The Acura RL was the brand’s flagship luxury sedan from the 1996 through 2012 model years. Introduced as the successor to the Acura Legend sedan, it also marked Acura’s shift toward alphanumeric model names. The RL was closely related to successive generations of the Japanese-market Honda Legend and remained a four-door sedan throughout its continuous two-generation run.
The first generation covered the 1996–2004 model years. Initially marketed as the Acura 3.5RL, and later styled as 3.5 RL, it emphasized quietness, comfort and technology over overtly sporting character. Its longitudinally mounted V6 drove the front wheels, continuing an unusual layout inherited from the Legend. The car received a substantial exterior and interior update for 1999, followed by further refinements during the early 2000s. This generation also became historically important for helping introduce satellite-linked, in-dash navigation technology to the Acura lineup.
A completely redesigned RL arrived for the 2005 model year. Acura dropped the displacement prefix and positioned the second generation as a more performance-oriented technology flagship. Its defining feature was Super Handling All-Wheel Drive, an advanced system capable of actively distributing torque between the front and rear axles and between the rear wheels to improve cornering behavior. The redesigned RL also introduced or showcased technologies such as AcuraLink traffic information, active noise cancellation and available collision-mitigation equipment.
The second generation received a major refresh for 2009, bringing revised styling, an updated interior and a larger 3.7-liter V6. A further update for 2011 added a six-speed automatic transmission, revised exterior details and additional measures intended to improve cabin quietness. The 2012 RL carried over with few changes and was the nameplate’s final model year. Acura subsequently replaced it with the larger and differently named RLX for the 2014 model year. Although the RL never achieved the recognition of some rival flagship sedans, its early navigation technology and pioneering torque-vectoring all-wheel-drive system give it lasting significance in Acura’s engineering history.