Acura 3.5RL ships ashore as elite new luxury sedan flagship
Bob Plunkett
Date Posted: 5/10/2005
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A decade after the Acura Division of Honda Motor Company pioneered the concept of an upscale Japanese luxury brand, Acura has deleted its headliner Legend and replaced it with a new flagship luxury sedan.
This latest model, bigger and better than Legend, also foregoes a recognizable name in favor of alphanumeric designation like those used by elite imports from Europe.
Acura calls its new flagship the 3.5RL.
That's not a memorable moniker, to be sure, although a full-size vehicle with its plush appointments certainly is. To explain how the label was derived, understand that "3.5" represents displacement size of the 6-cylinder engine as expressed in liters, while "RL" signifies Refined Luxury.
This alphanumeric designation mirrors a switch in name styles for other Acura models, such as the NSX-T exotic 2-seat T-top sports performer or entry-luxury 3.2TL sedan which last year replaced mid-size Vigor.
Also, a new Ohio-built sports coupe in the pipeline will be called the 2.2CL, leaving only Integra, Acura's subcompact hatchback, with a conventional name attached -- and when a new model arrives by 1998 it too will bear the alphanumeric treatment.
In the meantime, Acura has embarked on a bold mission to replace the image of Legend with that of new 3.5RL. Arguably, that's no small task due to Legend's 10-year sales record, although the new model goes further than Legend in terms of luxurious ride quality and plush appointments.
It also can make precision moves on pavement.
An introduction to Acura 3.5RL occurred recently on grid-like flat streets of Palm Springs and the subsequent trek across California's Santa Rosa Mountains to test this sedan's prowess on twisty hill routes and flat-out freeways.
The exam began with a display of electronic wizardry.
That's because a limited number of these deluxe new Acuras contain an optional electronic navigation system. It mounts at the center of the instrument panel and draws from global positioning satellites and computer software not only to determine the vehicle's precise point on earth at any time but display routes to an intended destination.
First available in California, the impressive system will eventually be offered nationally for $2,000.
In the Palm Springs tests, I pressed fingertip directly against dashboard mini-screen to work through a menu of options for destinations (ranging from hotels and service facilities to street addresses of any town in California) before choosing the Ritz-Carlton Hotel in Rancho Mirage, some five miles distant, as a trial destination.
After asking whether I wished to travel by freeway or city streets, the computer led me there through directional maps displayed on the screen, plus a pleasing computer voice which told me when and where to turn as the Acura approached various intersections. To confuse the system I deliberately failed to follow these directions, only to see the computer revise its routing for my new variables and then inform me by polite voice and screen display of an alternate path.
Acura's navigational system scored high points in my tests. It's quite a handy system, one which someday may be a part of all vehicles.
In the meantime, the 3.5RL coddled me in luxurious comfort and wrapped me in isolating quietness.
The new sedan, based on a unit-body platform with wheelbase extended 3.2 inches longer than Legend, carries a Honda-designed double-wishbone suspension that's fully independent at all corners.
Ride quality, while slanted toward the luxury (meaning, soft) side of comfort, nevertheless feels like what you'd encounter in European touring sedans.
Exterior appearance, particularly in the prow with its chrome grillework emphasized by a forward thrust and flanked by aerodynamically sweeping headlamps, also seems vaguely like what you might see on an elegant Euro-machine.
Yet there's a vagueness to the exterior in an overall wedge-shaped design with low nose and higher tail. Acura's designers describe this look as deliberately conservative because that conforms to the researched desires of the RL's intended buyer.
That person, typically an affluent male who appreciates vehicle performance but also wants the trappings of a luxurious ride, will encounter an array of comforts inside.
RL's interior begins with soft leather and wood trim.
The generous cabin positions twin form-fitting bucket seats in front, followed by a rear bench that will seat three but has sculptured spaces for two with center fold-down armrest. Driver's seat features 8-way power movement.
Interestingly, the backs of front seats have been scooped out in concave fashion to provide more legroom for rear seat riders. Thoughtful features extend even beneath the front seats, where undersides has been carpeted to prevent scuffed shoes of backseat passengers.
Easy-read analog gauges appear in the instrument panel with a large speedometer flanked by smaller tachometer and various other gauges and indicators.
Power-everything applies to controls, including speed-sensitive intermittent wipers and automatic headlights. Other fine touches range from automatic climate control and microscopic air filtration to the special treated glass that rejects solar heat.
For enhanced safety, the RL contains dual airbags, structural front and rear crumple zones and side-door anti-intrusion beams, along with a disc brake system linked to 4-wheel anti-lock controls.
In the power department, RL's new single-cam 3.5-liter aluminum V6 mounts longitudinally and produces 210 hp plus a lot of torque at relatively low engine speed.
It's quick to move off the starting line at stop lights, compliant through lower gears and still primed for action at highway speeds.
It's also quiet, an important mark for luxury.
Acura's 4-speed electronic automatic transaxle adds computer controls to improve performance on long uphill or downhill grades. Even the steep 10-mile climb out of Palm Springs on highway 79 failed to daunt its steady rein.
As to price points, Acura 3.5RL in standard trim totals to $41,000, well below intended rivals. Pick a Premium package and the tab reaches $44,000.
1996 ACURA 3.5RL
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| 1996 ACURA RL VEHICLE SPECIFICATIONS |
| Description: |
Full-size luxury sedan |
| Model Options: |
Full-size luxury sedan |
| Wheelbase: |
114.6 inches |
| Overall Length: |
195.1 inches
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| Engine Size: |
SOHC 3.5-L V6
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| Transmission: |
Auto/4 |
| Drive: |
Front |
| Braking: |
Power 4-disc/ABS |
| Airbags: |
2 |
| Gas Mileage: |
19/25 mpg |
| MSRP Price: |
$ 41,000 to $ 46,000 |
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