But not with this current frame. The point I was making is that with the current RL design, there's no way to jam a transverse V8 in there with the AWD gearbox splitter dealie. So, any improvement in engine size is going to have to wait for the next redesign. Given the current frame design then, I think it makes sense for Acura to try to lessen the price by removing some of the features so that people will actually by it. It's a short term stopgap until the next redesign comes around.

 

I honestly have no idea what amount of room is available in the RL engine bay. But allow me to indulge in some hypothetical reasoning for a moment.

The XC90 initially came out an inline-6, and all wheel drive. A transversely mounted inline-6 is even wider than a V8 placed in the same position.

Let's assume that the difference in width between an awd and fwd transmission is about the same as the difference in width between an I6 and a V8. So, a V8 with awd would be about the same width as an I6 with fwd.

The XC90 is based on the S80 platform, and the S80 was available with the same I6 with fwd. The S80 is about the same size as the RL. So, it seems reasonable enough that Honda should be able to design a V8 and awd transmission that is sufficiently compact to fit in the existing RL body.

Let's look at a couple pictures. First, the S80 with fwd I6.



Now, the RL with awd V6.



Looks to me like all that plastic in the RL is hiding a bunch of empty space into which Honda could shoehorn a suitably compact V8. :dunno:

 

isnt the 3.5 a j-series V6 and not an I6? a V6 is signigicantly more compact than a v8 and in the same way a i6 is longer than a v8 there are alot of i4's that are longer than that v6.

 

You just argued your own point :huh:

What Mike is saying is since the straight 6 in the Volvo fits in a similarly sized engine bay that the V6 in the RL does (with extra space under the vast sea of black plastic), it would stand to reason that Honda could design a V8 with AWD that would fit nicely in the current chasis.

 

no in terms of length a v6 is one of the shortest choices you can have (if its of small displacement)

 

Yes, and we are agreeing with you :uhhok:

 

You guys are arguing on something completely pointless and unrealistic. Let's be real - Honda does not even have a mass production V8 engine to begin with, and even if they develop one - its not going into the RL without major modification, unless they develop the engine specifically for that car to go into that egine bay. On top of that, if they go for the V8, they will need a new tranny, and possibly even drop the AWD. And, the v8 will alter current weight distribution, and I don't know how that is going to affect handling.

So keep your panties on, you wont see a V8 until next gen RL - and if Acura is serious about increasing sales of the current one, the will have to sell stripped version.

 

if they want to increase sales, people just need to open their eyes and realize that the RL is a great car for the money. they need to stop being badge whores. yes that's just the honda bias in me talking.

 

agreed, but that mostly isn't honda's fault. people can't see past a badge, or the "only a V6" stupidity. i think it's generally just a misconception. however, honda isn't really helping to convince people otherwise. they need to market their cars a little.. lexus and infiniti produce much more/better/memorable ads than acura, and i think it goes a long way. honda never puts much effort into its marketing, and it's really frustrating.

it's extremely unlikely we'll see any more cylinders before the next gen RL/legend comes out, and offering a stripped down version may help sales a little bit. but only a little...

 

i maybe they could dump AWD and go with IMA+RWD for the same price, with that they might be able to atrract more customers