2011 Acura RL Review

Preview

What We Know

Honda has been listening to the word on the street very carefully, because it has finally decided to give the 2011 Acura RL luxury sedan a V8 to help it compete with strong rivals in the U.S. One source tells us that Honda is currently working on a 420-horsepower 4.8-liter V8, and will employ the same cylinder deactivation technology we see on the current Japan-spec Inspire V6, thus generating class-leading fuel economy figures. But unlike the current RL, which sits on a front-wheel-drive platform and features Honda's SH-AWD four-wheel-drive system, the all-new RL will instead incorporate a rear-drive platform, one necessity that Honda planners have clearly identified in this segment, and a reconfigured SH-AWD system that engages the front wheels when rear traction is compromised. Slated for a mid-2010 debut, the new RL is expected to land in showrooms wearing a higher price tag than the current model.

What Edmunds.com says

Rear-wheel drive and a V8 engine should help, but the 2011 Acura RL really needs distinctive styling if it's going to compete against Germany's finest.