2010 Acura RL
Comfortable, sporty luxury sedan.
Overview
The Acura RL is among the best of the luxury sedans for commuting through heavy traffic. Acura's top luxury car, the RL is smooth and comfortable, firm enough to contribute to agile handling yet the ride is not so hard it sloshes your cappuccino. It rides comfortably on rough, neglected highways, the sort found around every heavily traveled metro area in America. The brakes and throttle are super smooth for comfortable driving in stop-and-go traffic, while crisp acceleration performance from its V6 engine means the RL is ready when the on-ramp is empty.
The RL comes standard with all wheel drive, giving the RL excellent stability and traction in all conditions. With all-wheel drive and electronic stability control, the RL delivers surefooted handling with little chance of a spinout in a slippery turn. This is an easy car to drive well.
Acura's latest Collision Mitigating Braking System warns the RL driver of an impending pileup with audible tones and flashing indicators, then jerks the seat belt, then hits the brakes. This is useful when everyone slams on the brakes at the very moment you're adjusting the radio. The system can reduce the severity of the collision or help the skilled driver avoid it altogether.
Real time traffic reporting is available in major metropolitan areas, providing the driver with traffic conditions and suggesting alternative routes to avoid jams. The system provides weather reports and forecasts for a planned driving route and is integrated into the navigation system.
The 2010 Acura RL boasts significant power increases over pre-2009 models. The RL comes with a 3.7-liter V6, not a V8, and we found its 300 horsepower delivered strong, smooth thrust on the freeway. We found the brakes to be excellent, with a good, firm pedal.
The interior is comfortable and functional, with controls that are easy to operate. Build quality, fit and finish put the Acura RL near the top of its class. Creature comforts abound, including cooling for the front seats and an impressively comprehensive navigation system.
Simply put, anyone shopping for a four-door, five-passenger luxury sedan in this price range should have the Acura RL on the shopping list.
Model Lineup
The 2010 Acura RL ($46,830) comes standard with leather trimmed seats; dual-zone climate control with GPS solar-sensing system; 10-speaker, surround-sound, AM/FM/6CD stereo with USB port, MP3 jack, Bluetooth capability, XM satellite radio with three-month trial subscription; power rear sunshade; memory system; information display; keyless engine start/stop system.
The Technology Package ($3,620) adds a satellite-linked navigation system with voice recognition, rearview camera and Zagat ratings for listed restaurants; three-month trial subscription to real-time traffic and traffic re-routing information for 76 metropolitan areas in the 48-contiguous states and current weather conditions and forecasts not only locally, but also for an intended destination and the selected driving route; active front lighting system; heated and cooled front seats; and upgraded genuine wood interior trim.
Acura-approved accessories include back-up sensors ($530), deck lid spoiler ($485), car cover ($254), nose mask ($162), engine block heater ($66), wheel locks ($81), door edge trim ($39), first aid kit ($30). The All-Season Package ($334) includes floor mats, trunk tray and wheel locks. The Protection Package ($342) includes splash guards, trunk tray and wheel locks.
Safety features include frontal, side impact and curtain airbags; electronic stability system with traction control; antilock brakes, electronic brake-force distribution and brake assist; front seat active head restraints; and tire pressure monitoring system.
The optional Collision Mitigation Braking System Package includes adaptive cruise control and a crash-anticipating system that, depending on a computer's evaluation of the likelihood of the RL colliding with a car ahead, activates one of three levels of visual and audible warnings, automatic pretensioning of the driver's or the driver's and front seat passenger's seatbelts and light or hard braking. The system, which can be turned off, operates only at speeds in excess of 10 miles per hour and only when the speed differential between the RL and the other car is at least 10 miles per hour.
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Top 10 Little Things That Count
By Joe Bruzek, Cars.com
In the time our editors spend reviewing hundreds of cars a year, we run across features we simply can't live without. The features that make us whine when we don't have them aren't high-end, expensive gadgets but little conveniences that make a high impact on everyday usability and comfort. Here are our 10 favorites:
One-Touch Power Windows
Sure, one-touch up/down windows only save three seconds, but that's three seconds you can use to get out your checking deposit slip at the bank teller's window. And if there's a person you don't want to delay, it's the one who handles your money. The 2010 Toyota Camry has the one-touch up/down feature on all four windows.
USB Input
With a USB input, you can tuck the MP3 player out of the way, let it charge and control your 10,000 songs through the stereo, which is much better than the more common MP3 jack. Bonus points go to stereos that recognize older iPods — some won't — as well as searchable song lists. Interfaces that aren't alphabetically searchable make it agonizing to turn the dial a hundred times to get to your Weird Al Yankovic collection.
Telescoping Steering Wheel
Telescoping steering wheels not only give you more adjustability for finding a comfortable seating position, but they also help keep drivers in a safe position if the airbag deploys. The feature is available in every class of vehicle, so a model that doesn't have a telescoping steering wheel is at a competitive disadvantage.
Backup Camera
Backup cameras make navigating parking lots infinitely easier and can pay for themselves by preventing even one parking lot fender bender. Our favorites have lines on the screen that preview the vehicle's backup path. However, we'd still like to see more backup cameras as a stand-alone option rather than tied to an expensive navigation package.
Steering-Wheel Controls
There's probably nothing you have more interaction with in a car than the steering wheel and stereo, so having controls for both in the same place cuts down on the time your hands are off the wheel. Even better are steering wheels with cruise control buttons -- a separate cruise control stalk almost always gets mistaken for the turn signal at some point.
Trip Computer
A trip computer with mileage readouts can be an easy, no-cost way to improve fuel economy. By looking at the instant mileage, you can tailor your driving habits for the best results. Also included in some trip computers is an outside temperature gauge. Although we can't change the weather by looking at the gauge, it's quantitative proof that the weather forecaster is making stuff up.
Smart Cupholders
Fast-food drinks and jumbo-size coffees are more satisfying when they're not all over your car's carpet. The best cupholders are deep enough to keep cups from tipping over and accommodate different-sized drinks — from small coffees to Super Big Gulp Slurpees — using adjustable feelers and grips.
Heated Seats
This quintessential winter feature makes dealing with subfreezing temperatures as easy as hitting the heated seat button to "on." Heated seats start warming before the car's heat is able to blast at 90 degrees, and they can be fitted on cloth or leather seats.
Height-Adjustable Seats
Seats that adjust vertically are so critical to sitting comfortably that when a car doesn't have more than four-way adjustability, it seems grossly outdated. Six-way adjustable seats should be the bare minimum; anything less should have been left in 1996.
Three Sets of Latch Connectors
Just because a big SUV has three rows of seating doesn't guarantee there will be more than two sets of Latch connectors for child-safety seats. SUVs that have three sets of Latch anchors or more, like the 2010 Honda Pilot, offer more flexibility for larger families.
100% Russian bling: Gold plated Porsche 911 turbo
If you wake up day after day only to find your bank balance replenished by a few million dollars, chances are at some point, you won’t know what to do with it. Take this Porsche 911 owner for example. He couldn’t find ways to get rid of the fast-accumulating green paper and did this to himself.- A 40- pound pure gold covered Porsche 911.
We find the idea annoying but appreciate the work that has gone into it. The carvings and designs on the surface are brilliant and would have taken weeks to complete by an extremely set of talented and skilled individuals. The polished surface looks nice and should have masked the rear-view mirrors entirely, eliminating the need for a reflective glass and related electronics for adjustments, but maybe next time?!
Driving a Porsche 911 on the streets would grab enough attention leave alone a gold-covered one. Is the Sultan of Brunei reading this?
In Virginia, more people work for __________________ more than any other industry.
Government
themselves (as farmers)
school systems
private businesses
See answer under Car Doctor.
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Air Pressure - Correct, Underinflated and Overinflated
Advantages of Correct Tire Inflation
Maintaining correct tire inflation pressure helps optimize tire performance and fuel economy. Correct tire inflation pressure allows drivers to experience tire comfort, durability and performance designed to match the needs of their vehicles. Tire deflection (the tread and sidewall flexing where the tread comes into contact with the road) will remain as originally designed and excessive sidewall flexing and tread squirm will be avoided. Heat buildup will be managed and rolling resistance will be appropriate. Proper tire inflation pressure also stabilizes the tire's structure, blending the tire's responsiveness, traction and handling.
Can you easily identify which tire is 30% underinflated? Here is what they would look like in the morning parked in your garage.
Tough to tell; isn't it? Tire pressure must be checked with a quality air gauge as the inflation pressure cannot be accurately estimated through visual inspection.
Disadvantages of Under inflation
An underinflated tire can't maintain its shape and becomes flatter than intended while in contact with the road. If a vehicle's tires are underinflated by only 6 psi it could weaken the tire's internal structure and eventually lead to tire failure. Lower inflation pressures will allow more deflection as the tire rolls. This will build up more internal heat, increase rolling resistance (causing a reduction in fuel economy of up to 5%) and reduce the tire's tread life by as much as 25% while increasing the probability of irregular treadwear. Drivers would also find a noteworthy loss of steering precision and cornering stability. While 6 psi doesn't seem excessively low, it typically represents about 20% of a passenger car tire's recommended pressure.
Disadvantages of Over inflation
An overinflated tire is stiff and unyielding and the size of its footprint in contact with the road is reduced. If a vehicle's tires are overinflated by 6 psi, they could be damaged more easily when encountering potholes or debris in the road, as well as experience irregular tread wear. Higher inflated tires cannot isolate road irregularities as well causing the vehicle to ride harsher and transmit more noise into its interior. However, higher inflation pressures reduce rolling resistance slightly and typically provide a slight improvement in steering response and cornering stability. This is why participants who use street tires in autocrosses, track events and road races run higher than normal inflation pressures.
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Government This includes about one fourth of Virginia's workers.
