Sterling Acura Of Austin

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• Interior / Walk Around  »
• Driving Impressions  »
• Summary

Walk Around

The Acura RL looks taut and athletic. Fresh exterior bodywork introduced on 2009 models resulted in a crisper look. Most noticeable is its bold grille, Acura's new design cue. Overall, it's a pleasant take on a familiar standard bearer.

Alongside the bright, pentagonal grille, are compound headlight units slotted into the leading corners of the fenders and wrapping around to a point on a perfect vertical from the front wheelwells, a styling device intended to mask the front overhang and visually pull the front wheels forward. Squarish fog lights are recessed at each end of a secondary air intake extending across the lower fascia split by an raised segment continuing the geometry of the grille through the front bumper. Similar lines flow back from the top of the grille across the hood, ending at the junction with the A-pillars (the side frames of the windshield).

There's a bit of wedge to the side profile, but not as severe as in the Honda Accord, which allows the RL to skirt some of the Accord's uncomfortable resemblance to the Chrysler Sebring sedan. Smooth flanks show the barest trace of a character line picking up just aft of the front wheelwell and running through the recessed, full round side door handles to end at the forward most tip of the taillights. Polished metal strips outline the side windows. A horizontal bump strip along the lower door panels defines the architectural break below which the sheet metal tucks inward toward the brightwork topping the rocker panel. Gently creased bulges give the wheelwells a touch of sportiness.

The hindquarters present something of a bustle look, in large part attributable to a kick up, aerodynamic lift-reducing lip running the width of the trunk lid. Multi-hued taillights bracket the inset cupping the lower trunk opening. A satin finish bar tops the indent housing the license plate. Squashed hexagonal exhaust tips fill spaces carved out of the lower edge of the rear bumper.

Interior

2010 Acura RL

The RL interior is classy and classic Acura, with softly sculpted dash, satin-finish metallic trim, understated (real) wood inserts, finger-friendly knobs and buttons and easy on the eye gauges. Even the plastic, of which there's not an abundance, gives nice touch.

Seats are plush without being over-stuffed. The perforated leather breathes enough to keep the seats from being clammy in cold weather or sticky in hot. The cooling capability that comes with the Technology Package should make checking that box automatic in any state where sunny days outnumber cloudy ones. Acura seems finally to have backed down from what to some drivers has been an overly aggressive baseline lumbar configuration. Thigh support could stand improvement, but as it is, it's adequate, although the extendable pad on some of the competition (BMW 5 Series, for example) would be welcome. Rear seats, though, could definitely benefit from deeper bottom cushions. And praise be to the gods of equal treatment, the front passenger seat also comes with height adjustment.

The center stack is well laid out with creature comfort controls. The learning curve for what's where for what function is more like a gentle slope than a cliff face. On BMWs, for example, it's easy to push the wrong button or pressure a knob the wrong direction, but that's not the case on this Acura. In spite of its sophistication, it's not hard to master the navigation system with real-time traffic and weather. That can't be said of the Audi A6 and Mercedes-Benz E-Class.

The RL cabin feels roomy. Roominess is comparable to the others in the class when measured by the tape. Front-seat head room is slightly less but comparable to that of the other cars in the class. Rear-seat head room tops the Lexus, trails the BMW, the Mercedes and the Audi and equals the Infiniti G37x. Leg room, front and rear, comes in about the same, with the RL besting only the Mercedes. Similarly, in hip room, it tops only the Lexus in the rear seat; otherwise, it at best equals but more often trails the others. It has the most shoulder room in the front seat but splits the difference in back, with the BMW and the Mercedes ahead by as much as an inch and the Infiniti, Lexus and Audi behind, also by as much as an inch.

Storage space for stuff is plentiful, with a couple cool twists on old standards. Besides the usual complement of cup holders, magazine pouches and the like, all four doors get map pockets, with the ones on the front doors hinged so they flip out for easy access but snap back against the lower panel for better control of contents. The arm rest covering the center console storage is split longitudinally and hinged on each outboard side, allowing access by either the driver or the front seat passenger without interfering with the other's resting elbow. Even with the bustle-like trunk lid, the RL ranks below average for hauling suitcases, golf bags and gardening supplies; all but the Lexus hold more, with the Mercedes and the Audi the most, and by nearly two full cubic feet.

Like many luxury cars, the RL comes with a keyless start/stop feature, eliminating the need to take your keys out. We find the disadvantages to these systems outweigh their advantages.

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