For the most positive change in the refresh of the 2009 Acura RL, the flagging flagship of Honda’s luxury division that’s making its production debut at the 2008 Chicago show, you’ll need to look beyond its odd chrome snout and under the blow-formed aluminum hood. New for 2009 is the 3.7-liter, 300-horsepower VTEC V-6 that also powers the MDX, with 275 lb-ft of torque (up from 256 lb-ft on the 2008 RL) on tap.
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In the “if it ain’t broke, let’s just make minor improvements” category, the engine is mated to an upgraded version of the Acura’s Sequential SportShift five-speed automatic transmission that you can shift two ways: via F1-style steering-wheel-mounted paddle shifters or the new straight-gate console-mounted gear selector. While adequate, we hope Acura is developing a six- or seven-speed transmission to better keep it inline with today’s luxury competition. The RL’s fuel-economy ratings check in a bit lower for 2009 at 15 city/22 highway.
A number of other changes also have been made to the car’s fully independent suspension in an effort to improve the RL’s handling, including the use of larger-diameter stabilizer bars, stiffer subframe mount bushings, higher-rate coil springs, and improved steering-rack components.
