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Acura RL

7385 messages,  Last post on Apr 18, 2013 at 12:02 PM

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What is this discussion about? Acura RL, Sedan

Messages Page 483 of 739

#4821 of 7385 Re: Motor Trend Car of the Year [talon95] by uriel

Nov 18, 2004 (7:38 pm)

Replying to: talon95 (Nov 18, 2004 6:43 am)
I, as many other automobile buyers, loved the looks of the Chrysler 300C. I had owned a 1999 Chrysler 300M (Car was wrecked when we were rear ended by a Van and pushed into the rear of a pickup truck.) After the settlement from the insurance company, I proceeded to buy a 2005 Chrysler 300C. What a disappointing experience that turned out to be! All dealers I contacted locally wanted $4000 to $10,000 above MSRP. The 300C may be a nice car, but it is still a Chrysler and not a premium automobile. No way was I going to pay above sticker for the "privilege" of driving the Hemi powered 300C. We then looked at other Makes and I decided on the Acura TL - that was until my wife was attracted to the 2005 Acura RL. Checked it out, purchased it - loved the Quality (fit and finish - luxury interior and other equipment). The styling didn't attract me as much as it did my wife - at first. After driving it a couple of weeks, I now consider it to be a better looking car than the 300C. It is certainly a higher quality product than the Chrysler. Without the Hemi engine I do not think that it would be such a hot seller. I certainly would not have traded my beloved 300M for the 300C. I have no regrets about owning the RL even though it was more costly than the TL. As to the comparison between the 300C and the RL - The RL is hands down the winner! Just look at the quality of the interior materials. Chrysler still has a way to go to reach near luxury status. Because of the arrogance of Chrysler Dealerships and sales people and the markups above MSRP, I don't think I'll ever buy any of their cars again. I find it hard to believe that so many people are buying the 300C at such an absurd price.

#4822 of 7385 New Motorola V551 phone compatiblity? by somno

Nov 18, 2004 (10:24 pm)

I am about to switch from the old ATT to Cingulair and they are recommending the Motorola V551 which is fairly new. It is not listed as a compatible phone for the RL but that may be because it is so new.
 
Any ideas of whether this phone will work well with the RL?

#4823 of 7385 Re: RL Value [tayl0rd] by gogglespiasano

Nov 18, 2004 (10:48 pm)

Replying to: tayl0rd (Nov 18, 2004 2:18 pm)
I am glad to see several posts which I think are quite insightful (taylORD, etc) as to the shortcomings of the new RL. I agree that it does not matter if it wins COTY. I also understand the view that people don't think it is overpriced vs. some of the other overpriced or flawed $50,000 cars. That is not much consolation.
 
Acura really had a chance to come up with a very strong car (which actually could have compared reasonably well with a 7 series or S class which certainly have their own set of flaws/compromises). However, when you look at the acceleration, braking distances and the back seat and trunk space this does not create a distinctive edge vs. the competition. I like the front end styling but think the rear definitely mirrors the Accord which would be okay if the styling were not so awkward. More important, I agree with the posts that the car does not compare all that favorably with the TL. Put the SH-AWD on a TL and it compares fairly well and especially on the performance and interior space metrics. The post that back seat and passenger space don't matter because someone is going to just drive it themselves is flawed in my view. This is Acura's top of the line vehicle and there should not be so many compromises (I don't want a big Lexus either -- I want a first rate luxury performance auto which will seat 5 and brake, accelerate and handle better than the peers. All the electronic/tech stuff is nice but first Acura must win on these criteria.
 
I can't understand why people would accept these shortcomings and rush out and pay MSRP for the car. However, my objective is not to talk down the car and discourage people from buying it (causing the price to fall). Rather, I am just disappointed because I like Acuras (drive one now) and especially like them vs. BMWs, and even Mercedes which have major reliability issues and have been consistently overpriced. I wanted to buy an RL but may have trouble convincing myself it is the right car even if prices come off of MSRP. TL with SH-AWD is definitely on my mind.

#4824 of 7385 New Motorola V551 phone compatiblity? by somno

Nov 18, 2004 (11:33 pm)

I am about to switch from the old ATT to Cingulair and they are recommending the Motorola V551 which is fairly new. It is not listed as a compatible phone for the RL but that may be because it is so new.
 
Any ideas of whether this phone will work well with the RL?

#4825 of 7385 by jrock65

Nov 18, 2004 (11:40 pm)

It really confuses me why some people compare the RL against the 7, S, and LS, when in almost every way--power, features, size, room, luxury, handling, and purpose--it is much more comparable to the 5, E, and GS.

#4826 of 7385 Re: [1487] by nebraskaguy

Nov 19, 2004 (3:11 am)

Replying to: 1487 (Nov 18, 2004 4:07 pm)
>>The RL isnt really overpriced but it is totally indistinctive and thats going to cost it sales in the long run.
 
A month ago, I would have sort of agreed with you, even though I've always liked the new RL. However, now that I've owned mine for over a month, I can say that every time I look at it, I like it a bit more. I believe it has the kind of styling, that while it won't grab you immediately like some, will wear very well.

#4827 of 7385 RL Hybrid? by gnarly

Nov 19, 2004 (6:43 am)

The November 22nd edition of Newsweek magazine (page 52) indicates that the Acura MDX and RL are "probable" hybrid vehicle models ... in 2005. Other 2005 debuts include the Lexus RX 400h and Mercedes E320 CDI. The 2006 debut list has the BMW 5-Series and Honda Pilot. The sources they quote are J. D. Power & Associates, Ward's Auto Infobank, Oak Ridge National Laboratories, and R. L. Polk & Company (but not Honda and/or Edmunds ... so how authoritative can it be?).

#4828 of 7385 Re: Motor Trend Car of the Year [mmratner] by carguy88

Nov 19, 2004 (7:09 am)

Replying to: mmratner (Nov 18, 2004 1:41 pm)
I forgot about the pricing for the other cars. Thanks for bringing that up, mmratner. However, a cheaper price should bring in more customers for a very competitive class, if the car cannot do so itself, which is what I was trying to say. Also, I'm not sure what the mark is set for luxury tax, but if the RL can just retail for a few grand below that mark, customers won't have to pay luxury tax.

#4829 of 7385 Re: Motor Trend Car of the Year [somno] by proe

Nov 19, 2004 (7:29 am)

Replying to: somno (Nov 18, 2004 4:15 pm)
I think there will have better choices next year and beyond. Personally speaking, I think 2007 Skyline GTR which is unbeatable against any car on the track will dominate AWD market and RL will be looked as a rock star that fades too soon.

#4830 of 7385 Re: Motor Trend Car of the Year [carguy88] by algoodman

Nov 19, 2004 (7:35 am)

Replying to: carguy88 (Nov 19, 2004 7:09 am)
There is no luxury tax. It was phased out by Congress.

Messages Page 483 of 739

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