Acura RL

The Acura RL is the top-of-the-line sedan in the range of Honda's North American luxury brand Acura. It replaced the Acura Legend in 1996.

All Acura RLs were built in Saitama, Japan. The very first Acura RL rolled off the assembly line on January 4, 1996.

1996-1998

In 1996, the replacement for the Acura Legend was introduced. Known internally as "KA9", officially, RL originally stood for "Road Luxury," however some suggest that it stood for "Replaces Legend." Whatever its meaning, the 1996 Acura 3.5RL was introduced to lackluster reviews. The automotive world had been expecting a true competitor to the Lexus LS to emerge. Yet it is likely that Acura will release a new model larger than the RL to compete with the Lexus. The RL fell short in all categories and is continuing to drop in sales; it is likely there will be a redesign of the redesigned RL, as reported by AutoWeek. Laying to rest predictions of a VTEC V8 powerplant, the 3.5RL was powered by a 3.5 L V6 engine, derived from the previous Legend's 3.2 L unit. The engine provided just 210 hp. Handling was soft and ponderous. Interior space was adequate, but still tight.

Despite all the compromises, the RL was still a competent vehicle. Few could find fault in it and it provided a serene, almost silent highway ride. The transmission, a 4-speed automatic, was smooth and silky. Reliability and fit-and-finish were excellent. Still, a lot was lacking in the car and sales suffered in the first three years.

1999-2004

In 1999, addressing those concerns, the RL received a front and rear facelift that included the addition of Xenon headlights and newer, more stylish headlights. The difference in styling, while seemingly subtle, gave the car an entirely new look. Suspension and chassis were stiffened. The Acura RL was back in the fold and sales increased.

The second generation RL was, indeed, a substantially improved vehicle over the 1996 counterpart. In 2000, a larger navigation system screen was added. Along with that larger screen was the conversion to easy-to-replace DVD map databases. OnStar was added in 2002 as well as XM Satellite Radio in 2003. Absent a major redesign in 8 years, however, the RL's sales slipped to their lowest levels in the 2004 model year. Acura as well as dealers provided generous incentives on the final models.