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But, I doubt it had anything to do with this forum..
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Edmunds Moderator
Once again, we need to get back to discussing cars and not dealerships and not each other.
The Smart Shopper board is the traditional place to go over (and over and over) issues with dealerships.
Here, we are talking specifically about the RL. We've dealt with a serious and disturbing situation that has been resolved satisfactorily and it is now time to move on and stop, as has been said, beating this dead horse.
Let's get back on track - I don't like to get like this, but if we aren't able to do so, I'll have no choice but to start removing posts.
Thanks for your cooperation.
Just wondering.. the last generation TL and RL, while great cars, really flew under the radar.. Most people (not Edmunds people), didn't know them from an Impala...
regards,
kyfdx
(happy, Pat?)
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I think most poeple will flock to Acura dealers to buy TLs and MDXs, but if they're shopping luxury, or luxury/sport, most will then hop over to their MB/BMW/Audi/Lexus dealers. You know, I have yet to see one new RL around town here.
Just a general knowledge of what you are driving... I have a neighbor that bought a five-year-old Jag XJ8.. EVERYONE knows he drives a Jag, even though he never mentions it... Just curious as to the reaction most people get from their RL.
regards,
kyfdx
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Another yardstick I go by is whether I can picture IN MY OWN MIND what a model looks like. I can't do that for the Infinite Q. And I don't think, at this point, I can do it for the RL.
I've seen a couple of RLs on the road... I noticed them, because they are different.. But, I'm not sure that I am the best judge of that... since I usually notice everything, when it comes to cars...lol
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Thanks!
I've gotten some great reactions. A number of guards at my office building garage have commented very favorably on it. Several have literally dropped their jaws as I've driven in. The guy in charge of parking had apparently noticed my car and looked up the parking pass number since he saw me in the hallway before Christmas and couldn't say enough good things about it. A couple driving by me a while back honked and rolled their window down - he asked if it was the 05 RL and his wife said it was a gorgeous car.
I've seen none on the road yet, but with only three dealerships in the DC metro area, and if each only got about 10 cars per month, there wouldn't be many on the road here yet. And especially when considering there are several million cars in the area it might be a while before I see one.
I've seen one RL so far in Bay Area, and I would say at least it looks much more 'different' (from others) than the old RL was.
In terms of recognizable style I've to say Euros have the advantage. A big reason for such is that they got the same style from entry level to large luxo, emitting a constant image over and over, just in different sizes. That's not quite the case for the three Japanese brands.
Hello Nebraskaguy...I'm curious what a Cornhusker is doing in "DC" where they at least have 3 Acura dealerships. Anyway I'm visiting my daughter down here in Houston where they have 5 dealers listed. I've gotta tell you, I miss driving my RL a lot. It's sitting in a cold garage in S.E. Wi. where they only have one dealership. I did not see too many RL's while driving around in that area but know that dealership was selling all they could get allocations for. There must be over 50 2005 RL's in that metro area by now. The car definately has the approval of my neighbors... 2 of whom are Acura owners. The Doc across the steet really loves his TL and bought a second one for his wife (identical to ours at the time), so when he spotted me in the new RL he just stood there and smiled with his thumbs up...It's great to have friendly neighbors. I expected this forum would get lively after the "settlement" issue and it did but now Pat has things shaped up again...it doesn't take much...this is a good forum with good people by and large... meanwhile I am enjoying spending this time with my granddaughters here in Texas but I will drop in on occassion to read the "Good Stuff" on this forum.
My wife drives a bright red 2002 Thunderbird. Now THAT car turns heads. People seek us out to comment on it, shout encouragement as we drive by, wave and give hand signals, walk around it in parking lots. Stunning to look at but not near the car my RL is.
I kind of like the fact that the RL is sorta stealthy in the looks department. I feel like it is my little secret.
I basically agree with you. However, it's still nice to hear a car I love being complimented.
Also, soapkng, how is the ride? Jim
Steve
It is interesting I also have seen few on the road yet, but my dealer (GREAT dealer--Wayne Acura--told me, only 15 per month!!! BTW, he still got my C.silver early---couldn't please me enough.
Steve
Steve
It's been raining like crazy in SoCal for the last couple of weeks, so I've not been able to take a picture of my car. As soon as it clears up (more rain over the weekend), I'll take a picture and post it. I think the group will be "amazed" at the difference the 19" wheels and sportier, low profile tires make. It gives the car a absolutely beautiful look and I get constant comments.
That's pretty impressive considering I live in Orange County where MB's, BMW's and Jag's are a dime a dozen.
The only complaint I've had to date is that my wood steering wheel has been on backorder for over three weeks. Besides that, the car's been a dream.
However, having said this, my initial reaction is good in that the lower profile has not seemed to affect the ride, it still has the great balance of sportiness and comfort (although I do agree with some reviews that say it needs to reduce the initial impact harshness and increase a bit of rolling resistance, but in general, it's a great balance of handling and comfort).
I love the tire pattern and look forward to being on my second set of any Goodyear tires, especially this one so highly regarded/reviewed.
As far as the wheel itself goes, I can't say I'm so thrilled. I think that your statement about wanting to see 'what will make this great car stand out' doesn't really apply here - these wheels will not do that. I may change them again and take a bit more time than I did this time...I admit that I was so into getting rid of the stock 17" that I may have jumped too soon into the first decent set of 18" wheels I could get and, even in 19", these are not going to make anyone stop and say 'wow, look what those wheels do to that car!". But, I'll give it a few weeks/months and see if they 'sink in'.
I will see about taking a photo tomorrow, though I live in Los Angeles and it's been raining here all day and is supposed to for the next few days, so I'll do what I can (and, I need to see about how to post one here too).
Oh, one more thought...If I were doing it again, I might consider 19" with 245 40/19 (if that's an available size, I haven't checked, but this one would only increase the total diameter .071" which should be more than acceptable).
Let me know what you end up doing and I'd also love to see a photo of the finished work.
And another last thing - this total package cost me just over $2k, not bad considering the tires used - basically because the wheels are pretty inexpensive.
My shakeout cruise with this car was in Quebec a few days before Xmas, when I had a few days off. (Having lived most of my life in NYC, I have learned that getting the hell out of Dodge with some regularity is a must for one's sanity and humanity).
I was passing a long line of trucks on Hwy 40 enroute from Montreal to Quebec City in a snow storm when the two left wheels suddenly encountered 4-6" of snow, the right wheels a mix of bare concrete and up to 1" of hardpacked snow. I was going pretty fast.
For just a fraction of a second the car shuddered, not quite fishtailing, and then SH-AWD kicked in, it seemed. As the sensors, circuitry and mechanics worked their magic, the car vibrated slightly but took me through the problem, straight as an arrow.
A half a mile later my wife let out her breath and asked wether that had worried me. No, I said, it excited me.
Was it SH-AWD or was it providence? Personally, I think the former. As a fairly experienced snow driver, I probably would have adjusted the wheel slightly to the right and eased up on the gas a bit to avoid spinout in this situation. But I thought here's a chance to see how the much-ballyhooed SH-AWD system works and if it wasn't providence, the ballyhoo is dead on.
The endless debate on these boards about wether the RL does 0-60 in 6.7 or 6.4 seconds amuse and entertain me. I'm 61 and as far as I'm concerned, the time spent doing 0-60 should be about 75 years. The normal human can tell the difference between 0.3 and 0.6 seconds but not between 6.4 and 6.7.
Suffice it to say that the RL has more than adequate power and acceleration. It is the 60th car I have owned or otherwise had in my possession. It is a long and mostly dreary list, but the 2005 RL is by far the most enjoyable ride to date.
My experience with Japanese vehicles is relatively light. Through the late 90's I drove a succession of Detroit luxury brands. The models are insignificant; they have long since and deservedly been consigned to the scrapheap of automotive history. Friends, reacting to endless carping about the non-existence of reliability in Detroit iron, would suggest I try a Japanese brand. I can, in moments of weakness, be hopelessly politically incorrect, and would shoot back, "Who the hell wants to buy a car from people who can't drive?"
But in 2000 I threw in the towel and picked up an Acura CL, type-S, natch, and put 34K miles on it in two years. Then came a Lexus with a fine Mark Levinson music machine but a hopeless nav system. The woman who promised to love, honor and -- oh fugettaboudit -- but at least to read a road atlas correctly, developed a white-hot hatred for the Lexus nav system. It was the lawyer screen and its ramifications -- no input while wheels are moving -- that drove her over the edge.
I put 10K miles on it in two years. The Lexus is fabulous, comfortable, spookily reliable and not least boring. I think I must have decided on the RL at the New York Auto Show last year. I haven't regretted it and the sound system is even better than the Levinson, IMHO.
My complaints are few, mainly limited to some electronic glitches. My main concern is that a couple of calls to Acura's client service dept have revealed a notable lack of communication between that department and Acura engineering. The guys who answer the phone know nothing about this car. I suspect that this does not bode well for Acura in the next JD Power Initial Quality Survey -- and for the resale value of our car. But meanwhile, happy trails.
I just put in a set of TSW Montage wheels (18" rather than 19" since, in all my research I found that going +1 improves traction, hydroplaning resistance, etc. but anything more can have negative effects - though, there is the thought process that Acura does offer the 18" option and perhaps 19" would be ok too....if anyone out there does 19" I'd love to hear how they work).
I fitted them with Goodyear Eagle F1 GSD3's, which look great and get tremendous write-ups & reviews.
They took care to return the same sensor to the same corner of the car - I don't know if there would have been a problem if this was overlooked.
Anyway, the Montage look...well...just ok....I can't say I'm looking at them and drooling.....but they are relatively inexpensive so if I really don't like them I can always peel the rubber off of them and put them on another set. I need to give it time and see if they work.
I also tinted my windows and that really made the car look good, moreso than the wheels added to it. But, of course, if you look at the model, it is a similar 5-spoke pattern so it makes sense.
Undaunted, I was finally led to my sought-after destination after several trials. Hooray!
Well, overall speaking, it appears that Edmund's engineers are quite happy with the new RL. The most significant criticism, I believe, is about RL's transmission, as follows: "The five-speed is more difficult to praise. We grew tired of it constantly searching for the right gear, and its downshifts are noticeably rough for a luxury car. They're also slow to come, even if you use the paddle shifters mounted behind the steering wheel." The next less than favorable comments are its 0 to 60 time clocked at 7.2 (if I recall correctly) by Edmund's engineers, and its lack of real sports car feel.
To all RL owners, do you believe that the foregoing is a fair evaluation of your new RL?
That's a turnaround - it used to be that the forums were very slow and the main site was fine. However, the response time in the forums was fixed with a hardware and software upgrade a month or so ago.
I don't know what is going on with the main site nor when it will be fixed, but I do know the folks who can fix it are aware of the problem.
Whenever I can get to it, which I haven't been able to for the last 20 minutes, I'll post a link to that review.
So stay tuned.
I'm surprised you feel the Montage wheel is ok. Did you go with the chrome or polished finish? What color is your RL. Mine is the C. Silver with the polished finish Montage wheel. The combination is outstanding and the wheels don't take away from the look of the car. As I had recommended to you, you should have gone with the 19" since it gives a more dramatic visual in size vs the stock 17". Additionally, I put on Yokahama 255/40/19 which not only are a lower profile, but are the widest tire the wheel well can handle without rubbing. I also live in SoCal and I'm waiting for the sun to come out so I can clean-up the car and take a picture.
Steve
Steve
Steve
This trip was from Minnesota to Oklahoma and every day but one involved snow and ice!! We went thru Nebraska on the way back and there was also snow and ice there!! Had an ice storm while in Oklahoma. I am very happy with the way the car handled. Love the navigation system, especially enjoyed the "waypoint feature". We could find restaurants along our mapped route. Quite an impressive feature.
I still do not like the fact that it is so hard to change the fan speed on the heat system if you decide not to go with the auto control. That is a real pain as far as I am concerned.
My biggest problem still is that I drive too fast in my RL!!! Never feels like I am going as fast as the speedometer says:):)
Lynnminny
The Audi is bigger (this is neither a plus or a minus as far as I am concerned).
The interiors of both cars are very nice. The MMI screen in the Audi seems "better integrated," but this is not intdended to be even a mild slam on the RL -- the Acura's screen IMHO looks like it was put on after the dash was designed rather than being part of the original design.
Having said that, I think both cars have very nice interiors. I have no clue if the MMI is a "kinder gentler" version of the BMW iDrive (that is so widely criticized.) The Acura's nav system is the easiest to program of any I have ever used (assuming it is the same as the one in the TL, which I did test drive and did "play with.")
The style of both cars has to be an acquired taste. The Audi looks better in person than in pictures. The front of the Acura is easier to like immediately. The butt of the Acura looks a little BMW-ish to me.
The materials in both cars seem top notch.
Acura, IMHO, was aiming at the A6 (or perhaps the other way around -- but based on the previous Big Acura, I would say that it was Acura who was doing the aiming.)
The Acura is less money when "comparably" equipped.
The Audi offers a sport suspension -- the Acura should offer an "A" spec'd version or in some way offer a sport package option.
In some ways, these cars are fraternal twins.
I really can't wait to drive the Acura.
On another front, watched an overdose of Car and Driver TV this weekend (it was on 5 times with 4 unique shows) -- the Cadillac CTS-V (similarly priced ~ $50K) ought to merit your attention if you (unlike me) don't HAVE TO HAVE AWD.
Good to read the positive reviews from owners here. How, overall, is the dealer treatment?
With Lexus as "the gold standard" -- is Acura is the same league? The dealer (who owns both the Audi and the Acura store) seems to "get it" at least from a sales perspective (no Herb Tarlick's).
I have also found that if you don't use the voice commands much it is easy to forget exactly what to say. You can easily find the voice commands for the system that is displayed on the screen by using the command "Help". The screen will then display all of the voice commands for the function shown {Navi, radio, climate control, info screen etc.].
Thanks.
I am a big Acura fan ('03 TL currently) and was very excited about the new RL - but the price tempered my desire to rush to a dealer.
My pulse in now back to normal and I noticed pictures of the new A6 - I think it's a very handsome car, inside and out. I have never owned an Audi. I probably have an (unfounded?) concern about reliability (electrical?) and maintenance costs, etc. - associated with premium German cars.
Trying to get objective views of both cars - in comparison - although I understand the brand loyality bias that can probably never be completely factored out.
BTW, I am new to "mid-luxury" class of cars - I have never spent over 30K but am now considering it - just want to "measure twice and cut once", as the saying goes.
Cheers
Lynnminny
Lynnminny
Wow! First of all, 14 years' difference. And secondly, the 28-yr-old still goes on vacations with you guys!
nextlife1
Disclosure:
Having said all of this, those of you who know my wife's and my history of cars since 1977 (28 Audis, 1 BMW, 1 VW) know that our [Audi] dealership experience is sooo compelling, it makes leaving the "family" difficult. You also may know that the Acura and Audi dealerships are owned by the same person.
However, being a "Platinum Medallion" (you know like Delta Air Lines) Audi owner may not translate to "special treatment" at the Acura dealer. At this point, THAT is a big issue. Possibly one that cannot be overcome even if the Acura proves to be superior (which I am not ready to concede, yet.)
On the other hand, the Acura and the Chrysler 300C AWD "seem" to be bargains; the Audi somewhat less so. But since I lease, this may be moot as soon as the "passion" for the new RL and A6 begin to subside.
Lynnminny
Then it worked for a day when we got back. Now it is not working again. It's getting frustrating.
Lynnminny
My dealer's soonest appt is in 10 days. It doesn't know if there would be parts, depending on the problem....... The service adviser is not aware of issues with the handles. There will not be a loaner available, because the appt will not take more than 4 hours. Etc, etc. I will have to call the dealer back to see if there would be a cancellation so that I could get in sooner.
This is in sharp contrast to my experience with Lexus. I called today about an issue with the Nav screen door. I got to talk to a service advicer who immediately recalled a potential known issue, toke as much information from me as possible, decided from what I told him that he needs to order the parts, offered a time for me to bring in the car and a loaner without me asking.
Well, I am thinking that it is not worth being treated like I have a Yugo after I spent $50K+ for Acura's top of the line sedan. I do enjoy the drive of the car, but there is a point that it is just not worth it. For me, that point is very near.