Jason

Is it me or is nobody talking about it? They gave it a good review. 0-60 in 6.7 secs not amazing but they said it's a handling gem. Any thoughts?

dom

Scan?, Link? More info?

6.7 is kinda slow but it does weigh 4000lbs afterall.

fatcat

http://www.caranddriver.com/article....rticle_id=8532

Dan Martin

It says 6.4sec in the article.

Jason

That was a preview article. I have the December issue with a full test. I reread the article and they really liked the car. I can scan it but who can host it?

Dan Martin

The RL is a rocket compared to the E320 4matic which I think is it's main competitor. The E320 does 0-60 in 9.12 seconds and the 1/4 in 17.08 @ 84.50.

Dan Martin

I'll host it for you.

DEI99662

Just got the issue in last night. Havent gotten a chance to read it yet.

phile

I was expecting it to be low 6's, but that number is still decent enough.

biker

To be fair one should wait for the 7Gtronic 4matic E350 to make the comparison - the times will be much closer then.

fdl

anyone have mpg figures for the new rl?

Jason

18/26

biker

Oh and saw somewhere that the new Lexus GS300 with "only" 245 HP is suposed to do 0-60 in 6.8s and probably 7 even with the AWD.
Of the 6cyl models in this category probably the M35 will be the straight line winner - although by next year the 530 will gain some HP and perhaps an x version also.

biker

If those numbers turn out to be realistic, then once again Honda proves to be the best at squeezing milage out of a given engine. There's no other 3.5V6 pulling 4000lbs with only a 5AT that gets that kind of milage.

phile

The new Audi A6 may also be faster than the RL, it's working with an extra gear and managed to be lighter than the RL, which is quite unusual because it's Audi that has always had the weight problem!

biker

The Audi site shows 0-60 in 7.1s for the 3.2.

ClutchPerformer

Well now the RL has the weight problem (AWD), too.

heyitsme

If theres nothing to compare it to, how can it be best.

6.7 0-60 is kinda a let down considering there is only one model, where most other companies have an optional engine.

Dan Martin

Courtesy of Jason:

dom

Would it have killed Honda to bump displacement to 4.0L for added tourque?

CGTSX2004

iTrader: (1)

Can you imagine the extra cost involved in doing that? Besides, this gives them room for improvement in subsequent years. Planned obselecense

ClutchPerformer

Yes.

sauceman

Would it have actually been possible with a J-block? It already has a stroke of 93mm.

I'm pretty sure designing a big block V6 would have been out of question for such a limited production.

Junkster

Seems like most have come to the same verdict: Nice car, but pricey (relatively speaking). But with a target mark of only 20,000 units per year, I'm sure they will fill that number without too much extra effort (ie incentives).

well, time to get one for a test drive.

Junkster, who thinks a 4.0L would have been nice

gfxdave99

Its a huge improvement and with all the ads acura has been running its been getting attention of some Lexus owners I know...

Belzebutt

I don't know why C&D complains that the looks are too plain. I think the RL looks great.

batman

i think they could spend some money on better brakes for their whole line of cars.

gfxdave99

Whatchu talking bout willis? ive always thought my TSX's brakes worked quite well.

phile

As is always the case, it's not the brakes, it's the tires. The RL has electronic brake distribution mated with a 3-channel ABS system, which more than makes up for a standard 4-channel ABS system, so I've read over at tov. Don't know how true it is, some of the more mechanically inclined members here can certainly edumacate us on that.

phile

Dang, I thought it would manage to be a little faster than that with the 6-speed tranny.

iamhomin

RL's a hype. The car sucks ass.

dom

Nissan bumped displacement of the 3.5 to 4.0L for the new Pathfinder, Xterra and Frontier pickup. Honda decides that the 3.5 is enough for a 4000+ lbs sedan I just don't understand how the biggest engine company in the world has such a limited supply of car engines? That 4.0L could be used in everything from the RL to the new Pickup to the MDX, Pilot and even the Ody.

Again

But, their making a plane so.............

CGTSX2004

iTrader: (1)

Have you actually driven the car?

I'm impressed with Acura's recent endeavors including the TSX, TL, and RL. They've really shown that they can produce excellent cars at a reasonable price. Compared with the competition, the RL stacks up amazingly well and still manages to come in several thousand dollars under. That's going to be an important factor with the direction the economy will be headed.

ClutchPerformer

But NIssan doesn't care about big displacements. Honda does. The same reasoning the big H uses to stop themselves from making a V8 is what will keep them from making such a big V6. Sure it would be useful (in MANY, MANY Honda vehicles), but they'll never do it.

dom

A big V6? With that thinking then obviously they'll never make one. Unfortunately, they'll NEED a bigger engine eventually if they want to remain competitive. IMA will help, but they'll need more varied engine choices as well.

phile

Domn, your sentiments echo what others have been protesting for a while now. Honda is VERY slow to react/change, some would even call Honda stubborn. And unfortunately, in the long run, I think it's going to cost them.

lokman

That may be what it appears to enthusiasts, but on the other hand, I think Honda has a very clear idea of what kind of company they want to be and how they want to be perceived. Honda is a company with an environmental conscience, and I think they want to avoid a V8 or big V6 when what they have is adequate to 90% of buyers. They do not want to be perceived as a "bigger is better" type of company, but more of a "right-sized" type of company, and I think by and large most of their buyers agree with that philosophy, especially those who buy the TSX. This does cost them some sales, but they have probably figured out that the benefit of getting those buyers is not worth the cost needed to get them. This environmental conscience is also one of the reasons why Honda will not bring their European diesel engines over to North America, due to the perceptions about diesel over here, even though those engines are very good.

In any event, having bigger and bigger engines does not matter a great deal to most of the lineup (unless you are way behind the competition like the Civic) as long as the rest of the product is there and appealing to customers.

members78

i think honda makes the 2nd best engines, besides bmw. how they manage to squeeze out so much juice from a relatively smaller engine is the work of top engineers.

so when honda makes that v-8 engine with gobs of power, we will all kowtow in respect. and hopefully,i will be richer by then to afford it.

ClutchPerformer

Conventional wisdom in the engine community is that 0.5L is perfect for one cylinder. Which means that a 4L engine "should" have 8 cylinders. Therefore, 4L is "big" for a V6.

fdl

You gotta be kidding