rtr

Thaught I would start a thread on something positive! What's the favorite thing about your RL!
So let's see how many we can get I will start with mine.

The amount of grip that the car produces with the handeling and sh-awd.

Pint

Reliability, handling, value for money.

06RL/NBP

Comfort.

Pint

Forgot to mention - tons of great electronic equipment making driving safe & pleasant.

jime

My favorite is the CBMS active cruise control - it is soooo cool.

037

Sh-awd

oo7spy

Great idea!

Can we choose more than one? Maybe a top 3 or 2? One is too hard.

plastikman

One of my top favorite things was the SH-AWD combines with the Aspec suspension, it was just soooooo much fun. However I am with oo7spy, it is hard to just pick one thing, there are so many things to like about the car.

Carbon Legend

Comfort/Quietness of the Interior. that is what sealed the deal with me.

TonyCD

Like they said. Where do I begin?...

•The gorgeous wood on the dash.

•The way SH-AWD made me feel secure on snowy and rainy highways while others crawled.

•The looks. I find them tastefully understated.

•The stereo. I think the way it synthesizes surround from stereo CDs is awesome.

•The way it makes me feel when I walk up to it.

•The way SH-AWD lets me take big highway-ramp sweepers at 50.

•The confidence of knowing car thieves will never bother me because they don't even know what my car is.

•The wonderful paint finish and high-quality materials everywhere.

•Brushing the button with the back of my hand to lock up the car.

•Touching the button to move the steering wheel toward me.

•The driver's door so meticulously built that I just swing it halfway open, jump in the driver's seat and let it swing closed all by itself.

•The greenhouse so aerodynamically correct that water simply glides over all the windows at 75 mph.

Need I go on?

FredS

Ditto!!! Imposible to name one but I will add to your list.

The clarity of the bluetooth.

Unbelievable sounding stereo.

Got to mention reliability and low cost of maintenance.

Well layed out dash.

Front door compartments that swingout for easier access.

Great looks especially when looking from the front.

All the personalized settings for lights doors etc...

Well thought of center console compartment. A friend has a ES350 and his is small and awkward to use.

Doors that open to almost 180 degrees. Can't tell you how that has helped transporting large items.

An item I pray none of us will need is top rated safety.

Piggy backing on the high quality paint and materials, I have 155,000 miles on mine and it looks like the day I bought it. How many cars could you say this same thing.

oo7spy

I couldn't decide between the interior and 3rd gear.

The interior is gorgeous, the seats are ridiculous comfortable, there are more courtesy lights than I could imagine putting in myself, and the gadgets and features show a well though out design.

3rd gear is amazing. The manual states it can go as low as 8 mph and as high as 93 mph. If I need to pass someone, I don't have a concern. I passed two Suburbans the other day on a two lane county road. I was back in the right lane before the single dash middle line started. 60-90 has always impressed me very much. I would love to know actual times and how they compare to other luxury sedans. Have you ever driven around town in D3? Power is instantaneous, and you feel like you're in a go kart.

There are definitely more things to love as stated here, but these are definitely top two for me.

TonyCD

Fred, I agree about the safety. Both the active safety of the superb handling and brakes that keep you out of an accident, and the knowledge that it's superbly crashworthy in case the worst should ever happen.

I also agree about the terrific seats -- it's amazing to me how many costly cars have uncomfortable driver's seats or unworkable seating positions. And as for the dash layout, I personally just have a soft spot for that blue glow and 3D neon look to the gauge cluster (I'm kind of a gauge styling freak). Not to mention those cool matching blue lights everywhere. :.)

robarsan

This is my first vehicle with a navigation system so that is high on my list and it also looks better than some sytems I've seen in higher end luxury vehicles.

The paint job is amazing. Just had someone at work the other day ask if it was a new vehicle even though the car is 5 years old.

Peace of mind. After owning an Audi S4 and driving on Def Con 1 for about 2 years praying that something else wouldn't break, the RL commands confidence that you will get from point A to B with no issues. And, the car fits like a glove.

mg7726

the best feature is sh-awd. corners are my friends, if i am lazy and let off the rl's torque-vectoring kicks in.

second are the AFS hid lighting, i swivel it back and forth during very low speeds, makes my gf roll her eyes. haha.

lumpulus

The fact that 5 years and 90k miles later it still feels like I just drove it off the lot yesterday.

Ballinger

Ha ha! 3rd Gear. Yeah... I like that, too. VTEC engagement in third, the CAI all throaty and the car just rocketing up a hill around traffic.

One tries to limit these things in the face of gas prices, but some things have to be done.

robarsan

Forgot to mention how much I like the keyless feature. I have taken this luxury for granted. Would never want to go back to using a key again to unlock/lock the car, start the ignition.....etc.

oo7spy

I think this thread should go sticky. That way people unfamiliar with the RL can know of great features quickly, and new people will find it easily to add on their inputs.

Rob144

It's always a pleasure to get into the car, no matter what kind of a day I've had.

The driver's seat is still the most comfortable I've experienced -- I can drive all day and not have to squirm and wriggle.

The stereo is also the best I've experienced. I love putting on a DVD-Audio (Talking Heads, Remain In Light) and reveling in the sound.

Solid and comfortable -- smooth and quiet. Will look good 10 years down the road. Great paint. I also like my A-Spec wheels.

Rob144

rlx015

I simply love the car! Every day I have a thought or two about driving it again... I make up excuses with my wife to drive it more often lol (let's go far distance instead of close one - just to drive it and enjoy it more) ... there is many options I love but few are definitely top notch: SH-AWD, comfort, reliability, aggressive design and look, little gadgets inside - all together electronics, etc etc etc... I luv the car... and hope everything goes well, I plan to replace it within next few years with the newer RL... hopefully they continue to make them.

nralpmet

Best Long Distance Cruiser

Even though my wife refers to my RL as "my old man's car" she would'nt want any other way for our twice yearly drive down to Florida from Ontario. The other day we took her TSX for a day trip of 3.5hrs each way. We were both totally bagged that night and yet we easily drive 12hrs/day to Florida.

And then there's fact the RL is not one of the 1000's of Lexus(Lexi?), BMWs, etc you see everyday.

getakey

sh-awd
never thought I would keep a car this long. First time I have put 135K miles on a car and it still feels new in many ways.

oo7spy

*BUMP*

I figured since we have a reasonable amount of new owners and random AZiners checking in on the RLX, I would bump this thread to get new opinions or spread the insight from owner's of this great car.

ceb

I guess none of you have driven any comparable luxury car. The one thing the Acura does have - except the '05 - is reliability.

Grip with AWD is completely dependent on tires and there is much debate if SH-AWD is any better or worse than quattro, x-drive or 4matic. Auto-Motor-Sport will argue that SH-AWD is the worst of the group.

Oh, and the wood ain't wood unless you have the advance package. The base and tech have plastic.

There are lots of things to like about the RL, but you guys make it sound like it is the best car in the universe. It isn't and it is overpriced.

getakey

Overpriced? Compared to what?

TonyCD

CEB, a few quick corrections:

•Grip with ANY car is completely dependent on tires. I don't know who's debating whether SH-AWD is a superior system to its German imitators, but it definitely preceded all the others that have torque vectoring (some STILL don't), and those who have it definitely imitated the RL in doing so. Among those that don't, even 7 years later the RL's system remains clearly superior in enhancing dry-road handling and reducing understeer. I've never heard of "Auto-Motor-Sport," but a Google search turns up this item on Wikipedia:
"auto motor und sport[1] (ISSN 0005-0806), often abbreviated to AMS, is a leading German automobile magazine." Surprise! Who'd have guessed?

•Whether "the wood ain't wood" depends on model year. For example, the dash trim on my base-model RL from Year Two (2006) most certainly grew on trees. Speaking of Wikipedia, their RL listing summarizes this nicely.

•Regarding the value question, I'm sure most of us on this board are well aware of the beatings the RL has taken these past seven years, from Consumer Reports and others, about how it supposedly delivers the TL's value for $15,000 more cost. But as Michael Karesh (then on Epinions), MMarshall of ClubLexus, and others have pointed out, it requires closer examination to see where the RL's higher cost went, yet the value is there. From hand-rubbed paint to magnesium seat frames to a carbon fiber driveshaft to doors that close like a bank vault, the RL is simply not built like mass-market merchandise.

As for value comparisons with the Germans, all luxury nameplates obviously carry the price premium that's needed to support their costs and amenities on a smaller volume of vehicles sold. Within that context, it's been well documented that the RL delivers a combination of feature content, room, performance and materials quality that outshines comparably PRICED German luxury models.

Now, whether you like the RL or not is immaterial. I'll give you the benefit of a very considerable doubt by assuming you're not a German-car troll, just sincerely uninformed. But next time, please research the facts before using our forum to lecture us all that we don't know them.

JonFo

Best: the SH-AWD system

As a Subaru fanatic (I've had 5, including wife's current WRX) I know AWD driving pretty well, and the SH-AWD torque vectoring is amazing on the road.

I still find Subies AWD more 'grippy' in snow or rain, but the SH capabilities in the RL are trully great. Waaay better than the Quattro on my 2002 A6 sport that it replaced.

Quiet and reliable are next up, but also of great value is the stealthy nature of my silver bullet.

oo7spy

We can just stop it right there to know that you are misinformed. The 2005 RL received recognition from JD Power for being one of the "most dependable" cars.
http://money.cnn.com/galleries/2008/...bility/11.html

The rest of you points are just laughable.

HEAVY_RL

iTrader: (1)

with all due respect a TSX driver/Civic owner providing insight on the RL is pointless.

Sure you've owned BMW's, VW, and Audis, but having owned a 5 series and driven many Audis they are completely different cars in comparison.

And you guessed wrong on "our" luxury car back ground.

SSjTrunks112O

Yup all '05's-'06's had genuine wood dashes. Tech & CMBS '07's-'08's also had genuine wood, leaving only the base model donning plastic. You're thinking of the MMC when the Advance package debuted, stripping the other trims of the genuine dashes..

oo7spy

Looking back over it, I think he only read the first two posts and trolled us.

But back on topic. We had one new perception. Any others?

HEAVY_RL

iTrader: (1)

It happens... from what I recall some people troll for a good debate.

I still think my favorite thing is that there aren't many of them on the street and I love the body lines.

ceb

One would expect no more from a bunch of RL fanatics. I persuaded my sister to get a '05 RL and it had more than its share of problems, from mirrors to cigarette lighter sockets to brake and battery issues - the last leaving her stranded twice. She dumped that, left the country and now has a '10 RL that has been trouble free for two years now.

You have no clue about my experience with the RL so please don't jump to conclusions.

Of course they are different cars but (when they work) the 5 series, A6 and E series are more comfortable and relaxed highway cruisers. All of them also have better gas mileage.

I actually like the RL for the whole package (including reliability) but I am smart enough to recognize the shortcomings.

Identifying issues is not being a troll. Sticking your head in the sand and blindly thinking all is well is the problem.

Customers have clearly voted with their wallets. BMW, MB and Audi sell more comparable cars every day than Acura sells of the RL in a year.

The bottom line is that in '05, the RL was a huge improvement over the 1st generation and had some bells and whistles that were pretty advanced. It was at the top of the price scale for comparable vehicles and lost ground rapidly as the years went on.

Make no mistake, the RL is still a good car and - for most here I suspect - the reliability is what keeps it in the running. We need to face facts however and the RL is still running on 2005 technology. The nav is outdated and the user interfaces are clunky. The car has gotten uglier with the years without an increase of real performance and is no longer a class leader.

HEAVY_RL

iTrader: (1)

I think the jump to conclusion was equal on both fronts.

The difference being that I read your intro post and you assumed we were fan boys with no prior "luxury" experience.

None the less, we welcome the discussion.

oo7spy

Expect that from us?!? We did not conduct the research. An independent third party looked at the number of warranty complaints for a large sample all the cars in the class and ranked them based on frequency of issue. The 2005 RL placed 3rd behind two Lexus models.

The brake issue was recalled. Did your sister go in to get it fixed at the expense of Acura? Do you really want to get into number of road side strandings between an RL and a 5-series?
The dash and insert below the HU in the '05, '06, & '07-'08 tech models is real wood. The doors have always been plood. When the MMC came out, only the CMBS model had a wood dash. What's your point? I missed the post where we said the wood was the best feature of the car.
Placed it there how? By price?
2005 A8 base msrp = $70k
2005 S430 base msrp = $75k
2005 740i base msrp = $70k
2005 RL CMBS MSRP = $54k
To get the same amenities in an E class or 5 series, you will be spending well above $60k.
Volume specs:
2006 E350 interior volume = 97 ft^3; cargo volume = 14 ft^3
2008 535i interior volume = 99 ft^3; cargo volume = 14 ft^3
2005 A6 interior volume = 97.9 ft^3; cargo volume = 15.9 ft^3
2005 RL interior volume = 99.1 ft^3; cargo volume = 13.1 ft^3
Power specs:

When it came out, C&D placed it above all three German mid-size vehicles. http://www.caranddriver.com/comparis...mparison-tests
Have you taken all 4 cars on a long road trip? I have yet to hear one RL owner complain of being uncomfortable. In fact, we have had a few members jump ship and complain how they miss the comfort of the RL.

I don't know real world MPGs of the 3 other cars, but the RL consistently gets 27 mpg on the highway. Don't let the EPA 22 or Motortrend's piss poor attempt at stacking the deck fool you.
Why not just say that?

This thread was never intended to say why the RL is the best car ever made. It was supposed to be a positive thread that allowed actual owners to learn what each of us appreciates about our car. Since you have provided nothing positive or worthwhile to this thread our our community as a whole, you are a troll. Please leave if you do not have anything pleasant to say or anything meaningful to contribute.

HEAVY_RL

iTrader: (1)

oo7spy

I'm saying "Thanks" for that awful avitar.

HEAVY_RL

iTrader: (1)

hahahahaha...

wildwayne

1.sh-awd
2.ACC
3.quiet