Acura's midsize luxury coupe, the 3.2 CL, was last redesigned in 2001. At that time, it received upgraded 3.2-liter V6 engines, a five-speed automatic transmission with sequential SportShift, and a full load of standard equipment for a bargain-basement price. We road-tested a 2001 260-horsepower 3.2CL Type-S and wrote that "the Acura CL Type-S doesn't inspire much passion or excitement, but it does everything exceedingly well."
Though offering great value, the 3.2 CL hasn't caught on with consumers. For the first five months of 2002, CL sales have dropped more than 30 percent, as compared to the previous year. In contrast, the CL's four-door cousin, the TL, has remained a strong seller. What's a car company to do? If real life were like television, now would be the time for Acura to illuminate the Bat Signal.
That halfway-clever simile isn't as far off as you might think. Batman always had the great toys. The 2003 CL, too, gets more stuff. Acura has installed a number of improvements, such as an optional six-speed manual transmission (for the Type-S), freshened styling, LATCH child safety seat attachments, a dual-stage and dual-threshold driver front airbag and an auto-up driver window. For cars with the optional navigation system, OnStar, the in-vehicle communications and assistance service, is standard (Hmm, Batman hawks OnStar on TV. So perhaps there is no real world after all).
The six-speed manual will be the most intriguing piece of hardware for driving enthusiasts. As reported in our first drive, the transmission was designed to take advantage of the high-power output of the CL's engine. It features a close-ratio gear set, brass multi-cone synchronizers for reduced shifting load, a short-stroke cable-operated shifter, vibration-reducing enhancements and a self-adjusting clutch. The transmission also comes with a helical-type limited-slip front differential (LSD).
While front-wheel drive will never be the optimum drive configuration for a performance car, the CL Type-S with the six-speed does its best to compensate. It's certainly fast enough to humble most sport coupes. During instrumented testing, our test car went from 0 to 60 mph in 6.4 seconds and cleared the quarter-mile in 15.0 seconds at 95.2 mph.
This is faster than the automatic-equipped CL, but not by as much as we would have thought. An automatic-equipped CL Type-S we tested in 2001 did 0-to-60 in 6.7 seconds and the quarter in 15.0 seconds at 95.8 mph. It's possible that testing conditions were a factor for the '03 car; we don't correct our numbers for weather, and we were dealing with a 4-mph head wind at the time of the test. For reference, a manual-transmission '01 BMW 330Ci we tested did 0-to-60 in 5.9 seconds and the quarter in 14.5 seconds at 96.6 mph.
Not representative in the testing numbers is how the manual transmission helps to liven up the CL's driving experience. A quick two-gear downshift is all it takes to transform the car from a sleepy cruise-mobile into a frantic, redline-smacking thrill ride. In terms of shifter feel, this is one of the best six-speeds we've ever sampled. The action is short and positive, and the shift knob possesses a pleasing tactile feel. In our week with the car, none of our drivers ever missed a gear. Our only complaint would be that the clutch pedal has an awkward early engagement point that inhibits smooth shifting. Owners of the vehicle will likely get used to it.
Those living in snowy climates will be pleased to know that, for manual-equipped cars, Acura has replaced the foot-operated parking brake with a hand-operated one. Now that looping 90-degree fishtail turn into your snow-covered driveway is just a quick handle-pull away. Such hooliganism is made even easier in the manual-equipped car because Acura doesn't offer its Vehicle Stability Assist (VSA) system. Traction control is also missing from the features list. Though this is offered on automatic-equipped CLs, Acura feels that buyers of six-speed-equipped cars won't want VSA intruding on the driving experience.
The six-speed CL Type-S does come with the limited-slip front differential. We found the LSD to be quite smooth in operation and most useful during cornering; apply extra throttle when exiting a bend and the car pulls cleanly around. In other high-performance front-drive cars, doing the same thing frequently results in a spinning inside wheel and noticeable understeer. Unwanted torque steer, defined as a tendency for a front-drive car to turn in a particular direction when power is applied, is also minimal.
In terms of suspension tuning, the CL Type-S strikes a nice balance. It's soft enough to be used as a daily driver yet firm enough for occasional back-road romps. Still, this isn't an RSX — tight corners quickly reveal that the CL is a 3,461-pound car with a 62/38 front-to-rear weight distribution. Medium-speed corners are the CL's preferred venue.
The CL Type-S' main strength is value. Our navigation system-equipped test car listed at $33,180. To get a similarly equipped 330i or new CLK, you're faced with paying thousands of dollars more. Only the 2003 Infiniti G35 coupe will likely match the Acura on price.
Yet a coupe, by its very nature, is somewhat frivolous. By having just two doors, utility is sacrificed for performance and image. The CL, even with the manual transmission, earns only silver medals in these categories. Though you'll be paying more, we here at Edmunds feel the BMW 330i is still the best car in this class.
Though offering great value, the 3.2 CL hasn't caught on with consumers. For the first five months of 2002, CL sales have dropped more than 30 percent, as compared to the previous year. In contrast, the CL's four-door cousin, the TL, has remained a strong seller. What's a car company to do? If real life were like television, now would be the time for Acura to illuminate the Bat Signal.
That halfway-clever simile isn't as far off as you might think. Batman always had the great toys. The 2003 CL, too, gets more stuff. Acura has installed a number of improvements, such as an optional six-speed manual transmission (for the Type-S), freshened styling, LATCH child safety seat attachments, a dual-stage and dual-threshold driver front airbag and an auto-up driver window. For cars with the optional navigation system, OnStar, the in-vehicle communications and assistance service, is standard (Hmm, Batman hawks OnStar on TV. So perhaps there is no real world after all).
The six-speed manual will be the most intriguing piece of hardware for driving enthusiasts. As reported in our first drive, the transmission was designed to take advantage of the high-power output of the CL's engine. It features a close-ratio gear set, brass multi-cone synchronizers for reduced shifting load, a short-stroke cable-operated shifter, vibration-reducing enhancements and a self-adjusting clutch. The transmission also comes with a helical-type limited-slip front differential (LSD).
While front-wheel drive will never be the optimum drive configuration for a performance car, the CL Type-S with the six-speed does its best to compensate. It's certainly fast enough to humble most sport coupes. During instrumented testing, our test car went from 0 to 60 mph in 6.4 seconds and cleared the quarter-mile in 15.0 seconds at 95.2 mph.
This is faster than the automatic-equipped CL, but not by as much as we would have thought. An automatic-equipped CL Type-S we tested in 2001 did 0-to-60 in 6.7 seconds and the quarter in 15.0 seconds at 95.8 mph. It's possible that testing conditions were a factor for the '03 car; we don't correct our numbers for weather, and we were dealing with a 4-mph head wind at the time of the test. For reference, a manual-transmission '01 BMW 330Ci we tested did 0-to-60 in 5.9 seconds and the quarter in 14.5 seconds at 96.6 mph.
Not representative in the testing numbers is how the manual transmission helps to liven up the CL's driving experience. A quick two-gear downshift is all it takes to transform the car from a sleepy cruise-mobile into a frantic, redline-smacking thrill ride. In terms of shifter feel, this is one of the best six-speeds we've ever sampled. The action is short and positive, and the shift knob possesses a pleasing tactile feel. In our week with the car, none of our drivers ever missed a gear. Our only complaint would be that the clutch pedal has an awkward early engagement point that inhibits smooth shifting. Owners of the vehicle will likely get used to it.
Those living in snowy climates will be pleased to know that, for manual-equipped cars, Acura has replaced the foot-operated parking brake with a hand-operated one. Now that looping 90-degree fishtail turn into your snow-covered driveway is just a quick handle-pull away. Such hooliganism is made even easier in the manual-equipped car because Acura doesn't offer its Vehicle Stability Assist (VSA) system. Traction control is also missing from the features list. Though this is offered on automatic-equipped CLs, Acura feels that buyers of six-speed-equipped cars won't want VSA intruding on the driving experience.
The six-speed CL Type-S does come with the limited-slip front differential. We found the LSD to be quite smooth in operation and most useful during cornering; apply extra throttle when exiting a bend and the car pulls cleanly around. In other high-performance front-drive cars, doing the same thing frequently results in a spinning inside wheel and noticeable understeer. Unwanted torque steer, defined as a tendency for a front-drive car to turn in a particular direction when power is applied, is also minimal.
In terms of suspension tuning, the CL Type-S strikes a nice balance. It's soft enough to be used as a daily driver yet firm enough for occasional back-road romps. Still, this isn't an RSX — tight corners quickly reveal that the CL is a 3,461-pound car with a 62/38 front-to-rear weight distribution. Medium-speed corners are the CL's preferred venue.
The CL Type-S' main strength is value. Our navigation system-equipped test car listed at $33,180. To get a similarly equipped 330i or new CLK, you're faced with paying thousands of dollars more. Only the 2003 Infiniti G35 coupe will likely match the Acura on price.
Yet a coupe, by its very nature, is somewhat frivolous. By having just two doors, utility is sacrificed for performance and image. The CL, even with the manual transmission, earns only silver medals in these categories. Though you'll be paying more, we here at Edmunds feel the BMW 330i is still the best car in this class.
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