The all-new 2005 Acura RL is much more of a driver's car than last year's model. It handles better. It's tauter, more poised. It grips better in corners, has tauter transient response and stops in shorter distances. The ride is comfortable, firm enough to feel expansion joints but not so firm as to be harsh, and it cruises easily. The cabin is quiet, benefiting from a noise cancellation system that reduces road noise and tire noise but especially boom from the engine exhaust.
Acura's Super-Handling All-Wheel Drive improves the handling of the RL considerably. SH-AWD distributes power not only between the front and rear wheels but also between the left and right rear wheels. This distribution of power can be controlled, and it uses this capability to enhance the handling. Essentially, the system overdrives the outside rear wheel in corners to reduce the understeer that is inherent with all-wheel-drive layouts. (Technonerds: It employs the same principles as the old Honda Prelude SH, only at the rear wheels instead of the front, overdriving them by up to 5 percent.) In short, the RL doesn't plow in corners. It simply motors around them.
We found the system particularly helpful in tight corners where it keeps the nose of the car tucked in. The RL seems to respond well to throttle in the corners. The effects of overdriving one of the rear wheels is most noticeable at competition-level speeds, but the system improves handling feel even at a moderate pace. It feels precise, and the RL goes exactly where you want to go. You get improved handling stability on dry or wet roads. All-wheel drive also brings improved traction and stability on snow and ice. The system is biased to the front. When cruising along, 70 percent of the engine's power goes to the front wheels, and 30 percent goes to the rear wheels. Stand on it, however, and up to 70 percent of the power goes to the rear wheels. That means little or no wheel spin when accelerating.
To compare the handling of the RL, we drove it back to back with some other cars on a winding racing circuit, the new Shenandoah 1.2-mile road course at Summit Point in West Virginia. Of particular note was how the RL compared with a Mercedes E320 4Matic (all-wheel drive). The E320 felt heavy and lethargic, like an old Mercedes. Compared with the Acura, the Mercedes lacked grip and suffered from understeer and slow steering; plus it was hard to modulate brakes and hard to modulate the throttle. A previous-generation RL and a previous-generation Audi A6 were also on hand, and both were hopelessly outclassed by the Acura and BMW, serving as stark examples of the superiority of the latest models over five-year-old designs. (There's an all-new A6 for 2005, but there wasn't one available for this test.)
By far, the stars of this exercise were the Acura RL and BMW 530i. The RL was the easiest of the group to drive, making it the quickest. The 530i felt livelier and more fun with its rear-wheel drive and sports suspension. Whether the BMW would ultimately be quicker in timed lap sessions wasn't clear. What was clear was that the RL was the easiest to push to the limit in unfamiliar corners. The new Acura would be an excellent choice if told to drive as fast as possible over an unfamiliar mountain road, and that would be even more true if the conditions were slippery or unpredictable.
Fortunately, there's plenty of power to go with the RL's excellent handling. Its V6 is the most powerful engine ever in an Acura. The 3.5-liter engine generates 300 horsepower at 6200 rpm and 260 pound-feet of torque at 5000 rpm. That's impressive power from a V6. You'll get more power and more low-end response from a V8, but the RL offers decent performance. It can accelerate from 0-60 mph in less than 7 seconds. It's smooth, responsive and enjoyable. It's quicker than a Mercedes E320 and comparable to a BMW 530i. Better breathing helps the 24-valve, single overhead-cam, aluminum VTEC engine combine substantially increased power yet with lower emissions and good fuel economy: The RL meets the government's stringent standards as a LEV2-ULEV Ultra-Low Emissions Vehicle and earns an EPA-estimated City/Highway 18/26 mpg.
The driving experience is aided considerably by the excellent five-speed Sequential SportShift automatic transmission. Shifting is crisp and quick but super smooth, making the RL more responsive and more enjoyable. It seems to shift up early, but never seems to hunt. The driver can shift manually using a shift lever on the center console or with paddle shifters located on the steering wheel. It's fun to play with, but most of the time we simply put it in Drive and let it do the job it does so well.
We found the brakes to be excellent, with a good, firm pedal. Acura says it upgraded the brakes to create a true high-performance system. New 12.6-inch ventilated front rotors use aluminum four-piston calipers in front, with ventilated discs in the rear. Electronic Brake force Distribution (EBD) automatically adjusts the front/rear brake pressure to suit conditions, while an anti-lock braking system (ABS) helps the driver maintain steering control in hard braking situations. Brake Assist helps drivers apply full braking pressure in an accident-avoidance situation.
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