The second gen Acura RL debuted in 2005. Where it's competition had V8s and RWD, Acura decided to stay a course it was familiar in taking and made the RL FWD and V6 powered. The styling was more of the same - sleek and attractive, but at the same time slightly average and looking a bit too much like a Honda, not an upper echelon sports sedan. I thought the styling was attractive - but there was much more expressive designs out there, including the radical flame surfaced 5-Series released two years prior.
Instead trying again from scratch to make it's halo car something that isn't merely average, Acura decided instead to facelift the current bodystyle with some reverse rhinoplasty and a botched buttlift.
The resultant car is one that still still mechanically behind the times, but now it has a face no one can love. Where before the RL looked sleek but slightly dated, now it looks about 5 years older, and it's taut muscular body is beginning to sag.
Up front of course is dominated by the gigantic chrome beak. Ignore the RL and it'll peck your eyes out. The headlights now droop lazily toward the sides of the car, giving it a tired look. The whole front of the car looses it's sleek grace for for a square jawed treatment at odds with the rest of the car.
Out back Acura decided to give the car a full-on Bangle butt, just in time for it to fall out of style (some may say it already had). But why stop there? The new TL has some of the most peculiar taillights I've seen - it looks like a manufacturing error cut off the bottoms. Not only does it look odd, it looks cheap - a thinly veiled attempt to give some new taillights without having to change the sheet metal.**
Bravo, Acura. In fact, bravo Honda. In a few short years you've managed to transform two brands into some of the most hideous automotive creations money can by. From the factory anyway.**On second glance, it appears that they DID change the sheet metal out back to lead into the new trunklid. Seems like a wasted effort to me.
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