My brother's Subaru Impreza SportWagon is in the body shop getting some body work done, (he accidentally brushed it against a pole in a parking lot ) and I was over at his house yesterday cleaning my own car up thoroughly inside and out, and had a chance to look at and drive his rental car. By the luck of the draw, he managed to get a brand-new car for rent.....a black 2006 Mazda6 V6 automatic with only some 300 miles.... ( it's not even broken in yet, so I went over the break-in rules with him ) This car is available with an in-line 4, Turbo 4, or V6, and, unlike many of its competitiors, is also available in 4-door Sport Sedan, 5-door wagon, 5-door Hatchback, and ( limited production ) 4-door Turbo MazdaSpeed AWD versions. This car, as its predecessor 626 did, generally plays second fiddle to the Camry and Accord in the marketplace despite its versatility and abundance of different body styles and drivetrains. While I did NOT give it a MAJOR review like I usually do ( I was preoccupied with getting my own car cleaned up ) after I was done I looked over the car from stem to stern and took it out with my brother for a quick spin, ( about 10 minutes ) so I can at least give it a mini-review:

Model tested: 2006 Mazda6 S V6 4-door sedan.
Color: Black with black / beige cloth two-tone interior.

Base Price: $23,010 ( yes, the price sticker was still in the glove box...it was virtually a brand-new car )
MSRP: $24,520

Drivetrain: FWD, 3.0L V6, 215 HP @ 6300 RPM, Torque 199 ft.-lbs @ 5000 RPM, 6-speed ( optional ) SportShft automatic.

PLUSSES:

Well-designed chassis ( Mazdas aren't called Poor Man's BMW's for nothing )

Good interior hardware and fit-and-finish

Solid pull-out door handles

Responsive, smooth-shifting transmission ( past Mazda auto trannies were often bumpy in the lower-gears)

Reasonably powerful V6

Easy entrance and exit

Well-designed gauges and controls

Fairly quiet ( also a departure from many past Mazda sedans )

Fairly roomy trunk

MINUSES:

Orange-peel paint ( made worse in black......every imperfection shoes )

Backwards-shifting autosport transmission shift lever

Interior dome light does not stay on for a few seconds after the door is shut and locked like the delay feature on some cars.

Power seat controls for driver but not front passenger.

Stereo readouts not near the controls.


This car brought back some memories for me....I liked and drove Mazda sedans for much of the mid-late 80's into the early 90's before switching to Toyota / Lexus. The new ones have changed quite a lot...they are more refined than the 80's ones were but do not have quite as much steering feel.

Anyhow....this car. The first impression of it as you walk up to it is a grown-up version of the smaller Mazda3, which replaces the Protege...it has a strong family resemblance. The sheet metal and doors feel fairly solid; the door handles VERY solid. Paint quality ( never a really strong Mazda feature ) could use a little improvement, at least on this black version we had. Luster was OK, but too much orange peel, like Chrysler / Dodge paint. Getting in and out of the car, in spite of its fairly low stance and my large physical size, was no problem....the doors are large, wide, and open way out. The key FOB is interesting. In addition to the usual lock / unlock / trunk / panic features, the key itself folds back into the FOB like an old jacknife and is spring-loaded...push a silver button and it flips out, ready for use.

Inside, the two-tone dash is handsome with well-designed gauges and controls ( like older Hondas ) and, like many other cars today, several buttons on the steering wheel spokes.The well-designed circular airvents have a solid, well-finished feel to them. I did not like the stereo's design.....it sounded well, with solid-feeling buttons, but the readout, like the Toyota Avalon, was up high on the dash whle the radio itself was much farther down....I'm not a fan of that design. Otherwise the interior was well-done visually, with high-quality cloth and materials and better-than-average fit-and finish. The seats, like most Mazdas ( and Subarus ) were quite firm...you sit on them rather than in them. Side support was OK but not race-car-like. One MAJOR screw-up inside, though you might get used to it if you drove it every day, is the reverse + / - pattern for the automatic 6-speed manual shift function. Most cars with this type of transmission have either a side-to-side motion ( like Chrysler's Autostick ) or a forward ( + ) and backward ( - ) for upshifting and downshifting. Not THIS car. You pull the lever BACK to upshift and FORWARD to downshift. Being used to the conventional pattern, I quickly learned to shift correctly when I momentarily hit second instead of fourth. Fortunately the engine on this brand-new car did not overspin fast enough to damage it or ruin the break-in.

On the road.....I already mentioned this was a quick spin, so I didn't really get much of a real checkout or a feel for it, but it appeared to have the same general firm, enthusiast-oriented chassis design and quick steering response that characterizes most Mazda products. Steering feel was not quite as BMW-like as some earlier Mazdas I have driven, but was well-done nonetheless.The ride was borderline firm.....not as stiff as the smaller Mazda3 ( which is harsh in the top hatchback version ) but just compliant enough to give it some family-sedan smoothness. The V6 had ample power for normal driving but was not a powerhouse....leave that to the AWD MazdaSpeed Turbo6. Brakes were about what you expect in this size and class of car.

The verdict? A good, sportier alternative to either the Camry or Accord, though in non-turbo form it doesn't quite have the power of their V6's. It is reasonably-priced and generally well-made, though the paint, stereo design, and the shift lever IMO leave a few things to be desired. And the multiple body styles add a degree of versatility that the Camry and Accord just don't have.

For my latest review I thought the 2006 SH AWD Acura RL would be the best choice, for a number of reasons. First, there seems to have been a lot of interest in here at CL, particularly from you guys who own the Lexus GS. Second, I have already reviewed and test-driven both of its two major competitors... the GS300 AWD and the Infiniti M35 AWD. And third, there's been a lot of talk and speculation lately about whether or not this car was worth the incentives Acura was giving on the leftover 2005 models.

First of all, this is an impressive car in many ways... you will shortly see just how many. I liked the old RL myself, with its comfort-oriented ride and easy-going nature, and have to confess that I was somewhat disappointed when I first saw its replacement....like many other luxury cars today, it gave up its comfort-oriented characteristics for a more responsive chassis and lower-profile tires, and of course the widespread complaints about the new one not having a V8 with RWD. And it is true that for several reasons......the AWD being one of them... The new one does not ride quite as soft as the old one did, but many of the other features and the overall quality on this new car are nothing short of astounding. This car was a real treat not only to review and inspect but to test-drive as well. It is one of the most solidly-built cars I have ever driven, and in many ways reminds me of the way Mercedes-Benz used to build their cars before their quality dropped so badly. It is easy to see why the RL costs $49,000-$50,000 before discounts or incentives. And, if the L-O-N-G list of standard features is not enough, a Hi-Tech package with automatic vehicle-following cruise control and Collision-Mitigating Braking and Seatbelt system is offered... and, like on other Acuras, the A-Spec chassis-enhancement package which improves steering response and handling but does not add any power...these will add about 3-4 thousand dollars to the price.

But like any other car, it is not perfect... it has both good and bad points, and I have to be objective and honest... I don't believe in sugar-coating vehicle tests like so many newspaper auto journalists do. I can tell when they are bull-shitting, and that really turns me off. But after a thorough inspection, review, and test-drive I could find nothing REALLY significant on this vehicle to complain about... including the V6 and its 5-speed automatic instead of a 6-speed. Just a few minor annoyances... a rarity in the car-review business.

So... here is my take on this excellent vehicle:

Model tested: 2006 Acura RL

Base price: $49,300
Price as tested: $49,990

Drivetrain: 3.5L V6, 290 HP @ 6200 RPM, torque 256 ft.-lbs. @ 5000 RPM, 5-speed automatic transmission with console-lever Sport-Shift and steering-column paddles, SH ( Special-Handling ) All-Wheel-Drive system


PLUSSES:

IMO the best overall Honda / Acura product to date in the American market.

3.5L V6 has almost V8 performance despite its smaller size and extra weight and drag of the AWD.

Seamless and sophisticated AWD system...perhaps the best one yet in the over- $35,000 class. ( Subaru, of course, has the best ones in the under $35,000 class )

ROCK-solid doors, chassis, and body solidity......much like older Mercedes products.

Like all Acuras, smooth, orange-peel-free, well-applied, glossy paint.

Slick-feeling, precise, Swiss-watch quality hardware and materials throughout the whole interior....and with a durable feeling to them as well.

MANY mechanical, electronic, safety, and comfort features standard...too many to list in one sentence.

Ideal driving position possible for almost anyone.

Large, roomy trunk with REAL chrome spring-loaded tie-down loops and jack cleverly stowed inside the spare tire. ( run-flat tires optional )

Smooth, high-quality leather and wood trim throughout the cabin.

Interior available in 3 colors.....taupe, parchment, and ebony (grayish-black )

Legible, well-marked gauges and controls.


MINUSES:

Rather poor rear-quarter visibility backing up because of the thick C-pillars.

Dash and front door panels a little too swoopy and overstyled for my tastes.

Excellent wood-trim across the whole dash and door panels but too shiny and polished for my tastes,

Center-controller in upper console too much like BMW's I-Drive but much better designed and uses MUCH better-quality hardware... you can feel the difference.

So many electronic features and buttons that it is easy to get distracted.

Funeral-home paint colors... this seems to be a real and continuing problem with luxury cars. The only RL color offered that IMO did not look like morgue trim was the Redondo Red Pearl....more or less similar to the superb Lexus Matador Red but not as brilliant.

OK... now for the review. The first impression you get when walking up to this car, style-wise, is that you are looking at an American-market Honda Accord blown up a little in size. There is little at first on the outside that would clue you to the fact that this is the new Honda / Acura American market flagship. But as you walk around the car and examine it, you note features like the sophisticated, projectile headlights that turn left and right with the steering wheel, WELL-applied chrome strips, thick mirror housings that contain the turn signals and side markers and swivel and lock with a heavy, firm, precise feeling, Acura-quality paint, ultra-thin body panel gaps...and then it is obvious that this is not just a blown-up Accord, or even a blown-up TL.

The hood, made of high-quality aluminum and held up with struts, does have a light feel, like many other aluminum hoods, and the air deflector for the windshield wipers is a little flimsy, but that's about it. The rest of the car is just about as solid-feeling as you could imagine.

Now... get inside and this is where the treat really starts. As long as you have the little electronic " box " with you ( there is no key as such ) you don't even have to unlock the doors with the little buttons on it. Just touch the door handle and pull the door open... simple as that. Get inside... not difficult at all with the shape of the door openings... sit down, pull the thick doors closed... THUNK... just like bank vaults. I mean S-O-L-I-D. Everything in front of you, underneath you, besides you, and above you has a truly first-class feel and quality. I can't really describe this on paper...you have to sit in this car and feel the trim and controls to appreciate it.

OK... get comfortable, which is no problem with the electric tilt-and-telescope steering wheel and the ultra-long adjustable range of the power seats. The seats go down far enough that my 6' 2" frame, even with a cap on, can easily clear the sunroof panel......which can be a problem in many cars for taller people. The stereo, as expected in a car of this class, is first-rate as well. One minor complaint.....the otherwise excellent seats are wide enough for me but have little side support from the rather flat shapeless cushions. The wood trim, ( and there's PLENTY of it ) while also otherwise excellent and realistic looking, could use a little less polish and shine... I have never been a fan of highly-polished wood. ( I like the matte-wood look ) The maze of buttons, features, and programs, even in the standard model, is just astounding... Bluetooth, I-Pod, Hands-Free, On-Star, Acura-Link, XM Radio, Homelink... on and on. In fact, I was surprised to see the OnStar....I thought GM had a patent on that and could only be used by GM or GM-owned companies.

OK... time to start up. Since there is no "key" as such, the RL has an interesting start-up procedure I haven't seen on any other car. Some cars have a button...some an ignition switch with a keyhole. The RL has, instead, a big, thick twist-grip knob sticking out from the steering column. Just twist it forward with the big thumb-tab built into it and the big, smooth, quiet 290-HP V6 fires right up. The electronic analog-style speedometer and tach lights up with a blue face and red trim, like other Honda / Acura products. Pull the seat belt out... it unrolls with a SMOOTH, slick, high-quality feel that I've never felt in a car before.Get the mirrors adjusted, the climate control set where you want it, put it into gear and take off. First, one other minor complaint... the enginers need to work on the throttle-by-wire system a little more. It's a little jumpy off-idle both cold and warm. That minor complaint aside, this is a superb drivetrain... again, the best I have seen on a Honda / Acura product, even though the automatic transmission lacks the sixth gear of some competitiors. The V6's 256 ft.-lbs. of torque, unlike other Honda / Acura engines, comes on even at low RPM's ( though it peaks at 5000 ) and even with the added weight and drag of the automatic and the AWD system... it gets out of its own way in no time. It's not a dragster, mind you... you're not going to be racing Corvettes and Dodge Vipers on Friday nights... but the power level IMO is just fine for this size car in spite of not having a V8. Nine out of ten drivers, IMO, will never miss not having a V8....the V6 is that good......so IMO perhaps the V8 was not necessary. ( This is one area, BTW, where I have changed my mind a little...when the car first came out I thought maybe Acura should have used a V8 and RWD ).

Handling, especially with that much-publicized SH ( Super-Handling ) AWD system, while maybe not " Super " as such, will not embarass you on a winding road. The AWD system....one of the most sophisticated on the planet.....not only apportions torque front/rear but side/side as well depending on road conditions and traction needs. The handing and cornerning ability did not feel quite as nimble as, say, a RWD BMW 3-series or a RWD Infinti G35, but part of that was the car's weight ....over 4000 lbs. even unloaded. In magazine tests it has pulled 0.89 G's...well up in sports-sedan territory.

Brakes, considering the car's weight and bulk, performed very well. An optional "Collision Mitigation " system ( one more safety nanny, IMO ) detects impending collisions and first alerts the driver with audio devices, then tugging on the seat belt, and then automatically braking. Will this electronic safety stuff EVER stop?....people can always learn to just watch the road and DRIVE.
I had very few complaints with this car on the road...the only significant one was trying to see back at an angle while backing up...the thick C-pillars block some rearward vision, but those thick C-supports probably contribute to the unibody's tank-like solidity. The new RL has superbly addressed several of the complaints I had with the cheaper TL, TSX, and RSX.....road noise, body-panel tinniness, and poor low-RPM torque. While its ride, mainly because of the newer lower-profile tires, firmer chassis, and unsprung weight of the AWD system, is not quite as smooth as its predecessor ( which was like a Buick ) , and its road noise level is not quite as low as its competitor GS300 AWD, ( no one builds quieter cars than Lexus ), it is much, MUCH better than the TL's, which was a car that in a number of ways did not impress me that much.

So....the verdict. A very, VERY impressive car. It has perhaps the best body and door construction of any 2006 vehicle I have seen short of a Mercedes G-Wagon ( a military-derived vehicle ) , Swiss-watch-quality interior and hardware ( believe me, you have to see this hardware and feel it to appreciate it ), a V6 with almost V8 performance, a seamless and sophisticated AWD system for both handling and traction, and plenty of comfort inside with almost limitless comfort, convenience, and safety items.

How does it compare with its two primary competitors? Very well, IMO. The Lexus GS300 AWD is ultra-smooth, quiet as a tomb, ultra-refined, slick on the road, and runs a couple of thousand dollars cheaper than the RL ( depending on both cars' incentives ), but its V6 does not feel as strong as the RL's and its body and sheet metal is not in the RL's league either. Though both cars have extremely high-quality interiors and hardware... I'd say the RL is superior inside and has better hardware..it's definitely more roomy. Both have about equal handling, at least under the conditions I drove them ( the enthusiast magazines may not agree ). The GS300 AWD , though, has a better paint job than even the RL's superb paint.

Against the Infiniti M35 AWD, the RL has a MUCH better paint job ( Infiniti's current paint jobs, IMO, are second-rate for an upscale nameplate ). The Infiniti's V6, like the RL's, is quite strong...and its much-improved interior this year, with Infiniti's new Rosewood console trim, is an eye-opener, with hardware that is also much-improved but quite a ways short of the RL's. The M35 AWD handles a little better than the RL primarily because of lighter weight, and has more effective brakes.

But it has to be taken into consideration that the RL's quality costs money... $50,000 of it. This exceeds the price of both the GS300 AWD and the M35 AWD by several thousand dollars. Is it worth it? Only you, of course, as a shopper, can decide that....but I am very impressed with it. All three cars offer AWD for traction, high build quality ( unlike some other Infiniti products, the M35 is quite well-built ), good materials, and the likelihood of good-to-great reliability. The Infiniti's paint is subpar, but in in virtually every other way it stacks up well.
So the final question...is the new RL worth $50,000 before discounts or incentives? Once a car starts getting above about $40,000 or so, I have a hard time justifying what it costs regardless of content, but in the RL's case, the overall quality is so good that I would say probably a borderline " yes ".