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Acura RL
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.
Despite all the compromises,
the RL was still a competent vehicle. Few
could find fault in it and it provided a serene,
almost silent highway ride. The transmission,
a 4-speed automatic, was smooth and silky.
Reliability and fit-and-finish were excellent.
Still, a lot was lacking in the car and sales
suffered in the first three years.
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