Ask the Car People.SM


Luxury Performance Sedans

10339 messages,  Last post on May 30, 2013 at 3:26 PM

You are in the Sedans Forum.

What is this discussion about? Lexus GS 430, Acura RL, BMW 5 Series, Volvo S80, Audi A6, Infiniti M35, Infiniti M45, Mercedes-Benz E-Class, Cadillac STS, Sedan

Messages Page 983 of 1035

#9815 of 10339 Re: 2007 Acura RL [lexusguy] by shmang

Mar 30, 2009 (1:54 pm)

Replying to: lexusguy (Mar 30, 2009 12:31 pm)
"I have never understood why the RL does not sell better.
  
Potential buyers went across the street to try the Lexus, Infiniti, BMW, Mercedes, or even Audi, and never came back. "
 
That is exactly what I did - was interested in the RL and went for a test drive. Want to bring wife to look at it before make the decision. Before we can get to that stage, I looked at the M45 and changed my mind and never looked back.
 
The RL by itself is an OK package, but, when there are better options, the customer goes for it - especially in this luxury car market, the $5-10K cost difference is not substantial.

#9816 of 10339 Re: 2007 Acura RL [houdini1] by laurasdada

Mar 30, 2009 (2:27 pm)

Replying to: houdini1 (Mar 30, 2009 5:32 am)
IMO, the RL did not offer enough in terms of style, space, content and performance over the prior version TL. At least not enough for the pricing delta...

#9817 of 10339 Re: 2007 Acura RL [laurasdada] by houdini1

Mar 30, 2009 (7:55 pm)

Replying to: laurasdada (Mar 30, 2009 2:27 pm)
I would agree with that. The RL is simply priced too high. I think it would compete quite nicely in the $35 to $40 K range, but I guess that would infringe on the TL.
 
Like a lot of others, my solution was to buy a slightly used LS 430.

#9818 of 10339 Re: 2007 Acura RL [laurasdada] by jensad

Mar 31, 2009 (11:47 am)

Replying to: laurasdada (Mar 30, 2009 2:27 pm)
I agree with you as to the TL vs. RL in pricing. I sent emails to all the dealers in my area, and stated what I wanted i.e. RL, with tech.
 
The TL seemd smaller and it reminded me of the Lexus gs450 that I test drove two months before. Felt boxed in there too. The TL was not as much but the difference in what I was looking for got me to buy the RL.
 
Got back four similar offers, range from $ 42k to 44k plus tax. So I think if one pays retail price for the RL is is way over priced. I looked at a other vehicles at similar price and I told the Acura dealer what I would pay, i.e. 42000 and they bought it. Also got the extra stuff they make $$ on like wax, underseal ect. thrown in.
 
I hope this helps. Good luck to all and stay safe.
 
jensad

#9819 of 10339 Re: 2007 Acura RL [houdini1] by carolinabob

Mar 31, 2009 (1:40 pm)

Replying to: houdini1 (Mar 30, 2009 12:54 pm)
Last April I was offered a fully loaded RL for $11,000 off MSRP, but just couldn't see it. Nice car, but too small and way too expensive compared to other cars in same class. The new TL is much better. The "new" Acura front ends do not help though.
   Consumer Reports used to rank TL and RL at the top of their categories, but no longer. See April issue. TL may be good with a few bugs worked out and new front end, but RL needs a complete new design and mission statement.

#9820 of 10339 Re: 2007 Acura RL [carolinabob] by pg48477

Mar 31, 2009 (7:15 pm)

Replying to: carolinabob (Mar 31, 2009 1:40 pm)
I always like Acuras and test drove RL and TL before make decision on my new car. I ended up getting a grate deal on 535i. And I got to tell you, driving wise it is day and night, BMW feels like it's on rails while having comfortable ride. Also, I feel that material are better quality as well. I could not believe the difference between RL and 535. One thing I not fan of is iDrive, but I'm getting use to it.
 
What a blast to drive.

#9821 of 10339 Re: 2007 Acura RL [pg48477] by mobiusf1

Apr 01, 2009 (3:42 am)

Replying to: pg48477 (Mar 31, 2009 7:15 pm)
Midsize Luxury Sports Sedans:
 
Great choice, the 535i is a fantastic car, definitely my favorite car in the segment. I picked up a 535xi last summer. After driving all the cars in the segment (except the Jag XF, but I'm not really a Jag fan) I easily picked the 535xi which I was fairly confident I was going to pick when I started.
 
The M35x, although the 2nd best performer I drove (really enjoyed driving it), is still slightly behind the 535 in terms of performance, the build quality was also lacking on the inside, in addition to a lack of split folding rear seats (kinda important to me, gives a huge increase in practicality), and not so great gas mileage. Nice, but it needs a bit more personality and a sexier exterior design.
 
A6 has a sleek and modern look, still has a nice interior (except for strange omission of auto steering wheel adjustment unless they changed that) and costs a bit less than the 535xi (only the A6 V6 version); but definitely exhibited more body roll in the corners than the 535xi and weaker overall performance with dull steering.
  
The 535's engine is simply awesome, its a twin-turbo inline 6, with stronger performance than Audi's V8, and better fuel economy. And the cost advantage for the Audi only comes with the A6's V6 engine.
 
The RL was a definite no-go; for about the same price as a Infiniti M35x, the M35x's performance is better, in addition to being more spacious. And compared to the 535xi it was quite a bit behind. At least it has a price advantage.
  
MB E Class, forget about it, a joke, and it costs more than the 535, at least the Lexus has a price argument. Lexus GS350, sorry, no way. Its steering is numb compared to the 535xi, noticeably more body roll in the corners, and headroom seemed to be an issue. I don't really need to go into any more about it because for me if the performance is not there than the other stuff doesn't matter. For others though, this may not matter as much. Lexus and Mercedes Benz don't make cars that fit my idea of enjoyable driving. The 535 is a true sports sedan and I certainly can't say that about the GS350. The iDrive, while it could be a bit more intuitive, is not that bad, and is not a deal breaker by any stretch. In fact I don't mind it at all. And no, the cup holders were not even a consideration, haha.
  
This is an honest opinion, no bias, if Lexus made a GS model like their own IS-F against the 535xi, then it would far more difficult.
  
Although the 535 has sharp handling, excellent road feel, fantastic engine performance and efficiency, I must also mention that the ride quality is excellent.
 
Here's how I would rate the top 3:
1st. BMW 535i (xi) (what can I say? I'll sum it up with this; Edmunds Inside Line went as far as saying the "nearly perfect sedan", and I can 2nd that)
 
2nd. Infiniti M35 (drives better than the A6 in my opinion with more communicative steering, but the engine is a bit unrefined and thus can be annoying loud, not Porsche loud, which is a good loud, and also doesn't do great on gas b/c of this, and isn't as sexy and its interior is not as nice as the A6. But the fact is the M35 performs better than the A6. Which car you like is better may depend on which brand you like and which aspects of a car are most important to you)
 
3rd. Audi A6 3.0 TFSI (better looking than the M35 and has better interior build quality, and also has split folding rear seats, imp for some, me included. New engine is also more refined than the Infiniti. Handling is not quite as good as the M35 but hopefully Audi will add an S-line pk, and with it, cornering will improve.)
 
4th. Acura RL; Decent job w/ the exterior redesign (still too much going on though) but it still lags behind the M35 in performance, for the same price (msrp at least)
 
I could go into even more details but here it is summed up in 1 simple sentence. If you want to drive, get the BMW...and I love to drive.

#9822 of 10339 M35 turn off by addams

Apr 01, 2009 (6:20 am)

I've heard that the noise inside can get loud in the M35. That's to bad for that car.
Also something else, the BMW and M35 are RWD. That also sets them apart from the Audi and TL.

#9824 of 10339 Re: 2007 Acura RL [mobiusf1] by vavavavolvo

Apr 01, 2009 (5:53 pm)

Replying to: mobiusf1 (Apr 01, 2009 3:42 am)
If there is a chance you might be unfortunate enough to be T-boned in a side impact I would strongly re-think a list where you rate the new 5 series above the RL.
 
http://www.edmunds.com/insideline/do/News/articleId=122205

Messages Page 983 of 1035

To POST a message, please Sign In.

Advertisement

Browse by Category

Browse by Vehicle
   View All Vehicles

Browse by Board
Browse by Topic
View All Topics

Edmunds Community

Advertisement