In early 2005, everyone was buzzing about the release of the 3 new Executive Class models from Lexus, Infiniti, & Acura. Lexus was about to put out their new GS, Infiniti was about to put out their new M, and Acura was about to put out their new RL. The playing field seemed pretty even at that point.

Fast forward two and a half years later, and both the Lexus GS & Infiniti M routinely sell over 1500 units/month, yet the RL is currently struggling at around 300-400 units/month. Both the GS & M are outselling the RL by at least 4:1.

It's pretty obvious at this point that the Acura RL is a sales flop and has not lived up to expectations. So the question is, should Acura drop it from its lineup? And if not, then how long should they wait until making that decision?

Infiniti was smart to do away with the Q once sales slumped so low that it wasn't worth keeping it in their lineup anymore. They seemed to realize that maybe it was time to just pull back for awhile and concentrate on solidifying some of their other models first before investing anymore time and money into the current model Q.

So, should Acura perhaps do the same?
If not, then what could they do to revive the RL and keep it in their lineup? I can't imagine them keeping it around if sales plummet to less than 200 units/month, which is where it seems to be heading at the moment.

So, what do you think they should do?

 

Should it be redesigned and remarketed ASAP? Hell yes. They should work on the quality control while they're at it - that car had average at best reliability (average by market standards, not Acura standards).

Should it be scrapped entirely leaving the TL as the crown of their car lineup? Definitely not. They're already getting crap for not having a car to compete with the V8 executive cars much less the flagships in the Lexus/Benz/Audi/BMW/etc lineups... that would make it even worse than it is now...

 

They probably wont do anything to the car until they give it a midlife refresh just like Infiniti did before dropping the Q. And I see reducing the price and decontenting the car hasnt helped either.

Come to think of it, why hasnt Acura refreshed the RL??

I dont agree with dropping it just yet, but they can definitely improve the car for the next generation. My friend who is a sales manager at my local Acura dealer says the majority of people who come in looking at the RL get the TL instead. Cheaper car, many similar features, better looking among other things. He said majority are value shoppers and some just dont see the value in the RL.

 

No. Acura just needs to add a V8 to the RL...

 

Don't see that happening with the current RL, maybe the next generation ?

 

No need to drop the RL. Unlike other vehicles which have never succeeded, the RL/Legend launched Acura into prominence and was quite successful early on. That was lost as it became renamed RL and also lost the luxury battle to other flagships.

The Acura brand is the second best-selling Japanese luxury brand on the strength of its TL, MDX, and TSX successes. They rightfully dropped the RSX because it didn't fit a luxury image, despite its good sales.

"RL" originally seemed like Royal Luxury, and now that Acura is Advance (technology), it would be great to have a top-flight technological flagship. Larger, RWD if possible, and a V8 please (ok I realize this is Honda the parent company verboten). If it could bring back some of the "Royal" -- although I realize you can't out-Lexus some of the other prestige luxury brands.

Otherwise they can somehow make it a V6, M35 type competitor. But the car needs to look much more substantial, and much more of an upgrade over the TL. The TL is so popular and leverages the Acura brand equity well enough that it is a runaway success. The RL needs to be much bigger and better. I wish it were still called Legend but times have changed.

However as nice as the RL currently is, specifically referring to its refinement in a number of areas, the current model is a lost cause and no amount of freshening can help it. IMO it is too small, not distinctively designed enough (although still looks ok), has the AWD issue, and needs to better represent the brand in an inviting way.

 

No I don't think they should get rid of the RL. It is ashame they don't sell more because it is an excellent car and in many ways superior to its competition. In my opinion it has the nicest interior of all its competition and it is built like a tank. It gets good to very good reviews by the car magazines and compares very well to its competition. Actually all 3 new mid level Japanese luxury are not doing that well or below expectations and it has alot to do with lesser priced models stealing sales from them which is not exactly a bad thing. The RL is my favorite mid level luxury car and it is actually nice that you don't see them everywhere all the time. I actaully see more RLs on the road the new GS or M so it seems odd they sell so much more.

The reason the RL is not selling that well is not due to the actual car being bad or lackluster but other reasons like lack of drivetrain/engine options, the last RL being pretty lackluster and not very well recognized nor did the last one sell well, the TL is generally thought of to have a much nicer and edgier exterior and is roughly the same size but much less expensive which is why many just end up chosing the TL over the RL, etc. The car is actually a very good choice and value at least compared to its competition.

Acura should do a pretty extensive mid cycle refresh and offer a turbo charged powerplant to like 375hp and bump up the base engine to around 310-315hp, offer more wood options like light birds eye maple as well as maybe some more wood accents like on the shifter and steering wheel like on the Japanese versions, have heated and cooled front and rear seats as well as power reclining/massaging rear seats, have night vision and distronic cruise like that is available on the Japanese version, update the exterior with a more aggressive facia and update the rear to look more luxurous and elegant, and for the love of god give it some decent rims instead of those plain aluminum rims and ugly cheap looking chrome rims. And finally change the name back to Acura "LEGEND" instead of RL which has no recognition in the market. Acura Legend has much more respect and recognition and they never should have changed the name or the formula to something else. Maybe offer a larger stretched version if that is possible.

There are rumors the next RL will be based on a RWD platform from the next NSX/ASC or whatever it will called that will offer a v-10 option,rwd only, and possibly a new v-8. There are also rumors a larger more expensive flagship sedan with be based on this platform as well as a larger mid priced coupe. I am sure these cars will sell better then the current RL although I will highly consider a used RL in the next few years after I get rid of the GS because I really like the current RL.

 

Drop it. RL=failure. You can add a V-12 and RL= failure. Its one of the worst halo 's you could have .

Seriously, for you newbs, when your HALO, your TOP CAR, when your companies PRIDE AND JOY, when your TOP CAR, fails as bad as the RL, it screws the entire company.
Imagine the;
LS being a failure
S-class being a total failure
7 series being a total craptastic POS failure

The brand would suffer huge. Lexus, Benz and BMW would be a joke.

 

Your logic lacks again. Infiniti wasn't smart to drop the Q, they had no CHOICE, no one was buying it. If you think RL sales suck, the Q was under 100 units a month. LAUGHABLE. The Q is the worst flagship car you could ask for. We are talking failure for 18 years. In the dictionary next to the word "FAIL" is a pic of the Q45. Do NOT try to put Acura down with the RL and not Infiniti.

The new Q45 could have a V-20, who the hell wants a discontinued flagship? Not LS,7, A8 or S buyers.


Quite frankly, leave true luxury marques to BMW, Benz and Lexus. If you can't figure it out after 20-30 years, your an idiot.

 

You said the same thing about the M and it does just as well as the GS which was never been a "failure" or "discontinued". So please dont generalize and say that infiniti cannot turn it around. The Q was discontinued in north america because it did not sell well. It was poorly marketed from the start. And the latest exterior design wasnt the greatest. The interior was nice imo. It was a smart business decision to get rid of it for now. It still sells everywhere else though. When the new Q comes out...it will sell if infiniti does it right and i have no doubt that they can do it. Speak for only yourself and not for other people who can actually buy an LS, 7, a8 or S. Not even the a8 sells that well...and i think its basically due to marketing. So how about we focus on the topic at hand instead of turning this into another infiniti bashing session.

As for the RL, they shouldnt discontinue it but it has to be redesigned and made significantly bigger than the TL. They are too similar in size and technology and the SH-AWD obviously doesnt justify the price to most people. Its a great car, well built and nice interior but this car was designed for the japanese market. The US TL was made and designed for the American market so the product planning with the RL (legend) and the TL didnt exactly go well since they are too similar. American honda should just design an RL for this market imo though it would be costly

 

acura needs to glorify the RL. i'm pretty sure people would like to have an alternative to a lexus ls (as a solid daily driver)

the cima is just a lost cause, not because of bad marketing.

 

I guess that's where you and I differ. I don't try to "put down" anything. I simply try to look at a situation objectively and point out clear problems or mistakes a car company might make (*ahem* hybrids that use V6/V8 engines that do not sell) instead of praising their every move. Point is, unlike some people (again, another *ahem*), I'm no fanboy. Infiniti was wise to do away with the Q. They had the choice to keep it around. It was still selling, granted in small quantities. But they chose to temporarily discontinue it for a few years and focus on the other vehicles within their lineup - smart move.

Anyway, this thread is about the Acura RL. It's not about the Infiniti Q45. If you can't stay on topic, then get out of my thread please.

Thank You

 

The RL is a failure in terms of sales and public perception, but it is a great car and in fact much better than a lot of other sales success cars in its class. Sometimes good things don't sell and junk sells like hot cakes. It is ashamed the RL doesn't get the credit it deserves, but too often people don't actually buy a car because it is a good car, but simply because of the brand name.

As for dropping the RL? Well, it depends what you mean. If you mean drop the name and renamed it the Legend again, I'm all for that. However, whether it is called the RL, or the Legend, that particular segment the RL is in should not be dropped and/or ignored by Acura.

 

Excellent points. Also, let's keep in mind that before the current model M was put out there, the previous model sold just as poorly as the Q. So, yes indeed, Infiniti can definitely turn it around. The Infiniti G currently outsells the IS and the Infiniti M currently outsells the GS, so they must be doing something right.

I have full confidence that they could eventually put out a Q that sells as well as the 7 Series and certainly one that outsells the A8. We'll see what happens.

Anyway, back to the RL..

 

The M sold more this month but not the year to date. The numbers are pretty close though. I just had to mention that before someone else does.