Honda's luxury division Acura has not had a proper flagship sedan, as we have seen with Toyota’s Lexus and Nissan’s Infiniti, but they have taken one step closer by their upcoming redesigned RL, on sale in the fall as a 2005 model.
While Acura was the first luxury division established as a separate franchise by a Japanese carmaker, it worked its way up with midsize and then small cars, later adding the RL sedan and NSX sports car. Though Lexus and Infiniti arrived a few years later, they burst on the scene with top-of-the-line sedans as their first models, and then they worked their way up and down the price/size spectrum.
Further, Acura was criticized for having a so-called flagship with the RL that was front-wheel drive instead of rear-wheel drive and its engine V6 instead of V8 power.
For the 2005 model year, however, Acura moves a step closer to a legitimate flagship sedan with the completely redesigned RL. The new RL was shown in prototype form at this spring's New York International Auto Show, but the production version is expected to be very similar.
The stodgy, rounded shape of the current RL has been traded in for tighter skin and sharper lines. It has cues from the midsize TL, redesigned for the 2004 model year, including its wedge shape, steeply sloping hood and more macho face, but it isn't merely a larger TL. It has its own personality. Like the TL, the new RL is shorter and wider than the current one to give it a wider, muscular stance.
Inside, the new RL is more spacious than the current model. Like the TL, it is lusciously lavish, with Audi-like craftsmanship, rich leather and genuine wood trim.
Underneath its contemporary skin is a rigid but lightweight body made mostly of aluminum. The sub frame and suspension use aluminum as does the hood, trunk and front fenders. The frame is designed to disperse energy forces in a collision over a larger area of the front to keep passengers safe.
The RL continues to be powered by a V6, which in these days of high gas prices may prove to be smart. But it's a lot of V6 power. The 3.5-liter 24-valve aluminum VTEC V6 generates 300 horsepower while still meeting low-emissions standards. We don't expect to see an Acura flagship with V8 power in the near future. Acura's top brass has been quoted as saying the only V8 that'll ever be in an Acura showroom will be of the beverage variety.
The RL's V6 is paired with a five-speed sequential sportshift automatic transmission that allows gears to be shifted manually without a clutch and by using either the shift lever on the center console or with the Formula 1-style paddle shifters on the steering wheel.
Though it's based on a front-wheel-drive platform, the new RL will offer an innovative all-wheel-drive setup that Honda calls the Super-Handling All-Wheel-Drive System (SH-AWD). The automaker claims it is the first and only all-wheel drive that distributes the optimum amount of torque not only between front and rear wheels but also between the left and right wheels.
In keeping with its sportier, driver-oriented image, the RL comes with beefier brakes, 20-inch alloy wheels, Michelin high-performance tires and standard vehicle stability control.
While the TL broke new technological ground with its Bose sound system, the RL takes Honda techno capabilities to new level. The RL will offer real-time traffic reports with alternative routes. Provided as standard equipment, the AcuraLink Satellite-Based Communications System features XM NavTraffic, a collaboration between XM Satellite Radio and NAVTEQ, one of the world's leading providers of automotive navigation systems. Integrated into the DVD navigation system, the system gathers reports from police and transportation departments, emergency services, road sensors, cameras and airborne reports.
Other techie features include a keyless access system, which allows owners to lock and unlock doors, open the trunk and start the car without a key, along with adaptive headlights that swivel up to 20 degrees in either direction depending on the vehicle speed and steering wheel inputs to help the driver see around corners.
Nctd.com
