when i saw those pictures of the new m45, tow things came out of my head...
1.) damn thats the car for my dad!!!
2.) there goes any chance of the rl making an incredible impresson

of course those were the initial thoughts, then i realized what i was thinking about and made sense of it. i think the rl is going to have some trouble, because this thing is simply gorgeous. but hey, if acura can beat the g35 sedan in looks, they are very capable of beating the m45 in looks (final looks, not the drawings). i cant wait to see the interior of the rl, compared to the new m45. I think that the japanese luxury brands will be fighting a hard fight with the gs, rl, and m respectivly. all are excelent choices, and its going to be hard to see who wins.

but take this into consideration.. according to a post on vtec.net, an acura rep told them that the rl would pull 1g on the skid pad. my friends that is audi rs6 territory!! so sorry on making this so long, but what do you guys think??

by the way.. if the rumors on paddle shift, "stunning interior", super hp engine, and 1g on a skid pad are true.. there is a winner in the 2005 Acura RL

 

Just give it a day or two and we'll see some pics from the NY Auto Show. Then we can at least argue about the exterior and interior.

 

Not so fast, Acura might do something like the TL concept...where you only saw the exterior design, but no interior.

With that said, I think the Infiniti will have no trouble kicking the Acura's arse from 0-60. I do, however, think the RL's AWD system will do wonders when it comes to handling. I think it will corner even better than the RWD Infiniti without oversteering and remain more balanced as the V6 won't weigh as much as the V8.

 

All good points. Don't expect miracles though, I highly doubt the car will pull a g. Something like 0.88 is more reasonable and realistic.

 

Don't get hung up on the skidpad figure. That is more a test of the tire rather than the car.

 

The RL will fall to the back again. We have the new
E class (only 2 years old)
New 5
Mew M45
New A6
New GS

The RL will be for Honda fans only. It will be a solid car, I just don't think it will convince other brand owners to come over.
Caddy is having a tough time with this. Only 20% of the new car owners are from other brands.

 

eh.
fugly/over-rated
interesting
skeletal-face. nasty.
interesting.

The Caddy problem probably has to do with quality, materials, and reliability. Plus the styling of the CTS is very polarizing. The STS should have a better go of things. The RL will kick ass.

 

Powertrain/performance wise the M35 will be a bit closer to the RL. Both will have a 3.5L V6 with around 300HP. Much of the performance will depend on weight and suspension set up. SHAWD alone will not give the RL 1G skid pad numbers. .9G on a sedan is very good but again it depends on tires. The big difference between the two will be the exterior and interior design.
Just one more day to wait to see the real thing. Considering that both cars are less than a year away from production I'd venture to guess that what's shown in NY is just about what you're going to see in the showroom.

 

I would not be surprised if the new RL posted skidpad numbers above 0.90g. The TSX, with FWD and crappy tires was posting numbers as high as 0.87g. With SH-AWD and (hopefully) better tires, the number could see a solid improvement.

 

you trying to sum up the acura brand here?

the RL is for acura fans only, when you are spending somewhat big $$ for a car, dealer service and brand cachet mean a lot more than in a 27k entry lux car.

buying a RL is buying a VW pheaton... great car the pheaton is..but why would you pay that much for a VW? samething with acura.

 

Gilbo...so you're paying for the great dealer service???

I've had a few BMW owners tell me about being treated like royalty when they bring their cars in with problems. I've also known a few Acura RL owners who never brought their cars in for problems because in five or six years they NEVER HAD ANY PROBLEMS.

In which situation would you rather be Gilbo?

Seems like you're just paying for the propeller on the hood.

 

Gilbo makes a good point - do you put any value to the badge on the car?
For me the value of the badge is ZERO. I would have no problems driving a YUGO IF it handled like a BMW, had the interior/engine of an Acura, the exterior of a Quatroporte, the reliability and dealer support of a Lexus and was priced like a Yugo.
Knowing that there's no such thing you have to compromise some areas. In the case of the RL, you don't get a V8 to brag about.

 

Come on Gilbo, think about your arguement.

With modern equipment such as oil change sensors that are standard on many of the brands you covet extending time between oil changes and tires and brakes designed to last longer how often would you even go to the dealer over the course of the first three years?

What does that work out to per visit?

and please don't reply $0 if your maintenance is included such as offered by BMW, Audi, etc. because you're paying $$$$ up front as part of purchase price according to your own arguement.

 

Weak. The difference between Acura and VW (and every other German make) is VALUE. You didn't mention it because you don't know anything about it. It's ok man, maybe you'll come around sometime. It's true, you don't need to overpay by as much as $10,000 to get the same great car. The Phaeton is WAY overpriced (great car though) but the RL will be a value.

 

Gilbo is

 

So by that logic, you'd pay $10 more for the A8 (the same car) just to get those 4 rings and a bigger smile from the service manager?

 

Better start a new thread and put pics up of the two. It's probably pretty obvious who will win considering the site, but its worth starting a new poll w/pics.

 

Your missing Gilbo's point. When people spend 50k on a car, value no longer is the main selling point. Prestige and IMAGE come into play. Look at the Q45, good car, no prestige, no image, slow seller. The A8 and VW Pheaton also come into mind.

Whereas the new 7 series. I find it quite ugly. But the BMW prestige is so great, it does not matter, celebrities buy them, the upper class buys em, it holds a certain PANACHE.

These owners also don't want to be associated with cheap. They don't want their 50 or 90k car next to a 20k one. Part of the problem with the C230 hatchback.

 

Actually, that new 7-series is a dog and a slow seller. Hence the quick revise on the exterior.

 

The 7 is selling fine. But it is due to them leasing it for the first time and offering discounts. I see them everywhere and on top of that a bunch with rims. It's incredible being out late at night and you see more rimmed up new 7s than Camrys, lol.

 

People are on waiting lists for the A8, just so you know. And value may not be a high priority, but it's still very relevant. If you think someone's going to plop down 50K just like that, you obviously don't know why rich people stay rich. Stop watching Cribs - that is not how the wealthy live. Money doesn't grow on trees. You're describing probably the 1% richest population, whose lifestyles and spending habits hardly apply to anyone else.

 

Whatever. You're delusional.

 

Year to date, up to March 2004: 3925
7 Series sold.

Through March 2003: 4632 7 Series sold.

Not a terrible drop, but you can see why they're revising the styling.

Sales volume

 

rimmed up = trash = drug dealers, pimps, and poseurs

I sure hope that the RL doesn't attract the sleezy crowd that makes everyone else look bad.

 

Actually I was thinking HRE, Hartages etc but I see your point.

So I guess your happy no Rappers speak of Acura in their lyrics nor in their videos since the Acura Legend 12 years ago?

 

Very much so...stupid spinner wheels and sleezy body kits on up-scale cars are really disappointing Ruins the image of the automaker and if I were the designer of the S-class or 7-series (or new RL :P ) I'd feel sick everytime I saw one sleezed out.

 

FUnny point. Caddy executives have stated while they are happy they are selling every Escalade they can make, they are not sure if they are happy with how it is being portrayed (seems to me like who was buying em).