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The AWD system included an early design of the ATTS (later introduced in Prelude) in pretty much the same way that the SH-AWD does. The FS-X system transferred torque front wheels to rear wheels (using AWD system) and side to side on the rear wheels (using ATTS).
Also got my VIN # for a black/parchment RL to be delivered mid-October.
A bit nervous about being a ginea pig with all of the new technology... and not alot of acura techs trained.
I'll believe it when you see it.
;-)
On the other hand, the new RL does appear to be of very high value -- but when you are at that price and you aren't BMW or Lexus even, don't you run the risk of (initially, at least) being acused of being just a smidge over-priced?
Looking at a comparably equipped A6, at $51,550 (and this may be a bit unfair since the Audi will only have 255 HP and there is at least some cache [technically] in SH-AWD) I find the hoped for "big difference" in MSRP just has not materialized.
We may argue or debate the merits of each car -- and I will not attempt to resolve this (frankly, despite my Audi bias, the technical pedigree/qualifications of the Acura is/are probably superior), but the "money factor" will certainly be an issue.
It is becoming an issue now less of which one is better rather than which one you like. Most folks think Dark Side of the Moon is the Pink Floyd album they "like" the best, but most of these same folks will also think there are other albums that are "better" musically and technically.
It is equal parts frustrating and fair that I have driven neither the Acura nor the Audi -- so I can say, TODAY, having driven neither: for the same money "~" I'll probably be leaning once again to my comfort zone, Audi.
Now, I still say I will give a fair shake to the Acura RL, the Audi A6 3.2, A4 3.2, and the Chrysler 300C AWD.
My wife swears an Acura TL AWD 6spd manual with DVD-audio and that nifty navigation system would "kill" 'em all.
Leaving for Houston soon for 3 weeks. told him I will see and drive the car in person in Houston before I return home to get his promised copy of that d____ brochure!
We seek it there
We seek that brochure everywhere.
Is it in heaven
IS it in hell
That pamphlet of
The new RL?
(Apologies to Baroness Emmuska Orczy)
Good point Mark.
I spoke with the sales mananger of a Los Angeles area Acura dealership yesterday and he told me that if I wanted to be among the first to own the RL that I would have to be willing to pay a lot more for it. I suspect that we will see a fair amount of that, given pent up demand.
Perhaps month end November, December or January will reveal the "true" market price of the car. I would certainly think that by March-April 2006, when the new GS and M35/45 are out that Acura will get a run for its money. The shakeout at that time should be very interesting.
We seek it there<
"They seek him here, they seek him there,
His clothes are loud, but never square.
It will make or break him so he’s got to buy the best, ’cause he’s a dedicated follower of fashion."
(The Kinks,1960s)
I guess some of us are just dedicated followers of automotive PASSION.
http://www.vtec.net/news/news-item?news_item_id=285378
i was hoping MSRP just under 48K.... a 1000 bucks really don't matter much at the close to 50K price point, even if you are financing the car, I am glad I put my car buying away by atleast a year...
ksso
For those who don't have to be "the first," patience is a virtue. Wait a few months for things to cool down a bit. Or, if you can wait a bit longer (a few years), get an off-lease '05 RL. Someone remarked last weekend as the valet brought up my '96 RL: LOOKS ALMOST BRAND-NEW! I just went over 100K on it (bought in 10/00 at 36.8K miles for $20K).
For my part, I think $48,900 is a decent price considering that it includes AWD and NAV as standard equipment. It's pretty much what I was expecting.
I'll check back in another 5-6 years after this 05 RL has been redesigned. I always thought I would stay with Acura, but with this poor redesign, how do they expect us to purchase one?
It makes me ashamed to own an Acura after seeing the new RL.
Disappointed RL/MDX/NSX/TL owner
Future Mercedes/Audi/Lexus owner
I can understand your not "loving" the styling, even though I really like it. However, to reject a car simply because its styling is not what you would hope and not buy a car that from everything we've read is a fantastic car with great features, I just don't understand. Now if it were a truly ugly car (can you say Scion?), it would be different, but I guess to each his/her own.
Like your prolix signature,if Acura-Guilt-By-Association is easily inflicted upon you, then you may want to add a few more digits to ensure your anonymity.
By all means, rip off the Acura logo and obscure the name on your current drive before a mob assaults you! How can you take personal responsibility for an assemblage of metal, glass and wires, etc? And how does shame enter the equation? This is surely melodrama at its highest.
Sell your current Acura before you're pelted with stones and driven off the road.
the exterior colors will be:
Premium White Pearl
Carbon Gray Pearl
Celestial Silver Metallic
Lakeshore Silver Metallic
Nighthawk Black Pearl
Meteor Silver Metallic
Opulent Blue Pearl
Redondo Red Pearl
Desert Mist Metallic
Interior colors are Ebony, Taupe and Parchment
They are pretty and the car is awesome -- I drove it in Phoenix along with Audi A6, BMW % series -- this car blows them away for less money!
ksso
ksso
You can get a decently optioned 530 (Premium package, auto, xenon) for that price. Of course, it won't have Navi or AWD, but $50k is pretty much uncharted territory for Acura.
I'm glad to see Acura is being aggressive. If the car delivers what it promises (based on reviews it appears so), thats all that Acura needs to build a name for itself that it let go over a decade ago.
Penny-pinching is not the game in this class.
Knowing it is gonna be around $48K, I don't think this is a deal breaker. Just a bit disappointed. The deal for me depends on two factors (1) test drive (2) trade-in value for my '98 BMW 540iA. Well I am sure they would LOVE to have a BMW trade-in to show off...
Brand image of BMW, MB? In CA, that image is eroding. When you pay $50K or more for a car, and it never stops giving you problems and issues, what image are you talking about? I would never buy another BMW again. A company that uses plastic radiator that breaks in 50K miles and refuse to admit fault. I would not pay that company another dime!
Yes, more and more people are buying Lexus (look at their sales number recently?). However, Lexus has a different image than Acura. People who buy Lexus are riders, not drivers. TLs got people excited about Acura. RL would elevate that excitement to a new height. I am sure Acura would pull many BMW-ers like myself back to Acura. Burned me once, shame on BMW. Burn me twice? No way.
Yes, I wish RL come with V8, but I can live with a V6 if it proves powerful on the test-drive. I would be among the first to test drive an RL. I certainly will post my impression from the perspective of a 540iA owner.
BTW, how to get a LS430 for $54K? I thought the MSRP starts at $56K bare-bone. You could load it up to $65K and beyond. Am I even close? Sorry, not a big fan of Lexus.
I'm going to! At 3.30 pm (if you're in Dallas area)
However, I've started to put Acura above the rest, simply because it is delivering the car as a luxury car should be... loaded.
I'd suggest Acura dumping RSX (or move it to Honda), and offer a two door version of TSX. That will make its lineup cleaner with less confusion. That said, I may be sad to see Acura not there for those who care more about the virtue for cars for the $$ than they do about status symbol.
I beg to differ my brother - Acura's debut was made with the Legend!
The way I see it, the RSX serves the role of a "two-door TSX" in the line-up. Sales-wise, the CL as a two-door version of the TL was a bust and was dropped, the same as the Legend coupe after an intial boom. Two-doors seem to sell well in the "lower line" - my daughter's dream cars were the Integra LS Special Edition and now the RSX she drives. She would dispute the notion that her RSX is not "luxury."
Between RL and A6 (or any other competing car), it will ultimately boil down to better engine, better dynamics, feature content/appointment, and not to be ignored, a perception (or not) of quality and reliability.
But as far as badge perception goes, Legend was the car that came out to represent Acura. Integra was added to satisfy dealers who wanted a volume seller. And now, Acura doesn't rely on RSX for volume, much like Lexus (ES330 and RX330), Acura TL and MDX are getting that job done. This proves that Acura has managed to climb to rely on a price class that can be considered meat of the luxury class.
Even with BMW, if you notice, chunk of its sales comes from 325i. In case of 5-series, it is 525 and 530 (almost evenly split between the two engine choices).
As far as people choosing to ignore RL simply based on badge preference, it is really their problem. But then, they may never know what they're missing. That said, I'm sure Acura will muster enough buyers to meet or beat its sales target. In the end, that is all to count.
$50K cars are not gonna be sold as many as sub $40K ones, no matter which brand from this bunch it is. The point is that $50K car is a very different segment from the near-luxury one where image perception matters a lot less. If the new RL is just as good as 530i or E320 for the same price, guess which will be picked more often? It will take a much better RL to offset the image gap. Maybe the new RL can do it and I am sure Acura intends so. The last RL did not cut it, in fact, it's not even close. The last TL and the MDX put up good #'s but they have to be priced less than their counterparts of Lexus to get it done. The new TL does finally compete very well, even price wise, in its class. Maybe Acura finally got it right and that the new RL can mean show time!
A few test reports will go far to launch this thing.
I am the guy who, to this day, things the VW Passat W8 should have "flown" off the showroom floor. And, I, to this day, think the Pheaton is a bargain, relatively, especially with the deeply discounted lease deals that are widely avail and locally publicized. If you are going to spend that much money (MSRP) you probably need a few more accolades.
Hey, I think the STS is overpriced, at this point, too.
The Chrylser 300C AWD loaded to the max will be about $10K less than the Acura. And according to CEO magazine, not that that, per se, should change your mind, the 300C is THE car below $50K.
I, for one, am about 5% disappointed in this pricing scheme. The car, probably, IS the value some of us think. But give it 6 months, for Pete's sake, to be fawned over by the automotive press and the BLOGS we all, probably, participate or lurk in.
Color me still thinking the A6 is looking a lot better than it did 30 days ago.
Of course, here in River City, there are plenty of 2004 Phaetons for LEASE at a number than begins with a "5" AND includes all maintence for 50K and no worries about depreciation since the lease is "closed end."
Accessory:
- Deck lid spoiler
- Under-body spoiler
- 18-inch aluminum-alloy wheels
- Wood-grain steering wheel
- Trunk tray
- Wheel locks
- Backup sensors
- Door visors
- All-season floor mats
- Moonroof visor
- Nose mask
- Wood gearshift knob
- Cargo net
- Gold emblems
- Car cover
I'm disappointed that there is no backview camera. I guess sensors would do for now..
No surprises in color combinations. As expected, parchment is more orange-ish while the taupe is more gray-ish.
In one paragraph, the brochure mentions about the lateral g of RL... and I quote,
"during our skidpad tests, the RL put up a remarkable 0.89g of lateral force. By comparison, the Acura NSX - our renowned 2-seat sports exotic - has generated 0.90g in our skidpad tests..." Wow, that is amazing... can't wait for the test-drive.
At a footnote, it mentions that "Gasoline with octane number lower than 91 may be used, with reduced performance." That is good to know just in case there is no choice.
The brochure only shows photos of the following exterior colors
- Celestial silver metallic (pure silver)
- Lakeshore silver metallic (grayish silver)
- Meteor silver metallic (greenish silver)
- (very small) Redondo red metallic (red)
and black interior.
OK, that is all I have found that may be of interest to you.