Hey guys,

New to the Acura scene. Wanted to let you all know I am taking delivery of an 06 Acura RL w/ 18,000 miles at the end of October. It is a done deal so expect me to be a post wh0re. =)

Little info about me, I'm a 25 yr old Marketing Associate/Graphic Designer, I drive an 03 Audi A6 2.7T (pics below) and have decided on purchasing the 06 Acura RL (Dark Blue...color name?) off a family member, I will not have it until the end of October as the car will be driven out here to Colorado from NY. Looking for some modding of course and have been lurking around these forums.

Now what am I to expect off this car, as I have never even been in it, and Im not very big on Japanese cars? It was a great deal for me and I just had to jump on it. Some questions though as I'm getting antsy...

1. Comfort?
2. Handling?
3. Audio?
4. Modding scene?

Look forward to many discussions with you guys in the near future. Also, fyi I am VERY good in Photoshop, so if anyone needs a car 'chop' let me know.

 

Welcome to AZ and welcome to the RL fam! You will love the car.

To answer your questions briefly as I'm at work:

1. Comfort? Yup, very comfortable seats, smooth ride whether stock or modded.
2. Handling? SH-AWD is the shiznit. Mod the car with good tires and A-Spec suspension or aftermarket springs and the car handles far better.
3. Audio? Excellent.
4. Modding scene? Well, not so hot, but we have a few things. Will post appropriate thread later.

Back to work....

 

Congrats and welcome to our exclusive community. The RL is a very underappreciated car, and this forum is one of the best I have participated.

I am also a fan of Opulent Blue Pearl!

I personally think 2006 was the best year after the teething of the 2005 and before the repackaging that took place in 2007. But I am slighted by my RL.

I also appeciate the Audi, but I admit I am a fan of Japanese built cars.

You will find the RL less tuetonic although the Germans were benchmarked with the RL's styling and handling. The Japanese technlogy and telematics are industry leading, as is Honda reliability. What you will find over time is that the RL is quietly refined, smooth and poised. I think you will be most impressed with SHAWD which you learn to utilize after you have grown comfortable withthe car...otherwise it is tuned to near transparency.

I am a fan of the DVD surround audio, but audiophile and styling can be very subjective.

We look forward to you sharing your experience with the RL. If you read through the threads here, you will see many common themes.

 

Excllent! Thx for the quick responses guys. Opulent Blue Pearl...thats it! NOt a fan of anything other than black/white/graphite, but oh well what can ya do. Ill be sure to post some pics soon as it arrives. Expect some modding to be done as soon as I can find some decent mods for it. =)

EDIT: TampaRL, I just moved from Boynton Bch, FL to Dillon, Colorado. Went to college in Boca. Nice to see another FL resident on here, even though Im from NY.

 

Congrats on the purchase.

I, too, have a 2006 Celestial Silver. Was thinking about getting 07, but after much search went for a 06 and have been very happy with it.

My thoughts regarding your questions...

1. Comfort? Very comfy.
2. Handling? I'm loving the SH-AWD more everyday. I don't drive that hard, but every now and then become a corner fanatic.
3. Audio? As neuronbob said, EXCELLENT.
4. Modding scene? I don't plan on modding the car, but some of members' cars here look awesome. The only mod I plan on getting is the intake.

Look forward to seeing pics and hearing about your experience as well.

 

No easy mods for the motor like your 2.7T. APR & some of the others turn that into a beast if you dont fry the turbos. I came close to getting one when I got my GS400 which I was looking for jap reliability after my M3, but I did not learn because I now have an E500.

 

Hi there, welcome to the boards. I currently own a X5 and M5 so I feel I can comment on the RLs handling and comfort compared to our German counterparts.

The handling of the RL is predictable. The suspension is not as tight as The A6 or the BMWs, but it is very comfortable and the SH-AWD will allow you to take turns like you wouldn't believe. Would I love the suspension on the RL to be a little tighter? Yeah. I'm sure the A-Spec suspension would solve that problem. However, for what it is, the RL handles very well given the size and weight of the car.

The car is extremely comfortable to drive. I wish the passenger seat had more control (they fixed that in '09, the '05-'08 seat only goes back and forth, not up and down), but that is being nitpicky. I like the perforated leather (a lot of people don't) because it is a bit better in the summer for dissipating the heat.

Lots of gadgets on this car....and they all are designed very well. You'll find the NAV system blows the Germans away (it's Alpine after all), and the stereo system in this car is very nice, despite the fact that I despite Bose Having said all that, the RL is a great machine for the $$$ and I think you'll find you'll really enjoy the car. I know I am.

Chris

 

Congrats on the purchase. Nice A6, 6 speed?

 

Unfortunately not, tiptronic.

Thx for the responses guys!!!!

 

Welcome Weed4Life.

1) Comfort is a 9.5 - I just took a road trip to Jacksonville and it was all day comfortable both to drive and for passengers. Plus, I averaged 28mpgs on the highway!! (I live in Fort Lauderdale not too far from Boynton Beach. Ironically, I moved here not long ago from Boulder, CO - went to CU, but my Mom lives in Frisco, CO...right in your backyard of Dillon haha)

2) Handling - very confidence inspiring, it's crazy the turns you can throw this car into!

3) Audio - the best I've had in a car so far. In my opinion, the DVD audio is pretty worthless. Also, you're gonna want to get a USA Spec Ipod adapter (you can do a search for a pretty thorough description)

4) Mods: no a lot. Aftermarket rim selection is very weak, performance mods very limited.
Fortunately, you'll find that there aren't a whole lot of mods you need to do to get this car tight...plus it helps that you rarely see this car so any mods you have on it will make it stand out that much more.

Good luck & enjoy your RL!!

 

Weed4Life, I did something similar to you as I bought a 2006 RL this spring (for the price of a brand new 2008 in the US, depressing I find). Let me give you another opinion potentially a bit different from the others:

1) Comfort: Having upgraded from a TL, I was expecting more from my RL. Not that it is not comfortable but where I live, all the roads are bad and you can still feel a lot of it in the RL. Noise is also not that different from the TL; again, I would have expected the RL to be a bit better than it is. It seems the noise cancellation feature does not make that much difference since most of the noise is road noise (bad roads again?). In Colorado, it may not matter all that much though but the RL may not be the best plushy luxury sport sedan that some would expect.

2) Handling: Compares to my 2004 TL for the type of driving I do (not very sporty driving). Consumer Reports says SH-AWD does not make a difference as far as summer handling is concerned. You may have a better appreciation for this since you are already used to an AWD car.

3) Audio: Very good but, surprisingly, not as good as the TL (I know it sounds like I am missing my TL but I'm not). It appears that I have to crank up the subwoofer to get the same punchy sound I was getting in the TL (am I the only one noticing this or is the RL subwoofer just less effective than the TL's?). I would say that the true 5.1 surround DVD audio is very nice but it appears that the discs are getting harder and harder to find (unless you shop Internet specialty outlets). Find one DVD-Audio with music you like and give it a shot; it is worth it. (note the quality of the surround content is not consistent though)

4) Mods: I'n not into mods.

So, do I like my RL? Yes I do. I thought it was the best compromise between luxury/comfort/handling and snow driving (we got 5 feet of snow last winter). It's a car that has lots of pros but thought I'd give you some of its weaknesses too.