Overview & Reviews

The RL is completely redesigned for 2005, and now sports a 300-horsepower V6 and standard all-wheel drive.

• Quiet cabin, handles well for a large sedan, excellent build and materials quality, unique all-wheel-drive system, innovative navigation system offers real-time traffic information.

• Lacks the low-end grunt of a V8, still lacks the prestige of its European competition.

User Reviews:

Showing 1 through 10 of 208.00

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  Dissapointed with my RL - 2005 Acura RL
  By John H - July 21 - 8:03 pm

  I have purchased my last few cars (all used) and Ive tried to move up with each purchase. I traded an Infiniti I35 and purchased this used RL (which had 16.7K miles on it). The car has been a pleasure to drive, but the amount of money that I have had to put into repairs has been a major disappointment. In the 16 months that I have owned the car Ive had to replace the drivers side power mirror, a major repair to the air conditioner and replace one of the motors in the passengers side seat. The total repairs cost $3,000 and the car has 50K miles on it. Ive owned used Mazdas and Infinits and never had these type of major repair issues. I am very disappointed in the RLs reliability

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  Great car but needs more quality control - 2005 Acura RL
  By Fritz - February 15 - 9:34 am

  The SH-AWD is very fun to use around turns, but I doubt most people will ever push this car hard enough to experience it. When you go into turns you really just have to push it and let the computers take over which is a bit unnerving at first, but you can really feel it pivot as the car overdrives the outside wheels. The dash is controls are very easy to use and pretty intuitive and I love that everything can be done through the Navigation screen which is large, easy to read and sits high in the dashboard. My biggest complaint with this car are the rattles and creaks. That is a deal breaker for me, but fortunately it doesnt bother my wife who drives it.

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  Dependable but boring - 2005 Acura RL
  By Chris - November 14 - 6:53 am

  I wish the Acura RL could use "real looking wood" like my 05 Acura TL did... its so plastic looking. It is a great car though. Seems not as sporty as a car like a 5 series, but reliability is its strong suit. 80,000 miles on it and plan on keeping for long term... only issue is it is boring (true disclosure most cars after a while bore me:).

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  Great Car with some problems - 2005 Acura RL
  By Steve - August 13 - 5:00 pm

  I read up a lot about this car before I bought and have generally been very happy with it. However, about 2 mos after purchase, a rattle developed in the driver side dash. I have taken it to the dealership three times to have this corrected and they have yet to fix it permanently. They freely admit that this is a common problem with this new model and that the factory has no good fix for it. A $50K car should not have a problem like this. I like the way it handles and the overall comfort level. The voice activated system is "over the top" and generally unnecessary (there are more that 4 ways to adjust radio volume alone, why not just turn the knob?). The all wheel drive is great.

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  1200 Miles and Happy - 2005 Acura RL
  By FlyBye - January 9 - 8:06 am

  This car is a great value for the money. This car has the best paint job around (body is hand sanded before paint). The acceleration of 6.7 seconds to 60 is fine for day to day driving. Brakes are good but a bit "grabby" when nearing to a complete stop. Tech features such as navigation, XM Radio, Voice Control, etc. are awesome! The RL has to have one of the best factory sounds systems on the road-especially when playing DVD- A in 5.1 channel surround. Interior ergonomics are excellent overall. This car just fits in every way. The steering wheel mounted shift paddles are too slow for me however. I added the color coded mud flaps and spoiler. To top it off, AWD and 5 star safey rating.

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  cabin noise - 2005 Acura RL
  By tom abate - June 19 - 6:20 am

  Although my wife and I have only 250 miles on the car, she really likes all the technology and the handling. My biggest complaint is the interior cabin road noise. Completely unacceptable in a $45,000 car. I am not sure why all the noise, but I have inquired with the dealership and am waiting for answers. I drive a 1994 Lexus LS 400 and was very surprised at the difference in the road noise between the cars

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  Replaced my BMW 528 - 2005 Acura RL
  By Tom Curry - December 19 - 3:56 am

  I purchased a new 2005 TL (6 spd) in November to replace a 98 BMW 528 (5sp) (that had reached 125,000 miles with repair bills to match). The TL turned out too small with too much front wheel torque steer; thus, the new RL in December. Very impressed with fit and finish. Overall performance is just fine (I do a lot a higher speed open road driving); the handling is much better with none of the TLs torque steer. I spend about 3 hrs per day in the car. Only problem in first 1,000 miles is a non-performing CD player, and thats about to be repaired. The rest of the audio system is great. The mileage is less than I would like; about 5 mpg less than the old BMW.

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  Jimbos car - 2005 Acura RL
  By Jim Brody - November 13 - 7:16 pm

  The carhandles well. The gas mileage is not what I expected, much less about 15 mpg.The Navigation system is great but hard to learn.

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  love the car - 2005 Acura RL
  By john smith - May 3 - 5:43 pm

  Comfort on the road is outstanding. Visuals as far as instrument panel are perfect. Room in back seat is outstanding. Also love the gps and the voice activation system. Also the best sound system ive heard, better than my 430 mzb.

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  Great car... but - 2005 Acura RL
  By Clip616 - April 10 - 9:17 am

  Leg room drivers side needs improvement. Large foot block left side prevents extending left leg unless you are less than 5 feet tall. Mileage not good in city driving. Highway mileage is good. Needs more insulation. Hard to carry conversation with back seat riders due to road noise.