Car Forums / Acura / Acura RL
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Comments
The only thing new I found is the little "accelerating device". It is the interesting part to me.
Note that even if SH-AWD is as good as GT-R V-Spec in handling, that is outrageous already for a luxury sports sedan.
In what way is it "better" exactly?
MB, BMW, Audi, are all RWD.
Its only a matter of time before Acura bails to RWD. Ford can afford to Keep Volvo fight with FWD because they have Lincoln and Jaguar to go after the RWD boys. Honda has no option. The TL is already pushing the limits of FWD like the Deville and Buick. In this Game honda will have to decide if they want to go Buick or go after the big RWD boys.
Theres a roughly 275hp cap on FWD. The TL and Maxima have hit their limits, and they both have torque steer problems because of it. Not tear the wheel out of your hands Viggen torque steer, but significant torque steer nontheless. The RL is not going AWD because its the popular thing to do, its going AWD because it has to. I would expect the next Maxima and TL to get AWD as well. Thanks to advanced, lightweight electronic AWD systems, theres really no need for FWD anymore. Thats why its going the way of the dodo.
Interior Colors: Black, Grey, Beige.
Available Accessories: All Season mats front and rear, trunk net and tray, wood steering wheel and shift knob, back up sensors, gold emblems, door visors, nose mask, color matched splash guards, rear deck lid spoiler, +1 chrome look wheels, and A-SPEC (wheels, tires +1, suspension, and deck lid spoiler).
For midsized sedans and below, an extra driveshaft will make a noticeable difference in room. It may not be a lot, but there's a reason why Hondas feel so roomy on the inside. Small high revving engine, small transmissions, small FWD drivetrain means max. space.
As for FWD's main advantage being traction in rain and snow in all-seasons without having to do the tire switch, you'll get no argument from me. But let's face it, that is a pretty nice advantage. It's hard to enjoy the driving dynamics of a RWD when you are spinning out.
SH-AWD looks good, one thing I'm wondering about is how is the weight balance? The v6 FWD TL has a 62-38 weight balance, which is pretty bad. Will the SH-AWD bring the RL closer to 50-50?
No matter how great the traction is on SH-AWD, if the weight balance is not close to 50-50, I'd still prefer the driving dynamics of a perfectly balanceed RWD car (when not driving in snow and rain).
Most other AWD system will send 0-100/100-0 or 50-50 split (front and rear, or side to side). But there is a subtle difference between Atessa AWD and SH-AWD (vtec.net had a decent write up on this).
Besides, I don't think Atessa is a pro-active system. SH-AWD is, in that it won't wait for wheels to lose traction.
SH-AWD will have up to 70% rear bias, but I doubt it will be true during cruising. May be during heavy throttle, or in slick conditions when fronts lose traction. Cruising will likely be front biased (supposedly, more fuel economical). But I don’t see why front or rear bias during cruising would matter, unless those BMW and Mercedes marketeers can explain it to me.
One of the things that some of the AWD sytems "offer" is electronic control of the F/R distribution -- sometimes by an extension of the ABS/ESP systems. The brakes are applied -- and this is an oversimplification -- to wheels in order to provide the required torque shift. Quattro's torsen system actually shifts the torque to the wheels that need it -- instantly and without the aid of applying brake force to distribute torque.
From a marketing perspective, when all is said and done, it will be a requirement -- to "play in the game, as the game needs to be played today" -- to be either RWD or AWD (and AWD with virtually any RWD bias will be touted as superior). Indeed Audi is planning on changing their system so that they can MARKET the quattro system as starting off with a slight RWD bias.
The thing is, it is important to be able to show an AWD vehicle rounding a long sweeping curve at very high speeds with its tail stuck out (in classic oversteer stance). Although I have been to the Audi driving school in Austria 4 times and have made a quattro steer with its tail, the truth of the matter is that the quattro system is, shall we say, more reluctant to round corners with its tail out than, for instance, a BMW. Think marketing, don't think physics.
In other words, even though some of the above behavior is caused by weight distribution and some is caused by the quattro system, the thing that will stick is a "picture" a "test report" -- marketing information, that is.
The current perception is what I am speaking of, but I am also speaking of the phrase, "perception is reality!"
I’m looking forward to seeing how SH-AWD improves upon the dynamics that Honda’s superb 5-link rear suspension (Watt-link double wishbone) already offers. It was already designed to passively steer the tail out.
The RL will also be equipped with VSA, so understanding of how all the pieces of electronics work together under the skin will be very interesting.
The Prelude's ATTS system "pulled" the car into the turn (I doubt I could explain how, but the system was highly praised on the track) nearly eliminating understeer in high performance situations. The Prelude platform really didnt have understeer to begin with, and is generally considered one of the best handling front-wheel drive cars ever made, especially since it had no torque steer (hardly any torque). I doubt Honda, known for their engineering achievements, would invest in this development and not make this system and it results pretty impressive.
I think 270HP vs 225HP has something to do with that.
Look, I'm not knocking the TL, it's a great car and taking into account prices, I prefer it as an overall package to the BMW.
I'm sure with equal HP, the 50-50 weight balanced BMW would dust the TL.
In any case, that's not the purpose of this discussion. I just want to know if the RL is going to have better weight balance, b/c if it does, I'm holding off on a TL purchase.
However, I also believe that the initial spark for the devlopment and adoption of this technology were market driven. And, that is as it should be.
This is not just marketing however -- yet, I'll wager that if Acura was known as a long time RWD company that there would have been less of a sense of urgency to bring out an AWD vehicle.
These same reasons perhaps have pushed Cadillac and Chrysler to offer RWD vehicles and evolve to offering AWD vehicles.
For reasons that we all can cite and probably some of them we all would agree with, the current market (here in the US at least) has come to believe that FWD is not to be continued in the Premium Market. Or, perhaps that one cannot remain in the Premium Market with FWD cars, states the case better.
Acura's efforts may indeed be not only the first SH AWD but also, for the time being, the best.
Rust never sleeps as they say.
One year the Chrsler 300M is in a certain class -- now to remain and have any chance of moving up in status or perception, RWD and/or AWD are "the price for entry."
Its always something.
2004 BMW 330i. 0-60 in 6 seconds. 1\4 mile in 14 seconds. 60-0 braking in 121 ft. 63mph through the slalom.
Hey whats that noise? Its your argument, going out the window. The TL pulls Porsche Boxster numbers going through the cones, and the BMW does not. The TL also out brakes the smaller, lighter BMW.