The Acura RL is the flagship car for North America luxury brand Acura. In Japan, it is sold as the Honda Legend, a largely identical vehicle save for different badging and trim. All RLs and Legends are built in Saitama, Japan. The first-generation Acura RL was a similarly rebadged version of the third-generation Honda Legend, and was first introduced into the North American market in 1996 to replace the second-generation Acura Legend. Previous to the 1996 introduction of the first generation Acura RL was the second-generation Acura Legend (1991–1995), equivalent to the second-generation Honda Legend, which in turn was preceded by the first-generation Acura Legend (1986–1990), equivalent to the first-generation Honda Legend. The current second-generation Acura RL is a rebadged version of the fourth-generation Honda Legend and was introduced into the North American market in September 2004 as a 2005 model. The 2009 model year of the second-generation Acura RL is the product of an extensive Mid Model Change (MMC), reputedly the most extensive refresh in the 20+ year history of the marque. News and rumors from early 2008 indicate that the fourth-generation RL/Legend will be introduced in late calendar year 2010 as a 2011 model and may receive a V8 engine and rear-wheel drive. With the 2008 economic downturn, however, some have said that the rumored rear-wheel drive Acura specific platform, which would likely debut with the Acura RL, and extended down the Acura line, has been shelved.

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