8-)

I'd like the cooled seats too. Not sure about the rearview camera, I'd have to actually see the view. Would it be a really wide angle? Also, I wonder about the depth perception, could you really tell how close you are to things? Is it significantly better than the backup sensors?

I'm not sure about the value of Onstar either. And I guess I'll have to wait until summer to figure out if the rear sunshades are anything more than a toy. That is, if my kids don't bust them up first.

phile

Not sure about the camera either. Furthermore, don't know if it's color or black and white.

machination

Q45's rearview cam:

TLProspect

It will be interesting to see if there are additions to the RLs features, other than the Collision Mitigation Brake System that we know about. The cooling seat technology clearly exists for this car, I can only hope that common sense at Acura will prevail and that the US cars will get that feature in the next update.

phile

Good find machination. I wonder what the PTYCAT button does...?

machination

On my car, PTY allows you to search for certain radio station types/formats, like R&B, Country, Blues, etc. Im assuming its the same with the Q.

Rob L

I am sure the RL in the U.S. next year will have cooled seats. The RL here in Canada has cooled seats. Guess we got it since XM isn't offered here in Canada...yet.

BTW the cooled seats are EXCELLENT in the RL. Better than the cooled seats in the LS430 I cant wait for the summer to use them every day.

Here in Canada the seats in the RL have 3 stage cooling and 3 stage heating. Pretty nice and the max cooling and heating levels get super cold and super hot.

Karl_in_Chicago

I would have loved to have been a fly on the wall in the meeting where it was decided that people in Canada need cooled seats but people in, say, Florida or Arizona don't. Logic like that you put in your pocket and save up for a really good argument with your wife.

Rob L

Seriously, I think it was because we dont have on-star and xm offered in the RL here so they ahd to put something in.

BTW it gets pretty damn hot where I live in the summer...just in case you are one of those silly ignorant Americans who has no knowledge of the world outside of the U.S. and thinks Canada is an igloo. Shit, I get less snow here in Ontario than most U.S. states do that get snow and even in the winters it doesnt get that cold here.

But yes, is funny we get cooled seats and people in places like Arizona & Vegas don't. hahaha

It is my belief that cooled seats should be standard on all luxury cars. Heating is only good for 3 months of the year.

CGTSX2004

iTrader: (1)

What?? You mean doesn't look like this all year...

nicolasj

You can also get the power rear sunshade on the M35, as well as 5.1 Bose sound with 14 speakers including 2 speakers on each side of the headrest of each front seat.
And let's not forget laser-guided cruise control, Lane Departure Warning System, pre-crash seatbelts, heated and reclining rear seats, etc, etc. And the rearview camera is pretty cool too, it's always better to have it rather than not, don't you think?
I prefer the looks of the RL but I feel Acura got stingy on a few things for some reason. I don't even want to mention the stupid cooled seats in Canada but not in the US, no bi-xenon headlights, no intelligent cruise control (all the competition has it now), etc.

Rob L

CGTSX2004,

damn dude, where did you find a pic of my home?


nicolasj,

I am curious about the speakers in the seats. I think it'd be annoying but hopefully one day will get to try it out.

you ever use laser cruise control?

It is odd the RL doesnt have some features that are common options on other luxury cars (like the cruise) but I can only expect they did that so for 2006 they have stuff to add. Guess they didn't want to blow their load on the first model year.

nicolasj

Rob,

I use the cruise control a lot; I commute every day at times where traffic is usually not heavy so laser cruise control would be a good addition for me. I would not have to mess around with the set decel/accel button every so often. Of course when traffic is heavy it's out of the question to use cruise control, whether it is laser guided or not. Also being a private pilot I like to be reminded of flying a plane when driving my car but that's just me ;o)

I am not sure Acura will add laser cruise control in the 2006 model year. I talked to an Acura salesman the other day after test driving the RL and I asked him the question. He said Acura would never have laser cruise control on any of its vehicles in the US because it's too much trouble. His explanation was that Lexus has it and they have tons of problems with the laser sensor failing because since it's in the front bumper area, it gets hit with rocks and all sorts of stuff while driving, so it breaks easily. So the guy said the cars with this option actually lose value... I am not sure I fully understand this though. I'm sure Acura will have the option added sometime in the future, they already have this on the Japanese Accord and I've not read about any problems there... Maybe the salesman just wanted to make sure I won't wait for 2006 to get him his commission ;o)
Does anyone know if cruise control is totally inoperable in the case it's laser-guided and the sensor is broken? Wouldn't "regular" cruise control still be available then? I guess it depends on car makers and how they implement the technology.

CGTSX2004

iTrader: (1)

My guess would be, based on what I've read about these types of cruise control systems in general, that the basic cruise control would still operate. The laser system would not work and you would be in charge of controlling the speed yourself. However, my only concern would be if there is a warning light to let the driver know if the system has failed. If it does not have the warning light, I would imagine the whole system is disabled to prevent the driver from falsely assuming the cruise control was fully functional and getting into an accident as a result.

nicolasj

CGTSX2004,

good point about the cruise control. I remember reading a post by a guy who owned a fully loaded Toyota Sienna with laser guided cruise control and he was saying he could not use the cruise control at all since the sensor had been broken... So it seems on Toyota/Lexus, they disable the whole thing in case there is a problem with the laser part of it. My assumption anyway.

dseag2

From my own personal perspective:
1) I would prefer not to have laser-guided cruise control because most of the owners on the FX board complain about it
2) I don't need Lane Departure Warning to tell me I've drifted because I actually drive instead of spending time in "la la land" during my commute.
3) The RL already received the highest crash rating in its category so I'm not sure pre-crash seatbelts are necessary.
4) Very few people ever ride in the back seats, so I don't care whether they are heated or reclining.
5) The rearview camera on the Q45 often fogs up, making it an expensive but worthless item. I don't know if they've recently corrected that, but it was a problem in the beginning.

Long story short... I'm glad Acura left these off because it kept the price of the car down and gave me EXACTLY the options I wanted. Infiniti charges a fortune for these "packages" that force you to buy things that you don't want to get things that you do. I don't think Acura was stingy, just strategic.

jrock65

One of the advantages of the M35 is that you have much more of a choice in not paying for the stuff you don't want, unlike the RL.

Even optioned similar to the RL (M35 AWD + Journey + Tech), the MSRP is basically the same ($50k). In other words, the packages don't really cost a "fortune", because by analogy, then the RL costs a "fortune" too.

The only really costly thing is the Premium Package, few of which will be sold, as it is a package designed to cater to the rear passengers.

nicolasj

dseag2,

you say you actually drive instead of spending time in la la land during your commute, very good then you might be among the 1% of the people I actually see checking their blind spot AND putting their turn signal before switching lanes... If indeed that is what you call driving. People in California (where I live, SF Bay Area) can't drive, period.

Anyway, what about when you come back home after an evening out (not drunk, just tired) and it's 2 am and you fall asleep at the wheel? Or your kid in the backseat starts screaming, you turn around, next thing you know you're pulling over in the next lane in front of that Escalade doing 80 mph... You're not immune from that, and LDWS could save your life. Did you think about that? If you think this way, you don't need airbags and ABS, either.

About your third point, I don't agree either. How can it hurt to have pre-crash seatbelts? It's better to have them than not to have them, and I'm sure the M35 will have pretty damn good crash ratings as well... And these seatbelts are standard equipment by the way.

To me all these features are simply the proof that technology evolves and sooner or later all the cars will have them, like ABS and airbags (ok almost all cars).

Rob L

nicolas,

Yeah I hear ya on that...if there isn't much traffic then laser cruise control is a pretty neat feature to have. With traffic (not a lot but just enough to have people changing in your lane, etc) then it is pretty much worthless.

On the LS430 you have the option to turn the laser cruise option off and just use normal cruise. I'd like to think even if the laser went wiggy you would still be able to use the standard cruise. The Acura salesman may have been just blowing smoke up your ass on that but I am not 100% sure. I could go and bust the sensor on the LS and try to see if cruise still works but I doubt that'd be wise.

How exactly does the lane departure thing work? Does it just slap on a warning tone if you change lanes without signaling or something? I'd think as long as it isn't too intrusive it'd be a nice piece of mind feature to have.

I still wonder about rear view camera/monitors though....I wouldn't complain if my car had one but I doubt I'd use it.

CGTSX2004

iTrader: (1)

The lane departure system uses a camera mounted high up to recognize the lane markings on the road. Then, as the vehicle begins to stray from the lanes, due to inattention (usually indicated by no turn signal), the system sounds a tone to alert the driver that they are straying.

Rob L

hmm...so all those who dont use their signals would be getting the warning tone? If so, that's funny. I dont like people who don't signal so it'd be nice if this made them start signalling...naturally they'd just turn the system off rather than start using the turn signal though.

Anyway, I dont know how well this system will work.

dseag2

Since this seems to be getting personal... 1) I don't stay out until 2am. In fact, I rarely drive at night unless I'm on my way home from the office, and if I felt that tired I wouldn't be out on the road; and 2) I have no kids, and if I did I certainly wouldn't be turning around to look at them while driving.

We obviously all have different needs. And BTW, the people I was referring to in "la la land" are the many people I see with a cell phone attached to their ear, shaving, or applying makeup as they go onto the freeway onramp.

CGTSX2004

iTrader: (1)

Who knows...if it encourages those people to signal though, that'd be great.

nicolasj

Rob,

CGTSX2004 gave a good explanation of how the LDWS works. I would add that you can disable that feature after starting the engine (the system resets itself each time you start the car) so that you don't get annoyed if you like switching lanes like a moron. Of course the system won't work if there are no lane markings or if the camera cannot recognize them so it's not fool proof.

According to Infiniti, 58% of the car accidents in the US are caused by unintended lane switching. When I see the number of people drifting away from the center of their lane while they're on the phone, I'm not suprised. Also I would be very comfortable driving late at night with this feature... Even if I don't often drive late at night!

I think the Acura guy told me complete BS. Acura has this technology already... I think they did not put it in the 2005 RL to keep the car just under 50k. They just thought people in general would prefer to have NavTraffic and I guess they were right.
Another thing I think Acura got stingy on: the 4-way power passenger seat. WHY? Don't tell me they were not trying to save money there...
The RL still looks gorgeous anyway...

nicolasj

dseag2,

nothing personal here... You are right everyone has different needs. I just think you might be an exception considering this:

"Studies show that 55% of fatal accidents in the U.S. are caused by lane departure*," said Robert Yakushi, Director, Product Safety, Regulatory, Accessory Quality, Nissan North America, Inc. "These are caused by various factors, including driver distraction, inattention or drowsiness. The Lane Departure Warning system generates a warning to help alert the driver that the vehicle is about to move out of its lane."

Sorry, I had mentioned 58% in a previous posting... Impressive number nonetheless.

Rob L

nicolas,

hmm, I hope the system works. It really would be nice if it does because I see way too many people who when going around slight bends on 2-3 lane roads drift into the lane beside them and it pisses me off as I often am in that lane they start tod rift in and I ahve to either speed up or slow down and horn them huge. How hard is it for people to steer between the lines on an almost straight road? My goodness....

I still think that if it goes off during any lane change without use of the turn signal that many will just turn the system off. Whatever the case, I do hope it works well and cuts down on some of the stupid driving I see out there. It is a good idea and if it works I hope it makes it to all cars sometime down the line as long as it doesn't come at any real premium, which I doubt it would if it became a standard feature.

Yeah the 4 way passenger seat was a cheap decision...it is silly and still bugs me a bit (bugged me a lot when I first read about it before I got the car) although I will say the seat height they chose is not too bad, at least for my 6'1" frame. Still, there is no doubt that a car of this calibre should have an 6-8 way adjustable passenger seat....pretty pathetic decision as I doubt it would have cost more than a few bucks to make it have height adjustable. Sheesh.

What adjustment is the passenger seat in the new M? I'd hope 8 but 6 at the min.

Karl_in_Chicago

Checking out the "Build your M" process on the Infiniti website the M35 AWD comes standard with a 6 way power passenger seat (10 way for driver).

Rob L

does it say which adjustments it has? Hmm, I shall go check it after

For 10 way driver I am thinking the 9th/10th way would be seat bottom extension. If that isn't it then what is the added adjustment? Maybe Infiniti is including lumbar into the number...if so then are they saying only the driver seat has power lumbar? If the passenger seat has lumbar and they are doing this then it is only a 4 way power seat as well.

I will say that the M's passenger seat being 6 (assuming the 5th/6th way is just the whole seat moving up/down) is better than the RL's 4 way but still cheap. 8 way should be the min in these cars...and both seats should have lumbar. The RL's seats both have power lumbar which is good.

Oh and these cars should all have power headrests. It is silly to have to reach back to manually adjust something that is very important with respect to safety and usually is different from driver to driver of the car...and having to pick between the preset heights for the headrest is silly.

Karl_in_Chicago

Cut & Paste from Infiniti Build Your M:
=================================
10-way power driver's seat w/ power lumbar adjustment and 2 occupant memory
Memory system; drivers seat, mirrors, steering wheel (tilt & telescope)
6-way power passenger's seat
==================================
So, hard to tell on the passenger. I would think that it would be up & down. I agree that, as nice as Acura has loaded up the RL interior, it's baffling why they would cheap out on the passenger seat like that.

first99TL

Kind of reminds me of a Kindergarten teacher standing over a small child and chiding him for coloring outside the lines. I'm not sure I need another idiot buzzer telling me something that is easy to see. Do they give any statistics as to what percentage of the time the system accurately identifies a lane violation? 55%?

phile

It does? On which other cars?

justinjsw

Although, not entirely true its not a lie either. LKAS (Lane-Keeping Assist System) is an available option in the Honda Legend in Japan. So the sytem is available but not currently in use on any Acuras.
Honda Intelligent Driver Support

The below feature will be standard on the 06 RL...

Pre-crash Safety Technology: CMS and E-pretensioner
Honda's pre-crash safety technology assesses collision risk and mitigates occupant injury and vehicle damage by combining the first-ever Collision Mitigation Brake System (CMS), which uses millimeter-wave radar to gauge distance to the vehicle ahead, warns the driver to help avoid collisions, and regulates the brakes to reduce vehicle speed, with the E-pretensioner, which automatically retracts the seatbelt before a collision occurs to mitigate the impact on occupants and vehicle damage.

nicolasj

Phille,

justinjsw is right, Acura has this technology since Acura is Honda and Honda already uses this technology in Japan. However, the technology also exists on at least one Acura model, the Acura TL A-spec (2004 model year):

"The TL A-SPEC Concept adds Adaptive Cruise Control(TM) to the TL's already extensive list of safety features. This leading-edge system uses sensors in the grille to keep the TL A-SPEC Concept a safe distance from the car in front of it by controlling the accelerator and brake as needed. Laser radar tracks the speed and distance of the vehicle in front and maintains the TL A-SPEC Concept's speed accordingly."

Taken from: http://www.import-heaven.net/specs_a..._concept.shtml

nicolasj

Rob,

I'm afraid that for those people who drift away from their lane when in a slight bend, there is nothing that can be done. That is what you get when you pay $12 for your driver's license. I'm sure these people would turn off the system anyway :o(
As for the front passenger seat in the RL, I thought there was no lumbar support, at least that's what the salesman told me the other day. I didn't sit in the passenger seat so I could not verify his statement but I'll take your word for it!

phile

Dang, and I thought the Night Vision system and laser guided cruise control (now coming in 06) were the only two things missing.

I bet we'd be easily looking at a 55K (perhaps more?) RL with all the stuff the Honda Legend comes with!

nicolasj

Phile,

how do you know laser-guided cruise control and night vision are coming for 2006 on the RL? I only heard about that collision mitigation system...

phile

See the post from Justin above re: the collision mitigation system...the laser guided cruise control is part of that.

I don't think we will ever get the night vision - Honda stated that Japan is the testing ground for their new technology (knowing the litigious nature of the American public, wise decision on their part!). Sorry for the confusion, I didn't mean to say we were getting the night vision, just that it's available on the Japanese Honda Legend.

Rob L

hahaha 12 bucks. nice

Hmm, are you sure? I mean they get like moe than the tire into the other lane and based on this system I'd think it would sound the buzzer....unless it doesnt work on curves/bends. Maybe that is the case? All I know is I want people to quit sucking at driving.


Yeah the passenger seat has power lumbar....I think. I haven't sat in the passenger seat much but I am pretty sure I played with it. I'll check tonight.

jrock65

The directions in the RL and the M are the same 10 way power/6 way power, including lumbar.

Every other car in this class height adjustment for the passenger seat, except these two.

Rob L

haha really and you are certain of this? That is funny....I thought maybe Infiniti was including lumbar in the (ways adjustable) figure but thought maybe the passenger did have height adjustment...the driver seat though I was almost positive was including lumbar because I don't see the seat cushion being able to extend based on pics so I figured they were including the lumbar in the figure.