2001 Acura CL Type S review from North America

Nothing.

An absolutely outstanding vehicle combining luxury, acceleration, handling and comfort. The interior is very well laid out and features excellent ergonomics. The seats have thick side bolstering which keep my behind from sliding over the leather during hard cornering. Speaking of cornering the CL handles outstanding; it corners with such grip, composure and is so flat at first I had to remind myself it wasn't a newer BMW 3 series. Acceleration is fantastic, especially off the line where the car instantly jumps while the tach soars to the redline. At about 5,000 RPM the VTEC emits a nice sound and the tach surges even harder to redline. Truly impressive are second, third and fourth gears on the highway. The semi-manual mode allows gear changes to be made faster and harder and works well. As far as exterior styling is concerned, the CL looks absolutely fantastic, especially in black, accented with bluish white Zenon headlamps. Stylish 17" wheels look great.

A well cared for CL Type S sells for about half of what new value was, and in all honesty, nothing really FOR THE MONEY is more desireable. A Lexus IS300 is perhaps more reliable, but needs more power, and for the price of one used G35 coupe you could buy 2 used CL Type S'.

The internet has blown the transmission recall out of proportion. Even still, I would buy this car again and again.