STYLING | 6 out of 10
Expert Quotes:
While the TL offers an edgy, geometric, and perhaps futuristic cabin, the RL's passenger space uses softer, more traditional forms
Automobile Magazine
distinct lack of, well, distinction
Car and Driver
It looks pretty generic
Winding Road
no number of tweaks...can disguise an interior now seven model years old
Kelley Blue Book
button-covered center stack will appeal more to tech aficionados than luxury buyers
CNET
Stepping around the RL, it just feels flat-out dull for a supposedly glitzy luxury car. Acura calls the RL's exterior styling aggressive, but after hemming and hawing from various angles, we can't see it; it's a very conservative sedan. The snout had been its main talking point, but what replaces it this year is a revised, oddly conservative (and cheap-looking) grille treatment that looks less fluid and integrated than the original (of this generation) 2005 RL.
Inside, it's better, with the familiar Acura instrument panel layout—still close to that used in the TL—which has held up well, even if it's a bit restrained. While stylistically it's pleasing and complex, with a middle belt that wraps across the dash and around into the doors, functionally it's one of the simpler designs among large luxury sedans, with center-stack controls nicely arranged with climate control up top, audio below that, and nav/trip controls beneath that. The setup, which doesn't rely on the touchscreen for climate or music controls as many other vehicles now do, feels refreshingly simple, even though it's a bit cluttered in appearance.
Conclusion
While the interior of the aging 2011 Acura RL is still reasonably stylish and well designed, the exterior feels too careful and conservative to be noticed in the crowd.
