room.

It is available in two trim levels: RL and RL Premium. The list of standard features on the $41,635 base RL is

thorough, especially for 1998. Several features that previously were found only on the Premium model are now standard

on the RL, including the rich, eight-speaker Bose audio system with cassette and CD player, and heated outside

mirrors.

Exclusive to the Premium trim level are heated seats, traction control and a more extensive use of walnut trim. A

six-disc trunk-mounted CD changer is also standard. (It is optional on the RL.)

Luxury amenities abound. Entering and exiting is eased by the automatic steering wheel that glides up and out of the

way when you turn off the ignition. Two memory settings 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

knee room 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 Michigan 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 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.

Our only complaints are aesthetic quibbles. The wood trim, even on the Premium model, 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 color screen is linked to GPS satellites and a database of maps. Enter your destination and the route

will appear on the screen. A pleasant female voice gives you turn-by-turn directions.

The $2000 navigation system developed in-house by Honda R&D, is easy to learn. Some of the other manufacturers

have recently introduced navigational systems that incorporate the controls for the audio, heating and ventilation

systems, and we find those units a challenge to use. Entering commands on Acura's system, however, is quick and

easy, thanks to the touch-screen technology.

When originally introduced, the system only covered California and Las Vegas. You can now order databases for

the Eastern Seaboard, the Midwest or the Southwest as well. The database includes maps and a virtual Yellow Pages

of hotels, gas stations, restaurants, tourist sites, ATMs and more.