.

taitando

Yes, and so is the Lotus Exige, but it wasn't what I was shopping for at the time.
That and I couldn't find an M35x back in Aug of '05 for $41,500 like I did with the RL. I guess it's heresy to retain a notion of "best bang for the buck" in this luxury segment/class (A6, GS, 5, E, M35), but my selection of the RL was based on its all around performance though knowing it didn't have the same "oomph" as the M35 from test drives. Of course that was then, and things change (car and man) as time progresses. The issues I cited in my previous post didn't arise until later in ownership and now I'm just throwing in my on what I'd like to see changed.

RL RT Joe

+1 on the Automatic Starter !!!! I've had that on my '01 Chevy 3/4 Ton as an after market item. It is NICE

My bad if this has been posted ...... When I turn on the interior lights manually and forget to turn them off they stay on all night. Shouldn't these things turn off automaticly? (Hope no one says RTFM, cause I haven't)

Treblig

I thought they did. IIRC, when installing my pedals a while back, the door was opened for while and the interior lights turned off. I closed the door and reopened it and the lights came back on.