2011 Acura RL

2011-12 Acura Lease Rates – September 2011

Acura lease rates look good this month, but the discounts aren’t nearly as good as in the “pre-tsunami” months (the only exception would be the TL). Dealer cash is available on many models, but the only significant rebate to be had is only available on the TL (no surprise there).

I will go out on a limb to say that the TL is probably the best deal you can get on an Acura right now. The car isn’t the most attractive $30k+ luxury car, but it’s well-built and backed by one of the best lease programs in the industry. If you are getting a RWG rating anywhere near my estimate below, don’t bother asking me if it’s a good deal, just get the car!!!


Here is a sample calculation based on TrueCar’s Southern California sale price and do not include local taxes. Please note that your dealer calculations may vary due to local fees/taxes.

2012 ACURA TL BASE
MSRP – $36,490
Sale Price – $31,567 ($1250 + $500 dealer cash applied)
Monthly – $357+ tax
RWG Rating – 98.1

For Dealer Quotes, Click Here.


2011 ACURA MDX BASE
36 Month – Residual 55% of MSRP – .00068 Base Rate

2011 ACURA RL BASE
36 Month – Residual 49% of MSRP – .00190 Base Rate

2011 ACURA TSX 4DR SEDAN AT BASE
36 Month – Residual 57% of MSRP – .00057 Base Rate

2011 ACURA ZDX BASE
36 Month – Residual 54% of MSRP – .00085 Base Rate

2011 ACURA RDX AWD BASE
36 Month – Residual 53% of MSRP – .00033 Base Rate

2012 ACURA TL BASE
36 Month – Residual 60% of MSRP – .00166 Base Rate

2012 ACURA TL SH-AWD BASE
36 Month – Residual 58% of MSRP – .00166 Base Rate

1108_acura_tsx

2011-12 Acura Lease Rates – August 2011

Acura lease rates remain practically unchanged with the exception of the RL, which had it’s residual drop by 1%. The TL is a fairly good lease this month. There is $1,000 Dealer Cash and $500 Dealer Bonus Lease Cash (this looks like a regional incentive). If you are a returning customer, you get an additional $750!!! See the first calculation below for an example of what returning customers would be looking at on a lease!

For those who are new to Acura, you are looking at a bump of about $20 per month since you don’t qualify for the $750 loyalty cash.

Alternatively you can lease the car at invoice and apply the cash towards your drive-off and do a $0 drive-off deal since the $1500 (returning customers will have extra cash left over to pay down the cap cost) should cover your inception fees.

Overall, you are looking at the TL sold at invoice PLUS all rebates as the target price. I’m quite sure that if you approach your dealer with that offer, most will agree to it.


Here is a sample calculation based on TrueCar’s Southern California sale price and do not include local taxes. Please note that your dealer calculations may vary due to local fees/taxes.

Returning Customers
2012 ACURA TL BASE
MSRP – $36,490
Sale Price – $31,317 ($1000 + $500 + $750 dealer cash applied)
Monthly – $343+ tax
RWG Rating – 101.2

New Customers
2012 ACURA TL BASE
MSRP – $36,490
Sale Price – $32,067 ($1000 + $500 dealer cash applied)
Monthly – $364+ tax
RWG Rating – 96.7

For Dealer Quotes, Click Here.


2011 ACURA MDX BASE
36 month | 15k miles | residual 57% | .00103 base money factor

2011 ACURA RDX AWD BASE
36 month | 15k miles | residual 55% | .00097 base money factor

2011 ACURA RL BASE
36 month | 15k miles | residual 51% | .00190 base money factor

2012 ACURA TL BASE
36 month | 15k miles | residual 61% | .00170 base money factor

2012 ACURA TL SH-AWD BASE
36 month | 15k miles | residual 59% | .00170 base money factor

2011 ACURA TSX 4DR SEDAN AT BASE
36 month | 15k miles | residual 59% | .00092 base money factor

2011 ACURA ZDX BASE
36 month | 15k miles | residual 56% | .00085 base money factor

1107_acura_tl

2011-12 Acura Lease Rates – July 2011


Nothing too exciting here. The RDX got a nice MF reduction (without a residual penalty), making it more “lease-able”. The rest of the models had to drop the MF due to a 1% drop in residual, making it about the same as last month.

Now some good news on the TL. Acura is providing some REALLY great financing options PLUS $1000 dealer cash and two Dealer Bonus Cash ($750 and $500). There are some restrictions on this, so be sure to read the fine print. Here is a link to Edmunds’ Acura Incentives Page. Remember, this is DEALER CASH not CUSTOMER CASH, so in most cases it’s used at DEALER’s discretion.


Here is a sample calculation based on TrueCar’s Southern California sale price and do not include local taxes. Please note that your dealer calculations may vary due to local fees/taxes.

2012 ACURA TL BASE
MSRP – $36,490
Sale Price – $32,567 ($1000 dealer cash applied)
Monthly – $380+ tax
RWG Rating – 94.0

For Dealer Quotes, Click Here.


2011 ACURA MDX BASE
36 month | 15k miles | residual 57% | .00103 base money factor

2011 ACURA RDX AWD BASE
36 month | 15k miles | residual 55% | .00097 base money factor

2011 ACURA RL BASE
36 month | 15k miles | residual 52% | .00190 base money factor

2012 ACURA TL BASE
36 month | 15k miles | residual 61% | .00170 base money factor

2012 ACURA TL SH-AWD BASE
36 month | 15k miles | residual 59% | .00170 base money factor

2011 ACURA TSX 4DR SEDAN AT BASE
36 month | 15k miles | residual 59% | .00092 base money factor

2011 ACURA ZDX BASE
36 month | 15k miles | residual 56% | .00085 base money factor

1106_acura_zdx

2011-12 Acura Lease Rates – June 2011


TL and TSX money factors dropped since May. Other than that, everything else stays the same. As good as Acura programs are, I still find it difficult to see how their leases are financially attractive. Money factors were more than likely dropped in response to price hikes due to production shortages. I was really hoping that this year would be the year where we would see great leases like we did three or four years ago. It’s not looking like that’s going to be the case.


Here is a sample calculation based on TrueCar’s Southern California sale price and do not include local taxes. Please note that your dealer calculations may vary due to local fees/taxes.

2011 ACURA MDX BASE
MSRP – $43,440
Sale Price – $40,754
Monthly – $519+ tax
RWG Rating – 85.3

For Dealer Quotes, Click Here.


2011 ACURA MDX BASE
36 month | 15k miles | residual 57% | .00103 base money factor

2011 ACURA RDX AWD BASE
36 month | 15k miles | residual 55% | .00126 base money factor

2011 ACURA RL BASE
36 month | 15k miles | residual 52% | .00190 base money factor

2012 ACURA TL BASE
36 month | 15k miles | residual 62% | .00186 base money factor

2012 ACURA TL SH-AWD BASE
36 month | 15k miles | residual 60% | .00186 base money factor

2011 ACURA TSX 4DR SEDAN AT BASE
36 month | 15k miles | residual 60% | .00151 base money factor

2011 ACURA ZDX BASE
36 month | 15k miles | residual 57% | .00121 base money factor

1105_acura_mdx

2011-12 Acura Lease Rates – May 2011


Other than the MDX, Acura has bumped the MF on every model in their line up. That is not great news for you Acura lovers because your lease just got worse. The only way to offset that increase will probably be at the negotiation table. Unfortunately, with supply shortages, pinning down a great sales price may prove to be a challenge.


Here is a sample calculation based on TrueCar’s Southern California sale price and do not include local taxes. Please note that your dealer calculations may vary due to local fees/taxes.

2011 ACURA MDX BASE
MSRP – $43,440
Sale Price – $40,754
Monthly – $512+ tax
RWG Rating – 86.1


2011 ACURA MDX BASE
36 month | 15k miles | residual 57% | .00103 base money factor

2011 ACURA RDX AWD BASE
36 month | 15k miles | residual 55% | .00126 base money factor

2011 ACURA RL BASE
36 month | 15k miles | residual 52% | .00190 base money factor

2012 ACURA TL BASE
36 month | 15k miles | residual 62% | .00190 base money factor

2012 ACURA TL SH-AWD BASE
36 month | 15k miles | residual 60% | .00190 base money factor

2011 ACURA TSX 4DR SEDAN AT BASE
36 month | 15k miles | residual 60% | .00190 base money factor

2011 ACURA ZDX BASE
36 month | 15k miles | residual 57% | .00121 base money factor

1104_acura_tl

2011 Acura Lease Rates – April 2011


Looks like Acura has kept the lease rates the same as last month. According to TrueCar, it looks like sale prices have remain the same as last month as well (at least in the Southern California region). Assuming your neck of the woods sells for about the same as last month, whatever quote you got last month should still apply this month. I personally think that the TSX needs to drop a bit more, though.


Here is a sample calculation based on TrueCar’s Southern California sale price and do not include local taxes. Please note that your dealer calculations may vary due to local fees/taxes.

2011 ACURA TL BASE
MSRP – $36,165
Sale Price – $32,316
Monthly – $378+ tax
RWG Rating – 93.5

2011 ACURA TSX BASE
MSRP – $30,470
Sale Price – $28,344
Monthly – $340+ tax
RWG Rating – 89.5

For Dealer Quotes, CLICK HERE.


2011 ACURA MDX BASE
36 month | 15k miles | residual 57% | .00145 base money factor

2011 ACURA RDX AWD BASE
36 month | 15k miles | residual 55% | .00159 base money factor

2011 ACURA RL BASE
36 month | 15k miles | residual 52% | .00072 base money factor

2011 ACURA TL BASE
36 month | 15k miles | residual 57% | .00101 base money factor

2011 ACURA TL SH-AWD BASE
36 month | 15k miles | residual 55% | .00101 base money factor

2011 ACURA TSX 4DR SEDAN AT BASE
36 month | 15k miles | residual 60% | .00129 base money factor

2011 ACURA ZDX BASE
36 month | 15k miles | residual 57% | .00120 base money factor

1101replacingtheg

What’s Going On – April 2011

Last Friday, I became a first-time homeowner! Woo Hoo! That’s been the biggest reason why I’ve been completely out-of-it in the past month. Unfortunately, I am in fixing-n-packing mode this month, so I have to continue keeping my comments short. I will continue to do what I can and drop a few lines here and there to help out. Lease rates should also be coming in the next couple days. I have already sent out request for some numbers and will focus in finding some numbers for you all in the coming weeks. Your patience is appreciated.

Working with the house this past weekend has opened my eyes to how inconvenient having a coupe really is. Hauling things from Home Depot or Lowe’s has been next to impossible (unless its just a few paint cans and brushes) so it has really been causing a lot of confusion as to what I want to be driving next. Clearly, the visits to home improvement stores won’t be stopping any time soon, therefore, I feel the need to get into something more practical this time around.

To recap, (Replacing the G – Party 2) I have been”casually” shopping for my next ride since November. I test drove a handful of cars/suvs and got a good feel for what I wanted next. However, this home ownership business has really thrown a curve ball at me recently. Not only do I have a strict budget to adhere to, but I also have to factor in operational costs ( gas has been creeping up into the $4+ territory. Yickes!). Just last night, I was at Costco and it cost me $67 to fill up 16 gallons on the G. CRAZY. Doing that 3-4 times a week has me feeling like my wallet has lost some of that plumpness!

In any case, due to these circumstances, I decided to trim down my list even further by narrowing it down to the following cars.

  1. Hyundai Sonata Turbo SE
  2. Hyundai Sonata Turbo Limited
  3. Subaru Forester X
  4. Subaru Forester XT
  5. Acura TSX
  6. Audi A3 Premium
  7. VW GTI
  8. VW Tiguan S
  9. Honda Pilot LX 4WD

At the moment, I find myself leaning towards leasing the Sonata Turbo SE with the Nav/Sunroof package. It provides me with the best equipped vehicle and the lowest payment. It lacks the practicality of having that “5th door”, but it’s easy on the pocketbook. I’m also toying with the idea of getting a GTI or going all out and getting the Pilot. Tough decisions to be made in the coming months! I have about 4 months and three payments left on my G37, so the hunt for my next ride will be shifting into high gear really soon!

So which car did you think I will be driving in a few months? Care to guess?

1103_acura_zdx

2011 Acura Lease Rates – March 2011


I have no idea what Acura is doing this month. With a drop in residual pretty much across the board (except for the MDX, which remains a mediocre lease this month), you would except Acura to drop the Money Factor to keep payments around the same as last month, right? Well, they do, but not for the RDX. Ironically, they decided to jack up the money factor instead. What the heck, right? Luckily, not all is lost. The TL lease looks improved, so at least we have that. The TSX doesn’t look half bad, but I would wait another month to see if it’s RWG rating breaks the 90+ range.


Here is a sample calculation based on TrueCar’s Southern California sale price and do not include local taxes. Please note that your dealer calculations may vary due to local fees/taxes.

2011 ACURA TL BASE
MSRP – $36,165
Sale Price – $32,316
Monthly – $378+ tax
RWG Rating – 93.5

2011 ACURA TSX BASE
MSRP – $30,470
Sale Price – $28,344
Monthly – $340+ tax
RWG Rating – 89.5

For Dealer Quotes, Click Here.


2011 ACURA MDX BASE
36 month | 15k miles | residual 57% | .00145 base money factor

2011 ACURA RDX AWD BASE
36 month | 15k miles | residual 55% | .00159 base money factor

2011 ACURA RL BASE
36 month | 15k miles | residual 52% | .00072 base money factor

2011 ACURA TL BASE
36 month | 15k miles | residual 57% | .00101 base money factor

2011 ACURA TL SH-AWD BASE
36 month | 15k miles | residual 55% | .00101 base money factor

2011 ACURA TSX 4DR SEDAN AT BASE
36 month | 15k miles | residual 60% | .00129 base money factor

2011 ACURA ZDX BASE
36 month | 15k miles | residual 57% | .00120 base money factor