I am thinking of buying a new RL. Does anyone out there own one? What do you think? Also on my short list is the Infiniti M45 and Lexus GS 350. Anyone have experience with those rides? I appreciate your help as I contemplate pulling the 50K trigger. Thanks.
curious_george2007-05-02T12:18:15Z
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Hi,
I dont own an RL but my experience with Acura Vs. Lexus is that in general Lexus are much smoother and provide a more luxurious feeling. Especially with the suspension. in terms of features both are pretty similar. Looks are subjective. I cant comment on where you live but around bay area I also found the dealer experience much better with Lexus than Acura or Inifinity. the M is a great car too but NIssan engines have a rather rough feel which is great for a sports car but for luxury car I dont recommend.
In truth, the Acura TL is a much better buy than the RL. The Type S now has almost as much HP, and is nearly as nice inside and roomier. The RL has the cool AWD, but it is pretty cramped inside and needs to be revved to get going. The stereo does play DVD audio which sounds great.
The M45 is probably the best of the bunch. A good combination of handling and ride as well as a very nice interior. I am all about HP, but I would get the V6 and save the money. The M35 is nearly as quick, and is better balanced so it handles better.
I own an older Lexus, so I am a little biased. Reliability, resale and overall quality are both great. It is not much of a handler, and the interior can get cramped. The V6 actually makes more HP than the V8, so there is no real compelling reason to get the GS430.
I would look very hard at a BMW 335i as well. You have everything paid for and covered the first 50k miles. And there is nothing like driving a BMW. Resale is the best in the business, and the only thing I would worry about it is if it breaks and how long it takes the dealer to fix it.
My personal choices: 1-BMW 335i - just get rid of it in 4 years 2-Infiniti M35 3-Lexus GS350 4-Acura TL 5-Acura RL
Two weeks ago I bought a M35 for my wife. We researched for a couple of months before making the decision. We thought about the Acura RL, TL, Lexus GS, ES, and the M45/35. All these cars are great cars. If you end up buying any of these, you won't go wrong. Everyone has slightly different needs for cars. For us, interior room was pretty important. Our two kids will be teenagers soon, and they need enough room. The M45/35 has more room than all the other cars listed here. My wife also wanted to have DVD navigation and backup camera, which all of these cars provide. But the Infiniti actually have a neat feature on their backup camera (reviewed on cnet), where it draws artificial lines on where the car would end up if it follows the current position of the steering wheel. As for the ride, I think you'll end up getting a smoother ride from a Lexus.
We eventually went with a M35 instead of a M45 because we just did not need the extra power, for the way my wife drives. There is one thing not many people know about the Infiniti's service schedules. It is "recommended" that service be performed every 3,750 miles. It is required to be serviced every 7,500. That's probably the most frequent of any car in this category, Japanese, American, or German. Our Mercedes was every 12,000. I'm pretty sure the RL and GS are less frequent than that.
Good luck, and let us know what you end up getting.
acura' s are large vehicles. nicely well worth the money. in case you pick organic luxury you should get the RL. in case you pick luxury with events seems get the TL, or the TL form S. i own a 2003 TL form S, it has 217 000 km on it, not in any respect damaged down, or any issues.