Long-Term Verdict: 2005 Acura RL - MotorTrend Magazine

The 2005 RL was a big deal for Acura . It was to be the year its flagship was transformed from a car for older drivers to a sport sedan. Not only did it represent a dramatic change in the luxury sedan's styling-it went from being nondescript to one with angles and more attitude-but it was by far the most revolutionary redesign since the RL replaced the Legend. That, plus the addition of 75 horsepower, steering-wheel-mounted paddles, and Super Handling All-Wheel Drive (SH-AWD), made this a no-brainer for the Motor Trend long-term fleet. The new RL was slightly scaled down from the previous year. And though horsepower went from 225 to 300 and torque from 231 to 260, the peak rpm of both also increased (horsepower from 5200 to 6200 rpm, torque from 2800 to 5000), it led us to question the accuracy of the resulting power numbers. The biggest news for the 2005 model was the addition of SH-AWD, Acura's all-new all-wheel-drive system, which made its debut in the RL and later found its way into other vehicles in the line. Many staffers were impressed by the amount of grip the Acura had in switchbacks and enjoyed flicking the paddles while the AWD went to work. Source: www.motortrend.com