of standard equipment to erase your cares and ease your spirits. We tested

the Premium model ($44,435), which adds a short list of extras to the basic

models extensive list of standard features: interior walnut trim, heated

seats and outside mirrors, a Bose audio system, and traction control (as

well as the aforementioned ski sack).

Entering and exiting the RL is eased by the automatic steering wheel

that glides up and out of the way when you turn off the ignition. Upon

start-up, you can use one of two memory settings to restore the wheel,

mirrors and seat to your preferred positions. A power moonroof is standard.

The leather seats are soft on first contact, and remain supportive over

the long haul. The long seat cushions support the thighs, and side bolsters

on the seatbacks hold your back in place.

Rear seat comfort is particularly high, a carryover from Japan where

cars like this often are chauffeur-driven. Extra kneeroom has been carved

into the front seatbacks, and the broad track under the front seat leaves

plenty of foot room. The undersides of the front seats are even carpeted

to prevent shoe scuffs. Rear-seat passengers can adjust the temperature

with controls at the back of the center console.

Acura claims its climate control system has the quickest draw in the

West, or at least in its class, with an air conditioning system that can

cool the car from 100 degrees to 70 degrees in 15 minutes flat, faster

than any of its competitors. Since our visit with the 3.5RL occurred in

the dead of a midwestern winter, we can't vouch for the a/c claim, but

it reflects the intense refinement that went into every detail of the car's

comfort quotient.

The Lexus-like illuminated instruments convey necessary information

clearly and elegantly. Controls are intelligently arranged, pleasant to

touch and operate, and comprehensible without recourse to the owner's manual.

The speed-sensitive windshield wipers adjust their rate to the car's speed.

The headlights turn on automatically. Even the leather has been treated

to reduce the amount of oil that evaporates in the sunlight, and Acura

claims that RL's leather seats produce 90% less window fogging than conventional

leather.)

Our only complaints are aesthetic quibbles. The wood trim could have

been laid on a little more generously. And the center dash console, with

its high-tech trapezoidal shape and materials, looks a little hard-edged

in this otherwise soft environment.

On the other hand, that high-tech look seems exactly right when the

optional satellite navigation system is installed. The six-inch screen

is linked to GPS satellites and a database of maps. Enter your destination

and your route will appear on the screen. A pleasant, reassuring female

voice gives you turn-by-turn directions.

The navigation system is a $2000 option on the Premium model. The map

database covers California and Las Vegas, and (as of April 1997) the Eastern

Seaboard from Maine to Florida.

The standard audio setup includes an eight-speaker AM/FM/cassette system

with a rear-window in-glass antenna. The Premium model is fitted with a

Bose audio system that has an extraodinarily rich, full sound. It includes

a six-disc CD changer that can be mounted in the trunk or in the center

storage console--a location that eats up some storage space but that we

find more convenient than the trunk.