Acura’s 2007 RL: falling below expectations
Despite being Acura’s skipper, the 2007 Acura RL received a rude reception from automotive critics and enthusiasts. Among the first noticeable downsides of the new RL are the downscaled interior, the unremarkable body style, and the mediocre performance. Fortunately for the RL, its technological features save some grace. RL remained solid and sporty.
The new RL does not look like Acura-ish at all – a decent interior and exterior styling are not enough to give it an upscale look. Its profile is particularly dull, similar to a Honda Accord. The way the front-end dips down gives it a little swagger, reminiscent of the Mercedes-Benz SL550. The similarity carries over to the tightly framed, trapezoidal grille. The cabin feels well-built, with decent leather and some good-looking wood trim, but it lacks the luxury feel found in the less-expensive Lexus IS 350.
Back in 2005, the then’s Acura RL, wowed everyone with its knockout features. Sadly, it has not put up enough tweaks and upgrades to keep up with the competition in some key areas. Live traffic reporting is already a re-run, its superior voice command is now spread throughout lower-end Acura and Honda models, and its Bluetooth cell phone integration is virtualy archaic.
Acura, however, continues to push tech limits in other areas, most notably with RL’s Collision Mitigation Braking System, an advanced safety feature which holds its ground well with those found on much more expensive cars.
The 2007 Acura RL comes in three models, namely: the base model with a tag of $46,280; the Technology package available for $49,900; and the Technology package with CMBS and PAX in the bag for $53,700.
As mentioned earlier, the surprise and knockout factors of the 2005 RL no longer exist with the new one. Unfortunately, cars have longer product cycles than electronics, and Acura will probably need four or five years out of the current RL configuration before making a major model upgrade. This fact lets other cars with more recent model upgrades adopt newer, more richer electronic features.
Critics are contemplating on putting their blessings on the Lexus IS 350 and BMW 335i, since both offering better performance and almost the same number of cabin gadgets for the same bucks. Acura’s own RDX has the same technology, a better-sounding stereo, and slightly better performance for a lower tag price. In fact, the Nissan Altima Hybrid also has live traffic reporting, the same if not better cabin technology, and a hybrid power train for substantially less money.
Certainly, the 2007 Acura RL caters to an specific type of buyer – a person who suddenly earns much more money than he/she expect, and yet would feel uncomfortable in something obviously luxurious or powerful. The RL is the reliable ride for IT professionals and high-earning techie junkies with low-profile aspirations – those who still feel the need to commute into work every day and are not keen on racing around mountain roads on the weekends.