97AcuraCL

Nope, I'm almost willing to put money ont he fact that its going to be a hybrid.

StonedCL

iTrader: (1)

Sorry No more M45, it is now the M56 and it is a beast.. I just got to drive one yesterday , We got our first one in... It is a BEAST.. 0-60 in under 5 seconds!!

F23A4

There are some on this board who would say 'why get an M56 when one can get an RL?'.

Just know: I'm not included in that group. I've seen the new M @ Flemington Infiniti; it's Beauty AND the Beast!!!

CL6

Why wait 18 months for the next ugly beast to be unleashed from Acura? The current RL looks like Adolf Hitler's desk.

Crazy Bimmer

Am i the only one who actually likes the current RL?

I have hope the next gen RL will be nice. Not saying it will be a winner... but im sure it will be nice.

F23A4

Even though it did not have an available V8 and has a style (and straightline performance) that mirrored the 7G Accord, I actually like the KB1. As far as the KB2. Just

97AcuraCL

dont like the RL MMC or pre MMC... the RL has never been worth anything since its inception.

The Legend was the greatest flagship Acura ever had, but that as at a different time... its kept true to that forumla, but in todays market its not anywhere enough to call itself a luxury manufacturer's flagship.

sifuacura

iTrader: (1)

i rarely see current RL on the street, but today I saw a white one..it look pretty nice at different angles..not a strong enough design for acura top sedan.

LuvMyTSX

I like it, too. It just needs more style. It's rather unassuming the way it is now.

phile

I just don't get the Acura designers.

If i can use their design philosphy/language to do this, why can't they?!?!

I just don't understand them. You take a general shape, add your corporate design cue, and then clean up the details.

Crazy Bimmer

^ :P



But yea i get what ya saying.

F23A4

I was thinking:



But Phile's point is well taken. And to sifuacura's observation, I've only observed a few KB2s myself each time mistaking them for 4G TLs until closer inspection.

phile

am I the only one who thinks "god damn this would've made a nice Acura" every time a new VW/Audi product is launched?

shooter

I'm not gonna hold my breath but would be interesting to find out when that time comes ... meanwhile I still gotta enjoy my 3G TL ...

mg7726

don't worry, the american designers will fuck it up.

StonedCL

iTrader: (1)

I loved the 05+ rl but Acura has f,Ed up big time with all there new models except for the tsx.. I see no way the rl competing with the new "m"

dom

Hard to do when your Acura's double as Honda's in other parts of the world.

neuronbob

That was HOT, I'd own that in an instant with appropriate features.

We've got a thread about this going in the RL forum, too.

Here's what I want in the RL that would bring me back to the fold when I get tired of my CTS-V:

1) NAME IT "LEGEND", DAMMIT! That will bring back memories of particularly the 2G Legend, and people remember that. *POOF*! Instant marketing tool. Of course, Acura's marketing department are a bunch of tools so they won't do this or anything else to make the RL (almost certainly the name will continue) stand out. Boooooooo!

2) V6 (hybrid?) and V8 options. That's what the Germans do, and while the V8 take rate is always lower, it's the V8 that assists in marketing the car. Oh wait, Acura doesn't know how to do marketing, and the Honda V8 has been killed. Oh well...
2a) If hybrid, I hope they use something based on the Honda Dual-Note concept, if they get 400 hp out of it, that would make some news and add to marketing. It will bigtime remove the stigma of being the only luxury maker not to have a V8, get tree-huggers on board, etc.

3) FWD and SH-AWD options. Some people don't want the extra weight of SH-AWD. Most people would buy the FWD variant, and those who value sport or live in the snowbelt would buy the SH-AWD RL-S or "Legend R". Note: I've given up on RWD at Acura, so note the absence in my recommendations.

4) Exterior styling. Make it like the above-mentioned sketch that's made the rounds on the Web. If they are going to continue to use Power Phlegm, at least integrate it tastefully. This is the one I'm worried about most....

EDIT: BADASSED. MAKE THIS PLEASE ACURA.


5) More rear seat room. This is particularly important because the 4G TL is the same size interior-wise as the current RL. The RL needs to be that much more of a step above the TL.

Not worried about the interior, that is the one area at Acura where I give credit, those boys and girls deserve the raise that would have gone to the exterior design team.

We've discussed all this in the past, so none of these is new. If the next RL has these, I will stand in line and buy one.

CL6

Ha! VW stole that from MB.

spurfan15

A pretty clear trend has developed in Acura's design. I have an inkling what the RL will look like based on the new TSX design, and how the TL took it even further. Take a look:

TSX


TL


RL


or maybe:

Namol

what about:

Shift_Acura

mrmako

Maybe like this:

http://www.vtec.net/news/news-item?news_item_id=767141

I know, another blog with "spy" shots, but maybe it portends the future?

Costco

^^^I chuckled.

fsttyms1

great so we have a not much bigger than a TSX flagship RL.

F23A4

HOLY BODY ROLL BATMAN!!!

The RL (and a need for a real flagship for the brand) notwithstanding, I'd love to see a TSX with a 4.8L V8 and SH-AWD give it a go vs the IS-F/RS4/M3/C63.

dom

Ummm, did you guys see the date of those photo's?

That was the now dead RWD platform Acura WAS developing.

And it was just a TSX shell, not the actual styling of what we'd have likely seen.

phile

I don't want the next RL to be a land barge like some of its competitors have become. I mean if you've seen the Audi A6 in person, it's a really long car! This is not the direction I want the RL to go.

spurfan15

It definitely won't become a land barge, because it already is one. Look at the standard A6 specs compared to the RL and current Accord:

Length:
A6: 194 in
RL: 195.8 in
HA: 194.1 in

Width:
A6: 73.0 in
RL: 72.7 in
HA: 72.7 in

WB:
A6: 111.9 in
RL: 110.2 in
HA: 110.2 in

Height:
A6: 57.4 in
RL: 57.2 in
HA: 58.1 in

I don't know if you're thinking of the long wheelbase version of the A6 or something, or maybe the Accord and RL hide it (I don't think they do at all, especially the new Accord)...

Whether we like it or not, Honda has been making land yachts for several years now, and they've really been ramping it up as of late. And chances are they'll continue to get bigger with every iteration.

Who needs small cars anyway. My gut will barely fit in the new Accord... it's constantly pressed against the steering wheel. I want the next RL and Accord to be Titanic sized. It makes them easier to maneuver... into other objects.

In reality, I'm happy with the seating area of my S2000, and if I got a more traditional car, I would definitely look for a compact one.

SSFTSX

6 Speed Auto MDX test. 0-60 in 6.6sec. with 16mpg.
pulling 0.85g on 4700lbs car on 19inches. I dont think any 7 seater SUV can do it.
http://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/...take_road_test

Honda is perfectly capable of .99g car 4000lbs car that can do under 5 second. more than a match for BMW 7 sport and M5.

In recent S4 vs TL test. S4 was 2inch lower than TL with much less frontal area.

F23A4

STOP!! The wife and I already have buyer's remorse for getting out 09 MDX and NOT waiting for the 10 to come out.

fsttyms1

Stop already. This thread is about the RL, NOT about your ideals of acura and NOT for you to derail with your banter of different models

JAB00

The 4G TL has grown on me but the grille is still too much. I think I've given up hope with the RL. I don't think it will be a good looking car. I have a 3G TL and would like to upgrade in 2-3yrs. I don't think it will be with Acura.

phile

Nope i think our A6 is the long wheelbase version. I don't know, it seemed longish to me, but the numbers don't lie. I stand corrected.