John J Szobocsan

I have not provided a Google translated version of the article because the translation was nearly unreadable.

Overall, the A6 performed better than the RL and was measurably quicker in the acceleration tests; evidently not all of the nearly 300 Japanese ponies decided to run during the day of the test!

The A6 did concede points to the Honda in a couple of categories but the final outcome was a decisive win for Audi.

I know that several on this forum have comparison shopped the A6 to the Acura RL. Now there is quantifiable data to support the Audi over the Acura.

-J<ul><li><a href="http://www.autobild.de/test/neuwagen/artikel.php?artikel_id=13326">Untranslated Autobild article</a></li></ul>

Quattrings

Impressive considering the RL is their 'top' luxury model. 'TL' would seem more comparable.

d9

The RL may be Acura's top luxury model but their range only extends to the A6/5 series class and not the A8/7 series class. The RL was made with intentions to compete with the A6. The TL was made to compete with other vehicles such as the G35 and A4.

TulsaTime

The final line (roughly translated) "The Honda Legend, a legend in name only.", says it all!

pierreb

nevermind against a 4.2 A6.

John J Szobocsan

A colleague approached me this morning asking what could be the cause of a problem with his wife's Honda Odyssey. He told me that the transmission selector cannot be moved out of park. I conducted a brief search on the Internet and am in shock at what I found. The 2002 Honda Odyssey, alond with several other years and models, has a very serious automatic transmission defect(s). Several posts ask if anyone is able to get more than 75K from the transmission. There is a recall and an extended warranty issued by the manufacturer.

There appears to be two defects, most likely related, with the Honda transmission. One has the transmission failing at highway speeds and downshifting into first or second. The second defect is during acceleration when the transmission fails to upshift from second. The NHTSA complaint database is overflowing with owner complaints. One owner even reported that transmission parts pierced the housing and fell onto the roadway.

The Audi A6 C5 was not a paragon of reliability but I would, after searching the web, have a C5 with twice the mileage than a Honda Odyssey. More importantly, the C6, in terms of reliability, is light-years ahead of the C5.

Quattrings

I agree - interesting that all of their models, TSX, TL, RL are built on the Accord Platform

05whtaudia6

My bud had a TL ... after driving my A6 3 times he traded it in .. Hopefully he will comment here

ebenke_A6

ANY Honda/Acura feels about 65% of ANY Audi in terms fit, finish and that solid german feeling. Isn't the A6 one of the safest sedans in thew world year after year?

The Acura RL AWD really took off didn't it? It's ugly and few people even know its an AWD sedan.

The sheet metal on all Honda products is extremely soft. Ever see a Honda without a door ding? The exterior rubber is junk, paint is crap. How many Hondas have you seen with a headliner falling off or the completely faded rear seats you see on 'middle aged' accords.

Axleshatfts wear out after 35-40k miles. The brake rotors are just as soft as the sheet metal, one hard barking experience means they are warped and new ones are needed. The front brake pads don't last long either.

If it weren't for their reliable, tunable engines, they probably wouldn't be held in such high regard by those who don't know any better.

Collectively we have owned only (2) Hondas.

Since the Hondas, it's been all German to the tune of (15) vehicles driven thousdands of miles with vitually no issues as mentioned above. This includes some older high milege examples as well.

Edward'TLS

Most people will have picked the A6 if they have that much money to spend on cars. The RL, not the TL, is a better comparison with the A6, being roughly in the same price range.

Had the RL been 10K Cdn$ cheaper, I would have bought it instead of the '05 A6 3.2Q for my wife.