Again, thinking about replacing my 2006 74K mile RL, and have started seriously checking out the usual competitors. Started with the M37X and it is indeed a beautiful car inside, very nice leather, limited plastic, great switch gear, nice nav screen, nice wheels etc... But, it feels huge. Very difficulty on first drive to feel comfortable with front and back end, poor sight lines , the A pillar is really thick, high cowl, does not give sporty impression, or very easily placeable on the road. Engine has a definite growl, and the tranny does a nice job of holding gears on downshift, with a little exhaust blip, shifts are pretty noticeable. The voice control of the NAV is 3 steps to do what the RL does in one, (ie find nearest....)
Next sat in a new 2012 A6 Prestige with nougat interior . Beautiful dash, low cowl, good sight lines excellent nav and center stack graphics. pop up nav screen seems out of place, and would always be up in my case as a I like to see map, traffic etc. Seats leather does not feel soft, lots of plastic around seat base, very noticeable. Door panels seem monotone, needs some contrast. Black interior in another car looked low grade on doors. Did not drive but expect it to be a blast.
Next up today is 535 or X3 M package.
Based on cars.com comparison the sedans are all within an inch or so of the RL in length and width, the M being a little taller
The amazing thing is that a 5 y old RL may not be the quickest, but it has so many little touches that it gets very expensive to not drop any standard features. Door handle lights and unlock, lock without fob, great nav, fairly easy controls, great AWD, stereo, power steering wheel etc.
It just reinforces what I and many others have repeatedly said.... Acura please bring us a new RL, up the style a bit, tweak the engine for a little more torque, and you would have a slam dunk winner.

 

Feel the same way. I think they would embarrass the other car company's and everyone would want it. There has always been something I like about the styling and feel of the Honda products even motorcycles!

 

Me three. 2005 RL with 56K miles on it. I just can't find another car that comes close, for the reliability, features, technology, and styling. It seems that I fall in love with this car each time I get behind the wheel. I hope that Acura will come up with a great alternative soon ... and not these restyled modifications that we've seen for the past few years.

 

Nice little comparo there. Yup, I'm still a fan even though I haven't had mine for 2 1/2 years. Here's hoping Acura makes the RL even better.

 

Just goes to show you that when shopping around, it is hard to find a car that will come out on top over the Acura RL. After putting 35,000 miles on our RL over the last 12 months, I won't shop for any other car unless it is another RL, the car has everything I could want. Why waste my time?

 

Small update: Drove a 535xi and it too has many strange nuances. The Shifter is backwards, up for reverse down for drive, In sport mode up is lower gear down is higher, lock unlock button is on dash not door, pull handles 2x to exit, first unlocks, second opens. Nav screen is gorgeous and voice activation is pretty cool in that can speak entire address, # street, city and state, and it will find it, also do not need to keep pressing the voice button. Acceleration is very smooth when "on it" but a little jerky when partial throttle, a known issue.
Materials inside are very nice, leather is awesome, switches,interior door panel contrast, elbow rests, etc, and exterior looks IMO are the best with the hood creases, and side lines.
Expensive but being heavily discounted.

 

Ask yourself, why are they discounting the car so heavily? I think floor traffic is slow. Now ask yourself this, how often are you going to use the navigation feature when comparing to the shifting? The door handle activation would drive me nuts. Sounds like the car has a drivability issue when in a lean partial throttle. Check the consumer reports on the car, AAA for what the real cost of the car is. Do your homework and you will see that the RL has better reliability. Just my 2 lira.
Me? I wouldn't care if it was a 300 hp Trabant for looks, as long as it was comfortable and reliable. :P

 

That's interesting, I thought Blazing didn't like the nav vs the RL. How much for a warranty on the BMW? Are you willing to be stranded on the road with a busted HPFP?

 

My 2005 RL was def a lemon. Nothing but problems but now that I've replaced so many things in it and spent thousands and now she's runs great. Best car I have ever driven and I can't find anything I like near as much.

Went to BMW one day and test drove a 2008 bmw 7 which the dealer flat out said would blow my RL out of the water. Sound and power wise it did but quality wise and enjoyability wise did not compare IMHO.

Still have yet to find something I like as much as my RL.

 

I'm over 135K on my 2005. Would like something newer, but nothing out there really interests me. Hoping for some info on the new RL. Is it 2012 or 2013?

 

Who knows? Acura has false-started the next model about 3 times already. With the economy going south again, I wouldn't faint dead away from shock if they postponed it some more. Honda doesn't really care a damn if the RL sells in America; it's basically made for the home market anyway.

 

why not get a newer RL... I personally think the 2009+ is a sharp looking car...

dropped...tinted... sick looking car.

 

There just isn't enough difference from my current 2005 to spend the money. I know exactly what I have now and still happy except for wear and tear. I could get the visible problems fixed for less than the sales tax on a 2009+ model

 

Haha my dad had Trabant, it was like the best thing that ever happen to him lol

RL's rule!!

 

you know.. that is really true. the newer ones look nicer.. but you are right in that there is NOT a huge difference. for what you would have to pay to upgrade.. you could even do new wheels, aspec, or whatever other little upgrades would freshen the older RL... and you'd still have a car that is almost the same...

good luck.

 

Until Acura gets rid of that horrendous beak on the RL they won't sell many.

Another satisfied 2006 owner with 93000 on the clock. I would have probably traded for a new one if not for that snaggle-toothed front end.

 

So got around to driving a 2012 A6 3.0T. I have to say that the engine, and shifts are absolutely marvelous. The car drives great. The interior layout is intuitive, nav easy to learn and operate, MMI and touchpad great, knob rotation is counter clockwise, but other than that all was very easy. Now compared to the RL the seats are narrower, with harder plastic sides, and are further from the door arm rests. The doors are much plainer than the BMW and the leather feels less soft. Exterior looks are subjective. Getting back into the RL, the contrast of materials and stitching makes my 5 yr old RL a very nice place indeed.
As my 15 yr old son put it... All I want is a new car with the A6 engine, 5 series exterior and M or RL interior, and Acura reliability. That's not asking for too much now is it?

still waiting for a new RL, anyone at Acura listening?

 

No.

If you have a new car itch and want to scratch it, just scratch it, do a short-term lease, and come back to Acura if they get off their buns and release a decent 3G RL?

 

save your money! pretend your making payments and next thing you know you rocking a 100k car!