Dealer told me today the '07 RL's will come with only 3 months of XM and Traffic, as opposed to the full year we got with our '06's.

That's consistent with what the TL's get, as well as what most GM cars come with.

Since XM will gladly re-up you for a year for about 125 bucks for the whole works, I guess it's not a huge deal, but I thought it was kind of odd Acura would cut back on that.
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IMHO, most people who buy the RL do not use the XM in the first place. They just use the radio and cd's.

 

I dunno at 1st I thought the same, but now I constantly use the xm, way better than the radio and don't miss the commercials

 

I have to admit I'm not a big satellite radio fan, but if it's there I'll use it occasionally. Especially on cross-country trips.

And since the XM Traffic is sorta integrated in (it costs less when bundled with XM Radio), I might possibly keep it when the freebie expires.

But on most car forums I find people are absolutely rabid about their sat radio!
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The convenience of "set-it-and-forget-it" gets to be quite a luxury. I like that about XM, not having to worry about losing a favorite station when crossing state lines or frequency borders. Never thougt that I would pay for radio when AM and FM bands are free, but I sure am going to find it hard not to renew when my free subscription is up.

 

You could be right but that's not the case with the people I know. Most people I know who have Sat-radio are very heavy users. I virtually never use the radio and use XM a lot more than the CD/DVD player.

 

The drawback of XM is its audio quality, when compared with the excellent DVD-A system. If XM is offered at $80 a year, then it is worth getting for its variety and commercial free format. As for On Star, I don't think it is popular or worth getting because most people choose to use their cell phone instead. GM must be losing $$$ with On Star.

 

The only use I can see for OnStar is in emergencies. When you're panicked, it's a lot easier to remember to push one button than to find your cell phone, then dial 911.

On the other hand, I am a heavy XM user and an early adopter of the technology. The sound quality sucks, especially in high-quality audio systems like those in the TL and RL, but the ability to listen to the same station all the way across the country, and to have access to CNN and the BBC at any time, can't be beat. Besides, XM is ideal for cars because....who does any REAL critical listening in their car, anyway? That's what I have a home system for.

 

I have a few OnStar cell phone minutes I purchased in case I get in a weak area because the OnStar phone is quite a bit more sensitive and stronger than a normal cell phone. I haven't used virtually any of them yet (just a test or two) Other than that, the real reason to keep OnStar (if I decide to when my year expires) is for the emergency capabilities -- such as bag notification, and in case the car is stolen. Not sure it's worth what it costs, but insurance never seems like a great deal.

 

I've determined that I can't possibly live without the hockey channel...