This afternoon it was beautiful out and I needed to run an errand, so I started the RL, turned off the a/c, dropped the two front windows, pulled back the sunshade, loaded one of my jazz CDs and got under way. Point A to Point B is connected by county/back roads with a series of tight turns, long sweeping ones, up hill and down hill stretches, numerous road undulations, blind turns and hidden drives, no shoulders, all lined and shaded by tree after tree after tree. This car is amazing. Smooth and quiet yet quite sticky. Without the drag of the A/C compressor, this car is pretty darn peppy. It handles surprisingly well (I'm sure the A-Spec suspension has something to do with it) to be a "luxury" car even on the stock tires. On a couple of turns, I managed to coax three bars out of the display on the SH-AWD screen and I never felt out of control. The road surface wasn't the best, yet the RL seemed to tiptoe over the ruts and the uneven tar patches. Before I knew it, I was at my destination and couldn't wait for the return trip home. Wow, now that was fun! Can't wait until I get my 19" wheels and tires on!

 

Heh... if you're taking turns hard enough to get three bars out of the SH-AWD...shouldn't you be looking at the road?

Serisouly, though, that's what it's all about.

I was at my local premium car wash this afternoon, and the RL comes out right next to a Mercedes S500. There's 2 crews of 4 drying guys... but my car winds up with 6 of them and the Mercedes with 2... all the while, the two "extra" guys are raving about my RL, how nice it is, how great the paint looks, and asking me all sorts of questions about how fast it is, and the ride, etc... meanwhile the guy with the Mercedes is glaring at me for getting all the attention. I gave the crew an extra tip, and smile and waved at Mr. Mercedes on the way out....

 

You are absolutely right. I actually stole a glimpse while coming out of the turn, but never the less, my eyes should always be on the road. Anyway, now that I know it really works, I don't have to look anymore and just enjoy the ride.

 

hehe yeah i often sneak a peak at the graph when i gun it around bends and stuff. There is this one between my folks' hosue and mine that has a nice sweeping bend (it is a "soft/curvy" 90 degrees) and I always gun it right as i start it and get 4 bars on the left rear tire as I go from under 60km/h to 80 or so. I love the feeling of the car when this kicks in because I find it starts out with a fair amount fo elan and thinking you can't push it but when it kicks over the torque and accelerates that outside wheel the car just grips the road like mad.

 

Heheh, Dont you wish the SH display was visable while turning? I've found myself trying to peek over the steering wheel while in mid turn quite a few times.

 

The perfect reason for a HUD display!

 

^^ Amen brother!

 

Ding ding winner!

I always thought the SHAWD display is a bit silly as it's invisible when it's most interesting to see.

 

Took My Uncles RL, same way, and i know exactly how you feel. I can't wait till i drive it, the sport tires are already on..i'm just ICHING to try it now.

 

5 bars is even more fun But that requires basically full throttle around a corner (I've found on ramps to be the easiest to do this).

And to the OP, I totally agree with you that the car handles great. Even compared to the AWD drive systems on my friends WRX and 2.5 Legacy GT, this system is much better (yes I know I'm comparing two cars that are very different in price and were built for different uses). The point is that the SH-AWD system amazes me everytime I drive an RL.

-- Kevin