Acura RL Technical Info (Continued)
Safety Overview
The RL is equipped with a comprehensive array of the latest technologies to
enhance active safety (accident avoidance) and passive safety (crash safety
performance). Features like Vehicle Stability Assist (VSA(R)) with traction
control, heightened handling agility, SH-AWD and ABS enhance accident avoidance
capability in the RL. Should a collision prove unavoidable, the Advanced
Compatibility Engineering (ACE) body structure of the RL is designed to provide
a protective cocoon for passengers in the event of a collision with a different
sized vehicle (a truck or SUV, for example). Inside, side, side curtain and
dual-stage front air bag systems work together with sophisticated restraint
systems to minimize injury to passengers in sufficient impacts.
Following are the key passive safety features on the new RL.
Passenger Seating
- 3-point adjustable height front seat belts with load limiters and
pretensioners
- Front seat belt load limiters
- Front 4-way adjustable head restraints
- Driver's seat position sensor
- Driver's and front passenger's side airbags with front passenger Occupant
Position Detection System (OPDS)
- Rear center three-point seat belt
Child Seating
- Automatic Locking Retractors/Emergency Locking Retractors (ALR/ELR)
- Tether anchors (all rear positions)
- LATCH (Lower Anchors and Tethers for Children) child-seat mounting system
(rear outboard seats)
Airbags
- Driver's and front passenger's dual-stage, dual-threshold airbag
Supplementary Restraint System (SRS)
- Seamless airbag lid for the passenger airbag
- Driver's and front passenger's side airbags with front passenger Occupant
Position Detection System (OPDS)
- Side curtain airbag system
Advanced Compatibility EngineeringTM (ACETM) Body Structure
The Advanced Compatibility Engineering (ACE) body structure on the 2005 Acura
RL is designed to take vehicle front frame construction beyond conventional
safety protocols such as the NHTSA NCAP 35 mph frontal barrier test or the IIHS
40 mph offset frontal crash. Its goal is to deliver significantly enhanced
occupant protection in a variety of real-world crash conditions. These may
include a frontal collision between vehicles of differing heights, weights and
frame construction.
The ACE structure uses the engine compartment to efficiently absorb and
disperse collision energy during a vehicle-to-vehicle collision. It features a
new frame structure composed of a highly efficient energy-absorbing main frame,
a bulkhead (upper frame) which absorbs the upper part of the collision energy,
and a lower member that helps prevent misalignment of the frames of the vehicles
involved. This design disperses collision forces over a larger frontal area,
which enhances energy absorption of the engine compartment, reduces the chance
of deformation of the passenger compartment and results in enhanced occupant
protection. At the same time, by reducing the chance of vertical or lateral
misalignment between the RL and other vehicle's safety structures, ACE reduces
the vehicle's aggressivity toward other vehicles during a frontal collision.
During a frontal collision, a conventional body structure generally
concentrates the loads from the impact through two pathways running
longitudinally through the lower portion of the frame. The ACE structure's
front-mounted polygonal main frame is designed to prevent cabin deformation by
distributing forces through multiple major load bearing pathways-and away from
the passenger compartment.
Crash Testing
Projected impact test results for the RL are excellent in four separate tests
from the federal government and Insurance Institute for Highway Safety
(IIHS).
- In the IIHS 40 mph frontal offset test, the RL is projected to return a GOOD
rating
- In the 35 mph New Car Assessment Program (NCAP) full frontal barrier test,
the RL is projected to earn Five Stars, the highest rating for both driver and
front passenger
- In the 38 mph US NCAP side test, the RL is projected to earn Five Stars, the
highest rating for both front and rear outboard passenger
- In the IIHS 50km/h (31 mph) SUV side collision test, RL is projected to
return a GOOD rating
Driver's and Front Passenger's Dual-Stage, Dual-Threshold Airbag Supplementarty
Restraint System (SRS)
Dual-stage airbags for the driver and front passenger are designed to provide
maximum protection for the head and chest during a moderate to severe front
collision, while simultaneously helping to reduce injuries and cost. They do
both through the use of a dual-stage, dual-threshold airbag technology. Each
airbag inflator has two stages. During a severe collision both stages fire at
the same time to provide immediate inflation of the airbag. But during a
moderate collision the igniters fire in sequence, slowing the deployment rate of
the airbags.
Besides the severity of the collision, the modules interpret a signal from
the seat belt buckle switch that indicates whether the occupants are wearing
their seat belts.
- If the front passengers are not wearing their seat belts, the inflators will
activate simultaneously to make the airbag deploy more quickly.
- If the front passengers are wearing their seat belts, the airbags will
inflate at a slightly higher threshold.
In the RL, the system also assesses the weight of the front passenger through
a seat weight sensor. If the weight is less than a certain amount, the front
passenger airbag is shut off. The front passenger's airbag also features a
seamless instrument panel cover over the airbag for a cleaner, more elegant
look.
Driver's And Front Passenger's Side Airbags With Front Passenger Occupant Position
Detection System(OPDS)
New larger size side airbags are mounted in the outboard area of each front
seatback. They are designed to provide upper torso protection in the event of a
sufficient side impact. The front passenger's seat is equipped with Occupant
Position Detection System (OPDS), an innovative system designed to deactivate
the side air bag if a small child (or small-stature adult) leans into the side
air bag deployment path. When the passenger returns to an upright seating
position, the side air bag reactivates so it can deploy and help protect the
occupant in a side impact. The system utilizes sensors in the passenger seatback
to determine the height and position of the occupant, and determine if it is
safe to deploy the side air bag.
Side Curtain Airbags
In a sufficient side impact, the side curtain airbags in the new RL deploy
from roof modules, providing head protection for front-seat as well as rear-seat
occupants. Side curtain airbags effectively cover the window area from the
A-pillar back to the C-pillar. Tests show that the g forces acting upon an
occupant's head are far lower with a side curtain airbag.
Latch (Lower Anchors and Tethers fo Children)
The 2005 RL includes a LATCH (Lower Anchors and Tethers for Children)
child-seat mounting system for the outboard rear seats. LATCH features built-in
lower anchors and ready-to-use tether attachment points that allow compatible
child safety seats to be installed without using the vehicle's seat belt system.
The LATCH system simplifies child seat installation when an owner installs a
LATCH-compatible child seat. The center rear seat has a tether point, but no
lower anchors.
Pedestrian Safety
Acura's safety interests extend beyond care for vehicle occupants. The RL
hood area was designed to deform if contact is made with either an adult or a
child pedestrian. Underneath the hood are energy-absorbing supports and fender
mounts, and the windshield wiper pivots are also deformable in the event that a
pedestrian contacts these areas. Research shows that features such as these
dramatically improve a pedestrian's chance of survival if struck by a moving
vehicle.
Damage Resistance & Reparability
In the IIHS low speed crash evaluation tests, the RL is projected to receive
top rating in the large-luxury class. Copyright © by All-Acura All Right Reserved. Published on: 2004-09-26 (65 reads)Go Back To: 2005 Model Line-up | 
