In a recent meeting with the R&T editorial staff, an Acura official was uncharacteristically blunt in his assessment of the cushy, outgoing previous-generation RL sedan: "That thing was such a couchmobile," he admitted. "Yes, we tried the luxo approach, but, frankly, that just wasn't us."
Not unexpectedly, what followed was an explanation of how the all-new 2005 RL would be a dramatically different car, a luxury sports sedan aimed at a younger, more affluent buyer, a technology-packed all-wheel-driver that's truer to Acura's sporty roots.
So, has Acura built such a car?
Indeed it has, but the new RL isn't quite what we had expected. Many of us had hoped for a big rear-driver to compete with the Lexus LS 430 and Infiniti Q45. Instead, Acura opted to build a reasonably compact RL that's 3.0 in. shorter than the previous RL (with a 4.4-in. decrease in wheelbase), and equip it with a V-6 rather than a V-8.
Why the V-6? Premium unleaded at $2.63 a gallon is a pretty persuasive argument. So, too, is the reality that most automobiles in the sub-$50,000 luxury performance sedan segment — cars such as the BMW 530i and Mercedes-Benz E320 — are sold with 6-cylinder engines. Furthermore, the RL's transverse-mounted aluminum-block 3.5-liter VTEC V-6 is stout, smoothly generating 300 bhp, which is more than some V-8s, more than even its NSX sibling. That stated, the RL's 60-degree sohc 24-valve V-6 still doesn't have the invigorating pull of the slightly smaller but mighty 270-bhp Acura TL, which tips the scales some 500 lb. less than the new RL. In the RL's defense, though, is a 6.7-second sprint to 60 mph that's a half-second quicker than either aforementioned Benz or Bimmer.
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