I got a nice free dinner at my local Acura dealer last night where they were introducing the new RL. It's nice, and I long for SH-AWD. BUT--
(1) it's not that good looking, say compared with an S6
(2) it's not very big inside--probably smaller than a US Accord
(3) it costs about twice what a non-navi TSX costs.
I'll go with the TSX.

 

I like the looks of the new RL, WAY better than the outgoing outdated RL, haven't drove it so I wouldn't know how the SH-AWD feels. However, the car is over priced at $50 grand IMO. The new TL is ugly IMO....I'll stick with the TSX.

 

Price wise I thought the new RL was overpriced too, but now when I see how it's stacking up against the competition, its price is pretty good. We complain about how Acura isn't upmarket enough but then complain when they raise the price closer to its competition - can't have both, but all the reviews seem to suggest that the RL is a legitimate contender, so I think Honda did their homework right. Besides, I think the RL is still a bargain compared to the others.

The RL's styling is not really bold, but at least it's not Bangle-bold and it should age gracefully, which I think is what its target market is looking for.

 

it may not be overpriced for all the toys you get, but honda should of made it $1,500-$2k less so it'll devour the competition

 

My dream car:

Stuff the 3.5 and SH-AWD into my TSX - keep weight at 3200 lbs. Honda - Puhleeze!!!!

 

If you price out the competition to get the stuff available on the RL, you'd be staring at a similar price tag, or perhaps even a bigger price tag.

Besides, it really doesn't make a difference, I've read that the majority of luxury cars are leased, so it's not such a big deal. Unless you're one of those people who really shouldn't purchase in this price range and yet do it anyway

 

I agree about the looks, they aren't hot imo. The headlight sharing between the Odyssey and RL is a big NO NO. Should have been in line with the tsx and tl.

For some reason the car looks so much better as a sketch

 

All cars look better as a sketch, you should have seen old Accord sketches. Stick some 20" wheels on the RL like the concept and it will be hot. It already looks better than a 5-series.

 

problem with RL...no MT

 

I like the looks of the new RL. But I will have to test drive it myself to give a better opinion.

 

My initial reaction to that was, "no way!" I was gonna go prove you wrong, but as it turns out you do have a point:

RL Accord
Headroom (Front) 38.5 38.3
Headroom (Rear) 37.2 36.8
Legroom (Front) 42.4 42.6
Legroom (Rear) 36.3 36.8
Shoulder Room (Front) 58.5 56.9
Shoulder Room (Rear) 56.1 56.1

As you can see the Accord has more legroom front and rear than the RL, even though the overall volume is slightly larger for the RL:

Passenger Volume (Manufacturer) 99.1 97.7

Just for fun here's the comparison with the TSX:
RL TSX
Headroom (Front) 38.5 37.8
Headroom (Rear) 37.2 37.3
Legroom (Front) 42.4 42.4
Legroom (Rear) 36.3 34.2
Shoulder Room (Front) 58.5 55.4
Shoulder Room (Rear) 56.1 53.5
Passenger Volume (Manufacturer) 99.1 91.0

Whoa, even the TSX tops the RL for rear headroom, albeit only slightly. The RL definitely has more interior room than the TSX.

 

I like the Mugen M1 better!

 

I always thought the new RL looks like a hybrid between a tC and Civic. They just supersized the engine, made some space, and added HID's.

Not saying it's but I think acura shouldn't definately gone more with a more luxury, less sporty design. IMO the TL is still the best Acura has to offer. But then again my opinion will probably change in 6 months or so. I thought the TSX was ugly when I first saw it. Well not the front, but the back. Now I found out how blinded I was... Long live acura.

 

hmm, at first i loved the RL, but id rather have a 5.