2005 Acura RL Safety

September 1, 2004 -- Torrance, Calif. -- Safety

SAFETY OVERVIEW

The RL is equipped with a comprehensive array of the latest technologies to enhance active safety (accident avoidance) and passive safety (crash safety performance). Features like Vehicle Stability Assist (VSA(R)) with traction control, heightened handling agility, SH-AWD and ABS enhance accident avoidance capability in the RL. Should a collision prove unavoidable, the Advanced Compatibility Engineering (ACE) body structure of the RL is designed to provide a protective cocoon for passengers in the event of a collision with a different sized vehicle (a truck or SUV, for example). Inside, side, side curtain and dual-stage front air bag systems work together with sophisticated restraint systems to minimize injury to passengers in sufficient impacts.

Following are the key passive safety features on the new RL.

Passenger Seating

3-point adjustable height front seat belts with load limiters and pretensioners
Front seat belt load limiters
Front 4-way adjustable head restraints
Driver's seat position sensor
Driver's and front passenger's side airbags with front passenger Occupant Position Detection System (OPDS)
Rear center three-point seat belt
Child Seating

Automatic Locking Retractors/Emergency Locking Retractors (ALR/ELR)
Tether anchors (all rear positions)
LATCH (Lower Anchors and Tethers for Children) child-seat mounting system (rear outboard seats)
Airbags

Driver's and front passenger's dual-stage, dual-threshold airbag Supplementary Restraint System (SRS)
Seamless airbag lid for the passenger airbag
Driver's and front passenger's side airbags with front passenger Occupant Position Detection System (OPDS)
Side curtain airbag system
ADVANCED COMPATIBILITY ENGINEERING(TM) (ACE(TM)) BODY STRUCTURE

The Advanced Compatibility Engineering (ACE) body structure on the 2005 Acura RL is designed to take vehicle front frame construction beyond conventional safety protocols such as the NHTSA NCAP 35 mph frontal barrier test or the IIHS 40 mph offset frontal crash. Its goal is to deliver significantly enhanced occupant protection in a variety of real-world crash conditions. These may include a frontal collision between vehicles of differing heights, weights and frame construction.

The ACE structure uses the engine compartment to efficiently absorb and disperse collision energy during a vehicle-to-vehicle collision. It features a new frame structure composed of a highly efficient energy-absorbing main frame, a bulkhead (upper frame) which absorbs the upper part of the collision energy, and a lower member that helps prevent misalignment of the frames of the vehicles involved. This design disperses collision forces over a larger frontal area, which enhances energy absorption of the engine compartment, reduces the chance of deformation of the passenger compartment and results in enhanced occupant protection. At the same time, by reducing the chance of vertical or lateral misalignment between the RL and other vehicle's safety structures, ACE reduces the vehicle's aggressivity toward other vehicles during a frontal collision.

During a frontal collision, a conventional body structure generally concentrates the loads from the impact through two pathways running longitudinally through the lower portion of the frame. The ACE structure's front-mounted polygonal main frame is designed to prevent cabin deformation by distributing forces through multiple major load bearing pathways-and away from the passenger compartment.

CRASH TESTING

Projected impact test results for the RL are excellent in four separate tests from the federal government and Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS).

In the IIHS 40 mph frontal offset test, the RL is projected to return a GOOD rating
In the 35 mph New Car Assessment Program (NCAP) full frontal barrier test, the RL is projected to earn Five Stars, the highest rating for both driver and front passenger
In the 38 mph US NCAP side test, the RL is projected to earn Five Stars, the highest rating for both front and rear outboard passenger
In the IIHS 50km/h (31 mph) SUV side collision test, RL is projected to return a GOOD rating
DRIVER'S AND FRONT PASSENGER'S DUAL-STAGE, DUAL-THRESHOLD AIRBAG SUPPLEMENTARY RESTRAINT SYSTEM (SRS)

Dual-stage airbags for the driver and front passenger are designed to provide maximum protection for the head and chest during a moderate to severe front collision, while simultaneously helping to reduce injuries and cost. They do both through the use of a dual-stage, dual-threshold airbag technology. Each airbag inflator has two stages. During a severe collision both stages fire at the same time to provide immediate inflation of the airbag. But during a moderate collision the igniters fire in sequence, slowing the deployment rate of the airbags.

Besides the severity of the collision, the modules interpret a signal from the seat belt buckle switch that indicates whether the occupants are wearing their seat belts.

If the front passengers are not wearing their seat belts, the inflators will activate simultaneously to make the airbag deploy more quickly.
If the front passengers are wearing their seat belts, the airbags will inflate at a slightly higher threshold.
In the RL, the system also assesses the weight of the front passenger through a seat weight sensor. If the weight is less than a certain amount, the front passenger airbag is shut off. The front passenger's airbag also features a seamless instrument panel cover over the airbag for a cleaner, more elegant look.

DRIVER'S AND FRONT PASSENGER'S SIDE AIRBAGS WITH FRONT PASSENGER OCCUPANT POSITION DETECTION SYSTEM (OPDS)

New larger size side airbags are mounted in the outboard area of each front seatback. They are designed to provide upper torso protection in the event of a sufficient side impact. The front passenger's seat is equipped with Occupant Position Detection System (OPDS), an innovative system designed to deactivate the side air bag if a small child (or small-stature adult) leans into the side air bag deployment path. When the passenger returns to an upright seating position, the side air bag reactivates so it can deploy and help protect the occupant in a side impact. The system utilizes sensors in the passenger seatback to determine the height and position of the occupant, and determine if it is safe to deploy the side air bag.

SIDE CURTAIN AIRBAGS

In a sufficient side impact, the side curtain airbags in the new RL deploy from roof modules, providing head protection for front-seat as well as rear-seat occupants. Side curtain airbags effectively cover the window area from the A-pillar back to the C-pillar. Tests show that the g forces acting upon an occupant's head are far lower with a side curtain airbag.

LATCH (LOWER ANCHORS AND TETHERS FOR CHILDREN)

The 2005 RL includes a LATCH (Lower Anchors and Tethers for Children) child-seat mounting system for the outboard rear seats. LATCH features built-in lower anchors and ready-to-use tether attachment points that allow compatible child safety seats to be installed without using the vehicle's seat belt system. The LATCH system simplifies child seat installation when an owner installs a LATCH-compatible child seat. The center rear seat has a tether point, but no lower anchors.

PEDESTRIAN SAFETY

Acura's safety interests extend beyond care for vehicle occupants. The RL hood area was designed to deform if contact is made with either an adult or a child pedestrian. Underneath the hood are energy-absorbing supports and fender mounts, and the windshield wiper pivots are also deformable in the event that a pedestrian contacts these areas. Research shows that features such as these dramatically improve a pedestrian's chance of survival if struck by a moving vehicle.

DAMAGE RESISTANCE & REPARABILITY

In the IIHS low speed crash evaluation tests, the RL is projected to receive top rating in the large-luxury class.

 

So much info..........

 

I think the car is very good looking, should do well.

 

INTERIOR IS HOT!!

Still think the exterior is weak, gotta see it in person.

 

wow...thats alot of standard gooodies

 

I so want a 2-Door version of that car.
I think if Acura does a coupe version of the US built 04 TL I will pass, but the RL rocks and I would order one in a second !!!
Must be MANUAL TRANNY though.

Shawn S

 

the exterior is weak but 300 hp is cool. but the cl-s probably handles much better stock and with minimal mods you can get 300 horse from a much sexier auto. but all of you already know of what i speak because great minds................



S

 

Too much

Links would be sufficient

 

Good read. Thanks for the info.

 

the exterior is slightly bland, but i would take it in a second






smoke crack much??? no offense to any of my fellow cl-ers but i dont think the cl-s stock "handles" very well at all... and if this awd system is half as amazing as they write it up to be then i will be :thief: all over this car

 

This is a good looking car. I don't think the exterior is nearly as aggressive as Acura would have us think, but it's still attractive. There's nothing unique about the five point grill, and it does't even share a similar look with the TL and TSX, so I laughed when they called it Acura distinctive. The interior really nice. The fact that it comes fully loaded (which is the Acura way ) will be the main selling point. The 300hp 3.5L V6 will be the other. However, as Gav mentioned, the AWD system will make this car very heavy, and with the torque at 260, I'm not expecting this car to be especially sporty. If this AWD system works like it's supposed to, sending torque to the wheels that need it, this atleast it should handle well, though it won't be that quick off the line. During normal dring (which is most of the time), 70% of the power will go to the front wheels... it's a great effort, and will probably sell like crazy. Good job.

 

Exclusive RL A-Spec pics over at A-TSX: http://www.acura-tsx.com/forums/showthread.php?t=14213

Courtesy of justinjsw!

 

meh.....not really impressed. It lacks some of those 'geewhiz' features that buyers of 50k+ vehicles expect.

 

Exclusive A-Spec pics over at A-TSX courtesy of justinjsw: http://www.acura-tsx.com/forums/showthread.php?t=14213

 

Are you

It took me half an hour to read about all the cool shit that’s gonna be on this car.
Have you been to page 21 of this thread ???

 

according to acura.com, the new RL is in fact, rolling on dubs

SSTS

 

those 17's look so small and ugly on it

 

i guess the 20" wheels didn't make it to production

 

The A-Spec looks retarded. Im all for big, quality wheels but why but some cheesy bodykit on such a nice car?!?! I think it looks so much cleaner without it.

 

That RL A-spec looks pretty good. I'm not feeling that chrome section on the hood though.

 

Little things, like intelligent cruise, door closers, more than a 4-way power passenger seat, power head restraints, rain sensing wipers, air suspension, stuff like that.

 

Interior is hot, exterior looks like any Honda sedan from the last 10 years, except the gorgous 04 TL.
A-SPEC is nice, what another 5 grand for a kit and some wheels? Watch those rust on the lot.

 

50k+ ??? maybe ~50k, what approx 50k car has features like this car????


i dont know how many other (navi) cars you have driven, but the acura navi systems owns imo... plus the "AcuraLinkTM satellite communication system with real time traffic" should be pretty amazing, at least since they will have service in the DC area

this is one of my favorites: Zagat Survey(TM) restaurant guide provides detailed information and reviews on restaurants in database, which can be read on-screen or spoken over the audio system by a synthesized voice

i think you are expecting a maybach for the price of a benz...


edit:

seems pretty to me

Luxurious cockpit designed for performance driving
Perforated leather-trimmed seats
Genuine curly maple wood trim
LED backlit gauges with progressive illumination
Leather-wrapped 4-spoke steering wheel with illuminated fingertip controls and paddle shifters
Electronic tilt and telescoping steering column with driver recognition
Performance-oriented heated front seats
Driver's 8-way power seat with power adjustable lumbar support
GPS-linked, solar-sensing, dual-zone, dual-mode automatic climate control system
Multi-information display allows access to multiple electronic functions
Acura Navigation System with Voice Recognition(TM)
AcuraLink(TM) satellite communication system with real time traffic allows communication between Acura and the vehicle
HandsFreeLink(TM) wireless telephone interface is compatible with many Bluetooth mobile phones
Acura/Bose(R) 10-speaker Surround Sound System with 6-disc CD, DVD-Audio and DTS(R) changer and AM/FM tuner.
Active Noise Cancellation(TM) system (ANC)
Interface Dial provides quick, intuitive access to navigation, audio, climate control and other features
New-generation OnStar(R) service provides 24-hour assistance
Keyless Access System eliminates fumbling for keys or keyless remote
Power moonroof with tilt, auto-open/close, auto-reverse and key-off operation

 

Forgetting that its AWD? And Super Handling AWD which focuses more on sport handling.

And go to TOV for the first drive. The reviewer liked the handling over a 530.

http://www.vtec.net/articles/view-ar...icle_id=265741

 

just hope that the tranny holds up

 

I think its hot, and this vehicle will be a very surprised and welcome stunner.

I'm surprised no one has made an iDrive comparison yet....but I bet this one will be 1000x better and more user friendly.

 

 

When will this be at the dealerships?

 

The exterior looks like it will get lost in the crowd, could have at least invested a little on the wheels.

 

 

Thanks for your input...I know what they are and I am buying a 2005 RL. The RL concept was described as being pretty close to the production model by all of the mag reviews and the Acura brass themselves and it featured paddle shifters.

I think you are missing the point of why a feature like this would be considered. They are after a <cough> "less seasoned" customer with this revamp. Acura describes the RL customer as; predominantly male, average age of 50 and a household income of $150K/year. Sounds like someone who would want paddle shifters to me.

 

The concept was like 99% accurate. I wouldn't have imagined the interior to be almost identical, but alas, it is. I just think that huge piece of wood across the dash looks obnoxious.

 

I love it. Reminds me of the Vigor and 1st gen TL's interior.

 

Looks like this is the Honda Legend from Japan and Europe.

 

Not fond of the Vigor, but the 1st gen TL and CL had nice interiors, with that moderate slab of wood across the dash. This RL...it's friggin huge, and I'm not digging the curly maple pattern.

 

The acura press release said the paddle shifters are there!!

 

Yes.

 

The back looks Corolla'ish

 

Naww, it looks like a 1st generation CL.

 

Damn...that looks hott! I like