I meant to say that the RL does have those things, ummm I would know what the RL has and doesnt have, remember I drive one every day!!

How does the RL compete with the M45????? How??? No where even close. The M45 is Infiniti's version of the GS430. The RL is closer to the I35 and G35 in size power and engine size. Yanni answer this question who buys a luxury car to drive around in the snow???? Maybe an audio with AWD.

Do you see those cars in the northern region yes, but when the blizzard comes what do u see???

Yianni I dont even think you use your brain when making posts.

The Legend was a nice luxury sedan that handled good. I know the RL is called the Legend in Japan, but honda dropped the ball big time on the RL (aka Legend). The car hasn't grown any since 1991.

 

I am not sure where you are from but around here when we get a blizzard/nor-easter all I see on the roads is big yellow dump trucks with big yellow plows and bright flashing orange lights.

As for when it snows a normal storm I see all kinds of cars on the road from Ford Fiestas all the way to BMW 7s and everything inbetween. And the inbetween includes A LOT of RLs.

Maybe you live in some special part of the country where people have cars for all occasions like women have shoes...but that is not where I live and I live in Fairfield county which is one of the richest in America!

 

Well, don't get angry at me for your dumb mistake.


base msrp:
RL - $43,650
M45 - $42,845
I35 - $29,495
G35 - $29,203

There's more to a car than just size and power. A BMW 530i (msrp: $41,795) has the same interior size and same hp (225hp) and same msrp as the RL, does that mean it compete with the entry level I35 and G35? Of course not. :slap:

And I believe Nissan has said, they priced the M45 to compete with $40k V6s.

I've lived in the midwest for over 24 years, and I have seen my fair share of very severe blizzards, snowstorms, and ice storms every year. Yes I do see expensive mercedes, bmws, audis, and lexus in those weather. Not every one can afford the money or time for another 4wd vehicle to compliment their $40k car, most especially if there's 2 drivers in the family with $40k cars. Your ignorance is extremely high on this one. :slap:

I can't deny the RL could've been better, but it sells decently and at least they didn't make as big of a sales error as the Q45.

 

Oh wow. That must mean the latest Mercedes S-Class is even worse. It got SMALLER since 1991. :shocked:

 

I know something else that got smaller since 1991.... and it's in H/N Fan's pants. haha....

just kidding, that would be that pathetic, start name calling.
Shall i quote him saying,

First of all, you spelled my name wrong. Second of all, the snow is not the only time you see the benefits of AWD. Third, what is an audio with awd?

Oh wait wait, it seems like AWD does have a few shortcoming, but VTM-4 is a pretty smart, light and efficient system. Sounds good for the RL.

 

My grandparents got an RL this past spring. They chose it because it's comfy, has inoffensive styling and the lease was reasonable. They don't care about driving in the snow (and I haven't ever seen the RL marketed for its snow capabilities...) because they go to Florida for the winter. They don't care if it's rear wheel drive or if it's got decent power or anything like that.

Now if Acura is content to keep selling to this kind of buyer, they can come out with a similar car. If they want to get people to think the RL is worth cross-shopping with the likes of the 540i, E500 and GS430 they're gonna have to do something exotic with both the powertrain and the styling. Yeah a 3.5-liter i-VTEC V6 would have no problem matching the peak output of the competitors' V8 options, but it wouldn't have the sort of grunt down low or the light steering of a RWD V8 car. Now if the base model were offered with like a 260 hp 3.5-liter V6 (to provide the necessary low-end torque for this class) and an RL-S had the AWD hybrid deal goin on that could work well. I guess if Honda won't build a RWD V8 car it's the next best thing.

 

Someone in the thread mentioned that the smallest change in a car could cost millions in R&D. That may be true with some changes to the RL such as giving it dual climate control since the center console would need to be redesigned, etc. But taking the Styrofoam out of my trunk and replacing it with a full size spare would not cost millions in R&D.

MrFatBooty seams to be making the most sense out here! And to add to his comments, if Acura is content selling the RL to Grandparents, that's fine. Not! Catering to the "grandparent" generation does not work. Look at Cadillac and more importantly Lincoln. Cadillac has seen the light and is trying to get back to a younger clientele and Lincoln tried to do the same with the LS. Point being, Lincoln's days are numbered because most of its clientele is old and dieing and they don't sell. Cadillac is treading water but had to spend a ton of $$$ in R&D to design new cars. Honda is not as large and would not be able to afford massive R&D expenses.

 

Well the RL is the ONLY Honda product that does appeal to older people. I don't think that this means Honda is going down the Cadillac path.

Honda still has a younger average customer age than Nissan and Toyota, and Acura still has a younger average customer age than Lexus or Infiniti. Honda make cars for younger consumers. I don't think it will hurt that much to keep on a little longer a single, ridiculously low volume car in their worldwide lineup that appeals to the 65+ crowd. Especially knowing that the car is overdue for a replacement, and the replacement will easily not be the same, boring and cushy RL.

 

Strangely enough, he's also being least realistic. Until his last post. I disagree with the notion that they wouldn't offer AWD Hybrid on both models...I think that is precidely what they will do. But the Type-S will have more on the gasoline engine side than the base will.

Guys...please don't even mention RWD or V8. The RL ain't gettin em, period. No way, no how. I wish it'd have RWD as well(A V8? I'd rather see Honda stick to six cylinders), so I'm not trying to rain on your parade or anything. It just ain't gonna happen.

 

This should just be posted as a sticky in this forum!