In 1998 Acura released the RL Base to the car-buying market. The RL came in three configurations: Base, Premium, and SE. The Base configuration is powered by the 3.5-liter six-cylinder engine, which makes 25 highway miles and 19 city. The RL competes in the Sedan market segment, in direct competition with Kia.

Performance

The RL Base is equipped with a Honda 3.5 liter six-cylinder engine that utilizes 24 valves. The VTEC engine is mated to a Honda 4-speed Transaxle. This configuration has proven to be a successful design for Acura.

The fuel system for the 1998 RL is a PGM-FI design, running on gasoline fuel. The fuel flow is regulated by a electronic system and is a fuel-injected MFI design. The storage capacity of the fuel tank is 18.00 gallons.

Steering control is handled through a power-steering rack-style configuration. The RL has power-assisted brakes, with 4-Wheel ABS support. The front brakes are disc while the rear brakes are disc. The car uses coil front springs and coil in the rear.

RL Base Statistics

The RL is 195.10 inches long, 71.30 inches wide, and 54.50 inches high. It has a wheelbase of 114.60 inches. It is able to seat 5 comfortably.

The listed retail price in 1998 (MSRP) was $41,200, with an invoice cost of $35,980. This price is slightly higher than the industry average price for a four-door Sedan.

There is a 50,000* mile, 60* month warranty with this vehicle, including a powertrain warranty of 50,000*/36* miles/months. This is normal for this price range.

Fuel Efficiency

The RL Base received a miles-per-gallon rating of nineteen in-city driving and twenty five when it came to long-distance. Being a gas-powered non-green car, this was subpar.

In Summary

The 1997 model began the promise of the Acura RL. The 1998 expanded on this success and has proven to be a strong seller in most markets. Even with strong competition from other manufacturers Acura hopes that the RL Base will continue to be a profitable vehicle.

Tags: 4-Door, Acura RL, Base, Sedan, United States market

This entry was posted on Monday, June 29th, 2009 at 6:06 am and is filed under 1998, Acura, RL. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.