>> You know a couple of years ago, the 2005 Acura RL was the backbone of the launch of CNET Car Tech. The first car that blow us away. We even gave it Tech Car of the Year. But now it's 2007. Let's take a spin and see how this guy holds up with a lot tougher competition.
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First of all, you've got a large, very visually clear display system here, which is anything from your HVAC to your satellite radio to your navigation system, all right, there through what is a very readable system that we found had a very good clarity of information design. Now I still have mixed feelings about this center control knob. You've got this thing here that has compass directions. You press it as an enter function. And behind it, you've got a ring. It takes a little bit of getting used to but I give this, you know an 8 out of 10.
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CMBS is collision mitigation braking system. And that is a system using forward-looking radar that will detect if you're about to close on something which isn't moving, like a stopped car or a wall. And it'll figure out you know what? If you're not on the brakes, I'm going to get on the brakes for you and it will brake lightly. It's not going to completely stop the car, but it's going to reduce the speed of impact.
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This is also part of the PAX technology. Not related, but it's the same trim level. PAX is Michelin PAX run flat tires. So our car has those bundled in and that also grandfathers in the technology package, which brings you most of the other toys we're going to see today. Let's talk about some other sort of audio related technologies. You do have what they call a hands free link and that is standard on the RL for your Bluetooth cell phone and just about every phone works with it. There is active noise cancellation in this car. That dovetails nicely with Bluetooth hands free. It'll cancel out road noise. Oh by the way, that technology with CMBS and PAX package, which our car is, also gives you adaptive cruise control. You've got the radar for CMBS, why not use it for the cruise? So you've got this button right here that lets you adjust the cruise control distance when you're in cruise mode. When you get any of the RLs with either the technology package or Tech with CMBS and PAX package, therefore you have navigation. So when you have navigation, Acura takes advantage of that to give you a live real time traffic in the nav because of the XM radio reception technology. The transmission is also another place where some picky folks are going nick this car. It's a five speed automatic with sport shift. You got the shiftable gate over here. Oh by the way, if you don't want to shift in standard automatic or use the actual gate, you also have paddles over here on the wheel. And if you trim up your RL with either the Tech Package or the Tech with CMBS and PAX package, you also get the rear view camera option built in. Let's price this RL. Now I should mention all RLs have super handling all wheel drive. That's a major piece of drive train technology that is in every single trim level. Our car of course is the top end at 53200 with CMBS, PAX and the Tech Package. You can go as cheap as 45700 on an RL, but you'd be missing all the tech toys we love here at CNET. So, 53200 fully loaded. About the only option we could find that's tech related are back up sensors for about 600 bucks if you want to augment the rear view camera. Otherwise, this guy is delivered loaded to the gills.
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