tallguylehigh

How many cars sold does not determine how good a car is, it usually just determines how popular a certain car is, big difference in my book.

But I totally agree with you on the RL. People fail to understand that the fully decked out V-8 sedans in this market make up only a small fraction of the total sales for the line. Most of the money is made on the lower six cylinder models.

Maybe its the price of the cars, or maybe when you start pricing out those 5's and E'5 they get a little too close to the LS juggernaut and those 545 and E500 owners take a step up.

I think the RL will sell very well- it has addressed pretty much everything that the RL is lacking. The only "?" pertaining to the car is the lack of the luxuty options- no headlamp washers, no cooled seats, no rear camera, no laser cruise control. The gadget could deter people from the RL, but I can honestly say I would never walk away from a car because it doesnt have headlamp washers.

My $0.02

NFRs2000NYC

Agreed, but to add a few things....

Rear view cameras arent that common in cars, its more of an SUV thing.
Cooled seats are nice, but not that important. The last gen RL was rated to have the best AC out of other cars, as it was the fastest to cool the cabin from 110 degrees to 70.

Headlamp washers are useless, my friends with audis and m3s NEVER use them. if you wash your car once a month, you cant have enough buildup to actually need them.

I still think the new RL has more tech stuff than cars much more expensive than itself. The TL has more stuff than some 90 thousand dollar sedans.

As others stated, no one who owns an LS430 is tearin up the streets.

suvh8r

Whos to say a v8 verison won't come out in the future? It's a possibility especially if the next gen NSX is to have a V8. It would help the development and production costs to share the motor between platforms.

MaxGeek

I doubt a V8 version will come out but I also think its not needed. I'm hopeful for the hybrid version like the new accord. Even though the mpg isn't amazing on the accord hybrid its not a total slug like the civic hybrid or pruis.

As far as the car goes if I was in the market I would definately take the RL over a 530i, GS300, an A6 3.0 or E500. When the TSX first came out I thought this thing is in a weird segment. It won't sell because it needs a V6 or it needs to be cheaper. But it ends up the TSX sold very well and I liked it. I think I would prefer AWD in a sedan like this over RWD because I wouldn't be racing this thing.

Anyways as far as styling the RL isn't amazing but its not a contraversal as the 5 series and I like it better then the new GS and new A6 that are coming out. The E class is just beautiful though.

steve c

A valid point, but currently the RL sits in a netherland, priced more than similar vehicles and less than similar vehicles. I would venture to guess the low RL sales numbers are a result of this; spend a little less and get about as much car or spend a little more and get more car.

I test drove a few RL

AbusiveWombat

Peak power might be the same or close but it's area under the curve that matters the most. Those V8's usually have much more torque in the lower rpms which leads to better acceleration.

NFRs2000NYC

[QUOTE=steve c,Sep 2 2004, 05:28 PM] A valid point, but currently the RL sits in a netherland, priced more than similar vehicles and less than similar vehicles. I would venture to guess the low RL sales numbers are a result of this; spend a little less and get about as much car or spend a little more and get more car.

I test drove a few RL

steve c

Fair enough, the TL is an excellent vehicle. Acura really hit the price to performance ratio there. There is however a limit to how much power they can drive through the front wheels and as the horsepower wars continue they may effectively be forcing themselves down a one way street.

NFRs2000NYC

I agree with what you are saying, I HATE the fact that the TL is FWD. If it was rear, the 3 series sales would plummet. My point is that people like you and I are a very very small market when it comes to these cars.

Most people who buy TLs and 3 series are regulars joes, or most of all joannes that like to cruise around and look good.

Honda was the leader in 2001-2003 in sales with 1.4 million cars sold. I think they are doing something right, and there is NO need for them to change a thing, if they keep selling like they do.

phoenix9999

Now that I've defended the RL, let me bash it a little. I'd pick it any day over a 525i or E320, but the Chrysler 300C (with the V8 Hemi) gives me cause to hesitate. I recently drove a 300C and was stunned. The Eurodealers don't have anything quite in the RL's specific league, but the 300C provides significant amounts of luxury, the RWD and V8 that stevec craves so badly, and the size and style one looks for in a flagship luxury sedan, and it does so for considerably less cash than an Acura RL.

I'm not saying that the 300C is a better car (I don't think so) but the RL's value proposition has been dented by Mercedes 300C as far as I'm concerned!