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SAFETY | 10 out of 10
Expert Quotes:
Five stars, all tests
NHTSA
Top Safety Pick
IIHS
The 2009 RL is packed with enough safety features to please even the most protective mommies
MotherProof
The 2009 Acura RL scores five stars in all safety tests from NHTSA (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration) and earns a Top Safety Pick rating from the IIHS (Insurance Institute for Highway Safety).
According to MotherProof, “The 2009 RL is packed with enough safety features to please even the most protective mommies," noting the full array of airbags and active head restraints.
A safety system impossible to ignore is Acura's Collision Mitigation Braking System. Mounted inside the front grille, CMBS detects potential rear-end collisions, warns the driver, and initiates automatic braking, monitoring vehicles ahead through its use of millimeter-wave radar technology.
CMBS also includes adaptive cruise control (ACC), which adjusts speed and distance to the preceding vehicle.
“When it sees a car bumper approaching fast, it flashes a dash warning, then hits the brakes and yanks in the seatbelt, a surprising jolt to the sternum that can stop a weak heart the first time,” says Car and Driver. “It false-alarmed a bit too often in slow-moving traffic, so we turned it off."
“The system will only intervene if the driver fails to act,” warns Edmunds. "This could be especially helpful if the driver has a medical problem while driving or if they fall asleep at the wheel. Thankfully, only chronic tailgaters will find the system intrusive.”
Conclusion
There are no safer sedans on the road than the 2009 Acura RL.
