A clean-sheet 2005 RL is due this fall. Several Acura dealers have reportedly been told to expect standard all-wheel drive and 300 hp. The engine remains a V6, though maybe upsized to 3.8 liters, and today's 4-speed automatic transmission should give way to a 5-speed. Parent Honda, which likes to buck industry trends, believes Acura's flagship sedan doesn't need a V8 and rear-wheel drive, but the RL may score a luxury-class first by offering a hybrid powertrain. This is said to use comprise a 300-hp V6 turning the front wheels, a 100-hp electric motor driving the rear wheels, and a continuously variable automatic transmission. The gas V6 will feature Honda's new "variable cylinder management" system that shuts down three cylinders to maximize fuel economy at light throttle loads. VCM will premiere with a first-ever hybrid version of the popular V6 Honda Accord, also due this fall. No word on timing for the gas-electric RL, but Honda has been working on "big hybrids" for some time, so it might be available as early as 2006.

Hybrid or conventional, the clean-sheet RL should be somewhat larger than today's aging model and more visually interesting, perhaps with a more conservative take on the general look of the just-redesigned midsize TL. Correcting a current competitive deficit, Acura will add torso side airbags and curtain side airbags as standard. The '05 RL will also get a new Honda-designed frontal structure that's said to improve occupant protection by dispersing impact energy over a wider area.