|
|
The Acura RL is the top-of-the-line sedan in the
range of Honda's North American luxury brand Acura.
It is a rebadged version of the fourth-generation
Honda Legend and replaced the Acura Legend in 1996.
All Acura RLs are built in Saitama, Japan.
The very first Acura RL rolled off the assembly
line on January 4, 1996.
In 1996, the replacement for the Acura
Legend was introduced. Known internally as "KA9",
officially, RL originally stood for "Road Luxury,"
however some suggest that it stood for "Replaces
Legend." Whatever its meaning, the 1996 Acura
3.5RL was introduced to lackluster reviews. The
automotive world had been expecting a true competitor
to the Lexus LS to emerge. Yet it is likely that
Acura will release a new model larger than the RL
to compete with the Lexus. The RL fell short in
all categories and is continuing to drop in sales;
it is likely there will be a redesign of the redesigned
RL, as reported by AutoWeek. Laying to rest predictions
of a VTEC V8 powerplant, the 3.5RL was powered by
a 3.5 L V6 engine, derived from the previous Legend's
3.2 L unit. The engine provided just 210 hp. Handling
was soft and ponderous. Interior space was adequate,
but still tight.
|
|
|
