Exceptionally refined engine (3.0L)! Very smooth and very powerful. Quiet, luxurious ride. Great handling and performance. Slight emphasis on comfort and luxury as opposed to sportiness.

Transmission shifts a little harsh in the low gear. Fuel economy isn't the greatest (average about 23-25 mpg), but about what you'd expect for this size engine.

I think the CL is one of the best sport coupes on the market. Before purchasing mine, I tried to accumulate as much information as possible, and based on price (especially for used!), performance, exceptional reliability, and superior ride/comfort, I found the CL to be head of the class. I'd absolutely recommend it!

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Much more refined and luxurious than the Honda Accord. Much more interior space than the Mazda MX-6, Honda Prelude. And it flat out looks better than the Camry Solara!

Acceleration, brakes, cornering, interior and exterior styling and materials, sound system - I like this car a lot!

I expect it will be as reliable as my other 3 Honda cars.

Very minor, but the ride is a little bit "jiggly" at low speeds over bad surfaces - like some city streets.

Another "nit" - the cabin is so quiet that the nice road-feel from the tight suspension sometimes produces vibration noise over poor surfaces.

A very fast, roomy and luxurious sports coupe with unchallenged quality and long term reliability. Oh......and its really fast too.

Comparable or better than its German competition in acceleration, braking distance, slalom speed and skid pad lateral acceleration. BMW or Audi might have the edge in the impossible-to-measure "pure feel" category.

The Acura CL-S styling is muscular, clean and elegant - like a timelessly tailored suit. Without quirky styling gimmicks that become embarrassing before you can afford to unload it - the Acura won't look dated in ten years when you finally need to replace something besides the tires and battery.

Mine cost $29,700 - at least $10,000 less than the similarly (but not quite as well) equipped Teutonic competition.

Having owned a brand new BMW, Audi and Porsche, the 3.2 CL-S is my fourth Honda. Unlike professional auto-writers I don't get a new car every week, I'm spending my own money and I need long term reliable transportation.

But every day, 10 miles of my commute is on steep, twisty county roads in the California coastal mountains. That's when 260 hp and a 5-speed manu-matic makes me temporarily forget the boring reliability, perforated leather, 6 disc CD, tomb-silent cabin and 26 miles per gallon. I just open up the roof and listen to the engine growl accelerating out of the last curve after down shifting to 2nd. Did I mention speedy.....well?

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BMW, Audi and Porsche - all purchased new, all much more expensive and much less reliable.

Great interior and exterior styling. Does not look like the hundreds of Accords and Civics on the road. Honda reliability in a sport luxury car.

It could use some more horses in the 2.2 model. Having a stick helps. Sun Roof and driver window should have auto up.

So far it is a great car. Best value possible. A luxury/performance car I bought used for 13,000. Acura Ceritified warrenty is a must. Had a loose heat shield and a burnt out bulb shortly after I bought it, but it runs great. Also has a weird rattling from the gauges, but it goes away when I use tilt wheel. Previous posters complined of no power passenger seat, but I consider it a plus when letting passengers in. Adding a spoiler takes away from the luxury look. You can put a spoiler on a Metro, but that doesent make it a sports car.

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Deceptively fast
Luxurious and comfortable
Solid Acura build
Great value for the money

Turning radius
Limited trunk space
Fog Lights not standard

I absolutely love this car, and knew I wanted to own it the second I test drove it. I bought it used years ago to replace my '91 Infiniti G20, and have never once regretted it. It's deceptively fast, luxurious, well built, and a great deal for the money. In addition, the Bose stereo sounds very good for a stock system, and it's unique styling has held up well over the years. I don't know if I'd recommend this car if you plan to primarily use it for city driving or tooling around town (my wife's Saturn is much better suited for that), because it really does seem to favor high speed cruising over slow stop and go traffic. However, when you do give it a chance to open up and stretch it's legs on a long winding road, for example, this car is in it's element. I simply love taking it for long highway trips because it is so damn enjoyable to drive.

My only gripe is its wide turning radius which can really make it a pain to navigate through tight turns, its small trunk space (although, let's face it, that's not why you would buy this car), and maybe the lack of standard fog lights; WHY they didn't throw that into the package when everything else was included is beyond me. But so what - no car's perfect, and the CL's strenghts outweighs it's weaknesses by a mile.

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Infiniti G20

Engine, handling, ride, sporty yet elegant interior, Honda reliability.

Front wheel drive, styling (subjective), wheel design gets scratched easily. Fuel economy actually isn't that great when the VTEC kicks in all the time.

This car makes great impressions on you in the showroom...it keeps growing on you when you get it home. As the other reviewers say on this model, it's the best bang for the buck. As a prior BMW owner in every which way, the CL-S matches or beats the 3-series in everything except handling and styling (subjective). Don't get me wrong, the CL-S's handling is superb despite the fact that it's frontwheel drive. This is it's only drawback in handling compared to the rearwheel drive BMW. The Acura's styling is clean and handsome though it tends to remind people of the Honda Accord coupe. Thus the CL lacks originality in the styling dept., but the Accord is a handsome car to begin with. The navigation system gets you out of the woods everytime. The interior features/styling is high-class. The VTEC engine begs you to stomp on the gas pedal all the time.

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everything!

nada

I have a 2001 V6 Accord Coupe fully loaded I like the car but something was missing and that's when I test drove the CL Type S. It was the need for speed! This car was my Honda Accord on steriods. I fell in love with this car right away the sales guy handed me the keys and said "go ahead take her for a spin". I opened this car up on a back road doing 80 yee ha!
All I say is I'm in the works of getting this car. Bye-Bye Accord!

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I guess the TL.

Fabulous engine--smooth and powerful. Seats, interior layout and driving feel are among the best of any car at any price. Super combination of smooth and tight ride with responsive handling. This car is joy to drive around the corner, or across the country. It's also very livable--nice trunk, reasonable rear seats, and LOTS and LOTS of great standard features.

Mine has a small rattle in the rear headliner. Acura's been working on it for 6 months but it's persistant. Seatbelt doesn't spring back and gets caught in the door when exiting.

Excellent car that is better than much anything else in it's class up to low 40's! At $30,000 this car is a steal. I had my heart set on a 2001 BMW 330 csi. I loved the way the Beemer looked but was not crazy about how small it was inside, the harsh ride, nor the price once I added my "necessary" options. I test drove the Acura and in 5 minutes it was an easy decsion. Even if the cars were the same price, I'd definitly buy the Acura. There is ONLY one other car in "this category" that compares--the Mercedes CLK 430. But I'll save the $25,000!!

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1 IROC Z-28, 1 Honda Accord EX, 2 Nissan Maximas (all brand new).

VALUE - great option list for the $$$$$$$
Engine is very smooth
Quality of build is very good
Seats are great and leather is nice
Nice Trunk space for coupe

Brakes - Read the boards and you will see that most people are getting the rotors ground after 15k ... not good
Transmission - I have had the car for 23k and the transmission is not the same, it is very sloppy and worries me a bit...
Handling, horrible body roll for a car compared to a BMW

Fun car but you don't really see the high-end in every day driving. This is NOT a sports car, it is a GT car and is a nice blend of performance and luzury but it is not a 3 Series or an S4 or an S2000...

I had this car for about 15 months and traded it in for an Audi S4. The handling is average ... the auto transmissions is not the same after 20k miles and the brakes are good size but underpowered.

The aftermarket parts for this car are there but not pelntiful ...

Yes it is much cheaper than an S4 or a 330 but it is not the same, take the Type S - add springs, shocks, CAI, headers, lighter rims and sways - then it is a comparison but you just put 5 to 6k into the car (closing in on the competitors price) and VOIDED the warranty.

Also this car is OK looking but does nto get looks like a 260 HP car should.

Thsi car si great for unaggresive drivers who want a solid, nice FWD car for long road trips. This car is NOT good for people who like to drive and have fun in the car ... in a word you can tell it came from an Accord and no one would ever mistake an Accord for a sports car.

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BMW 330, 328 and E36 M3
Audi S4 and TT
Honda Accord V6

Steering, VTEC engine, auto stick shifter, seats, 6 disc CD Changer, service dept. at my dealer, dual seat memory tied into remote door lock openers.

All minor. Wheels get scratched too easily, disc brake rotors warped after 27K miles, paint is a shade or two off between bumpers and body of car (white), paint seems to chip easily, rattle in the sun roof when the cover is pulled back, seat belt retracters are weak.

This is by far the best car I have ever owned. I drive over 800 miles a week and I never get tired of driving this thing. I can drive for 3 or 4 hours and still feel good when I get out. The power of the VTEC is wonderful. The seats are firm, but never uncomfortable. My Grlfriend loves the heated seats. I have had two adults in the back seats a few times without complaints.
My dealer found a couple of manufacturing problems (seal leaks) that I hadn't even noticed and fixed them at no charge. I seem to be really lucky with the dealer I bought from. I first tried a dealer in Chattanooga and ran outta' there.
I can't recommend the white, unless you like washing your car every day. Also, the bumpers are a bit darker on my white car than the body. I mentioned it to the dealer and they told me metal and plastic absorb paint at different rates.

I wouldn't hesitate to buy this car again

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I drove all the less expensive imports, such as the Toyota, Nissan, Honda, VW, etc. None compared to this baby. All the others were 10K more and you don't get any better than the Acura.

Bang for the buck!
Excellent interior, only one option (Nav System), makes buying easy.
17in. wheels, dual exhaust, sport-tuned suspension.
Safety features: dual-side airbags and steel door beams, Vehicle Stability

0-30 acceleration could use improvement, hence my #4 Overall rating--needs low rmp umph--Looking for performance upgrades (Some lack of power could be due to 105 degree heat).
Side mirrors block view for 5'-5" spouse.
Wheels subject to curb damage.
Conservative transmission and throttle but hopefully upgrades will become available for the performance enthusiasts.

Only minor complaints. That's all folks!

In comparison to the competition, the Acura is an excellent buy. The CLS has all the options you need, luxury interior appointments and service, quality, sleek exterior, great handling and stability, mid-high range engine performance, and excellent warranty.

Perfect car for extended driving or commuting. I find it difficult to keep my foot out of the throttle, actually blew by 135 mph mark on the speedo and had back off due to traffic! Pass every car I can when driving, always exciting to drive--Go drive one and see for yourself.

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BMW 325ci, Audi A4/S4, Nissan Maxima, Lexus IS300, Volvo S60
The competition is over rated, way to expensive (Except for the Maxima which is also a bargain if your looking for a sporty family sedan, actually own one myself--1996 SE). Comparitively speaking, the Acura is the wise choice considering a price tag that is 10-15K less.