mdh

I am thinking about purchasing a RL... wondering if this car is primarily a front wheel drive car? Also, are rear wheel drive cars more reliable? thanks in advance,

jhr3uva90

By default, the SH-AWD system will send more power to the front wheels. However, that is variable.

I don't think RWD cars are any more reliable that FWD cars. Look at the reliability ratings of certain RWD cars such as Mercedes.

mrdeeno

i think it's defaulted at 70/30% f/r and can vary to 30/70%.

But the "SH" part of the equation is magic that can divert all the rear torque to either the left or right wheel.


As for reliability, besides the initial "teething" problems that i've read about here, i wouldn't worry too much about it. With cars that are so electronically complex, i'd worry more about these types of problems.

Nocturnal

I'm driving a front wheel drive TSX now (loaner while RL is in the shop) and the skittishness of the car in the rain is scary. I'll keep dropping features and conveniences to keep driving AWD cars no matter my financial situation in the future.

The car doesn't feel like a front wheel drive car I think. It may well use the front wheels during steady state driving but under those conditions you can't feel the difference between front and rear wheel drive anyway. When ripping through a fast turn *thats* when you feel the difference. SH-AWD is definately not a gimmick. The little display is a gimmick but the difference is real.

jhr3uva90

I agree with Nocturnal. The RL might default to FWD, but it is much more dynamic under spirited driving conditions. My previous car was a CL Type S and after 3 years of torque steer, I decided that I would not get another FWD car. Of course, that eliminates every sedan Honda/Acura makes except for the RL.

Rob L

Yep, the RL may default to a FWD bias under normal driving but it doesnt feel like that and when you push it it does its thing to give you superb handling.

I think the whole "gotta have a RWD" crap some have is annoying and overblown. My RL handles about as well as my previous IS300 (a car widely regarded as having superb handling) and probably is superior when at the limits because it has better grip. No way when I am driving the RL hard does it feel like a 4000lb 190+" sedan or have a FWD bias.

jhr3uva90

Even when the RL is defaulting to FWD, it is only 70%. That helps, I think.

mrdeeno

I remember when testing the RL (the dealer didn't know about the little bar graph thing, I had to find it and show it to him), that even under mild to hard acceleration, the majority of the torque was directed rearward for more rear-bias (and reduced torque steer?).

The only times that it defaulted to FWD bias were normal cruising or very very mild starts, times when it doesn't matter. Hell, under these conditions it could have center-wheel drive for all I care.

Again, I think SH-AWD is the best AWD system out there and its benefits during inclement conditions as well as spirited driving are NOT exaggerated, but Acura did a piss poor job of marketing it that even many DEALERS can't explain what it can do over other "regular" AWD systems.

Damn Asimo...he took most of SH-AWD's advertising dollars!

jhr3uva90

I wouldn't blame the robot too much. However, it's clear to me that Honda is more an engineering company than a marketing company. If Apple Computer was as bad at marketing as Honda/Acura, no one would have an iPod.

mrdeeno

JUST BLAME THE ROBOT!!!

he doesn't have feelings, he won't care. BLAME HIM!

BMW, MB, Audi, Infiniti, Lexus, NONE of them are marketing companies...they pay outside firms to do their marketing for them. They PAY for creative talent to market the product. A good product can fail with poor marketing. A poor product can succeed with great marketing. Think what a good product will do with great marketing.

when magazine editors and people in general describe a car as having a "soul", i don't think they're describing the car. Rather, they are describing the "marketing" of the car.

The commercials and ads, done in an "artsy" manner to invoke emotion about the product, will make that product seem "emotional".

But commercials/ads that are cut and dry, like the ads that Acura has been using, make the car/image very sterile.

Think of the infiniti commercials with the brush-stroke silhouettes. All the commercials have the same "tone" and are memorable as infiniti commercials, regardless of which car it's advertising. Ie they develop a template or "style", and then use this template to create an ad for each car.

Then think of Acura commercials. The TL with different people talking to the car. Or the MDX in the enchanted forrest. Or the RL with the ribbony arrows flying around while it corners. these commercials are ok by themselves, but do nothing to connect all the products together.

Further, these commercials try to "explain" something to the viewer, such as the MDX's off-road/safety capabilities, or the TL's convenient voice-nav feature, or the RL's SH-AWD. It's like school, you can learn a lot about the products!

As for Infiniti commercials, I have no idea what they are trying to explain and or teach, and maybe they're not trying to explain anything. Instead these commercials try to invoke somekind of emotional response. And as we all know, there are more people who choose a car for emotion/image than for reason.

jhr3uva90

Okay, I'll blame the robot as soon as I say this. . .

Until recently, there was no such thing as a Lexus designer, engineer, or manufacturing plant. The parent company, Toyota, took care of that. Lexus' sole purpose, for most of its history, was marketing.

People tend to confuse "marketing" with "advertising." Advertising is a small part of overall marekting. Basically, think about the 4 P's: 1) product, 2) place, 3) price, and 4) promotion. Advertising is part of the last P. Lexus started out with a great product, the LS400. They started from the top and worked down, while Acura started from the bottom (the original Legend) and is still trying to work upwards. But where Lexus excelled from the beginning was the second P: place. They set standards for the dealerships that other brands' dealerships have yet to reach 15 years later. For example, how often to Lexus dealerships give out rental cars as loaners? Price was also a Lexus advantage years ago, but they have since discarded the price advantage. Finally, there's the promotion, which includes advertising. Lexus also wrote the book on using other methods of promotion such as concerts, gold tournaments, fundraisers and other "high class" events. Acura, on the other hand, is just starting to use some methods that Lexus used over a decade ago. Also, Acura has done a poor job at promoting the RL, and I'm not talking about just the lack of advertising. Acura should have encouraged magazines to write articles about SH-AWD before the RL was even announced. And I have yet to see an RL (or any Acura) as a product placement on any show.

So yup, we can shoot the robot. I don't think it would help Acura (which is a marketing company like Lexus) get a clue.

mrdeeno

it may not help Acura get a clue, but hopefully it'll free up some engineers who were previously busy trying to figure out how to make the robot wave and walk stairs. Robotics engineers who can spend their time working on cars...and maybe creating the worlds first real transformer.

jhr3uva90

That's Funny!!!!