Autoweek.com Review

(13:40:59 Jan. 30, 2002)

2003 Acura CL Type-S

You can shift for yourself

By ROGER HART

One reason the garages of many car enthusiasts contain vehicles from Honda and its luxury/performance division Acura is because the company listens to its customers. And listening is why, for the first time since the CL Type-S was introduced in 1996, the car soon will be available with a close-ratio six-speed manual transmission.

With 260 hp cranking out of the 3.2-liter sohc VTEC V6, a stiff chassis, double-wishbone suspension and aggressive wheels and tires, the CL Type-S has hovered at the fringe of luxury coupe greatness in trying to compete with those cars from Bavaria.

While the five-speed sequential-shift automatic transmission was adequate, the car (and many customers) cried out for a manual box. With the availability of a six-speed manual transmission and an all-new limited-slip differential, the mask is off the CL Type-S.

The short-throw shifter feels similar to that of the CL’s racy big brother, the NSX. The manual transmission cuts 64 pounds, giving the car slightly better front-to-rear balance, as well as allowing 0-to-60-mph times a half-second quicker.

The chassis has also been reworked on the ’03 Type-S, while the two-year-old exterior has been freshened on all CLs. Stiffer springs and shocks front and rear and a larger-diameter rear antiroll bar give the CL Type-S crisper handling. Electronically controlled hydraulic engine mounts help reduce vibration to the subframe. The manual-transmission model uses hydraulic damping units at the front and rear of the engine to reduce the fore and aft rocking tendency of the engine during hard acceleration that would have been felt through the shifter. Coupled with other NVH reductions, including the use of foam sound barriers and the liberal use of Thinsulate, the car is now quiet as well as being quick.

Just 15 percent of the 18,000 CLs coming to the States will be Type-S models equipped with the manual transmission, so if you want one of those 2700 cars, you’d better speak up. As Honda knows, CL owners are a vocal bunch.