What special features of the RL have spoiled you to other cars?

Several things that come to mind for me are:

1) "Self-closing doors". I am tuned to car that closes its doors with a gentle push. When I get out of other cars, I invariably close the door too gently because those other cars don't close the doors for you. I am always having to reshut the doors on my wife's car, now.

2) Keyless entry/start/lock. I like walking up to a car and just touching the handle to unlock the door and get inside. Naturally, keyless start is nice, too (though I'm only at about 70% on starting smoothly). I like touching the handle to lock the car, too. Sometimes, I wish you could set the car to lock as you walk away with the FOB.

3) The stereo. Love the sound. Love being able to play MP3 disks (makes up for lack of AUX jack in my '06).

4) Auto up/down for all windows. Some other cars have this, so it isn't all that unique. But when I drive those that don't, I miss 'em.

Those are just a few things that tell me that I am one with my RL. These little things have changed my expectations for what a car should have. I'm always reminded that I'm not driving it when I have to take a key out of my pocket.

Happy Motoring, indeed!

 

The seats & headrests,,,most comfortable of any car I have driven.

In interior style,,,when I get into other cars, I am highly critical (and I think 'Rubbermaid')

The stereo,,, finest I have owned.

The HFL,,,office assistant.

The NAVI features...still learning.

The harmony of performance, relative economy, smooth braking and assured handling. There is rarely a time where this car can startle me. All others had obvious shortcomings and driving attributes to be avoided.

The serenity the RL offers me leaving office warfare for the commuter battleground,,,it is quiet, smooth and balanced. The RL is my Zen.

 

Definitely the keyless system. I can't count how many times I've gotten into our MDX with the keys still in my pocket.

LL

 

Now that I have to temporarily use the keyfob to open the car....the keyless system.

I have to remind myself that our Pilot is not keyless. I have, on occasion, gone up to the door and put my hand in the handle, expecting it to open.

The leather in our Pilot is also CHEEEEEEEP and hard compared to what's in the RL, so I'm spoiled that way, too. If I hadn't owned an RL, I would never have known how cheap leather in non-luxury cars is.

I miss voice commands to use the phone so much when I'm in the Pilot that I installed a Motorola HFM1000 Bluetooth module.....has similar functionality to the RL's system. Our Pilot with navi has voice commands, but not as many as in the RL, and the navi is MUCH clunkier to use than the RL's.

The RL's interior is the best I've experienced other than the TL's, which is almost as good. When I add the wood steering wheel (finally decided to buy it as a late birthday present! Thanks donniesnyder for convincing me....) and shift knob, the picture will be complete.

 

* Keyless entry and start. I hardly EVER use the fob. Ever.

* HFL, definitely an office assistant. I now do much of my voice mail and phone conversations to and from work. Voice recognition for the rest of the controls as well. I never really explored the VR when I bought the RL as I had chalked it up as worthless after the laughable implementation in our Land Cruiser. It was truly a gem that I uncovered as I drove the car more and more. I now tell people who are considering a Lexus, to truly try it out before purchasing.

* Full AUTO windows is nice, but I already had that in the Land Cruiser.

* Stereo

* But in the end, it's what swayed me to buy this car over the Lexus GS. It's the interior. I love it.

 

Just about everything!

 

my biggest spoiler on RL is the fact that everyday i hop in it, i learn something new.. makes me want to spend my entire day in it

 

keyless entry. Simply amazing and has definitely added a few pounds to my body...because I have become more lazy since I bought my 05 RL.

 

The view out the front.

I find cars where you can see much of the hood to seem rather old-fashioned. The RL's sloping hood offers such a panoramic view of the road without sitting super-low to the ground. You do have to get familiar with it, but once you do, confidence builds and other cars seem claustrophobic behind the wheel.

Rob144

 

I have had my 2007 for a month now and the WOW factor has only gotten stronger.

Bluetooth: Spent some time on the road and had to be on a conference call. Great not to have the bluetooth peice in the ear and strain to hear the conversation.

Sound System: Where have you been all my life! I'm a huge Beatles fan and the Love DVD Audio disc makes me wish their whole catalogue was going 5 channel. I hear something new every time I listen to it. Being able to ta

Nav: Still playing with this, but finding a restaurant in Columbus Ohio the other day was just a few simple steps.

Comfort: The seats are terrifc. On that trip to Columbus, I did not have to snap the bones back into place after only a 3 hour drive. Could have driven all day. To boot, I got 28.6 miles per gallon doing an average of 63 MPH (construction slowed me a bit).

The best thing for me is starting it up and hearing the low rumble of the engine. Love that sound. Can't wait for the drive to work every day.

I have received a ton of compliments on it over the last month. My fater in law, who is 93 and has been a car nut all his life, still drives (but not with me in the car!), was knocked out by the whole package. He's a hard guy to impress since he has owned every mode of transportation known to man including one of the first Corvettes ever made.

This car suprises me every day and reinforces my decision to buy. Can't wait to see what's next for the RL in design and features.

 

Keyless entry. I really dislike driving other cars without it now. heh

Oh and the AWD system. I get into other cars and simply can't drive them like I know I can with this thing without something giving way.

My previous car was an IS300 and it had great handling but I think the RL is better simply because you can push it harder without worrying it is going to start sliding and RL grip seems limitless at times. heh

 

Automatic Start-up. Most cars require that you hold the key in the start position and "listen" to the engine start before you let-go of the key. The RL's starter lets you just "flick" to the start position and let-go...the engine then automatically starts-up.

Now, when I go to start other cars, I habitually flick them and they don't start so I have to try again.

 

SHAWD, keyless entry, audio, radar cruise, CMBS. The SHAWD gives this car capabilities that are simply awesome, yes, you have to drive it hard to trully glean its benefits but its a thrill to drive a cush car like a race car. The RL may not have the reflexes of an s2000 but its handling limits are virtually the same if not slightly higher, its a shame that it doesn't offer more thrust in a straight line, if it did it would trully be the ultimate "sport" luxury sedan.

 

SHAWD, keyless entry, audio, radar cruise, CMBS. The SHAWD gives this car capabilities that are simply awesome, yes, you have to drive it hard to trully glean its benefits but its a thrill to drive a cush car like a race car. The RL may not have the reflexes of an s2000 but its handling limits are virtually the same if not slightly higher, its a shame that it doesn't offer more thrust in a straight line, if it did it would trully be the ultimate "sport" luxury sedan. A few weeks ago I took a buddy on a demo ride and he was shitting his pants while we were easily managing back to back tight sweepers at 90 mph plus while accelerating! He said it was actually more fun than a roller coaster at Disney

 

The hope of ever selling one?

 

Some people just don't want to be spoiled!

Another item: The tilting mirror when backing up. I've come to rely on this feature to position the car just right when I back into my spot at work. It's a little thing, but when I drive the van, I REALLY miss it!

Rob144

 

Where to begin?

Quiet cabin, serene interior
Super-comfy seats covered with soft leather
Great stereo with XM and DVD-A
SH-AWD (who knew??)
HFL with VR that actually works
Real-time traffic on the Nav
LOVE the keyless thing
Beautiful exterior with understated elegance
Strong VTEC engine that kicks booty when required
ACC to make highway cruising a breeze
CMBS to save my a$$ when I space out in heavy traffic
Knowing I paid low $40s for a car that outclasses others that cost much more

VODoc

 

Wow factor continues 8 months later.

VR is awesome and it gives me a good excuse to tell my wife to shut up for 5 seconds. Just kidding sorta.

AC is awesome has anyone tried the command "temperature max cold" cools that cabin down right now.

Love my head lights.

Beautiful interior as well as the most comfortable I've experienced.

Awesome interior lighting. Blue LEDS are cool and I love the fact that you can turn off all interior lights with one switch. I don't know why interior lights don't go off after 10 or 15 mins.

SHWD so much fun.
Audio system awesome.
Gas milage is great. Highway for me is 28 city does suck gas.
Navigation is incredible.
MID takes the worry out of maintenance.
Backup camera is very useful.

And tops on my list (knock on wood) have not had a problem with 12k miles yet. First new car I have ever owned that lives up to that feat.

 

This is a tough question. The lady and I have been out looking at other brands, because the lease will be up soon. WE had driven everything before, (and I do mean everything) and nothing compares for the price.

Last week was CLK Mercedes and although, it has very good handling, and a very nice Harmon Karmon stereo, the fit and finish did not wow like the RL. Not to mention the new one they took out of the showroom floor had a transmission problem. We are not buying a Mercedes!

Today we went again, to dirve the Lexus GS 350. I was not impressed with the Mark Levinson stereo. It was nice at high volume, but at normal listening levels it sounded like a transister radio. I was shocked that Mark Levinson would put his name on that system. The ride was just Ok, but there was just no wow factor. Got back in the RL and man it made me, realize again how good the RL is. The Lexus is just plan boring to drive. When I floored it, there was nice pep. but when I got back in the RL and the Vtec kicked in, it was wow all over again. Even though the Lexus had more HP, the RL felt much more powerful. The GS, had better looking seats, but strangely, the RL felt more comfortable. While the Lexus is a nice car, for me and the lady the RL is nicer. So we will just have to wait till the 3G comes out There is NOTHING better overall( in its class) then the RL in my book. so yo see, I am so spoiled by the Rl we can't find anything else to buy.

 

See my debate in the '09 gen thread.

Mercedes built their reputation a while ago, and IMO, they're still riding that with cars that are marginally (if that) better than others. But like BMW, they have a logo that is synonymous with status. That's what people are buying into, not like the minority that do appreciate the driving dynamics. That is of course until the warranty expires.

 

I know that this thread has probably served its time, and perhaps what i am about to say might be a re-iteration , however, the one cool feature of RL which i was not aware of is that the time is GPS-synchronized; consequently, on my 2K+ miles journey from east to west coast, the clock changed time according to timezone automatically!!!!

 

I drove through some intense Florida summer thunderstorms today. Wind gusts around 40mph were blowing down tree branches, rainfall was 2-3 inches standing deep on the road. I was driving some backroads at 50-60mph.

The RL was unaffected. No noticable impact of the wind, no traction lost, no sign of the SHAWD compensating except on the twisties. No skid, no tire squeel and no unexpected responses. The ride was as serene as a typical sunny day. No white knuckles, no need for excessive precaution and I arrived with a smile that it was no problem in the storm.

The RL has spoiled me with serenity in the drive.

 

As the TV commercial says: "transcend the daily commute".