larchmont

As long as you CL dudes are on here:

What's the deal anyway about the CL being discontinued? We know there have been some problems, but a lot of people love the car, it looks great -- and this leaves Acura without a 2-door except the RSX. So, what's the story? And what do you see Acura doing for other 2-doors in the future?

I figure you must have kicked this around a lot on the CL site.

Mr Zipps

i think they will eventually come out with a TL Coupe. That is my thinking... Acura needs a 2 door car in the 30k area...

ProZach

The CL doesn't sell simply because it is being marketed as a luxo-sports car, and trying to be similiar to a G35, 330Ci, and CLK. One problem, all of those cars are RWD and have reasonably distinctive styling. I LOVE the styling of my CLS, but it is understated class, not at all distinctive. Also, the FWD hampers both handling and acceleration. So, you are, in the end, essentially left with a high-class Thunderbird or Eldorado. Those cars didn't sell, and neither will a car like the CL. If Acura can get some testicles and make a RWD/AWD version similar to the CL, but looking like that 04 TL, then they would have a hit.

rzee

BOOO!!! BOOOO!!! AWD maybe, RWD !!

NOVAwhiteTypeS

it'll come back w/ avengence just like how they took a break in 2000 to come back strong in 2001. im anticipating something in 2005, but unless acura goes RWD or atleast AWD w/ their next coupe the other luxury coupes will EAT it up. esp the G35 if not the 330

ProZach

I am partial to AWD myself AWD

civic4982

too much tranny loss in AWD... I'll take an order of RWD with a side of fries please...

danny25

rwd with awd optional would be nice. Being in TX i don't need awd, so I'm with you civic.

Hopefully Acura will see that coupes are selling well, but it's the rwd coupes. Infiniti has seen the light and has a hot car on their hands.

Jaeger

It already has been replaced: Accourd Coupe V6.

Cheers,

Jaeger

danny25

:thumbsdn:

ProZach

AV6 = BLAH the lines are just WAY too wierd, isn't sleek at all

Nashua_Night_Hawk

I heard from a dealer salesman, that the a TL coupe and a possibly a convertible Acura would be in the cars for in 2005. as 2006 model.

rzee

Actually, if you put spoiler on the coupe it looks hot! Almost like this :-* !

larchmont

Great point, Jag -- can't believe I didn't think of that, esp. considering I've been saying the Accord Coupe V6 is the main true competition for the TSX.

Do y'all think maybe that's what Honda/Acura were thinking??? Except, I don't think many CL types would be considering the car, even if they really should.

danny25

you're right, i wouldn't consider the Accord coupe. If I got a new car right now, since Acura doesn't have a new coupe, I guess I'd be forced to get the G35 coupe.

1SICKLEX

So strong it did not win a single award and was discontinued in 3 years.

The Accord coupe may be ugly, but it is so competant (especially with 240 available HP) Honda would HAVE to make the CL extra special to sell.

BONDS73HRS

Have you guys seen the sales of the cl. Before it was announced the car was discontinued the car was selling about the same as alot of luxury cars like is300, infiniti cars, and etc. I don't think the car was discontinued soley on sales but that with a four door car like the tsx it would bring more growth to the company.

larchmont

Still don't get it. I don't see why there wasn't room for the CL and the TSX, unless they're planning on a TSX-C, which they're not any time soon. Or even if they were, for that matter. (Would you believe, a TL-C??)

By the way -- WELCOME! I guess this means there'll be one more person to understand my baseball references.
P.S. Pulling for Bobby.

Jaeger

Good question, although it's one that I don't pretend to have the answer to. There are many that buy into the idea that Acuras, across the board, are universally superior to Honda's. Others, myself included, view Acura / Honda as part of the same continuum of engineering excellence, and are therefore more inclined to cross-shop the two.

As one person already pointed out, the Accord Coupe V6 is an extremely competent vehicle, and comes close to providing everything that the CL-S did for significantly less coin. (I'll leave styling aside since that is highly subjective, and "sleek" isn't a term I'd apply to either vehicle). To differentiate a new CL from the Accord Coupe V6 (and justify what would undoubtedly be a significant price jump) would take a lot and may quickly reach a point of diminishing return. Would a 280hp V6 in a larger and heavier coupe be significantly better than an AC V6? Or a more pertinent question - would it sell in enough numbers to be profitable?

It seems to me that, at present, only Mercedes Benz has made a success out of large powerful coupes. (I'm pretty sure the G35 is smaller than the discontinued CL-S, but I'm too lazy to look it up). A more intersteing undertaking for a new CL that would differentiate it:

1) Make it smaller than th AC V6 - say, a two seater only with a convertible version to follow.

2) Make it a unique styling excercise (surely the designers of the Audi TT don't have a monopoly on innovative thinking).

3) Make it lighter.

4) Make it more powerful.

5) Make it RWD (again, note the success of the G35 coupe.)

I'd like to see the results of such an exercise, but I'm not willling to bet my money seeing it happen.

Cheers,

Jaeger

Stevens24

the coupe market is a very big niche. most new coupes sell extremely well when they arrive, all the faithful rush out ansd get one, and then sales dwindle. The CL sold great when it first arrived and then slowed way down , to the point that if you sold 2-3 a month it was a good month. It is tough for a manufacturer to justify production. I wouldn't be surprised if the same thing happens to the G35. the dealer up from our store has 5-7 in stock all the time now.

larchmont

Interesting ideas for a new CL. Seems very possible Acura might do some such car, but with some of those ideas (e.g. much smaller), I doubt they'd call it "CL."

BTW, about the G35, yes indeed -- it's WAY smaller. It's even shorter than the TSX (although wider).

AdamB

The automatic tranny really killed the CL-S. Not only did it leave a huge black mark on the car's reliability (transmissions that explode at highway speeds with little to no warning tend to make people uneasy), but there was no manual option! Who the hell sells a SPORT coupe with no stick shift?!

The marketing campaign sucked, and the naming convention that Acura switched to really confuses most people. RSX, MDX, CL, TL, POS? Nobody knows the difference except for Acura owners.

Also, instead of FWD, it should have been RWD w/ AWD option. The FWD was a big factor in my purchase (michigan winters and all) but i would have preferred 4 wheels with power.

That said, i'd still take my CL-S over a G35c or Accord V6 (especially the newest model - that thing is hideous). I my car

1killercls

M3 for me.

civic4982

the auto tranny being hte only choice for the first year made many buyers shy away from the car. Most looking for a "sport coupe" for performance purposes would be dissappointed. Also the numbers are going to be lacking when you have to go and compare it to a manual car with similar power outputs. If they would've just taken the plunge and threw out a 6 speed back in '01 they would have done tons better on the marketing for it.

That combined with the uncertainty of whether or not your tranny would drop to 2nd at 85 mph made everyone hate it. Plus no good brakes (where the f*ck are my Brembos?) and the car was way too long (I like big rears but damn!) At that length I'd almost compare it to the $8x,xxx MB CL. It's beastly large.

As for as people saying the CLS is a glorified 6MT Accord Coupe, you're wrong. Drive the two and you'll notice the dfiference. Powerwise maybe they're similar but in status and design they're in two diffreent worlds. Accords are a dime a dozen. It's the subtle attentions to detail on hte CLS that make it about 3K in cost more. (most Accords sell under MSRP at about 25K and most CLS 6 speed sell around 28K) You also get HIDs, powerseats on both sides, better warranty, road side assistance, and countless other perks that probably escape my mind right now.

I'm not ragging on the Accord but there is a reason for the price difference.

It's like people comparing the BMW 325i to a TSX. One may perform better but the other has it's incredible price difference due to status, style, and design not to mention attention to details.

You get what you pay for.