2005 ACURA RL NEW CAR BUYER'S GUIDE

What's New for the 2005 Acura RL?
Acura redesigns its flagship luxury sedan, endowing it with sleek styling, all-weather all-wheel-drive, and a full load of luxury amenities at what is a bargain price compared to direct competitors. But the questions remains: will luxury car buyers pay a premium and remain satisfied with the RL's 300-horsepower V6, or must they have a V8 under the hood?

Advantages of the 2005 Acura RL:

• V6 fuel economy with V8 power
• Standard all-wheel-drive
• Slick navigation system helps route around traffic jams

Objections to the 2005 Acura RL:

• Luxury buyers like V8 engines

Editor's Advice:
It's high time that Acura built a flagship vehicle that gets the juices flowing. While the previous RL was a nice enough car, its bland appearance and middling specs left it far behind in the hotly contested midsize luxury sedan arena populated by the likes of the BMW 5-Series and the Mercedes E-Class, both completely redesigned in the past couple of years. However, new versions of the Audi A6, Cadillac STS, Infiniti M, and Lexus GS are also slated to be released within the next year or so, further raising the stakes. But with the redesigned 2005 RL, Acura is competitive again for the first time in many years.