I am currently looking into getting another car. As the tittle states which vehicle would be more reliable. I've been looking into the 05-06 TL and RL models. Ive been doing some research i just want to know everyone's opinions on what is a more reliable model. What are the pros and cons of the RL.

If i posted this in the wrong section mod's please move, i apologize.

I know the TL is known for tranny problems but how about the RL? I want to stay in the Acura family but just don't want to be worried about my tarnny crapping on me. Gas isn't really a problem because i already own a 2nd gen Tl which is 6 cyl. I would like to hand down my 2nd and get something a little newer. If anyone can give me some input it would be really appreciated

Thank you,

 

both of the cars in question; are going to be old and have their own set of problems.

Both cars are as equally as reliable to each other.
Just one might have more problems than the other, remember, this is an entry level luxury brand with lots of gadgets.

these cars are as equally as reliable as your 2nd gen.

It will BE your job to sort through the bullshit and find a clean example of either.
Remember, they are used cars, and you should treat them as such.
learning as much as you can about each car and its quirks.

 

Yea your right my 2nd has been nothing but nice to me but i just want a newer body style. The thing about the TL that draws me in is the exterior and interior has a Sporty/luxury look to it.. As the RL IMO has a nice looking exterior but the interior is plain and simple which dosnt really draw my attention too much.

The RL i know nothing about but willing to explore another Acura then just TL's . I'm usually on the TL section of the forum I'm now just creeping in the RL section and seeing what everyone has to say about the RL. I just feel like the TL has more problems then the RL don't know if its true.

 

Other than the 4G TL's, later iterations of the 2G RL also have questionable exterior styling issues.

It all comes down to what exterior styling you find more attractive.

 

both are at least 10 years old.
and you will have 10 year old problems, lets not kid ourselves here.

The RL's tranny is stronger than the TL's, but again, they are both used cars and basically, you'll be playing russian roulette with whatever route you choose.
just be sure to know what you're getting and know how to fix those issues.

 

wow some of you guys are making it seem quite scary buying a used.

Im a fan of the 2006 RL, I myself will be looking at one of those in the near future, more luxurious looking and I like the body style.

The one thing I would try to focus on is.

1 owner car (older person car)
good amount of work done at the dealership (call around and give vin # to see what work has been done)
and low miles for the year you find.

and enjoy the car.

 

^10 year old cars, man.

its going to be VERY hard finding a one owner 10 year old car.

 

not true just gotta look and be patient


2005 Acura RL 3.5RL with Navigation System, 80,085 13.9k
on CL in my area one-owner car.
This ACURA RL SH-AWD is ready to roll today. It is a one-owner vehicle that has truly been well maintained.

and a 2005 TL w/Navi 90k Miles 10k
ONE OWNER***12 GOOD SERVICE RECORDS******* BLACK ON BLACK*** MINT CONDITION

 

Yea i know a used car is a used car I always take that into consideration. Buying a used car is sort of scary because you don't know what your getting yourself into 1 owner or 5 owners. Something is telling me to go with a RL but there something about the TL thats holding me back.

Also wanted to know is how reliable is the RL in the snow? Does it handle better then the TL or are they the same?

 

I believe the RL came with SH-AWD and the TL did not.

RL Curb Weight 4k
TL 3.4k

I am one to think the extra weight helps with AWD.

 

^^^^^

Extra weight only slows down the car, and degrades performance.

 

I understand slowing it down, but degrade performance in what aspect? straight line? taking hairpin corners?, I think this guy is planning on just driving it in a normal situation.

Also I know of people that put sandbags and cement bags in there car when a snow storm comes to help put more weight down on the ground to help from tire slipping.

 

Yea this car will not be modded. Its going to be my daily driver. Snow is a big factor, i just don't like SUV's so that's why im not going that route YET! I am sticking with sedans that can handle the snow pretty good.

 

old school trick of throwing some weight over the axle in a pickup truck in snow,,almost no weight there to start,,verrrry slippery

skim the probs section and main thread section for both cars
the 04-05 TL carried the gen2 trans woes, after that a new case design (again) and some other changes seem to improve reliability
there should be enough reports and miles on gen3 to know how it worked out

a good 1 owner car should have the maintenance records, not much required beside all the fluid changes being done and the timing belt-water pump
spark plugs and filters are about the only real consumables

AWD cars = another set of moving parts to require fluids, add weight and improves snow driving and severe wet, helps those with limited driving skills stay alive

 

I would get the 2G RL over a 3G TL any day of the week...
SH-AWD + All Luxury as Standard + Great Looks? GTFO!!!


What you need to realize is that the 2G RL was a grandpa car! Even with my once Stock 2G TL-S I was destroying them from roll and pit start those are very heavy cars (All Luxury) their AWD is meant to carry that weight into the corners with ease and their engines are not made to deliver races but to move that Heavy Mass..

So all in all the 3G TL is FASTER, more upgradable, better aftermarket support and can get more stylish than the RL..
The RL is more of a Touring Car, a Great car to travel not to show-off.


Choose your Poison.

 

TL vs RL
Basically, it boils down to your personal preference in styling and options. The 3rd Gen TL's have a much more sportier appearance and handle more aggressively than the heavier RL. But, it's all in what ya desire.....if ya want all the bells and whistles in a soft ride, go for Acura's flagship RL. They are an overall great value, IMO.

As these guys said....just do your homework and study each model and what's presently available in the marketplace. I'd try to stick with the later '06>'08 TL-S or the cleanest well documented RL-AWD that ya can locate. Either car would be a nice step up from our aging 2nd Gen models and should give ya years of good service if ya find the right one.

 

You made GREAT point! My poison might be the RL but im going to miss the sporty TL and the mods i can put on it. Im planning on having a baby soon so maybe the RL might be a nice DAD car. But im going to do my homeowrk on this and see what i can come up with. Thanks a ton guys. Ima be all over that 2G RL section thats for sure..

 

^ By far the best choice once you have kids! The RL is a Safe, Reliable and Smart Choice once you don't have the time and money to "Upgrade" a Car.. IMHO The Stock 2G RL looks way better than a Stock 3G TL..

Stock RL:

If I had the money I would get one for sure!!


Even if you Mod the RL there isn't much change to do.. A simple drop or bigger tires and you have a Classic VIP Look:



Stock TL for comparison:

Not for me... Needs a Drop, Skirts and Wheels before I'm all over that ^

Once you drop the money on this:

There is no comparison.. TL hands down!

 

RL just simply because you don't want to be in the 3G TL forums.

Oh, I hate tranny's

 

 

I say RL especially since snow is a concern and it's a family car. You can get some precats and a jpipe for some more pep.

 

Yea, I have been hearing about that ever since i joined AZINE lol
I also hate trannys that's why im trying to steer myself away from TL's just for now . ..The black RL skirmich posted is a look I will totally go for.

 

The RL is your answer then. I own a 2007 model and I think it is a fantastic vehicle for me. Very reliable and comfortable. The RL was built in Japan, the TL is not. There is something about the build quality with the RL... the interior is very well put together and solid. I drove a 2014 TL for a day and felt like my 2007 RL had a better quality interior.

edit: and if you want a sportier looking RL, then look for the A-Spec model

 

RL = made in Japan.

TL = not made in Japan.

 

Parisistus on here can tell you all about trannys but that is a different story.

I had a 2005 TL when it came out and I loved it, sport like and comfy but I wanted the RL more at the time, just for the better interior but didn't want to pay more

If I had to make a rash generalization, I would say the RL had better care and maintenance, since it cost more but that is assuming you have the first owner, which I think is hard to find.

 

I would choose the TL over the RL. Reason is because of the complicated SHAWD system.

 

I drove a RL before I bought my TL years ago. I liked the RL very much, I just thought the TL was a bit more "sportier" and fitted my needs and wants more.

Maintenance wise, I've dealt with a cracked dashboard and seizing rear calipers, but the car has been fine other than those hiccups. Make sure you drive each car and check for any hesitations between gears!

 

That's an ill-advised reason.


I cannot comment on the TL. The 2005 RLs are riddled with small but annoying design flaws. Propeller shaft whine, differential whir, door handle shorts, weak A/C stator/coil/clutch, power steering line recall, brake master cylinder recall, interior latches break, and interior LEDs dying early are the major things we see here commonly. HOWEVER, none of these issues will leave you on the side of the road (except possibly the door handles), and the MAJORITY of 2005 RLs are not affected. They are either convienience features that you lose or are annoyances to deal with, and the 2005 RL has been rated 3rd for mid-size luxury reliability behind the Lexus ES and GS. The 2006 models fixed or improved a number of the issues, but are still commonly prone to weak A/Cs, weak door handles, and the propeller shaft whine. Anything after 2007 should be considered normal reliability from the Saitama factory (A+). We have seen a 2005 RL here go 350k+ miles and numerous ones with 200k+.

There is no concern from the transmission side except for maybe the rare torque converter issues. We have seen a handful of transmission rebuild/replacements, but there have not been enough to consider there is anything wrong with the transmission. Saitama never got the 5AT that Marysville got.

The RL interior is more luxurious. The TL is more sporty. All of the gripe for the RL performance occurs below 3500 rpm or in the plush suspension. I drove the two cars back to back, and for the exact same (but opposite) reason as Tyler, I chose the RL. I strongly recommend driving both, but if you can't afford or can't find a 2007+ RL, I would proceed with caution. Again, the 2005 and 2006 aren't doomed to have issues, but they have the most issues. And again, I can't comment on the TL. If the 2005 TL is prone to minor issues too, then the baseline is equal, and the RL wins in my opinion.

I'll just leave these here.

 

I love this one...

 

^ Now that's a nice ass!

I am definitely going to test drive both cars. I've drove my brothers 05 TL and i like it, its not bad. The RL on the other hand i have never driven one before and would like to go out and test drive some and see what the difference is.

I want to get more familiar with the SHAWD system this car has, its something new I have never had experience with. Whats the difference?

 

The RL SH-AWD system can send 70% of the drive train power to the rear differential and the rear diff can send 100% of its power to either rear wheel. In everyday driving and straight line acceleration, the car is FWD biased for stability. When you are going around a curve and using the throttle, the system will move power to the outside rear wheel to create over-steer. The idea is a little counter intuitive because the FWD bias and terrible body roll of the RL cause under-steer pretty easily. When you are in a typical under-steer situation, the throttle is the enemy but not with SH-AWD. Getting on the gas will actually push you into the corner. You can get the back end out pretty easily in low traction situations without using the brakes which isn't true for other FWD vehicles.

The pros of the system are superior inclement weather handling and better than most FWD cornering. If you want great snow handling for your family, go with the RL.

The cons of the system are the weight (~400 lbs) and the drive train loss (30%). You also have to consider your tire sizes because different sizes between front and rear can overheat the transfer case.

Here is a great snow video. This is actually the guy who hit 315k miles before he gave the car to his nephew to drive.
And here are some donuts just for shits and giggles.

 

get the RL it will run circles around the TL in the snow. That's why I have a Subaru Legacy and it litterally owns my CLS in the snow

 

If snow is a concern I think the obvious choice would be the RL. For a FWD car, my TL is horrible in the snow.

 

WTF is going on in your profile pic? Is that an octopus on your face??

 

 

Maybe the TL got worse by generation but I had a 2002 TLS and would put Blizzaks on for the winter and it was a tank. Seriously, 4wd SUV's would be stuck and I'd be cruising along. I only went through one winter with the stock tires but even those were decent in the snow.

 

I put blizzaks on the 08 Civic SI that had a LSD and it was a jackrabbit in the snow, was always super reliable and got through the toughest storms new england could throw at it... Put the newer blizzaks a couple winters ago on my 09 FWD TL and it was great. We had a pretty tough winter and it did an excellent job.

 

The tech at the dealership I go to swears the RL is the most reliable Acura. Made in Japan, very few go in for problems, and generally are quieter (not many rattles, etc.). He also said current MDX is the worst Acura to buy due to the problems they have.

I'd also guess most RL owners are older and may have been better kept and not driven as hard. But that is a bit of a generalization too...

 

they're all about equal in reliability, and obviously dependent upon previous owners.

 

After seeing those videos of the RL owning the snow. I'm sold on the RL. Snow has always been a factor when the winter season rolls around. Sucks getting stuck in a parking spot. HATE IT!!

Would it be possible for the SHAWD system to go bad on the car one day? Would it be safe to drive if it did go bad? Just curious about this.