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I really like the sound of the engine. Its very smooth when accelerating. I can't comment on the Bose system. I rarely listen to the radio and when I do listen its for traffic and weather or background music that low enough so I can still hear the engine.
I bought it over the boy racer looks of the Lexus GS and the LS400 didn't look that nice. Test drove the BMW 3-Series and wasn't impress with the car. I guess all the hype is just hype, or I didn't drive it hard like was suppose to be driven. My second choice as the Audi A6 Quattro and third choice the Volvo S80.
Acceleration is ok thanks to the low end torque. You really don't need to rev the engine past 3k to get decent speed. Coming from an Integra 5-sp, it was a good improvement.
I average 20.2 mpg in 70% suburb/ 30% highway driving.
I got a flat on the road and tried the Acura TLC just to see how they responded. They seemed nice enough to talk to, but since I already past my 50k warranty service, they would bill me for the tire change. I declined the service and just changed it myself.
Outside any recalls, I has an oxygen sensor go bad at 30k. Replace under warranty. Also around 48k, my front passenger door lock was sticking and by chance the dealer manager was able to reproduce it (otherwise, they won't fix it). They changed something called an actuator. Thats about it in terms of problems. (Oh, back trunk hinge sqeaked and regreased at the dealership). No major problems.
The back seats are extremly comfortable. Sometimes I just sit in the RL back seat in the garage. My wife looks at me funny, but she doesn't understand. :-) The front seats are stiffer much like seats in a Mercedes.
Gripes about the car. The stock tires are noisy. Replaced them with Yokohama AVS db. Tire noise gone. The armrest can't close when using the ac adaptor. 00 model fixed this problem. The fuel light comes on too early. I usually go about 310 miles before fill ups. The fuel light goes on even before you use up 15 gallons in an 18 gallon tank. I would have preferred gas-assisted shocks over hinges for the trunk.
As far as rides in dry / wet weather, I can actually feel the car tighten up in rainy weather. In Houston we get a lot of heavy rains and the RL holds on to the road pretty tightly.
Gripes about the car :
1. The stock tires are noisy. I will probably change them soon. (How much do the Yokohama cost?)
2. FM reception on some stations is bad. Our Nissan van has better reception. The dealership has no suggestions other than the FM station is weak!
3. Sometimes the transmission does not shift smoothly between 1st and 2nd. I will probably talk to the dealer ship.
4. Fuel economy is bad. I get about 15 to 16 miles a gallon. 80 % suburbs / 20 % hwy.
I'd boiled my choices down, like the post above, to the A6 and to the S80 (tho that was eliminated by virtue of its poor reliability). The A6 was a wonderful car and I enjoyed the quattro. At the time, it was about a month until the '02 RL was to be released and, while I liked the Acura just fine, I wanted more steering feedback, more responsive braking, and flatter cornering ... if I could get it. But I was ready to go on the A6 if the '02 didn't satisfy me.
When they came in I drove one and got excited about the car! But the rates were high at the time, and no local dealer had one in the Vermont Green, non-nav. So I waited and, for a change, got lucky. The interest rates came down, way down, and when the green one arrived at the local dealer, I took the plunge -- what a car!
It has all the power I want or need. (The Audi had a V8 and so had a lot more grunt.) The cornering makes the car as much of a pleasure to drive as it is to sit in with its perfect ergonomics. I have the basic OnStar and don't know if I'll ever use it, but it's nice to know it's there and gives me a good reduction on theft insurance.
So far the only glitch has been that the service dept dropped a fastener into the frame and can't retrieve it while they were installing a cargo net -- another is on order (would you believe the fastener is so unusual!). For the inconvenience, they're not charging me for the install.
For those who don't like the tires, I can tell you that the new Michelins on the XL are very quiet.
So far -- with the new hp rating on the engine -- I'm getting 19 mpg, combined city/hwy (about 50%). I hope it goes up a bit as the engine gets seasoned.
A couple of my friends have some more 'exotic' machinery and like mine enough to comment -- they both paid over $60k. Now I feel real good!
Take care.
Joe W.
My 93 Legend did a little better, sometimes getting 27 or so on the highway. I have a 1999 Accord Coupe and get between 25 and 28 with it.
Take care.
Joe W.
I base that on what one can get a newer Legend for and the fact that even older RL are getting into the teens although they will have higher miles.
I know you are not trading it in, but you will get an idea what it's wholesale numbers are.
Is anyone else noticing bad FM reception on some stations? In Houston the following stations I listen to are below average : 88.7, 90.1 and 96.5. Southwest Acura says they cannot do anything about it. That kind of bothers me -- considering the fact that it is an luxury car.
I definitely notice that using the A/C in city has an effect.
As far as the radio reception is concerned an aftermarket installer told me that the antenna on the RL is an amplified antenna which increases volume on both good sound and radio noise. Combined with the higher quality Bose speakers we are likely hearing some noise that isn't detected on lesser quality systems. Other than changing out to an aftermarket tuner, it was recommended installing an outsided antenna (similar to a cell phone antenna) to the rear window and see if that improves reception. I didn't want to add an outside one, but if anyone does, let us know how it works out.
After driving the E320, I really missed the RL's low end torque and faster pickup. In terms of power, the E320 and Lexus GS300 feel much slower than the RL and one test drive will show this. Both are nice cars. If I had to chose again, regardless of price I would still go with the RL.
I'll have the admit the CL500, AMG E55 and CLK55 are just muscle cars. OMG, are they fast! :-)
Used my first tank of all town/city/suburb driving and am pleasantly surprised; at 1800 miles got almost 21 mpg. Next week we're taking a 1600 mile trip and I'll keep close track.
I found something I don't like about the car, at last ... the small gas tank. The empty light goes on almost exactly at 300 miles, an aggravation. But I really am glad the right mirror doesn't do that tilt thing ... I recall testing an older model (or perhaps it was a TL) that had it and it was a little disconcerting; in the driving I do I'm less likely to parallel park and more likely to back up for 50 or 100 feet, so it's more convenient to see where you're going rather than watch the curbing. This is obviously a matter of taste and driving circumstances.
Interesting: my dealer doesn't think that the expected '03 release of the V8 will bring an end to the RL as we know it. His reasoning: Acura has a strong, competitive offering at $20k (Integra; RSX); at $30k (T series); and there is no way they can offer a full-featured V8, especially with AWD (as rumored) for the same as the RL, thus bumping it up considerably, to say $50-55k. That leaves them empty from $30 -- $50k, missing a big chunk of market. His guess, therefore, is that they keep the RL and move upscale with the new one. It makes good common sense, but he also let me know that he has nothing from the factory to confirm this.
Take care.
Joe W.
One hint, from the owner's manual, is to use the A/C on the econ mode. So I leave it on full auto until I hear the fan speed diminish, then move it to the economy setting. I don't know if this is a real help or more psychological.
But if you don't start moving toward that 20 mpg. avg pretty soon, I'd ask for some help from the dealer. Given the sophistication of the design of these cars, no one short of the dealer would figure it out, and you certainly shouldn't have to "baby" the car to get 14.5 mpg!
Take care.
Joe W.