First off, let me say I was a hater of the front grille on the 09 Rl. Still, not happy with it, but as already been said, it looks much better in person. Now that that is out of the way lets begin. MY latest test drives have been, 09 Hyundai Genesis, 09 Nissan Maxima, 09 Jaf XF. 09 TSX and the Infinity G37S.


Compared to our 06, the 09 felt much more planted with a nice heavy feel to the steering. You can now just feather the gas peddle and give you the sensation of half throttle. This is the same sensation I got driven the 09 TSX. However half throttle on the 09 did not feel much different to this butt then my 06. Audio system sounds the same, meaning it is just Ok. It use to be, I thought the RL was very good, until I heard the sound system in the new Hyundai Genesis. You can laugh and make fun of the car, but you will not laugh at the audio system. It is the best I have ever heard in a car. The only system that is as good is the one in the Rolls Royce Phantom, only because its the same system. Handling is much improved on the 09 RL and I could tell the AWD was rear bias. When I put my foot into it, the car seemed to squat from the rear. Upon starting the car I could immediately tell the car was quieter then our 06. However, no more so then the new Hyundai Genesis. You no longer need to zoom in on the navi screen to see the traffic. There are a few negative issues I have with this car. The dual button for the AC is gone. I found no way to simultaneously change both driver and passenger temperature. The shifter now requires a push of a button to move the stick out of drive. Sort of an inconvenience when parking compared to the 06. As you know the gas mileage is way down. 22Hyw? You can do much better with the Genesis V8 and the new Jag XF. WE know honda can do better. There is no way I would buy this car at MSRP. It will need to be discounted like the 05-98. There is just too much competition out there. Even the top of the line 09 Maxima is no slouch compared to the RL. Even my salesman told me not to buy this car for 2 months. Deals are on the way, I guess. As already been said, if you have the 1 gen RL I see no reason to trade for the 09 unless your lease is up and you are an Acura fan. I am leaning toward the Genesis at this point. I just hope the next Gen RL is the real deal. I forgot, the cooled seats worked nice.

 

Haaaaaaaaaaaay! Copycat copying my title.

Could you post a little more about your recent test drives and how they compare with the 2009 RL? That would be cool to read about, and gives us an idea of how the RL's competition compares.

 

Sure, is there anyone in particular you would like a comparison? I have also driven the Smart car. And yes I did still your tittle . You did a very nice job and I concur with what you wrote. I tried to touch on some things you missed. I did try out the voice commands. Seemed to work the same, but I only tried it one time. Did you notice the front blinker lights are different?

 

The Genesis and Jag XF would be the most relevant of the group you mentioned. As an aside....I have decided the XF is sexy-looking, too..... total turn around from its last mention on our forum....

 

You might have missed it but I have done comparisons on both in this forum. The Genesis, is a great value the way the RL is. The fit and finish is not as good as our beloved RL, but it is excellent. The Genesis ride is titled toward Lexus smooth where the RL is tilted toward sporty. THe Genesis is extremely smooth and quiet with an even power band. There is not that rush of power like that Vtec provides(I might add, I am referring to the V6) The interrior room is bigger than the BMW 7 series, and much more room then the beloved Rl. The standard features for this car in incredible. For example, auto leveling head lamps, and well as adaptive head lamps. Rain sensing wipers, cooled seat(driver only) frontt and rear parking sensors, with backup camera, and the usual power stuff. The exterior IMO is nicer looking then the RL. They took the best cues from the BMW, BENZ, the RL and came up with the design. Unlike the RL the controls in the Genesis are easy to pinpoint and understand without using a manual. I am use to the RL so this really is not an issue.


The Jag, XF is just down right sexy. The V8 is powerful and it lets you know when you step on the gas. You HEAR it! Sort of a raw sound compared to the RL which has a much more refined sound ,atWOT. The interior affects the emotion in this car. Drop dead gorgeous in its simplicity. The Genesis has the same affect on a lesser scale. Handling is very good, but I'm not so sure its better then the 09 RL. I believe I felt more confident in the turns with the new RL. Audio system is only second to the Genesis. The Jag is very comfortable and has a ride that is very balanced. Sought of reminded me of the Caddy CTS. I really like the XF and itappeales to the emotion when you get behind the wheel. It not just going from A to B, but the car is fun to drive. Jag is currently offering a pretty good lease deal right now, as I believe the car is not selling well in this market.

 

Thanks for the review!! You too neuronbob. I am going out today to test drive the 09 RL. It may be a mute point though because I'm not going to pay what they're asking. I'll post some more lease numbers as I get them for anyone who may be interested. That's interesting about the Jag, last time I checked the residual was 51% and the money factor was close to 8%!! That may have been closer to the release date so maybe the money factor has improved. What kind of lease deal are you aware of??

I am also going to sample some Lexus today as well. My lease payment of $595 a month has me so spoiled that I am going to try the IS350 which I can get for less than what I'm paying now with all the tech of the RL minus the AWD. Plus it is almost as fast as the 335i. I'm thinking about downgrading in size simply because it is my commuter car and don't need a huge cabin. I was surprised with the amount of gadgets you can get in the IS, everything from ventilated seats, to keyless ignition, to real wood interior. Maybe they should trickle down more features into the TL and TSX. With the redesign of the RL in 2010, that could be the route they will take.

 

I believe the Jag is offering 599 a month for 36 month. Seems the sales on the Jag are not doing too well. I have driven the IS350 as well. Its a very nice car indeed. The cabin and rear seats were a little cramped, but other then that, it was hard to complain about. I think the way we wanted it equipped the payments would have been more the 595 per month on a lease. Have not looked into it lately so maybe Lexus is offering something better now.

 

I am driving a C300 loaner w/the nav & it is a sweet driving car, & the elestronics are top notch, way superior to the pr3evious command system, but I had better watch out since I no longer own an RL some people may get bent at me for having an opinion. This is the 1st nav that I would say is comparable to Acura's.

 

That's really saying something, then, as the last iteration of MB's nav system was clunky to say the least. Once again.....Acura leads the way....and fails to capitalize on it as others catch up.

Will have to test-drive the an E with navi then to see...

 

New Navi will not be available in the E until 2010 fmc. Currently available in S & C, ML & GL will get it newxy year in mmc. I remember when the C 1st came out Mike did a glowing review on the system. oops I quoted him I may be fanning the flames again. btw I have the loaner due to a faulty invision dvd player in the R so far no issues from MB.

 

Not to mention, it probably has the best audio system ever put in a car, never mind the Hundai The XF has the first BW car system ever offered, I highly doubt anything can get better than that (BW fan here ). However I wouldn't own a jaguar even if it were a present! Jaguars have traditionaly been reliability holes and the test ones I have seen had electronic bugs in testing of brand new cars, not an auspicious sign. It is now owned (or in the process) by Tata enterprises, we know how advanced their car technology is!!!!!! I've always liked the Jaguar look but they have aways sucked.

 

hey dwest1023 which dealership did u go to?

 

For the RL, i went to Pohanka. They have 6's RL's on the lot. The most of any Aura dealer in the area.

 

If you don't need a lot of power you can check out the I250 and get AWD.

 

I didn't get to test the 09 RL, all three from my local dealer have sold. All previous RL owners I am told, one came off a 07 RL with only 21K miles!! They didn't know when others were coming in. The next closest dealer is almost 45min drive away, he has 4 in stock. The money factor on the Tech for July has definitely improved. You can get into the Tech at $1000 over invoice for about $700/month taxes in. This is definitely better than the first quote. I was able to see the one being prepped and sit in it, obviously very familiar inside with some extra bling. The exterior though isn't sitting well with me, even in person.

I therefore spent the day at the Lexus dealer. I agree about the IS350, nicely equipped but small, and hell of a fast ride. I was quite impressed by the 6speed auto, very crisp shifts indeed, even in full auto. I did try the IS250 as well and did not like it at all. Doesn't help that I went back to back with the 350. You are correct about pricing, after looking at the lease factors, at $800 over invoice the IS350 was going to be $620/month, again more than I'm paying for my current RL but less than an 09 RL. That was the IS350 with sport package, navigation. The only configuration they had.

So my search continues. Next on my list is the G37 Journey Sport. They have very good lease rates, 62% residual and money factor of 5.1%(was 4.5% in June) Still haven't seen the Genesis yet nor have I tried the Jag. It's going to be a busy month!!

 

Doc, don't drive the G37S! You will want it! That car is awesome. The only draw back for us was the gas mileage and the price. If you like good handling and power the car is just about perfect. The only think I could like better would be the twin turbo 5 series BMW, but its $$$$$. I like every option on my cars, and I think that G37 was going for about 43,000 without haggling. Since the ole RL has us 3K in the hole right now, I am waiting a bit. I really like the Genesis, but I am a little concerned about the high speed handling. I like the sporty suspension more than the plush. Not sure about the Genesis as I could not really get my foot into it. I know it rides smooth, and very quiet. I would say more quiet then the RL. If you don't mind the badge its a hell of a car. Residual is 66% and the base model is going tat 399/month for 24. Hard to look away from that. Maybe by that time the real Rl will be out and I can come back home.

 

I am not surprised to hear you say that about the G37S. On paper, it has very good performance numbers, and it is a looker for sure. Because it would just be a commuter car and I rarely use my backseat a coupe could work for me. Honestly, the lease rates got me thinking about it, as did the price. Comparing it to the A5 and the 335i it is a bargain. A5 lease rates are awash although the BMW are decent, but not as good as Infiniti. I actually went over to Infiniti dealer last night to test drive and I was surprised to find that they close at 6pm!! People do have to work!! They are open until 7:30 tonight so I'll make my way over again. I'm looking to get into one for $550/month for Journey with Sport, Premium, and Nav. I can get this with $1000 over invoice which I think is fair profit, they should go for it. I have one payment left on the RL, comes out August 1st. At this point, if I love the G37 as much as I think I will, it may be my next ride. I might pay $650/month for the 09 RL, but I still am not happy with the exterior. Love the interior, refinement and the technology and could get into one this month as Acura will let me out of the lease and forgive my last payment. Decisions, decisions. As good a value as the Genesis may be, I don't know if I'm ready for Hyundai. In regards to the BMW 535, I really didn't like it actually and was very happy to get back into my RL after test drive. The RL sets the bar very high when it comes to car comparisons and most just don't come close. In regards to mileage for G37, I thought the numbers were similar to the RL actually. I won't do a review on the G37, that's for another forum. I am still looking forward to driving the 09 RL though.

 

I came close to buying a G35 nonsport last month. They are great fun. Very responsive powertrain even w/slushbox. The sport was a little to rough for my tastes. I would have gotten the G if I had not gotten the sweet deal on a CPO E 500.

 

Doc I agree wholeheartedly. Owning a RL makes it hard to buy something else. That has been my problem and I have been looking for a year. The only car that got close was the CTS and the Jag. I am not a fan of American cars, but Caddy did a nice job with that car. I am not sure about the Hyundai yet myself. I will have to drive it some more, before I decided. The numbers they are offering makes it hard to pass up and I will only have to live with it for 2 years. If Aura comes out with some real nice lease numbers, then I might reconsider. I'm at 590 a month now, so I am trying to stay in that range or lower.

 

That's almost exactly where I am, $594 and that's all I really want to spend per month, I've just become used to it. If you don't already know, new lease numbers came out on the 8th for the RL. Money factor is 0.00137 (3.3%) which is very competitive. The residual for the Tech is 52% for 36 month 12K miles per year. Basically at $1000 over invoice it works out to about $700 per month. There is no cash incentives(yet) so I don't know how close to invoice the dealers will be willing to go. This is as much as I will pay for the 09 RL. I would prefer $650/ month, but I haven't run that through on the lease calculator and don't know if that can be done above invoice or not. I'll be better suited to haggle with dealer once I drive it, just gotta make sure I bring my poker face with me. I always act very let down after my test drives, and I never bring my wife along!! The CTS was nice, didn't wow me and again I preferred my RL!! The money factor on CTS is a little over 6% but the residual is still good at 60%. They also have 0% financing on purchases up to 36 month. ($1183 per month with premium collection) Don't think I want to OWN a CTS though. Leasing is advantageous for me and I love a new car every 3 years. I'll drop a note after my G37 test run!! Sorry if I'm off topic a little.

 

Alright, I think I found my next car, G37S it is!! Dwest, you were absolutely right. It really is an amazing car and for all intensive purposes is a bargain. It was the first car I've test driven since I got my RL that I didn't want to give back and amazingly, was disappointed when I got back into my RL!! Keeping my poker face on was an exercise let me tell you. I won't belabor it as this is not a G37 forum but I can honestly say I loved everything about. The great thing is that after driving it and knowing all the numbers for the lease I already had made up my mind that I would pay $1000 over invoice. The salesman offered me that without even asking!! I'm obviously going to offer something lower but I think it is a done deal. Obviously, for anyone who needs a decent sized backseat and AWD, this is not the car, but everything else is there and then some. For those who have time, they are coming out with an AWD version in 2009. My search is finally over!!

 

I told you Doc. I had the same reaction! I still might get one myself. I already have a modified 06 Mazda Miata, and that is my fun car. If I did not have that I most certainly would spring for the G. Congrats!

 

Last month the lease on the G35 was under $400 which was an excellent deal. I loved the responsiveness of the G & the 2nd gen interior is very nice.

 

Well, it is a done deal. I pick up my new 08 G37 Journey with Sport, Premium, Navigation, black on black next Tuesday!! Got it for $900 over invoice, $565 per month taxes in, 1st month payment only due at signing. An awesome deal if I do say so myself. Had a very good experience with the local Infiniti dealership, very courteous and professional. I'll have my RL until the end of August. I just can't get past the looks of the 09 and the G37 is so fun to drive!! I'll probably post a sign off post until 2011, hopefully with some pics of the new ride.

 

Congrats Doc! Thank for the numbers, I will use them to do battle. Gonna talk to the lady and she whats to do. Hope you still got your license in 20011.

 

Congrats on the new G. That's a sweet car. Hopefully, Acura makes the 3G RL something to behold so you can come back.