phile

It may be shorter in length, but that's because the outgoing model has a relatively long nose plus a very boxy-looking cabin; i.e. that extra length did not translate to a larger car, it was just length to accomodate the horizontally mounted engine. The concept has a raked windshield, sloped hood and the cabin area is much smoother looking vs. the outgoing RL's boxy look. Not to mention the concept is taller and wider than the outgoing model. All this, along with subtle design cues, create a visual illusion that the car is bigger than it really is.

I didn't think it was really large, though.

Precision Crafted

The current RL if you remember was based of of the 2nd gen Legend. In order to give back seat passengers more leg room, the front seats were moved up an inch, taking that room from the front seat. Like the Legend, the RL was small on the inside. The trunk wasn't that big either. My '05 TL was long with a 111.?" wheel base yet my '02 was bigger due to the positioning of of the V6.
Anyway with the new RL being wider and taller the cabin should feel more airy. I too would have liked to have seen a bigger car. While the length is ok, the wheel base should have been closer to 114.?" the current car's is.

legendguy

Precision Crafted
Yes, I don't like the shorter wheelbase. I think when longer, the car is more stable and handles humps in the road better. Also if the wheelbase were longer, it would be nice if there was less front overhang as a short front overhang looks sportier imho.

Jason

Wahh.:'(

We need a sour grapes icon.

biker

As a comparison the RL has a relatively short WB compared to its length:

RL 110"WB 192" long
M35/45 114"WB 192" long
530 114" WB 190" long
E320 112"WB 190" long
TL 108" WB 189" long
'04 GS 110"WB 189" long

04acura TSX

Looks like a washing machine dial...

biker

Very insightful first post.

Welcome to the site.

kaikai114

honestly, the front of the new RL looks a bit like the 2002 TL. I'm not too fond of that either, but the interior is still Acura, though if you see the interior of the new M45, the RL interior still has a lot of work to be done.

Kevin

Jason

By the looks of your sig, I think it's safe to say you're far from the target consumer. If the young people like the M45 (and they probably can't afford one), and the target consumer prefers the RL (and can afford one), I wonder which car will sell better? It's an interesting question. Maybe Acura had to make the car LESS exciting in order to sell more of them. Either way, I'm thrilled with the new RL.

observer

RL videos now available from acura.com! At the RL prototype minisite

AcuraFan

I just watched all the videos...now I want one of those cars. I was thinking about upgrading to a TL when SH-AWD becomes available for it...but the RL is just too sweet. I might have to go with that instead.

Jason

They're old news but thanks for the link. I never mind seeing videos of this car. TL or RL, RL or TL...hmmm.

Jason

The RL is NICE. Assuming we have a choice of a TL with AWD, why should we spend the extra $$? I would say better interior, traffic updates, better safety, larger car, real wood...what else?

AcuraFan

I love the adaptive turning headlight and a slightly better audio and larger engine too.

I wonder what the official torque numbers will look like...and how much does the car weigh? One of the videos mentions an good power/weight ratio.

Jason

I'm assuming engine power and vehicle weight will cancel each other out. My guess is 0-60 in about 6.2 secs.

AcuraFan

Hmm...I'm thinking slightly better than that. My guess would be 5.9...but that's just a guess.

In any event, I'm expecting performance near the top of it's class.

phile

Over at vtec, they're saying 260 lb-of torque and 280hp...USA gets 300hp.