Treblig

The latest issue of Money Magazine rates their top 5 full size sedans and the RL takes their 3rd spot. "If it weren't for price, the Acura would have tied for second" What hurt the RL in Money's estimation, besides the price, is size, rear seat room, and trunk space. Money also thought the styling to be "completely inoffensive but also a bit anonymous". I doubt that their comments surprises anyone here.

Their top 5 are:

5th - Cadillac DTS (68 Points)
4th - Buick Lucerne CSX (75 Points)
3rd - Acura RL (82 Points)
2nd - Toyota Avalon (85 Points)
1st - Chrysler 300C (86 Points)

synth19

wow, three of the top 5 are American! Do you have the link to the article?

Chas2

Some might also argue the Toyota is American also!

CL6

I guess any publicity is good publicity. But I wouldn't post that list in my dealership.

Treblig

I have the magazine. I tried the website, http://money.cnn.com/magazines/moneymag/ but the specific article, "The Future Has Four Doors" isn't there.

phins2rt

I thought the RL was classified as a MID sized sedan?

Qest

I'm not a reader of Money, but now I know to avoid the rag. How can a magazine titled "Money" not consider the costs of ownership?

kirbyflorida

Money does not know anything about cars, IMO.

Read this about Chrysler, wow.

http://www.datatown.com/chrysler/

Rob L

Full size sedan? Funny.

CL6

I hear the 08 RL will have port holes.

VOdoc

Hmmm....#1 is a ridiculous, blingy pimpmobile (Chrysler 300C) and #2 is a pillowy downmarket Lexus (Toyota Avalon). Worse, #s 4 and 5 are POS American cars that fit my 70+ year old parents' aspirations (Buick and Cadillac)!

Not sure I'm glad to be included in THAT company!! Thanks but no thanks.

neuronbob

Where's my bigger trunk if the RL is full-sized?

Money REALLY knows jack about cars.

Trackruner228

iTrader: (1)

I read that and it REALLY pissed me off. They put that it was as tested at 53 which being an Acura fan I know that means it came with the advanced cruise control and the brake feature and no where in that mag did it say it. I dont think they even reliezed they got that upgrade.

db22

I think that we all need to read Car Magazines review on the top 5 Investments!

lumpulus

300C first place?!? BWHAHAHAHAHAHAHA....Is it April yet?

lland

Perhaps, but the Avalon is a very nice car at a good price. My neighbor has one and it has some things I would have liked in my RL (wood steering wheel standard, cooled seats). My dad is on his 10th or so Camry and I told him to look at the Avalon next time.

I would have taken a serious look at it as well if it offered AWD.

LL

Qest

The Lexus version of the Avalon costs more to buy but with the greater depreciation of the Toyota version, the Lexus may actually be cheaper over time...not that a magazine about managing your money would know anything about that!

acuralvr1

300C is rated first? I just rented that piece of crap Chrysler for a few days. That's a joke that the magazine picked it as the top rated vehicle. It has a very sloppy ride, the seat feels like a grand mother's couch and all the internal pieces looked/felt cheap.

The Avalon is a very good value, but it's average in every way except quality compared to the RL. It's not even in the same class as the RL- makes no sense.

Ken1997TL

Money has really gone downhill recently..

JAB00

I wouldn't exactly say that the list a luxury car maker aspires to be on.

RL06tech

300C #1 and Avalon#2

TSX69

Top 5 Full Size Sedans

5th place
Cadillac DTS
Price: $54,420 as tested

Power: 4.6-liter 294-horsepower V8

Fuel economy: 17/24 mpg

"And do you have a preferred route to the airport, sir?"

You may find yourself asking that when you sit down in one of the most commonly used models in dial-a-car fleets. Cadillac has undergone a resurgence in recent years, what with its lauded STS, CTS and SRX models, but sadly, the praise must stop there.

The DTS (formerly known as the Sedan DeVille) is the last big-engine/front-wheel-drive model in the company's lineup, and after driving it, you can see why all the other models are either rear- or all-wheel drive. The problem with front-wheel-drive cars is a condition known as torque steer: When too much power is sent to the front wheels (which also have to steer the car), the wheels pull to one side as you accelerate.

With a 294-hp V-8 under its hood, the DTS sends a lot of power to the front end, and you can find yourself gently fighting the steering wheel to keep the car in a straight line.

The DTS is also one big hunk of iron. On the upside, that means its back seat is the roomiest of the bunch here, and the trunk could easily swallow, say, all your daughter's go-to-college luggage. But it also rides like a big hunk. The suspension is tuned more for soaking up potholes than for taking corners, which leaves you feeling disconnected from the road.

The interior is nice. Fit and finish are excellent, and materials are suitably fancy-but at over $54,000 (the highest sticker in this test) it had better be. So unless you spend more time in the back seat of a car than the front, there are better choices.

Design - There she blows!

Luxury - Nice extras include a heated steering wheel and a rear-window sunshade.

Performance - Cadillac brags that it tests some its cars on the famed Nurburgring race track. Funny: They never mention the DTS.

Quality - Remember when Cadillac's motto was "Standard of the World"? It's not quite there yet, but it's close.
Each car was judged in four categories with a maximum score of 25 points for each. To account for cost differences, we awarded bonus points in reverse order of price (the least expensive car received four bonus points, while the most expensive received none).

4th place
Buick Lucerne CSX
Price: $40,725

Power: 4.6-liter 275-horsepower V8

Fuel economy: 17/25 mpg

Under the skin, the Buick and the Cadillac are first cousins, as they share the same drivetrain, suspension and other mechanical components. That means torque steer is still an issue, but the Buick is the more sensible choice.

For starters, it just looks better: The Lucerne has a pleasing design that borrows a little from Lexus and a little from Volkswagen but manages to pull it all together into a perfectly respectable package. Behind the wheel, the Lucerne feels less pillowy than the DTS, and the shorter wheelbase is a plus - you feel as if you could actually steer this car without having to plan your move two blocks ahead.

But since the two share the same engine, they suffer the same problems: an oversensitive throttle and a poorly muffled engine. The slightest touch of the accelerator causes the V-8 to roar unpleasantly and the car to jerk ahead.

Inside, the Buick continues the tasteful-if-forgettable theme. There's a nice center console that's easy to use, and various knobs and switches feel like they came from a more expensive car. On the other hand, the seats could use more wraparound support (you sit "on" them rather than "in" them), and the unilluminated gauges are almost illegible in the daytime.

In an era when even proletarian Accords and Camrys have backlit displays that are crystal-clear at any time of day, is there any reason not to expect the same on a car that costs thousands more?

Design - The best-looking Buick in years, but that's not saying much.

Luxury - The Buick's amenities keep up with the competition, but they don't raise the bar.

Performance - Better than that of its Cadillac stablemate, but the gas pedal is extremely touchy, and the engine is just plain loud.

Quality - Some of those quality surveys aren't lying: GM has done a terrific job of making everything feel solid and luxe.
Each car was judged in four categories with a maximum score of 25 points for each. To account for cost differences, we awarded bonus points in reverse order of price (the least expensive car received four bonus points, while the most expensive received none).


3rd place
Acura RL
Price: $53,200 as tested

Power: 3.5-liter 290-horsepower V6

Fuel economy: 18/26 mpg

If it weren't for price, the Acura would have tied for second. It's a compelling package, mixing a superb all-wheel-drive system with a 290-hp V-6 that rivals some V-8s for both horsepower and smoothness.

Another reason to like the Acura: its pricing and options structure. When you buy an RL, you can choose to have navigation or not. Other than picking the exterior and interior colors, that's it: There are no other options to speak of. A leather interior, sunroof, a six-disk, in-dash CD system (even a pre-emptive braking system that will slow the car down when it senses an imminent collision) are all included as standard.

In an industry that loves to nickel- and-dime customers over options ("Oh, you'd like the self-dimming mirror? That's part of the $3,200 'technology package'"), Acura's approach is a refreshing change.

So why didn't it win? Size, for one thing. The RL is the biggest sedan Acura makes, but it's not that big overall (as we noted in a comparison last year, the Acura TL is nearly as big but costs less). Rear-seat space is at a premium, and the trunk is considerably smaller than the competition.

There's also the styling. Like the Buick, it is completely inoffensive but also a bit anonymous (you can walk past this car in a parking lot and completely miss it).

Finally, there's the price: At $53,500, the Acura is 10 grand to 15 grand more than the next two cars on our list. That kind of money could be better used for other things. If prices were equal, it'd be a tough call, but since they aren't, it's tough to recommend the RL when others do an excellent job and cost far less.

Design - The exterior's a bit too plain, but the cockpit is a nice place to be.

Luxury - From traffic-avoiding navigation to pre-emptive braking, the most complete package available.

Performance - A terrific engine, with an excellent AWD system, but it's no match for the Chrysler 300.

Quality - Like most Hondas and Acuras, the RL leaves little to fault here, but the center console does seem a bit too plastic.

2nd place
Toyota Avalon
Price: $37,563 as tested

Power: 3.5-liter 268-horsepower V6

Fuel economy: 22/31 mpg

Considering buying a Lexus ES350? Stop. Buy this Toyota instead. Made by the same company, it's a roomier car that will save you $5,000.

If you want to know why Toyota is doing so well in almost every corner of the auto industry, this would be a good place to start. The Avalon is a spacious, comfortable and capable sedan that sets new standards in the class for fit and finish and interior comforts. Heated seats are commonplace, but the Avalon ups the ante by offering cooling seats as well. Voice-activated controls? Yep. Radar-based cruise control used to be available only on cars costing almost twice as much, and yet here it is in the Avalon.

So much praise, and yet a second-place finish. What gives?

The Avalon is perfect in almost every way, save passion. It's a detached driving experience. Everything works well, but you feel the car is doing all the driving and you're merely a passenger. On the highway, you could engage the adaptive cruise control and almost curl up with a novel while the car drives you to your destination.

The Toyota provides unparalleled levels of refinement: The cabin is nearly silent, the transmission shifts imperceptibly, the steering is hyper-accurate. You can't help but admire it, but you don't love it.

True, passion is not a word you'd normally associate with this category, but it's why the car that has it takes first place.

Design - The interior should be taught at Big Sedan School; the exterior, less so.

Luxury - What exactly do you get in a Lexus that you don't get here?

Performance - A polite vehicle that will happily transport you anywhere -- just please let it do all the work.

Quality - We get it, Toyota. You're really good at this whole building-cars-rock-solid thing. Now stop showing off.

1st place
Chrysler 300
Price: $41,035 as tested

Power: 5,7-liter 340-horsepower V8

Fuel economy: 17/24 mpg

Unless you've been out of the country for the past few years, it's unlikely you've missed the hype surrounding Chrysler's full-size sedan. The 300C still turns heads when it rolls down the street (really: driving around New York in a black one caused everyone from teens to seniors to swivel), and it still has auto designers running back to their drawing boards

But what gets drowned out in all the talk of the 300's appearance is how good a car it is (one of the first and best fruits of the oft-maligned Daimler-Benz/Chrysler amalgamation). When you sit down in a 300 and close the door, there's an unmistakably Teutonic thunk. And there's more to it than that: The 300 shares its suspension and transmission design, steering, interior controls and four-wheel-drive technology with Mercedes-Benz's last-generation E-Class (which was no slouch itself).

That's the surprise of this car: You could write it off as a superficial styling exercise, but then it wows you by also being a serious driving machine.

There are many different kinds of 300 you can buy. The base models, with their six-cylinder engines, are nice, but the reason the 300 takes the blue ribbon here is that Chrysler had the crazy idea of stuffing a 5.7-liter V-8 under the hood. With 340 horsepower, the "Hemi" provides the 300C with almost as much thrust as its rich uncle, the Mercedes-Benz S550.

That kind of power is impressive in any kind of vehicle, but to find it in what should've been a humdrum large sedan is astonishing. And for a car this large, it's surprisingly nimble. Pulling a U-turn reveals the tight steering radius that Mercedes (and now Chrysler) is known for.

The Chrysler is also tremendously well equipped: navigation, Bluetooth, rear-parking sensors and all-wheel-drive are available.

The 300 falls short only in the cockpit. The dash is utilitarian, at best. The sharp lines and hard plastics are a victory of bean counting over design. Then again, you're less likely to focus on the aesthetics of the dashboard when you're cruising a twisty two-lane road and that Hemi V-8 is warbling under the hood.

The 300C started out as a looker, but it also has the goods. It wins.

Design - Big, boxy and brutish -- and still the car to beat. Pity about that interior, though.

Luxury - A surprisingly well-equipped car - Bluetooth, AWD, parking sensors and a simple navigation system.

Performance - Totally insane amounts of power, but expertly channeled to all four wheels with absolute control.

Quality - A low score primarily due to the interior. Fit and finish are fine, but the materials are basic and a little harsh.

jhr3uva90

These people MUST be kidding. To start out with, they have a very arbitrary definition of "full-size." The EPA lists the RL as a mid-size car, so why is it competing against the gargantuan Cadillac DTS? Also, they author makes a mistake about the RL's options: the "pre-emptive braking" is NOT a standard feature. And why is it being compared to a Toyota Avalon? The Avalon is impressive indeed, but it lacks the features of an RL (hence, the cheaper price). Who wrote this article and can we complain on line?

neuronbob

Thank you for posting the article.

The RL part was pretty complimentary, though they got some of the info wrong. As I mention several posts above, the RL is mid-sized, not large. They fail to mention there are three packages, and that they tested the top of the line package. Many do find the styling bland (though I don't), so they are somewhat on target about that.

They just bashed the Caddy and Buick. I mean, OUCH.

In any case, the prevailing wind in this thread is that Money Magazine should stick to money and avoid cars at all costs, and I agree with that based on the article itself.

Qest

I've seen people bash women's magazines that rate cars on # of cupholders, and I myself feel that car magazines are biased towards dry racetrack performance, but a "Money" magazine should tell us which one to buy based on sound financial logic.

This article, now that I've read it, is a total failure with no redeeming quality.

gdevine

The avalon is a nice, old person, floaty, front wheel drive car with air cooled seats. Because they are so popular they did not discount them much. Fully loaded I could have bought one for about 36k-36.5k.

My RL without the tech pack, but with some extras, ran a little over 40K. For 3.7K more I got an incredible, love to drive, comfortable, way more classy looking interior, sport sedan. If it sold at MSRP of 50K it would still be worth the difference, but at around 40k it is like comparing Filet Mignon to dog food.

My only beef (pun intended) is that you could not upgrade to ACC w/o getting the 4K tech package.