Acura · 1995–2012

Acura RL

The Acura RL is a mid-size luxury car that was manufactured by the Acura division of Honda for the 1996–2012 model years over two generations. The RL was the flagship of the marque, having succeeded the Acura Legend, and was replaced in 2013 by the Acura RLX. All models of the Legend, RL and RLX lines have been adapted from the Japanese domestic market Honda Legend. The model name "RL" is an abbreviation for "Refined Luxury." The first-generation Acura RL was a rebadged version of the third-generation Honda Legend, and was first introduced to the North American market in 1996, to replace the second-generation Acura Legend. The second-generation Acura RL was a rebadged version of the fourth-generation Honda Legend, introduced to the North American market in September 2004, as a 2005 model. This iteration of the RL received an extensive mid-generational facelift for the 2009 model year, and a further update for 2011. The third-generation debuted for the 2014 model year as the Acura RLX.

Text from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0).

Predecessor: Acura Legend · Successor: Acura RLX

All Acura RL data: UK builds, safety, recalls, model years → + Compare

First generation (1996)

=== 1996 (KA9) === In 1996, Acura introduced the Acura 3.5RL, known internally as "KA9," to replace the Legend. Acura dropped the Legend name when market research showed that consumers referred to Acura products by their model names, "Legend" and "Integra," and did not necessarily associate the names with Honda's "Acura" brand. The 3.5RL's longitudinally mounted V6 gasoline engine had its center-line mounted in-line with the car's axis, and not transversely (i.e., 90 degrees offset from the vehicle axis) like most other front-wheel-drive cars. As a result, the longitudinal placement of the engine allowed for a smaller turning radius and easy in-town maneuverability, as well as 56/44 front/rear weight distribution for the 1996MY. Some of the engine's internals such as the connecting rods and the crankshaft are forged. The connecting rods in particular are of note as they use a new process called "block forging". The engine also employs a balance shaft in order to reduce NVH. A 4-speed automatic transmission equipped with Gradelogic is standard for all trim levels. The 3.5RL uses a double wishbone front and multilink rear suspension. Both the front and rear suspension uses coil springs with progressive shock absorbers. Some bushings on this car are liquid filled in order to reduce harshness over bumps. This car uses speed-sensitive rack and pinion steering. Furthermore, some models were equipped with TCS also known as traction control. A powered moonroof is standard for all models. OE tire size was 215/60R16 mounted on 16x6.5" rims. The body was finished in a 23 step, 5-coat, 4-bake paint process. An optional HDD based GPS navigation system was available in California for 1996. A cellular phone fitted in the center console was an optional extra. 1998. In 1998, the pre-fac

Second generation (2005)

=== 2005 (KB1) === The new-generation car, known internally as "KB1," was launched in late 2004 for the 2005 model year. The car was born as Prototype version at 2004 New York International Auto Show. Without the rumored V8 engine, it featured an all-wheel drive system marketed by Acura as "Super Handling-All Wheel Drive" (SH-AWD). It integrated active differentials with the all-wheel-drive system and traction control to improve handling, similar to the "ATTS" system featured on the 1997 Honda Prelude SH. SH-AWD was the first all-wheel-drive system to vary the distribution of power not only from front to back, but also side to side in the rear using a technique called torque vectoring. The RL can direct up to 70% of available torque to the rear wheels, and up to 100% of that available rear torque can be directed to just one wheel. In combination with a specially designed planetary gear-set which can over-drive the rear wheels at up to five percent greater speed than the front wheels, the torque directed to one wheel, or torque vectoring, can have a steering effect. As the car speeds around a curve, torque vectored to the outside rear wheel will push the rear end around the curve faster, just as paddling the outside oar of a row boat faster than the inside oar will cause the row boat to turn, to minimize the understeer common in front-heavy vehicles. The second-generation RL used a 60-degree J-series 3.5 L V6 SOHC VTEC gasoline engine delivering 300 hp (224 kW), (later revised to 290 hp (216 kW) due to amended SAE testing procedures). To give the car a more sporty feel, the car featured drive-by-wire throttle control and a five-speed sequential sport shifting automatic transmission with shift paddles mounted on the steering wheel. As with the first-generation Acura R

Reception

The second-generation 2005 Acura RL appeared on Car and Driver's Ten Best list for 2005. The car also garnered a CNET "Editor's Choice" Award for Top Tech Car in 2005. The SH-AWD all-wheel-drive system was lauded by Popular Science as one of the best automotive innovations of 2004. In October 2010, the Acura RL was named by Consumer Reports as the most reliable new car among luxury sedans. In a comparison of 2006–2007 model year mid-luxury sedans with all-wheel drive, the RL compared favorably to a Mercedes-Benz E300 4MATIC and a BMW 528xi. Subsequent moves by Audi and BMW to design and market their own versions of torque vectoring all-wheel-drive systems bear out the innovative nature of the SH-AWD design. While critically acclaimed, sales did not meet expectations. Despite the mid-generational update, only 2,043 cars were sold in the U.S. in 2009, a 55 percent drop from 2008. Among Japanese luxury flagships marketed in America during the first six months of 2010, Acura sold only 872 RLs, compared to 5,650 Lexus LS and 6,602 Infiniti M sedans. Only 379 RLs were sold in North America in 2012. Enthusiasts and dealers said that the RL was not competitive because it lacked the full-size dimensions (the back seat was regarded as tight for a car of this size), a V8 engine option and the better handling and balanced rear-wheel drive of its larger rivals in the mid-luxury segment. The 2009 refresh and 2011 update did not keep the RL competitive enough in acceleration or fuel economy, considering that other marques had released new generations of their mid-size luxury sedans. The refreshed RL received criticism regarding its infotainment system, which wasn't updated to the newer hard-drive based systems on Acura models and instead used an outdated DVD-based navigation system w

Safety

From 2005 to 2008, Acura RL has been ranked #1 and has achieved the best car safety score (46.4) in Informed for LIFE's "2003–2009 Vehicle risk index SCOREs". For both the 2009 and 2010 model years, the Acura RL received a five-star crash safety ratings from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). For the 2009 model year, the Acura RL received a Top Safety Pick designation from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) earning a "Good" rating on frontal offset, side impact and rear crash protection tests. When a roof strength (rollover) evaluation was added to the battery of tests in 2010, the RL was rated only "Marginal" in this category, causing it to lose the Top Safety Pick award. The Acura RL consistently garnered National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) Five Star (the highest rating) ratings for Frontal, Side and Rollover crash testing. The injury measures on the driver in the front test were some of the lowest ever recorded in a NHTSA test at the time. The Acura RL incorporated many modern and some unique safety features including: Active head restraints -These were introduced in the 2009 facelift and reduce neck injury by moving forward to keep the occupant's head from snapping backwards during a rear impact. This improved the rear crash protection rating for the 2005–2008 models from Marginal to Good for the 2009 model year. Vehicle Stability Assist - a system unique to Honda/Acura vehicles that uses the SH-AWD, ABS, yaw, lateral G, speed and steering angle sensors to maintain vehicle stability. Electronic traction control - uses individual wheel ABS sensors and engine modulation to reduce wheel slippage. Electronic brakeforce distribution - redistributes front and rear brake pressures during sudden braking. Brake Ass

Successor

In April 2012, the Acura RLX concept was introduced by Honda, and the production model debuted at the Los Angeles Auto Show. The initial available trim of the RLX was front-wheel drive; later the all-wheel drive version was released featuring a 377-horsepower hybrid engine mated to a seven-speed dual-clutch transmission.

Sections adapted from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0); text is shortened. Read the full article for the complete history and citations.

Specifications

name

Acura RL

Manufacturer

Honda

aka

Honda Legend

Production

1995–2012

Model years

1996–2012

Assembly

Japan: Sayama, Saitama (Sayama Plant)

Class

Mid-size luxury car (E)

Body style

4-door sedan

Predecessor

Acura Legend

Successor

Acura RLX

Specification summary from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Measured facts from Wikidata (CC0). Check the linked sources for citations.

More photos

US EPA fuel-economy records

US EPA test figures (US MPG, US test cycle).

Sources

• Wikidata — https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q344798CC0 1.0 · retrieved 2026-10-01
• Wikipedia — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acura_RLCC BY-SA 4.0 · Text © Wikipedia contributors; revision 1372090709 · retrieved 2026-10-01
• Wikimedia Commons — https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:2009_Acura_RL--DC.jpgPublic domain · Photo: IFCAR · retrieved 2026-10-01
• Car Model Index — https://models.autoculturesociety.com/Compiled record. Sources that do not permit reuse are not copied; this index is credited instead.

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