Interesting comparison. The TL is certainly a nice car.......very highly rated by Consumer Reports......and its price starts in the low-mid 30's. It is FWD with a 270 HP 3.2L V6 with 238 ft.lbs. of torque. The RL, of course, has the super-sophisticated SH AWD......a world-class AWD drivetrain, but a not much larger 300 HP 3.5L V6 with 260 ft.-lbs. of torque, and definitely a plusher interior than the TL. Whether that is worth an extra 15-17K over the TL, I guess, is a subjective question that only a car shopper can decide.

 

I don't think most Acura owners feel the new TL is superior to the new RL but just that the RL did not seem like it was a $15,000+ better car then the TL. I was a little suprised and disappointed that the new RL was priced at 49+ grand because I figured they were saving money by using the same basic platform as the TL and could offer it at a more attractive price 40-44K. All the reviews I have read on the new RL are positive and the magazines seem to love it placing it higher then many European cars in their tests costing thousands more so I figured it might be worth the asking price. When I sat in the car I was impressed and it felt like a very sporty upscale interior. The M or GS did not feel or look any nicer or more expensive although the M was larger with more room. Frankly when I sat in the new GS or M I did not get the feeling they were really worth 50 grand either although I did like their interiors. When I sat and drove in a second Gen GS300(which I want) I did not feel it was a 40+ thousand dollar car either with the interior, acceleration and performance of the engine but I still liked the car. Then again I feel alot of luxury/sports cars are priced way too high and not worth their asking prices. The last gen TL 99-03 was a little superior then the last RL in my opinion since the TL had more hp, better handling, sportshift, and all the options but the last RL did have a little more room, used real wood, and may of had a more upscale look. The new A-8 is one of the few cars when I sat in it did blow me away and I felt it was worth its asking price which is lower then the 7series and S class. The new Mercedes SL500,Mercedes CL 2 door coupe, 997 Porsche, E46M3, Continental GT, Lamborgini Gallardo, Audi TT have impressive interiors to me also but not quite as nice as the A8 except maybe the Continental GT.

 

[QUOTE=bitkahuna]Trying to reconcile your points above.

I think the new 5 interior sucks. I don't like the shapes, wood, surfaces, guages, any of it. The seat controls are absurd although the seats themselves are great. And we all know about iDrive.

[ /QUOTE]

Not reconciling anything, old 5series interior is hard and cold feeling, new one is plusher and warmer, but not quite Lexus warmth or refine, but warmer and plusher. Hope that clears it up for ya.

Have you tried I-drive yet?

Can you post a pict of both back ends? Tried as I may, I can't see any Kia at all.

Not just a bit, but REALLY old and dated and boring. Camry is more exciting than old 5 series. Go ahead and post back to back pict, you'd be surprise at how much classier and modern Camry lines are. It's proportions maybe odd from certain angle because of the skinny hubcap wheels/tires. But slap on some similar wheel/tire combo that come standard on a 5series and your views just might change.

I highly doubt it. If one wants great driving, one goes for a REAL great driving vehicle like 350z, SupraTT, Elise, Viper, Boxster or something similar. If one wants the ultimate sportsedan, there is only 2 choice.... EVO or STI. Having to compramise by messin with wanabes like all 5 series/7series or all non M 3series is not good. BMW's been lying to us all these years that they built the ultimate driving machine.

 

I would even go one step further and say that the TSX is the ultimate car in today's Acura line-up. That car is wonderfully put-together, both classy and sporty, and offers a heck of a lot of features for a very reasonable price.

I have to admit that I haven't driven ANY cars in Acura's current line-up, but like my original post stated the interior flaws of the RL are enough to keep me away from even being willing to drive it. I may have similar negative reactions when I finally see a new GS up close and personal (God, I hope not).

Good on Acura for finally producing a car that can reasonably be compared in these kinds of discussions. For that matter, good on Infiniti for the same thing. BMW and M-B had better be taking these guys darned seriously or else they're going to find themselves marginalized in their bread-and-butter market segment.