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Comments
I guess it means, if G35c can unleash 270ft-lb of torque, by tuning the engine more aggressively (intake, ECU, etc.) you can gain another 10ft-lb. It is there, but, RL being a luxury sedan, has to make a trade-off. My take on that.
I have a feeling that magazine, either, didn’t consider the secondary axle ratio (1.238:1), or the JDM spec transmission won’t have it.
Yep. As far as engine rating is concerned, the trade off usually includes emissions (the RL engine will be LEV-II/ULEV rated) and NVH considerations.
The key, I have learned over the years, is not how much toque you have OVERALL, but at what point in the RPM cycle you get it.
My Audi A6 4.2 had 295 pound feet and my 2.7T had (258 or 280 depending on which version of the engine). The 2.7T torque came on full boil BELOW 2000 RPM's. While the 4.2 was more powerful in both HP and torque, the V6 was quicker to ultra legal speeds from a standing start -- the torque # is important, but also "when" is the torque available?
The new RL does have, I have read, substantial amounts of the torque available at moderately low RPM's -- but it would be good to have OH, about 20 more, just in case.
Picky picky -- I'm sure they'll tune it for more over the next 9 years, don't you think?
Craig!! )
I'm sure they could have produced a car in 2001 that was better than the 2004 we have now. It probably would have been something like an MDX with extra goodies and a much lower stance.
The question kinda reminds me of Star Wars (what?). No, bear with me for a second. Lucas could have made the second trilogy a few years after filming Return of the Jedi back in the 80's. Instead, he waited until the technology was up to the job of doing it right.
I think that is what Acura tried to do with the 2005 RL. Rather than present a luke-warm product on schedule they waited until they had the tools to do it right.
waiting for a first drive....
ksso
There are quite a few articles talking about the new E320 CDI.
With base price of $49,795, and the questionable quality, and diesel availability, I think it is a big no no.
Anyway, it is your money:-)
This way if you have your heart set on the E320 CDI you could still get it and receive your tax break (unless the tax break is be based on when the car tag is registered).
Yes they lost RL sales but they more than made up for it with the TL and MDX.
I have no disappointments about the 05. I will be getting my copy very soon.
I saw the RLs by accident. I had dragged my wife across the county to check out the TL at a dealership other than our more local one. I like driving, she doesn’t. She refused to even come inside and was giving me the rush-sign from the minute I walked into the showroom. I have also been thinking about the RL for a while, but I have never had a ‘luxury car’ before. It’s a strange mental hurdle. I am sixty years old now and can afford it, but never quite outgrew that 1960s counter-culture perspective. We actually drive a 1990 Honda Accord EX, manual transmission. It’s time for a new car.
I read the posts on this site and a few others. It’s quite addictive. My productivity at work has gone down quite a bit in the last few months. It’s late morning now and I am sitting at my desk hunt-and-pecking out this message... my first post.
Anyway, the irony of my early checkout of the RL is that I wish it had been one of you guys. I probably would have learned more reading your observations here.
That said, I'll just say a few first quick impressions, basically from my own view at this point in my (and regrettably my wife’s) “new-car-search” experience.
-- The seats are wider, softer and more comfortable for me than the TL (or certainly the G35).
-- I like the paddle shifters; they’re behind the steering wheel where your forefingers stay. I think I would use them more than a console shifter. I never liked the way my current (generation 3 ?) Accord handles in wet and snow. I make heavy use of manual shifting to gain more control. I like a stick it’s fun, so does my wife, but after forty-years I may be ready for an automatic. All the new driver-assist stuff and AWD makes a manual transmission seem less critical. Plus, there’s the increased power now. As an aside, I think I would only consider a front-drive TL with a manual.
-- The RL’s rear end seemed more high, stubby and bulging than in the pics I’ve seen. I don’t know how I feel about that, but it was the first thing that struck me.
I could try to say more, but I don’t know if it’s worth reading and I do have to get back to work. There is a salesman at Westchester Acura who seemed to know a lot about the RL and had three days to check it out. I don’t know his name, he’s a medium-sized blond guy, about 30 yrs old. Oh also, I mentioned the RL buzz to the sales manager and he said he would rather I didn’t post anything on the internet that day about what he had there. He said he could get in trouble with ‘national’.
What colors of RLs were there? Which color of RL do you like the most? I am biased toward darker RLs now.
ksso
Timetobuy - Great first post. Welcome to the forum!
As an advertising move, this does makes sense. But from an enthusiasts perspective, it's pretty silly.
As I see it, Acura is using a two-pronged attack in mid-size $35-50K class with TL and RL, while BMW uses 5-series for $35-60K or so. TSX is more of a 3-series (at this point, 325i) competitor. But then, there is some overlap between 3-series and 5-series as well so when it comes to TL, both sides get compared.
;-)
Incidently "Cognoscenti" is obsolete Italian taken from the Latin word "cognoscens" English translation (A connoisseur) .....JJ
It seems that the earlier RL prototype had color-matching side and rear molding (see http://www.acuraworld.com/~hafid/05RL/nyauto_rlconcept_1fr.jpg) and the production model has added a thinner chrome strip on top of that, like a molding on a molding. Kind of an afterthought.
Following this picky approach on the 2005 RL, I think that I’m left with the lightest dark color, the one that highlights the added chrome least. That’s the new “lakeshore silver”. It’s backwards, kind of like two negatives may make a positive for me.
Actually I think the light silver RL looks good too, but I live in a condo, and my assigned spot has two silver cars to the left of it and one to the right. Although “uniformity” in appearance is the objective, often the rule, within condo developments, ours has gone in the other direction for cars, demanding diversity, and added to the condo by-laws that “no more than three cars of identical, or identical for all intents and purposes (as judged by the Board), may be parked in consecutive spaces, for more than 12 hours, or overnight.” There is also an auxiliary rule saying that “For any six consecutive spaces, there must be at least three distinct colors of cars represented, such that...”. As luck would have it, at my condo, there is a navy blue car parked on each side of the silvers. So no dark blue car for me. Now... I told the condo Board that at my parent’s condo in Florida, there are mostly silver and white cars parked, and they don’t have any rules like ours. Some board members and other residents are sympathetic and may consider a minor change in the by-laws or maybe a senior-citizen exemption, but that couldn’t be done until March 2005 at the condo annual meeting. And we (my wife especially) can’t wait that long.
Hey, as we 'cognoscenti' know, once you go MAC you never go back!
My ride is an Apple G4 Silver doored mini-tower with Dual 1.25 GHz processors, 1.75 GB DDR SDRAM, running OS X 10.3 -- it's a rocket.
(A stalwart Mac enthusiast since 1984 - Honda enthusiast since 1982)
It seems that the earlier RL prototype had color-matching side and rear molding (see http://www.acuraworld.com/~hafid/05RL/nyauto_rlconcept_1fr.jpg) and the production model has added a thinner chrome strip on top of that, like a molding on a molding. Kind of an afterthought.
Following this picky approach on the 2005 RL, I think that I’m left with the lightest dark color, the one that highlights the added chrome least. That’s the new “lakeshore silver”. It’s backwards, kind of like two negatives may make a positive for me.
Actually I think the light silver RL looks good too, but I live in a condo, and my assigned spot has two silver cars to the left of it and one to the right. Although “uniformity” in appearance is the objective, often the rule, within condo developments, ours has gone in the other direction for car colors, demanding diversity, and added to the condo by-laws that “no more than three cars of identical, or identical for all intents and purposes (as judged by the Board), may be parked in consecutive spaces, for more than 12 hours, or overnight.” There is also an auxiliary rule saying that “For any six consecutive spaces, there must be at least three distinct colors of cars represented, such that...”. As luck would have it, at my condo, there is a navy blue car parked on each side of the silvers. So no dark blue car for me. Now... I told the condo Board that at my parent’s condo in Florida, there are mostly silver and white cars parked, and they don’t have any rules like ours. Some board members and other residents are sympathetic and may consider a minor change in the by-laws or maybe a senior-citizen exemption, but that couldn’t be done until March 2005 at the condo annual meeting. And we (my wife especially) can’t wait that long.
As to your condo rules: are you serious? I have heard about these boards being incredibly anal, but dictating car color diversity/in parking spaces/over time seems an equation that adds up to lunacy of the highest order.
Hey, why not ask the board to consider whether it also has jurisdiction over brand names? You know, no more than two Chevy's in a row. Playing the game by their bizzaro rules, maybe you could argue that your 2005 Acura RL would be the only one in your parking complex. That sounds like diversity to me.
;-)
Incidently "Cognoscenti" is obsolete Italian taken from the Latin word "cognoscens" English translation (A connoisseur) .....JJ <
I don't think that's so much of a glitch as it is a question of the web site developer optimizing the site for a browser like Microsoft Explorer.
Any one who has ever built a web site knows that what may look perfect on Explorer might look way out of whack on Netscape.
Since something like 94% of all computer users use a PC and not a Mac (Apple), it would make little sense for Acura to spend the time (now, or ever) to build the site to optimize Apple's Safari browser, used by a very small percentage of global users.
From Merriam Webster On-Line:
Cognoscenti -- obsolete Italian (now conoscente), from Latin cognoscent-, cognoscens, present participle of cognoscere : a person who is especially knowledgeable in a subject: CONNOISSEUR
No, just kidding. I'm on the condo board, and the real parking rules are complicated and restrictive. Nothing about colors. Yet.
But there are three silver cars around my car, and two blues outside of them.
Legend: Glad to know you are steeped in Mac. Hope you are available for me to run quick questions on occasion. I used Gateway PCs for many years and finally found the way with Mac! Being retired I have relatively lots of time so I still use a dial up connection but one of these days will probably go Roadrunner for some High Speed. Thanks for the info on Safari.
I'll be visiting my pregnant daughter in Houston soon. She is due Oct 8th...we will stay for a couple weeks until the baptism so more than likely I will be going over to Gilman Acura in North Houston to test drive the new RL, coincidence being we were there last year when the New TL was introduced ....its going to feel like Groundhog Day. Who knows...maybe we will return to Wisconsin in a new car! (Any comments on whether or not that would be an OK way to break in a new car...1,250 miles at 73 MPH?
My take is; get what you want and let them come after you. What's the penalty for having an improper colored car?
Then again with rules like that, I'd revolt with pink flamingos as parking space adornments.
Before you give up on a new (2004) RL, why not get on your computer and look up some other Acura dealerships in surrounding states, and check their inventory? I don't know the geographical lay of the land there but perhaps you are close enough for a half day drive in a direction of a state that would have a car. You can negotiate over the phone, then go and pick up the car, or even arrange to have it delivered (I would opt for the former). I certainly would not be concerned about buying the car in New York, for example, then getting it serviced in New Jersey. Despite what some of the salesman tell you, all dealerships are more than happy to have your service department dollars!
If driving to another state, or a distant spot within your state does not appeal to you, and you are willing to pay a premium, you could go to your local Acura dealer and ask them to do a "dealer trade", where they search for, locate, then buy the car from another dealer that has one and then they in turn sell it to you -- obviously at a somewhat greater cost.
As for used models, my generic advice would be to get a 2003 if possible. I believe that the navigation systems were refined in each successive year, so if navi is an important feature for you, a later model car may be the better choice. On the other hand, a two year old model coming off of a lease ought to be in nice shape, with low miles while still in warranty.
The 2004 and 2003 models were both generally excellent cars, terrific values then and now. I would bargain hard however on a used model, given that now in 2005 there has been a quantum leap forward in both body style and technology; thus the older RLs will likely command less in resale now and especially down the road a few years.
I believe that Acura and Honda have been putting Michelin's on their full size cars for a good ten years. Honda Motor Company trusts Michelin, and with good reason. I suppose that there may have been a few exceptions on past occasions, but I would be very surprised if this new RL did not come down off the truck wearing Michelin's.
If I am wrong on the Michelin's than I think they would be Dunlop's. I could not envision Acura using Goodyear, Pirreli or even Bridgestone's on this car. Obviously Firestone ain't in the running -- now or any time soon -- on this car or any car with a reputation at stake. And I venture to say that they aren't going to go with exotic Japanese or Korean tires either.
Other viewpoints, gentlemen?
Yeah, I used to like a stick, but after years of commuting to work in the snow of the midwest and later the congested freeways of California, once I got an automatic I never looked back. Besides, with all the other distractions, including cell phones, it's good to have use of your right hand.
Not to split hairs, but I wonder aloud what constitutes better "control" of the car. Other than downshifting while on curves or approaching a stop light, I don't see how a stick driver would have materially more control when driving. If you think about it, with all the herking and jerking that goes on as one goes up or down through the gears, I think that if one could look closely enough, you'd see variations in steering direction during some up-shifts or down-shifts. (Yeah, I know some of you guys will say that your shifting is smooth as silk, but I think under close up, slow motion photography, one would see that the path the car takes during shifting is not a perfect straight line; and in any event not as straight as would come with an automatic.) Your left arm has to steer, your left leg has to clutch, your right leg has to press down or come up off the gas pedal -- or brake pedal -- and you must of course shift with your right hand. Your entire body is having to manage all these functions in perfect time, meanwhile you have to look out the windshield and manage traffic intervals, stop lights, pedestrians and other obstacles.
Today's commercial and fighter pilots are being relieved of having to "fly the plane" by automated systems that free the pilot to concentrate on other matters. I would submit that by driving the automatic, you would be able to put more brain power into all the demands that modern day driving requires. The new SH-AWD will give drivers an unprecedented level of control, allowing the driver to focus on the road, getting the most out of the car; all without a manual shift.
ksso
on another note, honda automatics downshift when you brake, i know they started doing that sometime in the early 90s with their automatics.
ksso
I am putting $10 bet that this will make it to the RL in its mid-cycle freshening
3.5 V6-VCM with 350 HP & 300 Lb/ft, fuel economy of 27 city, 34 highway for MY2007?
ksso