nyjohnchan

I know the honda legend has the night vision and the lane guidence system. Why don't the japanese put them on the rl? I wish we can put them on as options.

jhr3uva90

This is what I got from another web site regarding night vision:

For those Acura RL buyers in the U.S. wondering why they cannot option their car with the Raytheon Intelligent Night Vision system available on the Japanese Honda Legend, Automotive News, October 18th, 2004, explains that the system "would not work in some areas of the United States for a good part of the year.

"The system will not function if the temperature rises above 30 degrees Celsius, or 86 degrees Fahrenheit, and it will not detect objects that are smaller than about 3 feet tall."

In Japan, Intelligent Night Vision is a $5,250 option. (10-21-04)

You can find it on the web here:

http://www.automobear.com/AcuraRLToo...nnovative.html

nyjohnchan

Thanks for the info.

synth19

Get some night goggles and call it a day.

Mike_TX

These are, IMO, two systems that sound good on paper but are of highly questionable benefit in real life. Witness the lack of popularity of Cadillac's night vision system, and the chilly reception M-B's version is receiving.

The lane departure warning thingy is already available on some Inifniti vehicles, and I can tell you it is a PITA. Most users end up turning it off after a week or so since it's annoying as hell. There's an unbelieveable number of times where you cross some kind of lane marker quite legitimately, and this thing squawks like the AFLAC duck every time.

Life's too short for nanny systems like that.
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Fredo0709

i was definitely looking at night vision options to install on to the RL but the Raytheon aftermarket system called the PathfindIR costs around $5000. I have heard of people installing cheap IR Webcams to get kind of the same effect. Just wondering if anyone has seriously looked into other products for night vision. I started a thread but it didn't get many responses.

Mike_TX

I would suggest that any night vision system should project onto the inside of the windshield (a la heads-up displays) ... otherwise it is inherently dangerous, since it requires the driver to look at a separate screen or display, and therefore away from the road.

So far, none of the existing systems provides a sufficiently large or high-enough resolution image to be truly useful in demanding nightime driving conditions. I'm betting you would kick yourself for spending 5 grand on a system like that.
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acuralvr1

Good stuff here. I test rove an M Class Infiniti and the salesperson was quick to point out after describing the Lane Departure feature that it could turned off. They're obviously getting complaints from customers. This technolgy isn't where it needs to be yet for sale in my opinion. The flagship Lexus sedan has a "hands free" parallel park feature- during a demo on live tv it didn't work. Nice for the car manufacturers to come out with the "latest and greatest" tech toy, but it seems that the toy isn't working very well at times.

Kind of like our HFML.

Fredo0709

Really? If there was one feature that I think Acura got right with our cars, it is the HFL. I use it almost everytime I'm driving and it's definitely a very convenient feature. While it has given me a little bit of trouble at times, it's insignificant compared to the successful use I've gotten out of it... just my two cents.

gdevine

I agree, the HFL is one of my favorite features on the vehicle. At least one of the top 3.

GoHawks

I think the HFL is pretty well thought out. I use it all the time.

Meteor06RL

What are the most common HFL commands that you use? I really haven't found it easier in most cases than reaching over and pushing the appropriate switch. Help me out here with some ideas on why it is a good idea and maybe I'll start using it.

Mike_TX

I admit I seldom use it for things like climate control or audio. Exceptions are on really hot days when I come out to the car in a parking lot ... I can just say "Temperature max cold" instead of having to pump the temp button a dozen times (and press "Dual" if my wife has set a different temp). And if I'm in traffic and don't want to have to work the controls to change stations on the radio, I can just speak the station I want.

But it really comes into its own with Nav functions. Even if it's nothing more than "Find nearest gas station", or "Trip Computer" (I'm anal about mileage), it saves 2 or 3 button pushes.

Bluetooth, though, is the place I use it most. Just say "Call X" or "Dial 555 123-4567" and it's done. Golden.

This is the most accurate voice recognition I've used, including the one in my TL (by a long shot).
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GoHawks

I agree. I like the fact that I can input (actually speak) an address into the navigation without ever having to take my hands off the wheel.

Meteor06RL

OK. I can see the benefit of that (inputting an address by voice). I'll have to figure out how to do that one. Using the Bluetooth with my phone is awesome, I must admit. It is just the controls issues that I didn't see much value in. Maybe I'll adapt.

GoHawks

I don't use it that often for the other controls. I'll occasionally ask it to tune an XM station that I don't have stored on a preset so that I don't have to manually tune.

There are other ones like "display current location" that would normally require you to go through a couple menus.