I’ll admit I was surprised when I read that the flagship for Honda’s luxury line was in trouble. Honda and Acura vehicles are so common here in Orange County, SoCal, that you could walk into the parking lot of any mall and just see the non-stylized “H” and calipers in virtually every parking stall. (The rest would be filled with Bimmers.)

The 2006 Acura RL is a technological cornucopia. VTEC engine that pumps out 290 horsepower. Super-Handling All-Wheel Drive (SH-AWD) to deal with the (admittedly rare) California rainy days. Vehicle Stability Assist. Navigation with real-time traffic reports. (Acura was, to my knowledge, the first to incorporate such information for their cars.) Anti-lock brakes (ABS) with electronic brake-force distribution (EBD) and Brake Assist. Tire-pressure monitor system. Onstar. The few options offered are the new Collision Mitigation Braking and Adaptive Cruise Control systems. And, unlike the Germans with their technological wonders, Acura’s won’t be needing to go to the garage every other week because another window/window wiper/sunroof won’t work again.

So why the slow sales? Well, despite the marvelous engine, its V6 means “cheap” to most luxury car buyers who expect V8’s at the RL’s price $50,000 price range. I’m not too sure about this reasoning. Most V8 engines are useless in day-to-day driving and, in fact, have worse gas mileage than V6 engines. The only time V8s are useful is when passing other vehicles. Unless you like to weave in and out of traffic all day (a bad move in SoCal freeways since drivers are liable to shoot you or catch up in their Porsche Carrera’s or Ferrari Enzo’s), most V8s don’t justify their extra $2,000-$3,000 extra charge.

Reputation seems to play a big role in folks’ reluctance to buy RL’s which, unfortunately, is tied to Acura’s appearance. I admit I understand this train of thought. I can’t count the number of times I mistook an Acura for an Accord. The number’s too high. No one mistakes a BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Jaguar or, heck, even a Cadillac (unless it’s a Catera) for being a commoner.

So is Honda planning to redesign the RL, including a V8 version? That would be pretty quick since Honda did just that last year. Right now the money’s on the brand to sell less expensive versions of the car. Though specifics weren’t given, I suspect the standard sunroof and navigation system will become optional.

(Personally, I see this as a chance to get my hands on an RL for cheap.)