The navigation systems are still a lot of money, and far from perfect. So if you basically know your way around, you may want to save the extra dough and wait for the price to come down and the performance to go up. In general, most controls in the 3.5 RL are well laid out and easy to find and operate, but there were a number of small annoyances. The problems we had with the Acura were typical of what we see in lots of luxury cars these days. In an effort to impress the customer, the manufacturer makes razzle-dazzle controls that are excessively complicated.
Editors agree that the best writing is the clearest and simplest.
Aside from our niggling complaints, most of the Acura's ergonomics are pretty good. The instrument displays are clear and well laid out. There are also radio controls on the steering wheel, even if changing the station while turning can be hazardous to one's health. We saw one of these at a car show, and it was drawing no interest whatsoever. It had just come out, and not a person was fawning over it or peering in through the windows.