Acura CL


The Acura CL is a midsize four passenger coupe manufactured and marketed by Honda's Acura brand across two generations from 1997–2003 model years.
All first generation Acura CLs were manufactured at Honda's plant in East Liberty, Ohio with the Honda Civic. The second generation CL, TL and the Honda Accord upon which the Acura CLs were based, are manufactured at Honda's plant in Marysville, Ohio. The CL was the first Acura to be built in the United States.
With the release of the TL and 3.5RL in 1996, Acura transitioned to alphanumeric and/or two-letter names.

Acura CL-X

The Acura CL-X is a concept car built by Acura for the 1995 North American International Auto Show in Detroit. It was designed in Honda's R&D North America studio in Los Angeles. It is a two-dour coupe with a wheelbase of and a track width of. The concept was shown to preview the styling and body style of what would become the CL. The particular car shown had special carbon fiber and aluminum composite wheels designed for performance, with a staggered wheel setup of 18 inches in the front and 19 inches in the rear. It was reported to have a top speed of.

First generation (1996)

The Acura CL entered production in February 1996 for the 1997 model year, offered as the 3.0CL with either a 3.0 L J30A1 V6 producing, or a 2.2CL with a 2.2 L F22B1 I4 generating. For the 1998 and 1999 models years, the 2.2 was replaced by the 2.3CL offering a 2.3 L 4-cylinder F23A1 engine with.
Both the 4-cylinder and 6-cylinder CL offered a "Premium" trim level which offered leather upholstery, and in the 3.0, an Acura/Bose stereo. For the 1999 model year, the "Premium" trim level was eliminated, and leather seating became standard on all models. The alloy wheel design was different on the 3.0 for each year, moving from a five-spoke design for model year 1997, to a seven-spoke design in 1998, and finally to a different multi-spoke alloy design for 1999. The 2.2CL used a six-spoke design, then moved to a 5-spoke double-prong design for 2.3CL. The 4-cylinder model had an option for a 5-speed manual transmission. The CL also featured galvanized body panels which helps to prevent rust.
  • 1997–1999 Acura CL 3.0 L V6 –
  • 1997 Acura CL 2.2 L I4 –
  • 1998–1999 Acura CL 2.3 L I4 –

    Second generation (2001)

For the 1999 model year, the Acura CL's sibling, the TL, was redesigned. The CL, however, was never produced as a 2000 model and instead in March 2000 the completely redesigned Acura CL was released as a 2001 model featuring a 3.2 L SOHC VTEC J-series V6. A navigation system was also available along with the Type-S model, denoting Acura's 'Sport' edition. While the regular CL featured a V6, the Type-S boasted a V6 with 17-inch wheels, a firmer suspension, slightly larger brakes, and firmer seats. At the time, the Type-S was the most powerful front-wheel drive vehicle Honda had ever manufactured.
In 2002, the CL Type-S was offered, as a 2003 model, with a close-ratio 6-speed manual transmission with a helical limited-slip differential. The 6-speed CL deleted some minor interior features from the automatic, such as a center console light. Also, the heated seats only featured one heat setting. VSA and TCS were also not found on the 6-speed car, and as such, a 3-channel ABS unit was used. One of the main criticisms of the CL was that a manual transmission had been dropped when the car was redesigned for the 2001 model year. Very few manual transmission models were built; there were 2,690 without navigation and 824 with navigation, for a total of 3,514 in the US market. An additional 331 cars were produced for the Canadian market, all without navigation. Despite such small numbers of manual transmissions, there was still a greater demand than Acura had expected. The 6-speed car was highly praised by critics, with one calling it "the high point of Acura performance outside the NSX and Integra Type-R". However, with the CL's sister car, the TL, coming up on a redesign for the 2004 model year, the CL was dropped from Acura's lineup with no mid-size luxury coupe replacement. Total Acura CL sales from 2000 until 2003, when the last new model was sold, was less than 31,000 units. The CL's manual transmission survives in the third-generation TL and 7th generation Honda Accord.
The 2003 model year also brought cosmetic changes to the CL. The 5-watt road/fog lamps found on the 2001–02 models were deleted, and non-functional air vents were installed in their place. The grille surround and door handles became body colored, as opposed to being chrome on the 2001–02 models. The side mirrors were also redesigned by having a more square shape, full-body matched paint, and tinted glass since customers had complained about excessive wind noise coming from the mirror seam. The 2003 models also saw new headlights which featured a blacked-out interior, and the taillight lenses had a cleared turn signal and reverse light. Type-S models included updated 17 × 7" 12-spoke wheels. Revised thicker exhaust tips were also a new addition. Canadian CLs offer daytime running lights and a windshield washer fluid level sensor as standard equipment.
  • 2001–2003 Acura 3.2 CL –, mpg: 17 city/27 hwy.
  • 2001–2003 Acura 3.2 CL Type S – at 6,100 rpm, at 3,500–5,500 rpm. mpg: 19 city/29 hwy, 17 city/27 hwy.

    High-performance models

In 2002, Honda Access America developed a performance package for the CL Type S, which was built in concert with tuning firm Comptech. A specially designed Eaton twin-screw Roots-type supercharger was coupled with numerous suspension, exhaust, braking, and drivetrain enhancements. 0 to 60 mph times of the coupe were reduced from 6.0 seconds on a stock Type S to 5.7 seconds with the modifications. Output was claimed to be at 6,800 rpm and of torque at 5,400 rpm, with a fuel economy rating of.

Automatic transmission concerns

Problems have been seen with the second-generation CL models equipped with automatic transmissions. Reports say that after an average of around 40,000 miles, the transmission experiences gear failures, such as downshifts, slipping, flaring and not shifting, and leaking.
One main cause is excessive wear of the 3rd gear clutch pack, resulting in large amounts of debris blocking the flow of transmission fluid. Many owners reported problems with the replacement transmissions as well. Similar transmission-related issues exist in the Honda Accord, Acura MDX, Acura TL as well as the Honda Odyssey.
Due to many failures, the manufacturer extended the warranty on the automatic transmission on nearly all second-generation CLs to 84 years or. However, many rebuilt transmissions used as replacements also experienced problems, leading to a class-action lawsuit which extended the warranty to 93 months or for covered owners in the United States.
In addition, there was an unrelated transmission recall for safety reasons after it was found a gear could to overheat, break and cause the transmission to lock up, bringing the vehicle to a sudden stop.

Sales