IT'S BEEN 20 years since Honda launched its luxury Acura marque, and it's steadily been establishing a foothold in the prestige market, pitted against the likes of Toyota's upmarket Lexus range. Honda may have found it tough to match the sales or popularity of its compatriot rival's luxury brand in the past (with the possible exception of its NSX range), but the Acura group has been investing in a new range of luxury sedans, sports cars and SUVs in a bid to change all that.
At the New York Motor Show last year, Honda launched its first compact sports utility vehicle, the RDX, a sister model to the CR-V. In January, it previewed the Acura ASC at the Detroit Motor Show - a new sports model set to fill the void left by its NSX supercar, which ceased production in 2005.
As a performance luxury sedan, the RL joins this line-up and combines the practicality of the Honda Legend - from which it borrows its Super Handling All-Wheel Drive (SH-AWD) system - with some of the pace of the NSX (the RL packs 295 brake horse power). Add to this a stylish cabin and some luxurious appointments and the RL is a new prospect for Hong Kong's hungry prestige market.
The RL is low, sleek and understated, despite its imposing dimensions and performance. Sitting on 17-inch alloys, its countenance is dramatic enough to suggest potency, with fared-in twin xenon headlights framing a broad chrome grille, but its lines are smooth enough to appeal to more discreet types who nonetheless want an exciting drive.
Peeling through Causeway Bay traffic on a circuit of Hong Kong Island, the RL is a pleasure. Its interior is luxurious and tasteful. With fine, hand-crafted maple trim accenting comfy tan leather seats, the cabin has an informal, loungy feel, but has all the latest gadgetry you could wish for. The CD/DVD/radio in-car entertainment system comes with a Bose 10-speaker surround system that provides amazing sound quality, even with the car's 3,500cc V6 VTEC humming away up front.
It's a driver's car, as it has to be. With rivals such as the Mercedes E-Class and the BMW 5 Series drawing the eye of every badge-snob in town, Honda has had to make the RL special to compete.