2006 Acura RL Review

Specifications

A Bigger, Better Acura

Depending on how you look at it, conservatism has been one of the strongest (or weakest) points about big Acura sedans. The Legend, the predecessor to the RL, was an exemplary piece of engineering, and a turning point in the world of luxury automobiles. It was the car that launched the Acura name in North America back in 1986, but, more importantly, it showed the world that the Japanese could do luxury, and do it well. Acuras efforts were rewarded with the Legend; it stole sales away from the traditional near-luxury brands like Volvo, and in the wake of the Legends success, Nissans Infiniti and Toyotas Lexus soon followed. Yet, somehow, Acura ended up being different than its Japanese counterparts. Its products ended up being more affordable, flashier, showier, and as such, targeted a younger, more enthused audience. And while the Integra, and in later years, the TSX, TL and the RSX took off, the Legends successor, the first-generation RL, are near the bottom of the sales pile.

But then again, would you expect anything else of such a deeply uninteresting car? I fail to see how Acura, maker of pulse-raising vehicles like the RSX Type-S and NSX could put something as dull into existence. The first-generation 3.5 RL was more or less a Japanese Buick: refined and elegant, but not much more enticing. Its engine was toned down, producing too few ponies to move its large bodyshell, and the suspension was tuned to quietly abate bumps and road noise, rather than to induce any kind of motoring stimulation. Nevertheless, it had all the cosseting goodies, which was enough to please its target audience - albeit a rather small audience at that.

Since its inception Ive felt that this latest RL continues down the road of conservatism, although it has stopped off along the way for a couple of booster shots. I quite like styling. Its sharp, and very Japanese looking with big, curvy headlamps incorporating large HID beams that shine around corners with the steering, and that five-pointed grille with a big A right in the center is also nice. Its a pretty elegant looking machine too, with long overhangs and a sleek profile, and gently bulged fenders signify the much more powerful workings under the hood. Smart it might look, but the design is not very space efficient; its longer in length and wheelbase than the TL, yet offers only marginally more space. Cargo volume is also on the smallish side, at just 13.1 cu-ft, and the rear seats dont fold. Back to the exterior; the powerful two-piston brake calipers read ACURA in big capital letters, but, as was pointed out to me on several occasions, the wheels chunky spokes and small openings mean you always read “ACUR” or “CURA” - never the whole word.

Those brakes are there for a reason, though - to stop the RL, and in a hurry too. They counter a 290 horsepower forward force, which is generated by an all-aluminum 3.5-liter V6. Though it dropped 10 horsepower from last year due to the new SAE power ratings, its still the most powerful engine that Acura offers. Nevertheless, from a technological standpoint the RLs 3.5 isnt as advanced as some of Hondas other motors. It still relies on a single overhead camshaft to drive the valves, and it only has VTEC, rather than the newer iVTEC. For these reasons, the engine is peaky rather than effortless. Peak torque (all 256 lb-ft of it) is developed at an absurdly high 5,000 rpm, which means the rapid V8-beating progress which Acura promised is only there if you truly floor it.

But, when you do, the kind of acceleration that the RL delivers is only acceptable in the V6 class, rather than the V8s that it is gunning after. The five speed automatic is seamless and smooth, and there are paddles to tug at should you want to engage a little more of the driving process, but the shift points in higher gears are too tall. First and second are fine, but third, fourth and fifth are sky high, so the gearbox is always busy juggling the gears.

The real enemy to the RL, however, is weight, which at 4,001 lbs is enough to give the RL the density of a small black hole, but why weight is such an issue is beyond me, given the lengths that Acura went to trim mass. The RL uses aluminum body panels, aluminum suspension, subframe and bumper components, magnesium cam covers and seat rails, and even a carbon fibre driveshaft. Another byproduct from this powertrain and weight combination is fairly heavy fuel consumption. At 18 mpg averaged over a week of driving, its consumption is akin to the competitions V8s, rather than their V6s.

But at the moment theres nothing currently conservative about the way that Im driving this RL. Im braking late, turning in far too much, and applying the throttle early and hard in an attempt to make this big car understeer. And, by everything I know about cars and driving, it should, given that its engine is hanging over the front wheels, and its got 340 lbs on the BMW 530xi. But aside from the groans of protest from the front tires, the RL just will not understeer. In fact, the cars VSA stability light isnt even threatening to wag its electronic finger. Not now, and, not at any point during my time behind the wheel.

This is the magic of what Acura calls Super-Handling AWD, a system that its very proud of, and rightly so. It debuted on the RL two years ago, and will be available on quite a few new cars, including the RDX compact sport utility vehicle and the next MDX. Though almost every competitor offers all-wheel drive on their midsize executive rival, only Acuras system is capable of juggling power between the left and right rear wheels through a series of magnetic clutches. Up to 70-percent of the available power can be sent to either wheel, and at the slightest hint of understeer to which it will react. Depending on the driving situation, SH-AWD will either add power to the outside wheel (a process called overdriving), or take power away from the inside wheel when cornering, regardless if youre accelerating, steady on the throttle, or completely off the go-pedal.

And, if youre one of the curious types, you can even observe the system shift the power around on the little information display, though its difficult to see the real magic of the rear wheel shift, as most of that takes place when the cars in a bend, and the steering wheels blocking your view. A head-up display, as in Cadillacs or BMWs, could be useful.

Super-Handling AWD works unbelievably well, raising the levels of grip, stability and security of the RL to levels previously conjured up in my head - especially in the wet. But, as clever as the system is, the car its attached to just doesnt get my heartbeat any higher than idle. The steering, while heavy in the straight-ahead, has a viscous, sticky action when you turn in, as if the car is resisting direction change. Though the RL steers with precision and deftness, its gearing is slow, and provides little by the way of communication, which, interestingly is the complete opposite of how the car rides. The RLs suspension is set up to minimize body roll, but that makes it one of the firmest riding cars in the segment. You hear and feel a lot more than you might in a Lexus GS or a BMW 5-Series, and its well off the pace of its competitors that are fitted with air suspension systems.

With the right road ahead - ideally, a mirror smooth road with fast, sweeping corners - the RL is blissful. You feel in control and in command of this high-tech luxury space ship, a feeling thats perfectly conveyed by the modern look of the interior. A great big slab of highly-polished wood wraps the doorline and midpoint of the dashboard, segmented by the narrow center console, which is jam-packed by soft-yellow illuminated buttons from which a huge knob sprouts. As sophisticated as it looks, the console could be better organized; access to ancillary menus is done through small buttons the size of eraser heads, while the stereo, climate and nav buttons are all jumbled in no particular order. The large-format screen is clear, and the navigation program itself is commendable, allowing you to enter destinations while on the move.

Quality of materials is at an all-time high for Honda; the plastics, wood and leather are amongst the best, and with interesting blue ambient lighting for the footwells and fold door-pockets, the RL is a cool place to spend time in at night. The RL is also full of the gadgets I love, like keyless ignition, hands-free Bluetooth phone connectivity, ventilated seats, the nav - which features updates by XM Traffic in select regions - and an absolutely fantastic DVD-audio sound system that pumps out white sound-canceling noise to keep the car very hush-hush while on the move. Furthermore, most of this comes standard for $49,300, all except the nav which comes as part of the Technology package, which makes it a bit of a bargain when you price the competition out spec-for-spec. The Technolgoy package adds a reverse camera, collision-mitigation system that warns the driver and slams on the brakes when a collision is detected, among other things.
Very cool.

Unfortunately for Acura, it took only one generation of dullness to put the flagship sedan at the back of peoples minds, and it will be a challenge for the Japanese luxury brand to recover from it. This latest RL is, however, a valiant effort on Acuras part. It uses the brands strengths of technology and sophistication, but taken to new levels. Super-Handling AWD, for instance, is the kind of forward thinking that Acura needs to develop in order to keep an edge, and the RL hits the style and design of modern luxury right on the nose. I believe that the RL is a worthy successor to the original and second-generation Legend, a luxury car with sporting pretensions, however, in the fast-paced world of premium cars its close, but no cigar.