Acura Changes Direction for RL

A lot of car sites have been talking about how the Acura TSX will be the first in the brand to see the new 4 cylinder diesel engine, and how there will be a V6 version most likely for the TL and MDX. Well... isn't news like this just obvious after Honda stated that i-DTEC was coming to Acura? The European has had a diesel Honda Accord, which is the Acura TSX to us Americans, for awhile now. And we pretty much know the TSX will not be getting a V6 option, so I won't waste anymore time on this right now.


European Honda Accords with i-DETC.

The news I found interesting was Acura's goal of becoming a tier 1 automaker in 4-6 years, truly competing with the likes of BMW and Mercedes. One of Acura's weaknesses right now is the current generation RL. The RL is Acura's "flagship" sedan, however it has trouble matching up against other luxury brands, most likely due to the lack of V8 and rear-wheel drive options.


Acura RL

Dick Colliver, executive vice president of American Honda Motor, acknowledged that the Acura RL was the "wrong car" for the segment. A new RL is slated for 2010, and that the car's overall direction will change. Hopefully, this will address the weak sales of Acura's range-topping RL sedan.

[Source] leftlanenews.com

Hmmm... I wonder what they're going to do to the RL. Whatever it is, the next RL should look less like a bloated Honda Accord and have more aggressive styling.