Honda took a big chance back in 1986 when it launched the first Japanese luxury brand. However, the cars were solid, and sales proved all of the naysayers wrong. The Integra carved out an excellent rep among the sport compact crowd, while the Legend did the same among near-luxury buyers. While "Legend" was certainly an odd name to give to a brand new model from a brand new brand, it was otherwise a fitting name for a near-luxury sedan and people remembered it.

In fact, they remembered it too well as far as Acura management was concerned, as "Legend" garnered more recognition and a stronger image than "Acura." Seeking to refocus the public's attention on the latter, the replacement for the second-generation Legend was called the "RL." What's an RL? Beats me.

The Legend had already been eclipsed by the 1989 introductions of larger, more powerful sedans from Lexus and Infiniti. The mid-90s name change plunged the car into obscurity. I personally never bothered to drive one, as the car while probably solid seemed as boring as its name. Unlike most Acuras, discounting was heavy.

Acura recently introduced the fourth generation of its flagship sedan. Sadly, it's still called the RL. But much else has changed, most notably a trick all-wheel-drive system. Will this be enough to catch the $50,000 sedan buyer's attention once again? More to the point, what about the new car justifies its $14,000 premium over the very good Acura TL? I took a pair of test drives to find out.

Styling

I absolutely love the Acura TL's exterior styling. Although the car has been out for over a year, its sportily creased, tautly proportioned wedge and purposeful stance continue to catch my eye. In comparison, the new Acura RL's styling, though certainly handsome, is thoroughly forgettable and lacking in presence. My eyes don't see $50,000 worth of luxury sedan.

The more expensive sedan's curvier, relatively shapeless body is at least five years behind the cutting edge. The front fenders could especially use more starch. These curves do help in one area, though. In an especially puzzling bit of plagiarism, a crease along the RL's rear fender turns downward at the end, much like that which has aroused much controversy on the flank of BMW's 7-Series. However, because the trailing edge of the trunk is similarly curvy instead of jutting rearward to end in a hard edge the result does not offend the eye in the RL's case. It seems bland doesn't cut either way.

At the Detroit auto show Acura displayed a customized RL. Although some of the bits were in questionable taste, most notably very large baseball-style stitching on the seats, the concept made it clear that larger rims do greatly improve the look of the car. The standard rims, though 17-inches in diameter, lack visual punch. If you want this car to look sharp, you'll want new rims. A less chrome-laden grille also wouldn't hurt.

The interior is another matter altogether. Its styling and workmanship are magnificent. I must admit to something of a door panel fetish. So many door panels are boring to look at and uncomfortable to rest an elbow on. Those in the RL are perhaps the best I've ever experienced. The artfully curved strips of curly maple on the door panels and dash are perfectly complemented by aluminum trim on the center stack and door pulls. There's a lot going on here, but the overall result sooths rather than overloads the senses while taking excellent care of your elbows.

The TL also has a very good interior, but the RL's even better interior justifies a sizable chunk of its higher price. It leaves no doubt that you're sitting in a "luxury" rather than a "near-luxury" sedan.

Accommodations

On the other hand, the dimensions of the Acura RL's interior case its status once more into doubt. These are nearly identical to those of the TL's interior. The only significant differences: you'll find an extra inch of total legroom in the "big" Acura, but a half-inch less rear hiproom. The difference between the two does seem a little greater than the specs suggest, likely because the RL's rear seat is positioned a bit higher, but we're not talking anything night and day here.

I personally cannot fathom why Honda's engineers couldn't give the RL just another couple inches of rear legroom. It is four inches longer than the TL, so this should have been possible. BMW's 5-Series has a TL-sized exterior, yet has a significantly roomier rear seat than the RL.

Up front the RL also feels just roomy enough to not seem cramped. This lends the car a "manageable" feel, but will make the price harder to justify for many potential buyers. The TL feels about equally roomy from the driver's seat. The 2006 Lexus GS will feel significantly roomier. In the RL's defense, Infiniti's redesigned 2006 M35 has an even tighter-feeling cabin.

Despite the dimensional similarity, the Acura RL does feel more luxurious inside than the TL owing to plusher seats and higher-grade materials. These seats are about average in comfort and support for the class. For tops in comfort, you'll want a Lexus LS or a BMW fitted with the brand's "comfort seats."

The compact theme continues with the trunk. At 13 cubic feet it's about the smallest in the class. BMW gives you another cube, Mercedes given you three. Unlike in the Germans a folding rear seat is not available. A pass-through sized for a pair of skis will have to do.

On the Road

For years there were whispers that Honda was developing a V8 for the Acura flagship. Well, the new RL continues to be motivated by a 3.5-liter six. That said, it's a sweet-sounding six good for the same 300 horsepower produced by Lexus' 4.3-liter V8. The difference is that this power is produced at considerably higher RPM. The Lexus eight kicks out sixty more foot-pounds of torque at 1600 fewer (3400) RPM. The upshot is that while the RL accelerates smoothly and fairly strongly you'll miss the strong shove in the lower back the Lexus GS 430 delivers.

Throttle tuning deserves some of the blame. The TL with about ten-percent less power and weight has a similar power-to-weight ratio, yet reacts much more quickly to the throttle. The RL's throttle has been tuned for a more "stately" response, so it feels more luxurious but less sporting. Lower sound levels in the RL (aided by noise cancellation technology) have similar effects.

The RL's five-speed automatic can be manually shifting using either the shifter or two small paddles on the steering wheel. I rarely acclimate to such systems thoroughly enough during the span of a test drive to make them of much use. The pull-to-downshift push-to-upshift paddles in the Pontiac Grand Prix were more intuitive than the RL's left-to-downshift right-to-upshift. (So which hand do I want right now???) Still, I suspect even the RL's system would become second nature with practice. Not a substitute for a true manual, but much more involving that a conventional automatic.

As suggested by their respective steering ratios of 16.2:1 and 15.4:1, the RL similarly reacts in a more reserved fashion than the TL to steering inputs. Responses are mildly sporting but far from sports car sharp, especially coming out of a turn. For quicker steering in this class you'll want a BMW 5-Series. With its standard system the midsize BMW's steering ratio is an already quick 14:1. Throw down three large for the Sport Package, though, and you'll get BMW's controversial "active steering" system that varies the ratio as low as an ultra-quick 10:1. Some reviewers have felt that this system sometimes operates in an all-to-noticeable fashion, with changes sometimes occurring mid-turn. I have noticed no such undesirable behavior in my own test drives, though. More of an issue for me is that the active steering system, while very quick, feels no more directly connected to the front wheels than the class norm.

Beyond responsiveness, the RL's steering's weighting and effort are about right. These traits combined with commendable accuracy to make me feel much more confident than I felt at the oddly numb wheel of Cadillac's competing STS. I'd appreciate a still more direct feel to the steering, but you won't find this in any competitor, including the 5-Series. I suppose that beyond a certain level "feedback" detracts from "luxury," and even though I'd rather have the feedback most luxury sedan buyers are otherwise inclined.

Most luxury sedans are rear-wheel-drive. Honda wasn't ready to go that route. Instead, the 2005 RL is fitted with all-wheel-drive. This eliminates the pesky torque steer that afflicts the TL (especially in six-speed form). All-wheel-drive tends to dull the character of a chassis, especially when the weight distribution is nose-heavy (as it is with the RL). I've personally found most Audis less than thrilling to drive as a result.

Here, however, Honda's engineers have provided a solution. The RL's all-wheel-drive system is designed to turn the outside rear wheel faster in a turn. The result is the sort of throttle-induced oversteer that until now could only be produced in a rear-wheel-drive car. Quite fun during my test drive. I suppose it would have been even more fun if I had disabled the stability control system, but this is something I don't often do in an unfamiliar car with patches of ice on the roads. I can report that the stability control works very well in both Acuras.

All in all, the RL feels solid, reasonably responsive, and very secure, with some fun to be had from time to time. For real excitement, the car needs at least fifty more horsepower. I suspect that 450 horsepower, as found in the sport versions of the German competition, would really bring out the potential of "super-handling all-wheel-drive." As it is there's not nearly enough low-end grunt to take full advantage of the SH-AWD system, even when powering out of turns.

Ride quality is a touch firmer than the luxury sedan average but the suspension still absorbs all sharpness from bumps, potholes, divots, and the like. Tire impact noise is filtered out very well, so you won't hear the annoying "bump-thump" you will in some of the Europeans. Audi and Jag sport suspensions do the worst here these days in my experience.

General noise levels are also low, if not quite the lowest. I did not feel totally isolated from the outside world, not entirely a bad thing. The RL employs noise cancellation technology, but I cannot say what effect this had during my test drive. Maybe if I could have turned this system off?

The TL's ride is a bit firmer and noise levels are a bit higher. More significant is the overall feel of the car. The TL feels sportier, while the RL's more isolated, smoother feel suggests that it belongs in a different class. As well it should, given the higher price.

Acura RL Price Comparisons and Pricing

For quick, up-to-date pricing, and especially user-specified price comparisons, check out the website I created: www.truedelta.com. Why yet another vehicle pricing website? Well, I personally lacked the patience to keep using the others. They were too slow and required too much effort, especially when trying to compare prices. So I taught myself some programming and created a site where there is no need to dig through option packages, prerequisites, and the like one by one -- the TrueDelta algorithm figures these out for you in one swift pass.

For example, TrueDelta gives the RL a $4925 adjustment for its additional features (including $2,000 for the SH-AWD system), bringing its premium over the TL to about $9,000 (and only about $7,300 invoice-to-invoice). To give another, compared to a BMW 530i the Acura after a $3,500 adjustment in its favor costs over $8,000 less. Compare a 545i and the gap widens considerably. Later this year BMW will offer a more comparable all-wheel-drive 5. Mercedes already offers such a car in the E320 4-matic. Even after an $800 adjustment in its favor the Benz lists for nearly $10,000 more than the Acura.

On the one hand, the RL seems a bit pricey compared to the TL. Compared to any European competitor, though, it seems like a steal.

Last Words

Compared to the Germans the new RL is a much more competitive vehicle than the old one. It certainly feels like a luxury car, and looks like one too--once you're inside. The trick SH-AWD system is excellent, providing the best features of all-wheel-drive and rear-wheel-drive. In this class, the only other car I'd suggest is the BMW 5-Series, and then only if driving enjoyment is far and away your top priority.

Lexus and Infiniti will soon be fielding a redesigned GS and M, respectively. Check back for my reviews soon after they arrive. Update: These cars and my reviews of them are now available.

Tougher competition can be found within the Acura showroom. The RL is nearly identical in size to the TL, has blander sheetmetal, isn't quite as quick, and feels less sporty. Why, then, spend the extra $14,000? Even after adjusting for the RL's additional features, the difference is still $9,000. The most obvious answer is that the RL's interior is considerably nicer. Whether this is enough will depend on how much this extra niceness is worth to you. Some people will spend an hundreds of dollars for a pair of shoes for higher quality materials and construction. Most won't. The RL, with its six-cylinder engine and cozy interior, will similarly appeal to those who most value things that cannot be readily quantified.

A Note on Acura RL Reliability

I cannot practically cover reliability within the context of this review. However, many people are interested in such information, so I've started collecting my own data. Results, once they are available, will be posted to my site, www.truedelta.com, with updates every three months.

Unlike other sources, TrueDelta will clearly identify what difference it will make if you buy an RL rather than another vehicle by providing "times in the shop" and "days in the shop" stats (among others). You will be able to specify the number of years, annual miles, and types of repairs to include in Acura RL reliability comparisons.

Before I can report results, I need data on all cars--not just the RL--from people like you. To encourage participation, those who help provide the data will receive free access to the site's reliability information. Non-participants will have to pay an access fee.

For the details, and to sign up, visit www.truedelta.com.

A link to this website and alphabetized links to my other vehicle reviews can be found on my profile page.

Some of my reviews of related vehicles:
Acura TL review
BMW 5-Series review
Cadillac STS review
Infiniti M35 review
Lexus GS review
Mercedes E-Class review
Amount Paid (US$): 50000
Model Year: 2005