Back in the mid-eighties, when Acura was launched as the first sports-luxury brand from the Land of the Rising Sun, the Legend was a great car. Offered as a coupe or a sedan and powered by a 162-horsepower V6, the Legend quickly became the benchmark premium Japanese car. Even the creation of Lexus and Infiniti were probably inspired by Acura.
And then one day, the Legend was redesigned, renamed the 3.5RL and became a wallflower. All of a sudden, it lost its identity and its character. The engine displacement eventually disappeared from the car’s name, which is now simply called the RL.
There is no question that the current-generation RL is better than the old 3.5RL. Since its launch for the 2005 model year, it has been packed with the best of Honda’s technological savoir-faire. It got redesigned front and rear fascias and a slightly larger engine last year.
As it stands, the RL is equipped with a 24-valve, 3.7-litre V6 that develops 300 horsepower and 271 pound-feet of torque as well as a 5-speed automatic transmission with manual mode and wheel-mounted paddle shifters. We’ll assume that it won’t be long before it benefits from the new 6-speed gearbox that’s in the ZDX and MDX.
Zero to 100 km/h takes 7.3 seconds, which is quick enough for anyone’s needs. Those who criticize the RL for not offering a V8 engine like many of its rivals should realize that nobody actually needs a V8; in this case, the V6 is as smooth and about as powerful as a V6 can get. Our fuel economy average is 12.7 L/100 km, which isn’t bad.
It also benefits from an all-wheel drive system called SH-AWD, which can send up to 40% of engine torque to the rear wheels. In a corner, the system can also shift that rear-wheel torque from left to right as it wishes, all in the name of keeping the car in control. Admittedly, SH-AWD is more performance-oriented than winter-oriented, but in a snowstorm, it still works well.
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| There is no question that the current-generation RL is better than the old 3.5RL. (Photo: Matthieu Lambert/Auto123.com) |
And then one day, the Legend was redesigned, renamed the 3.5RL and became a wallflower. All of a sudden, it lost its identity and its character. The engine displacement eventually disappeared from the car’s name, which is now simply called the RL.
There is no question that the current-generation RL is better than the old 3.5RL. Since its launch for the 2005 model year, it has been packed with the best of Honda’s technological savoir-faire. It got redesigned front and rear fascias and a slightly larger engine last year.
As it stands, the RL is equipped with a 24-valve, 3.7-litre V6 that develops 300 horsepower and 271 pound-feet of torque as well as a 5-speed automatic transmission with manual mode and wheel-mounted paddle shifters. We’ll assume that it won’t be long before it benefits from the new 6-speed gearbox that’s in the ZDX and MDX.
Zero to 100 km/h takes 7.3 seconds, which is quick enough for anyone’s needs. Those who criticize the RL for not offering a V8 engine like many of its rivals should realize that nobody actually needs a V8; in this case, the V6 is as smooth and about as powerful as a V6 can get. Our fuel economy average is 12.7 L/100 km, which isn’t bad.
It also benefits from an all-wheel drive system called SH-AWD, which can send up to 40% of engine torque to the rear wheels. In a corner, the system can also shift that rear-wheel torque from left to right as it wishes, all in the name of keeping the car in control. Admittedly, SH-AWD is more performance-oriented than winter-oriented, but in a snowstorm, it still works well.
 |
| The RL is equipped with a 24-valve, 3.7-litre V6 that develops 300 horsepower and 271 pound-feet of torque. (Photo: Matthieu Lambert/Auto123.com) |