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Actually, it's a Motorola V710 with Verizon's specs.
The RL has Daytime Running Lights, also. If you operate the lights in automatic mode, you'll have Daytime Running Lights in the day, then when it gets dark, your full headlights come on.
I got this information from Acura customer service. My local Verizon store didn't have the software yet. They couldn't give me a date when they would have it.
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Or has SH-AWD taken care of this problem?
When in doubt, reboot.
I removed the Radio fuse and plugged it back in and of course, now everything works again.
This will be an ongoing concern as cars become more and more like computers.
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I also sent a number of inquiries to Motorola about the Verizon V710 phone and whether or not it had any limitations for use with the Acura and information transfers. They responded that due to the lack of the OBEX profile, the phone can only support Bluetooth capability for pairing-up with the headset and for using the phone as a modem. It cannot be used for data synchronization like phonebook and calendar, nor for media transfer, like pictures and ringtones. Hence, it cannot synchronize contacts with the car's navigation system phonebook.
I believe the issue is NOT synchronization, but rather access and transfer. Motorola further stated that I would need to contact Verizon about this firmware upgrade and availability. When I asked Verizon, all I got was double-talk, and that the phone was working as designed.
I will test it myself in 2 weeks when I hope to pick up my new RL.
I've had the 05 RL for a month now, and I couldn't be happier. There's a sense of confidence in knowing that everything is working as it should, and that there's a customer centric service organization at my acura dealership should a glitch pop up.
With the A4 - i had an oil leak (gasket) which required the dropping of the transmission; side mirrors that would not stay set in memory; steering wheel and door switches that lost their finishing; loose stabilizer bar. It all got fixed, but i just tired of the hassles.
This is my 3rd acura in 3 years, and i'm impressed. Nothing's perfect - but the whole package fits me well. I've also had 3 mercedes - and i can't even begin to describe the nightmare with them. They had to buy back one of my vehicles.
These cars are all complex -- and there will be glitches. For me - I need a service dept that cares about it's customers.. the RL and Acura work for me.
PS - I did drive the 05 A6 4.2 - hated the dash around the steering wheel (bland/bleak), thought the rear-end had the highlights of a saturn (chrome strip)... and just wasn't willing to be a ginea pig for audi... again.
Good luck
You're right that nothing is perfect, and I suppose I shouldn't be so troubled by the little, stupid things (like lack of height adjustability on a seat I'll never sit in, or lack of RDS on a radio that will probably never leave XM). The RL was, IMHO, more fun to drive than the A6 3.2, which I expected to be more like the 2.7T than it turned out to be. Hell, if I stick the deck lid spoiler on the RL, it's sporty too, right?!!
My new RL also has the approval of my 14 yr old daughter and 21 yr old nephew, so it must be pretty styling!!!
My first Mercedes which was a 1997 E320 had to have a new transmission within the first 3 months!!
Lynnminny
I just bought the RL yesterday (Blue Pearl) and am very happy with my decision.
I just bought the RL yesterday (Blue Pearl) and am very happy with my decision.
I love the OBP color. My wife had to talk me into it as I was used to black. The car looks near black when the light goes down but with sunlight it beats the pants (IMHO) off the black.
May take a while till people realize that it is the a great choice for a dark color.
My daughter never cared for blues, but went off when she saw "Eternal Blue" on the 2003 RSX. So that's what she's been tooling around in for almost two years ...... and LOVING it!
Drop the price, Acura, and I'll buy! I love a free-market economy and competition! Let the car wars begin, as the consumer will win!
From a long-time Honda/Acura owner.
Seriously, though. Look at it objectively. What has Acura really accomplished with the new RL? They produced another also-ran in a league of heavy hitters. They took a shot straight down-market. There's really nothing "new" or revolutionary about it, other than the SH-AWD marketing campaign and the Audio Pilot; which in my experience, the end effect is negligible at best.
Sure, there are other little technological touches, but that is the problem with the car. It seems Honda just through a ton of technology at the car instead of focusing on building a better/more desirable car. And from what I'm reading in here, some of that technology is having niggles.
They need to shoot higher with the RL. From what they've given us with this one, it's as though they admit defeat in the upscale luxury market. Who are they going for that the TL isn't squaring against already? I'm afraid as nice as it is, this RL will also fade into oblivion like the last. One of the salesmen I was dealing with said this thing is a competitor to the 7-series and S-class!!! I couldn't believe my ears! I just thought to myself that anybody in the market for a 7-series, S-class, or even an LS430 would NEVER consider the RL. Now if they're in the market for a 5-series, E-class, ES330; absolutely.
(Daimler)Chrysler took a leap of faith with the 300. They decided to shoot a little further up-market this time. They also wised up this time. When they introduced the 300M, it and the LHS were priced and sized similarly. The LHS was all about luxury (as with the RL) and the 300M was about luxury with a sporty flair (as with the TL). The 300M cannibalized sales of the LHS and outsold it 2:1 or 3:1. That they also had the Concorde that was also about luxury and larger didn't help. The LHS eventually had to be dropped. The same thing will probably happen to the RL at the end of this design cycle if they don't get their act together.
The new 300 is a bold (whether you love it or hate it) design. It looks like nothing else out there, save for the Bentley; and that's not a bad thing at all. It looks, feels, and drives like a much more expensive car. One could see people trading their older S-classes and 7s for a 300C.
More importantly, Chrysler gave millions of us what we've been wanting since they disappeared so many years ago; a big, powerful, RWD, V8 sedan to move us. Where's Acura's V8? They gave us a powerful V6 that, sadly, isn't remarkably quicker than the competitors' much less powerful V6s.
Let's see how it fares 3 or 4 years down the road. Does this design have legs, or is it another "flavor of the day"? It's hard for a company to have ongoing success if the only successes they have are such designs, because you need to always be on top of what the next best thing will be, and you may not be right next time.
Just my opinion...
"Due to customer feedback such as yours, Verizon Wireless is re-assessing the Bluetooth capabilities on the Motorola V710. Providing software updates for this handset is under review. We do understand that it can be frustrating if your handset does not operate to the extent that you desire. We would ask for your patience during this evaluation period."
and
"Verizon Wireless currently supports the following Bluetooth functions on the Motorola V710:
- Wireless headsets
- Wireless car kits (voice calls only, no syncing contacts)
- Dial-Up networking
Contact syncing, file sharing and any other Bluetooth functions outside of the ones listed above are not currently available on the v710. File transfer abilities have not been enabled, as we are still testing the security of these connections to ensure that your data and our network are safe. We have not yet reached a decision regarding whether or not we will enable file sharing functionality."
If Acura is going to play in that price arena, they'd better either/and/or:
1)Differentiate the product from the Honda nameplate(Honda Legend in Japan is the "EXACT" same car--body style, technology, MORE features--degrades the Acura badge--I actually saw a demo with "Honda" on all the glass--fixed on the later production supply),
2)Make sure to not nickel/dime features that are standard on MUCH lesser cars like Lexus ES330(wood wheel/shifter, 8-way passenger, rain-sensing wipes, ventilated seats--I predict some of these will be added to US RL model in CURRENT model year once sales drop off, especially since the production line already handles it for the Honda Legend),
3)Figure out how to increase their prestige factor.
In this price league, people are buying status and exclusiveness. Quality and performance can generally be purchased in any price bracket.
Oh, BTW, posting in only 2 topics would hardly qualify as "buzzbomb", or any other term you want to use, don't you think?
The way it looks, Honda should've just let the Legend die gracefully. Instead, they've dragged it on year after year as a mockery of the car it once was. Either they don't know how to design a true luxury car or they don't care to even try. They would've been better off dropping the RL and putting the SH-AWD and other gadgets on the TL. It would've fortified the TL for higher pricing as well as made it a more dominate player.
Now, C&D may solicit advertising from the car companies after they pick their "Ten Best" list, but at least that isn't the requirement for being chosen..
Nothing against the cars being chosen, but that award is a sham.. always has been.
regards,
kyfdx
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But why trash the COTY award or the 300C? The 300C has received enthusiastic reviews from virtually all of the automotive press, not to mention the Most Significant Car of the Year from Edmunds. 90,000 have been sold in a little over six months, and an Austrian plant is being retooled to sell them in Europe. The car is a bonafide phenomenon.
Which doesn't take a thing away from the success that the new RL will most surely have in the coming years.
Cars, and our love of them are an emotional proposition, and car awards are certainly nice. But they don't devalue great cars that don't win.
On the other hand the 300C won for a number of very legitimate reasons, and I have no doubt that it will also win the North American Car of the Year as well. And to suggest that all COTY winners are flash in the pans is a bit of an overstatement. The PT Cruiser has sold almost 100,000 units this year. Not shabby for a car that's about ready to be revamped.
I just bought the RL yesterday (Blue Pearl) and am very happy with my decision.
And those that are more luxurious, and supposed to be equipped as such. However, they are always aren’t. This is Acura RL territory. If you’re looking for RL to compete in the cheaper class, then RL isn’t your kind of car.
Here is a review by Smart Money and covers the RL and other cars that share the upper class with it (Audi A6, BMW 530i and Cadillac STS). Lexus GS and Mercedes E-Class haven’t been mentioned but it does a good job on bringing out the perception that people have of pricing.
What do you get in a $41K Audi A6? And what do you get in a $49K Acura RL? It is quite easy to get Audi A6/3.2 into RL territory, but for Acura to try and go to the Audi’s base territory would be a shame IMO. This class isn’t about value. For that reason, I suspect few would even care for base Audis and most will end up paying $47-50K for the V6, and it simply makes sense! That is assuming that sales hold up and dealers continue to ask for MSRP. V8 versions would be more expensive.
And as the article appropriately mentions, to get satellite radio in Cadillac STS/V6, you end up with a $49K price tag. So, what exactly is the point of $40K price for a luxury car now? And while we have blasted Acura for putting only 4-way power adjustment for passenger seat, we couldn’t care less about the fact that Audi’s CD changer still resides in the glove box as an option, and that STS/V6 won’t have xenon lamps at $50K.
BTW, in the Smart Money review, RL edges out the others.