I got some time before work today so I stopped by an Acura dealer. I was excited to see the new RL. They let me inside. First thing I noticed is the keyless entry. To unlock, pull the handle. The sensors are located inside the handles. To lock, the sensors are located outside the handle, so you can swipe your thumb over it. Also if the key is moved more than 10 feet away it will lock. That gets a

Next, the interior (driver) seems more spacious. The steering wheel tilt is not manual. When the key is inserted, the wheel adjusts from the memory. Once the key is removed, the wheel tucks away.

They added a rear shade that goes up and down with a touch of a button similar to the 04 Maxima. if you're a rear passenger or if the car is parked mostly outside. There are manual ones on the rear doors. Would've been cool if it moves up by pressing a button.

I asked the sales guy if the leather was similar to the 04 TL and he said it is. That gets a .

The navi screen, looked like the same size but further away from the driver. No touch screen either. The way to operate the navi is with a round dial near the shifter and it is conviniently placed. I personally prefer the touch screen but I'm bias since that's how my TL is. Though the dial seem easy to use as well.

As for the paddles on the steering wheel for shifting, I give it a . Couple of reasons:
1) I don't drive with both hands on the wheel
2) Looks cheesy - plastic sticking out with a + and -
3) More crap on the steering wheel

Turn signals on the side mirrors gets a

That's all I noticed this morning since I ran out of time. I didn't get to test drive. I got back in my TL and felt like home. I'm not excited to see the RL anymore. I'm glad I have my TL. Even if I were in the market now for a new car. I'd still choose the 05 TL over the RL. Ya there's 30HP more, but who really uses the full HP of a car anyway. I don't race and increase the chances of wrecking my car. SH-AWD is nice to have but in Southern Cali, when will I use it? It doesn't snow where I'm at and I damn sure wouldn't take it off-roading.

Real time traffic would be nice, but since I use the same routes to work, I also know alternatives around them.

Now, is the extra $15k worth it? IMO, it's not

Just my

Wonder what anyone else thinks

 

Pretty good review. I'm gonna go test drive the RL tomorrow.
The only two things that interest me are the keyless entry and the SH-AWD. I live in the NE and the AWD will come in handy during the winter time.

 

I checked one out yesterday, it was a customers so I wasnt able to test drive it. I may.. then again I may not or I will end up buying it. I don't like the body style.. the TL looks 10x more aggressive. The features are amazing in it.. you can throw the "key" in to the trunk.. close it and 2 seconds later the trunk pops open with a warning beep indicating you left the key in the trunk Lots of other small cool things like light up door handles.. supposedly has remote start too.. keyless start also.. lots of things

 

A difference of 30 HP isn't going to help the RL beat a TL with a manual transmission. MotorWeek managed a 0-60 in 6.5 seconds.. the TL they tested did this in 6.3 seconds. And Car and Drive got a 5.6 second run for their efforts.

Just a thought.

 

yes .. but awd will own the TL FWD...

 

I wouldn't mind the RL in addition to my TL, of course I don't have that kind of money

they are 2 different cars IMO, and thats why both would be nice

 

The TL doesnt come with keyless entry?!
I thought it did. Isnt there some remote thingy they give you with your keys?
This feature should be standard on a 34K car.

 

Good review. Thanks.

 

Yes it does, what he is talkin about is not using the keys at all... for anything.. even starting the car, the RL has a remote key where you only need to be carrying the fob with you to open, lock and start the car

 

The TL does come with the usual keyless entry. The RL comes with that, plus you don't need the key to start the car. It is truly keyless, (in the sense that there is no traditional key). The "key" is actually a credit-card sized object that when near to the car unlocks doors and allows you to start the vehicle once inside.

 

Good review. I too saw it today at the dealer. Agree with all your observations. One to add, IT LOOKS LIKE AN ACCORD. Especially B pillar on back. Interior is gorgeous

 

Oh i forgot to add that it has that nasty BMW shark fin on the roof . As far as the look, to me it looks like the Kia Amanti from the side and back

Based on this morning's experience, I'm not in a hurry to test drive it like I did before I sat in it

 

I think that every feature mentioned is of no interest to me - and I like the leather just fine in my humble TL. Since the RL is made in Japan, I doubt it is the same leather anyway. The RL reminds me of a Japanese Grand Marquis. Buy it for the key.

 

To someone;

I have to admit, I'm not a fan of AWD or of FWD. But I will certainly and easily admit that FWD finally grew up and became a serious mode of locomotion in the later 90's. Still not as good, and I suspect will it ever be as good, as RWD, but in its finer "homes" (like the TL), VERY good, indeed.

 

Ahhhh.I see. Just like the Toyota Prius. Thanks for clearing that up for me.

 

NO, It will NOT!!!!

Reasons?

Weight, and 6-speed manual.

In inclement weather; now, that's a different story, but in a straight line or street scenario, I DISAGREE with you.

My $.02

 

An AWD setup will come with a cost in power.. both torque and horsepower, not to mention the increased weight. So to get the same or similar results as a comparison car, the AWD car's engine is going to need to produce more.

I have never driven an AWD car, so I have to ask this question. Is there a loss of steering/handling prowess with AWD compared to a RWD setup?

 

Well, the AWD set up in the new RL is totally different...
It cruises in FWD, and shifts into AWD when needed. An even extra gee-whizz additive is that it can transfer more torque (up to 60%) to a specific wheel in high turns (not like some current AWD set ups that sense wheel slippace on slippery pavement. The RL's AWD is also tweaked to tackle oversteer and understeer issues when within a turn. A slightly different application.

To me a TL and RL comparison is unjust. They are two different cars built for totally different market segments and purposes. The RL is meant to be a comperable, yet different alternative to the status quo of 50k, large lux sedans (S class, LS430, Audi A8's). Though probably not as large, nor as potent, that is its target. the allure of the RL against the competition is that it is a cheaper, performance oriented executive hauler.
The TL has a different market altogether.
Both cars fit their purpose.
I think The RL is a beautiful car, with some luxury craftsmanship and features in it that set it apart from anything else in the Acura line-up.

In short: not fair to compare TL to RL.

 

The RL seems like a great car, but it is also not fair to compare it to the S Class, LS430 and A8.

Those cars are in a different league. Although, after the LS, the RL would be my second choice.

 

Actually the SH_AWD is never fully FWD. At most, 70% of the torque is going to the front wheels at any time. It never cruises 100% FWD. The system can transfer up to 70% of the torque to the rear wheels and then up to 100% of that torque (70%) of the total to either the right or left rear wheel while turning.

 

Interesting review. I was in an RL today. I love my RL, but the RL is a better car. It's much more luxurious; real wood in the interior and better quality materials are used in the interior. There's no cheap aluminum strips. The leather isn't the same that is used in our TL; it is much more luxurious and similar to the 5 series seats. AWD in the Northeast is a huge plus. It's a beautiful car! That doesn't mean that our car isn't terrific, too; it's not as terrific as the new RL is.

We're driving the best 33K car on the market IMHO. The new Rl may be the best $49K car.

greg.

 

I feel that comparing the A8, S Class and LS430 to the RL is a fair comparison. These other cars are much more expensive and I feel that the RL is a much better value, and a better quality built car- except for the Lexus.

 

Is the RL worth the $16K over the TL? That is a lot of cash difference between the two.

 

Road Rage said it best ..."buy it for the key".........I'll pass!!

 

Moving this interesting thread to Cars & Bikes.

-XP

 

You can get all of those features in a Lexus or Infiniti costing less or about the same amount as what the RL is Leasing for now...

 

Wait six-nine months and the difference will be much smaller. Expect big discounts on the RL by mid to late summer. I just don't believe a tight car market like we have now is ready to soak up the 20,000 RLs Acura says they want to sell. But I could be wrong, it's happened before.

 

The new RL seems so much better (and, obviously, newer) than the old RL that sales are bound to increase. People said the same thing about the 2004 TL when it came out, and look what happened.....Acura overshot its target 60k cars by a significant amount in the first model year.

While the RL won't be as big a hit as the TL has been, it will be a hit. I hope. I don't think there will be any significant discounts at all.

I plan to test drive before winter sets in around here.

 

Yes it weighs more.. but also has the HP to make up for that weight. In a straight line or street scenario we will be spinning our tires while he will just launch perfectly.. launch is key. If we had the same exact HP then it would be a little different once the race is going..

 

Which Lexus is that? I don't think any of the lexus's have that many features..

 

RX, ES, LS, LX, GX off the top of my head....