LS4fun

Ok..i plan within the next 4 to 8 weeks purchase a new vehicle. I cannot believe that I am actually looking at something besides the new 2006 GS300AWD which is the only vehicle i was considering up to last week.

I dropped off my buddy to the ACURA dealer after work as a favor to him. He had recently crashed his car (totalled his ACCORD) and had decided to purchase a TL. He let me test drive it and got me into the ACURA dealer while i waited for him to finish up the paperwork.

I was looking around the showroom floor and something caught my eye. In the middle of the showrooom floor was this vehicle. I got closer and started to take a look in and out at the new RL. The fact that the car was a REDONDA red definately caught my eye (you fellas know how obsessed I am with RED cars)

Believe it or not, I am actually very impressed with what ACURA has done with this vehicle. IT HAS AWD....or this "Super Handling" AWD....i thought to myself...i can't believe it ; i'm looking and actually am interested in something besides a LEXUS.

As I discovered the features, i'm actually seriously considering purchasing this vehicle...

For one, its available NOW..it has about 50 more HP then the GS300 (in the AWD version). The interior is pretty neat, 10 speaker audio system, and the price tag is about the same as the GS.

What do you guys think about the vehicle over the GS...and please I dont want to start a ACURA vs LEXUS war...just trying to determine pros and cons of both vehicles so i can make the best choice when i get rid of this top of the line TOYOTA MATRIX .

LexFather

Acura has done a fine job with the new Rl in trying to seperate it from its Accord beginings. It is a stretched Accord platform. The SH-AWD is a fabulous tech but is FWD biased unless slip is detected. You know how well a Lexus ages over time, they have tons of sucessful experience (as you know), Acura is a newbie to the 50k car establishment. It has 50 more HP than a GS 300 but according to test results, is not any or much faster. It does weigh 4000lbs. The RL soundsystem rocks, it sounds great and maybe on par or slightly worse than the new Mark Levinson system in the GS, which seems to simply blow all those that have heard it away. The Rl has a 5 speed, the GS has a 6 speed. The RL maybe the best new Acura sedan ever. Some like the bland, FWD shaped looks, that is totally subjective. The interior has pretty good ergonomics and the textures seem pretty solid. It is loaded. And looking at other forums, the new RL selling under MSRP. You can now catch them for 46k! Resale is unknown but lets not hope it resembles the previous RL. Overall the RL is a great Honda/Acura.

Now to the GS. First, it was designed to be a world car and meet and beat the E/5 series again. Its not built off a stretched Camry platform or Avensis platform. The GS is built to be the best. The GS AWD is not SH, the Acura has the advantage there. Or does it? Do you know how much slip you need to actually use AWD let alone SH? You have to be driving like mad. The GS AWD is RWD biased, as a true 50k luxury car should be. The GS uses the best materials and woods, Acura is new to this playing field so we are not sure how it will do. The GS has experience in this area. The RL is more powerful but it doesn't seem to reflect in the real world. The GS AWD should be a couple tenths slower, maybe 1/2 a second but these are not stop light drag cars. But the power advantage is the RL. But the GS does offer a silky new tranny adopted from the more expensive LS 430. Its not some beefed up Accord tranny. And it offers aggresive gearing. Onto looks, again subjective but the GS clearly is styled, it has contours and details the RL can only dream of. That must have costed the engineers more to make. The GS interior is sportier looking with solid ergonomics and textures like the RL. The GS is brand spanking new so expect MSRP pricing.
Also the GS 300 has better fuel economy, 24 city, 30 highway, a 20% improvement over the old GS and better than the RL.

Speaking of red, in the GS, you can get the Red with beige or for the first time, BLACK. And with the GS, depending on interior color choice, your wood color changes. Finally, you have Clublexus on your side for the GS, the RL forums are nearly as dead as the average age of buyer (okay slipped one in)......

These are both fantastic vehicles and I stated the pros and cons of both and played nicely GS4fun in a Matador Red GS with Black leather, 20s (even 21s), drop, TRD grill is all you....

(and the GS aftermaket will surely be much bigger than the miniscule RL aftermarket)

GFerg

DONT DO IT!!...j/p. Hey man, if thats what you like go for it. I almost like it. Its a 50/50 thing for me. However never seen it in red yet, just silver, and I kinda wasnt impressed. The tech features are good. On some of the Acura boards some have been complaining about tranny problems. But I think its still a good buy. It has the power, but I keep hearing that it doesnt feel like 300hp. LACKING, is one way to put it. If I didnt have a messed up leg, my boy would have drove by my house to let me test drive one. By the way, which dealership was it?? My best friend is a salesman at the Acura on Rt. 18 around Old Bridge and Englishtown. They move a hell of a lot of cars. He was top salesman last month. Check it out if you live close. Hes a good and very nice man.

UDel

I have looked at this vehicle too and it is pretty impressive. It looks better in person especially in silver. The RL has one of the nicest interiors out right now and quality wise is as good as the GS. I would say the RL is faster then the AWD GS because of the horsepower advantage but is probrably a little slower or even with the rear wheel drive GS since the RL is a pretty heavy car, around 4000 lbs. The RL handles very well and has outperformed most German rivals in tests. The AWD in the RL sends power front and rear but also to each side of the real wheels for increased cornering ablilty. I believe Road and Track chose the RL over the new 5 series, E class, A-6, and STS. They chose the M35 over RL for #1 because it provided more driver feedback and could be had for less money. The RL interior materials are top of the class and the DVD audio system is one of the best sounding systems I've heard. The only problem is the price. Some people do not think it has the look of a $50,000 vehicle and most do not see it being $15,000 better then the TL considering the TL is much faster and has a nice interior with a DVD audio system. I wish the RL was around $44000 then it would seem like a pretty hot deal. It still is a pretty good deal considering everything comes standard in the RL including navigation but don't expect the 300 hp in this car to pin you in your seat like a GS400. M35 is also another car to consider with a great interior but it too has been critisized for not looking like a 40-50,000 dollar vehicle.

GFerg

Whoa, this is off topic, but I wonder what those headlights would look like tinted a graphite color to match the rims or a dark grey?? That chrome trim would stand out so nicely. I think it would look good. Damn, I'm already thinking about ideas.

Anyway, how could you look at the RL when the GS430 with those rims looks this hot in red??!! LOL, its all good. Good luck with your future purchase though.

baddis es

iTrader: (3)

the RL is nice, but to me it isnt all that much bigger than a TL and the TL's style is more appealing to me, IMHO....and besides my sig says it all -- an Acura is Honda but a LEXUS is a LEXUS!!!!

gs400998

I visited my Acura dealership earlier this month because my 02 TL Type-S has a A/T recall. If Acura/Honda can't put a bulletproof A/T in their 260HP TL, not sure I want to spend $50K for a A/T RL with even more HP. RL looks like a larger TL and TL looks like a larger TSX. GS, LS, SC, IS don't look the same. Since I'm spoiled by the V8 in my GS4, I wish the current 06 GS3 has at least 280HP like the new Avalon.

p.s. Did you sell your red GS and purchased a 745? How is the 745?

DaveGS4

iTrader: (2)

Hmm, I thought my Lexus was a Toyota at heart. I've got no problem with that

Manny, you won't go wrong with either one both are great cars. Take a few test drives to see what you like best. Also think about what will have the better aftermarket... you know you won't stay stock.

You've got the winter beater still, right? Why the fascination with AWD?

mmarshall

I would go with the GS AWD....but only by a narrow margin. As other CL members...and the administrator..... have pointed out, they are both excellent but not inexpensive cars. I think that for the money, however, the GS is a little better product despite the RL's more sophisticated SH AWD and 300 HP. The RL's V6, despite 300 HP, has a much lower 260 ft.-lb. torque rating.....typical of many Honda / Acura engines. The GS 3.0 V6 has 230 ft.-lb which is much closer to its 245 HP rating. Both cars, being brand-new, have state-of-the-art safety features and air bags. While both cars have nice interiors and impeccable fit-and-finish, Lexus usually outdoes Acura in the quality of interior wood and leather and appears to have done so again by a narrow margin. And the GS undercuts the RL's base price by some $4000-5000.
The RL's only real advantage over the GS, IMO, is the ability of the SH AWD system to regulate not only torque distribution but also wheel RPM front-to-back AND side-to-side......but in most normal driving situations you will probably not notice it either.

However.....I also have another suggestion. If all you want is a well-built, capable, reliable, luxurious AWD sport-sedan, before you spend $45-50K for either of these cars, check out the 2005 Legacy / Outback 250 HP 3.0 H6 VDC, L.L. Bean, or turbo models with price tags from $28-33K. The 3.0 H6 has 250 HP / 219 torque and the Turbo 2.5L four has 250 HP / 250 torque....almost as much as the RL and more than the GS.
You will be astounded at the interior looks and quality of this car...it is totally unlike anything Subaru has ever built before, and essentially gives you Lexus-grade fit-and-finish at a Subaru price and the well-proved durability of the Subaru AWD system. I'm not saying buy it....only you can decide that......just check it out and compare it , dollar-wise, to the Lexus and Acura, that's all.

CK6Speed

iTrader: (1)

I say drive the RL then make up your mind. You hear critics talking bout FWD biased AWD and whatnot, but once you drive it you will notice it bahaves nothing like a FWD car and nothing like a typical AWD car either. It is neutral and while I personally have not pushed it far enough, testers have commented that pushed hard enough you can make the rear end swing around. The driving dynamics of the RL simply does not refect any FWD bias. Besides, it is only FWD biased under cruising conditions when it doesn't matter if you are RWD, FWD, or one wheel drive. When cruising I can't tell the difference betten my FWD car, my RWD car, and my mid engine RWD car. Then test drive the GS AWD and see which one you like better. You may like the GS,or you may like the RL. Buy the one that you like better.

Speaking of what platform the RL is built on. This is the very first RL to be build on Hondas midsized global platform. Yes, the Accord, TL, and other cars all start off with a base global platform, but the idea behind this platform was to be easily modified to fit any chassis requirement Honda needed. To say it is a stretched Accord platform is not accurate, as an Accord platform is a modified global patform to fit the Accords needs. The RL also is modified from the base global platform to fit its AWD needs. It also uses an all aluminum chassis. All previous Legends or RLs were build on its own platform.

XeroK00L

Hey Sick thanks for the good sum-up but I have to make a correction for you here.

If you've really read how SH-AWD works, you'd know that it does NOT require slippage to start shfiting torque distribution. Slippage detection is how the conventional AWD systems (including the new GS's) work. What makes the SH-AWD so superior, so super-handling is that it shifts torque towards the outer rear wheel as soon as the driver steers, not as late as the car starts detecting slippage!!

Just wanted to get the facts straight.

doug_999

Well my first suggestion would be to throw out any advice from some who makes comments like "an Acura is Honda but a LEXUS is a LEXUS!!!!" There's an intelligent response - not.

My next suggestion would be to go drive both cars. I like the look of the new GS vs. the RL but 50hp is 50hp. Plus the satellite nav with real-time traffic is a very cool option.

You are one lucky guy to be considering two incredible cars like this.

Hameed

I would do the same thing - drive both.

The 50 HP is just a number and like 1SICK pointed out the difference in real world performance is negligible. I would also venture to say that the GS will have a better after-market mod playing field than the RL.

If I were to choose between the two (not based on driving impressions as I have not driven either), would be the GS. Mainly for the reasons I mentioned above.

CK6Speed

iTrader: (1)

Personally I do think the GS might have an aftermarket advantage, but maybe not. With the new GS, the aftermarket is starting from scratch. The RL is based on the J spec engine that has been out since 1998. It would take little looling chages to adapt performance parts from the J30 to the J35XX RL engine. They already have headers, intakes, SC and Turbo kits for the J30, so potentially the RL could have everything needed if the aftermarket has the desire to make the adaptations. I have a feeling that because of the good handling of the SH-AWD, someone in the aftermarket will want to take advantage of that and add a lot of power. The other intereting thing to note is with the RL, Honda/Acura has moved from the traditional 5X114.3 wheel bolt pattern and is now using a 5X120 which is the same as BMW/Mercedes. This opens up some nice European rim choices.

LS4fun

I really want to thank everyone that has provided input. As you can tell, this is killing me...there are obviously pros and cons to BOTH vehicles. I have been a HUGE Lexus fan at heart but have tried to keep an open mind with both vehicles...sometimes change is a good thing too you know.

I do believe that whatever I decide in the end ..I can't go wrong with either vehicle. I do like the fact that the RL is available NOW while i would have to place an order for the GS which may be months away.

Please keep the opinions coming..i appreciate everyone's input!