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Just wondering since the 2004 TL will be all new, so maybe the RL will get a redesign too? Since both of them came out in 2002 with a slight facelift/improvements.... wouldnt it be time for the RL to get a makeover now?
Any news on 2004 RL?
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A friend/little birdie who is a Toyota USA corprate product manager... I can't say specifically (there are only a handfull of people at this level at Toyota USA Corprate, and he would be pretty upset if people found out that he was a honda fan). His spies have been reporting that the new RL will most likely be a 4+ liter V8 (LS territory) and the speculation is that it will be RWD (very likely--not too many FWD V8's out there, GM's got one--Seville--but then again honda has never been about the status-quo, your guess is as good as mine, but I would put $$ down on RWD).
Speaking of Cadillac, Honda is also supposed to put their newly developed night vision system (kinda like Cadillac's--except, I think GM is kinda moving away from offering it) into the new RL.
That's all that I've heard from the spies at Toyota... I was told that the 2004 date is a bit "soft". Toyota is not sure if Honda has started tooling for a new RL yet (Honda is typically very tight lipped about these things, so it is hard to say for sure if they are even ready to sell an all new model starting 2003).
BTW, a new model called the TSX is supposed to be arriving too! I think that info was released by Acura. It's suposed to be another sedan. There is outside speculation that it will be based on the newest accord platform (240hp V6)... but I would assume that the TL, which is supposed to be revamped 2004 also, would get the platform (there may not be room in the Acura stable for 2 accord platformed sedans). My guess is that the TSX would essentially be a 4-door RSX (the name seems to bear that out as well). A 4-door RSX/TSX would be a good replacement for the sedan we lost when the 4door Integra was discontinued.
Speaking of Cadillac, Honda is also supposed to put their newly developed night vision system (kinda like Cadillac's--except, I think GM is kinda moving away from offering it) into the new RL.
That's all that I've heard from the spies at Toyota... I was told that the 2004 date is a bit "soft". Toyota is not sure if Honda has started tooling for a new RL yet (Honda is typically very tight lipped about these things, so it is hard to say for sure if they are even ready to sell an all new model starting 2003).
BTW, a new model called the TSX is supposed to be arriving too! I think that info was released by Acura. It's suposed to be another sedan. There is outside speculation that it will be based on the newest accord platform (240hp V6)... but I would assume that the TL, which is supposed to be revamped 2004 also, would get the platform (there may not be room in the Acura stable for 2 accord platformed sedans). My guess is that the TSX would essentially be a 4-door RSX (the name seems to bear that out as well). A 4-door RSX/TSX would be a good replacement for the sedan we lost when the 4door Integra was discontinued.
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