Some food for thought:
The RL, regardless of year, accommodates the "double DIN" European standard. Kits to adapt mounting and wiring are included free with the purchase of a stereo from on-line suppliers like Cructhfield and Sonic Electronix.
"Sound quality" among the various choices is remarkably similar because nearly all built in integrated circuitry is the same in a $100 or $400 H.U's. out there, regardless of who builds them, so the selection of dash unit comes down to cosmetics and features you like and what is required for the overall system. There is literally no double DIN H.U. that won't fit the RL. But there are a wide variety of features to choose from.
As an example, one of the Pioneer AVH X700 series H.U's. will give you adequate built-in power for a component speaker system in the front of the RL, and full range speakers in the rear doors with sub woofer connection and software control options, bluetooth interface for your phone, USB and/or analog input options for an external music source and an option for XM (although Pioneer's XM module is not cheap). But there are many other brands out there.
See this
link for examples.
You'll see comments about 15 watts vs. 25 watts (or whatever) with H.U. power output. Although more appears to be the obvious choice, in reality the acoustic difference between those numbers is nearly imperceptible. Again, most of the integrated circuity in dash units come from the same or similar component suppliers, but when the marketing department of an name brand OEM gets a hold of technical specifications, the rated output of two units using the same internal components suddenly becomes 25 watts instead of 15 watts. It ain't real.
Aside from the individual speaker system characteristics, fit and efficiency are among the most important in a small system. So to make the most of available power, look for higher sensitivity in a system and go with it. The delta between 93 vs. 96db sensitivity is pure hair splitting, but that doesn't stop people from arguing over the subject. As long as they physically fit, you'll be satisfied with sound most name brand systems produce compared to the factory system.
Nearly any 6 1/2" component speaker system will fit in the front of the RL. Assuming you'll be installing mid-woofers in the door/tweeters in the dash, other than fit (which I strongly recommend over coaxial speakers in the door only), asking for specific recommendations is like asking if you should put salt of your french fries to improve taste. Sound, like taste, is a personal thing so any specific recommendation is likely to be based on the taste & experience of the listener.
Adapters for door mounts will ease installation but you'll likely hear criticism of the virtues of using plastic adapters vs. other methods. The difference between use of off-the-shelf adapters is more hair splitting. IMO - unless one is handy at fabrication and is looking to squeeze infinitesimal sonic benefits out of their system, off-the-shelf adapters will do the trick nicely. BTW: both Sonic Electronix and Crutchfield supply free plastic mounting & wiring adapters with speaker purchase.
You'll also see comments about the virtues of "sound stage" using component - front speakers only. That topic is also a matter of opinion and there is ample psycho acoustic study to support valid arguments either way. Let your wallet be the guide on whether you choose to install rear coaxial speakers inn the factory location. With or without them, you'll be happy with improved sound from the drivers listening position.
Since you mentioned utilizing the factory sub, (I fully support that idea) I'd suggest using one of the many small footprint out-board amplifiers out there connected to the sub output of a H.U. If the amp has a small enough footprint, and supports a mono wiring option, it could be installed behind the dash or in the console without having to remove the backseat. The most "difficult" part of adding an amp to the system will be choosing the correct place to tap power. A small, current efficient class D amp (most are these days) doesn't require direct connection to the battery but finding an appropriate factory power source can prove challenging. The issue here is how much current the factory wire is capable of conducting. There are lots of familiar, safe, name brand options here. I'd recommend going with some of the better known OEMs - stay away from brands like "Boss" and "Pyle" who compete for the bottom $ consumers by short cuts in design and quality.
There are many threads here on the topic of installation tips and tricks. They'll make a huge difference for your effort. Use the search engine on this forum and look around, you'll find good info about door panel & dash removal as well as power sources for an outboard amp.
How's that for a long winded, nebulous, non-committal reply? :act006:
Best of luck to you!
