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Price - While the window price is $46,145 (with destination), I paid $37,100 plus tag and tax (no other hidden fees). Of course, to make sure the negotiation to be simple and fast, I paid in full.
Still though, these deep discounts must mean that the '05 RL will probably be something special. I'll be in the market for a new vehicle come January and I'll be looking closely at the RL.
Enjoy your new ride!
Having the RL discounted so much is not necessarily a good thing. This reduces the resale value of the car and gives the impression the car is overpriced to begin with (note the last generation Infiniti Q45 for another example of this). The current discounts have nothing to do with how "special" the next RL will be and everything to do with the fact that market demand for the car is well below the supply.
Also, Acura has neglected adding key equipment to this car. Heck, you can buy a Honda Accord for $24,000 that has side curtain airbags and dual-zone climate control that you won't find on an RL. And cars like the ES 330 have items such as a power rear sun shade, rain-sensing wipers and a trip computer that you can't get on an RL.
I am confident Acura will address the RL's drawbacks with the redesign and it will once again be a strong competitor.
Of course, I'm saying that BEFORE the '05 comes out.. I'm willing to bet that after the new RL debuts I'll have a much less complimentary view of the '04 version.
And, by the way, has ANYONE heard ANYTHING about the '05 yet? When is it coming out? Features? Acura is either great at keeping a secret to promote current RL sales, or they're really poor in the "buzz" department.
Honda/Acura is very secretive about new vehicles. They even test cars in the dark to reduce the chances of them being photographed. I'm told they do it to protect current sales, as you remarked, and also to keep the competition guessing. It's harder to match the competition if you don't know what they are bringing to the table.
As for news... It will have another V6 and it will not be FWD (which probably means AWD). There's nothing else I would take to the bank. The RL is expected to be shown (in concept form) at car shows in April.
I have a scanned photo of the car, how can I post it here?
ksso
To post the image here type [img src=your URL] but use < > in place of the brackets [ ]. Now lets see this puppy!
Thanks! )))
image:
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid107/p11b8c019261bd003dc6- - a8f0a3357665f/f9518b4c.jpg
To me the car in that pic has nice lines, and it does seem to fit into the "larger TL" category people have been speculating about.. we'll see. I know this sounds strange, but my initial impression was that it looked "audi-ish". Now I wonder, when is Acura gonna feed me some official pics?!
Thanks mason11!
----------------------------------
"Soon after I posted the news item regarding the latest buzz on upcoming products, I received a bit more information on expected changes for the 2005 Acura RL. Here's an updated summary:
300HP 3.5L V-6
AWD (VTM4)
Aluminum body parts, including hood, roof, trunklid
Sized larger than 5-series/E-class, but smaller than 7-series/S-class. Perhaps to be positioned against Lexus GS or Infiniti M45.
"Smartkey" for door, ignition, and trunk
Sportshift with steering wheel mounted "paddle" controls
Adaptive headlights (move with the steering)
Adaptive cruise control
Power rear seats
"Stunning" interior
We've also received the following information regarding the available colors and accessories:
Exterior Colors: Desert Mist, Deep Blue, Meteor Silver, Ruby Royal Red, Medium Silver, Silver Metallic, Premium White,
Graphite Pearl, Nighthawk Black.
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 gaurds, rear deck lid spoiler, +1 chrome look wheels, and A-SPEC (wheels, tires +1, suspension, and deck lid spoiler). "
The car looks nice. It reminds me the current audi A8 with a taste of TL.
By any chance, can you tell which Chinese auto magazine having this pic
Looks like it's gonna be a much sportier car then the current one, which is great.
I don't think we should draw too many conclusions from that rendering. Using color and pen strokes an artist can make otherwise bland shapes and lines look a good deal more interesting.
p.s. Thanks Mason!
I just wish Honda cars were as consistent.
And just my opinion but if they connect the headlights to the grill it looks like the result of a TL and the Infiniti M45
Seems like Honda's flagship will be a V6, 3.5L AWD as suggested on the specs sheet.
ksso
sadly, ksso
Okay, that said, what I'm reading thus far does look a lot more like a "Legend" kind of car, rather than the stodgy RL that replaced it.
M
I'll bet a paycheck on New York being THE show for either an RL concept or the actual introduction or the finished product. The 1996 RL was introduced there too I think.
If not then the new RL won't be here anytime soon, you'll have to wait until the autoshow season starts again in Sept (Paris).
M
Acura has to do a new RL for 2005, if not the current RL will slide completely off the map this year.
I've said it before...when all three German competitors A6/E/5 are redesigned before the Acura product there is something wrong as the Germans are the ones who usually go for the 6-7 year product cycle. The RL is in its 9th model year! That is an eternity for a great design and even longer for a lackluster one, which is what the RL was in the beginning, especially compared with the 1995 Legend GS.
That said, I like the idea of a 300hp AWD V6 RL. You know this V6 will be one of the best going and the interior should be fabulous, if the new TL is anything to go by and they should be trying to top it in that area. It is the styling that worries me.
Lets just face it, Acura isn't going to do a rwd V8 sedan.
M
2020 Acura RDX tech SH-AWD, 2023 Maverick hybrid Lariat luxury package.
pg48477,
Maybe in 10-15 years, in short not anytime soon. Honda is still very small company, though it doesn't seem like it. They simply don't have the resources to do a car like an S-Class or 7-Series, especially since those cars require two thing Honda obviously has no interest in; a V8 and RWD. Even if Honda has the cash to do such a car, their smaller/greener is better mentality will make such a car hard to justify.
M
I don't think there's a conspiracy. Just an old engine in an even older platform .... it's been begging for replacement and a new design since '96, the year it came out. Meanwhile, it's a cheap ride for all us luxo wannabes. JW
you might want to delete your post and just make your address public in your profile, or replace the @ sign with the word AT. Spammers mine these boards for e-mail addresses!
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If you don't sell a legitimate RWD luxury sedan or build a full-size p/u, then what exactly are you trying to accomplish in America?
Honda has money for a new platform. They did the Pilot/Odyssey, right? They're pretty big vehicles, AND making HUGE sales! So what gives? They figured out in America, bigger is better.
I'm so sick of this "Can they? Will they?"
Who cares anymore! MAN!! It's easy to bottom-feed, you know?
DrFill