who here has thought of whether they're keeping the car front-wheel drive???

u wanted a 6-speed for more sportiness, right?? good, next step, is it front or rear-wheel?? if it's front still, u're taking half a step forward

i can see it now...ALL complaints will b y didn't Acura have RWD in the 6-speed...so before everyone rushes to their dealers and orders the 6-speed, make sure u're prepared for a FWD manual.

i say this b/c i feel bad for everyone here who has problems/issues/complaints with his/her CL...and i would hate, truly hate, for people to b upset with a brand spankin new car and have regrets for a long time...yes, all cars/trucks have their share of problems, but $30K is still $30K, and spending all this money only to get something u dislike is like the worst feeling in the world...i hope that most of u spend as much time choosing a car as i did when i chose my CL-S...thanks for reading.

 

I WANT Front-Wheel-Drive !!!
All Wheel Drive would be a bonus, but if its REAR drive you can have my spot on the list.

Personal opinion – It WON’T be RWD because Acura would gain only a few customers, but it would LOSE many more like me.

I NEED an all weather car, not a California cruiser.
If I wanted a RWD “fun” car, I wouldn’t be shopping at Acura. (unless I could afford the NSX)

Shawn S

 

well consider for a minute the converts from let's say BMW b/c u're offering a comparable car for thousands less...i mean, people here have expressed that a deciding factor in their purchases could have been the fact that a car is RWD...take it a step further and wonder besides the name and engineering heritage, what gains do u get out of a 330 coupe RWD vs. a CL-S RWD??? AND is it worth paying an extra 10+ for it???

just playing Devil's Advocate here, nothing more...i respect your opinions.

 

I certainly see your point Scooter, But I'm with ShawnS. If the CL line was RWD, I'd have looked elsewhere. Ohio drivers need 4 season vehicles (at least I do.)

I seriously doubt the 03 will be RWD. Too much $$$ factor on Acura's part to justify the "possibility" of BMW owners flocking to the Acura bandwagon....

Just my thoughts. I could be wrong, but we shall see shortly.

Jim

 

I have thought more and more about the 6 speed. I know I said before that I wouldn't be interested, but it depends on how they do it. If they do more to the car than just slap a manual tranny in it then it would make mashing a clutch in traffic worthwile. More would be things like: tweaking HP, body kit, suspension tweaks, etc.

What if the 6 speed is really the CL Type R? Now, that would be sweet.

 

I would personally rather have AWD on the 6-speed. I chose the CLS for many reasons, one of them being FWD. I need to be able to chug through the snow, and if the 6 speed were RWD, I'd be VERY nervous about punching that baby with snow on the ground. If I wanted Manual with a boatload of HP and RWD, I would have checked out a Mustang Cobra....and we all know how they are in the snow. I can feel the out of control fishtailing right now!!!

 

well wouldn't the TCS and VSA also b included with the manual??? like the Mustang GT, if Acura had a RWD 6-speed WITH TCS and VSA, would that make a difference to u??? anyone??

 

I really don't think for a second it woulde be called a type R, but, for the sake of argument what would it have to be equipped with to make it a type R?

Bigger brakes
More HP
6 speed
Fatter tires
bodykit of some sort
Find a way to drop 500 lbs


Also, the notion of a FWD being much better in the snow than a RWD is really only true if you have a fwd with snow tires. A FWD with fat, low profile Z-rated tires isn't going to go anywhere the same car in RWD couldn't go.

 

if they used the AWD system from the MDX i would have to make my wife take my car and trade in her accord on the 6mt...


hmmmm just thought of something....hold on let me hit my CRACK PIPE the MDX is supposed to be realsed (rumours) in a type S form 3.8 and 280 hp...

 

For all of you guys who want a RWD 6 speed CLS probably will never get one. Why?? Let's look at the age group that Acura is targeting with the CL series. I read a report that stated that the average age that the CL is targeting is between 40 to 50 year old persons. I don't want to say that people in this age bracket don't want RWD but I think Acura is betting that more people of this age group want a grand touring coupe and not a road rocket.
Also, I think for the majority of the people buying the CLP or CLS want a fWD configuration. I bought my CLS because it was FWD since I live in Illinois and the winters can get pretty nasty. I also the majority of the people who own a CL won't mod it in any way because their looking for a car that has some get up and go but not head snapping speed. Plus, if you want to have an Acura with RWD and your between the age of 40 to 50 years old you have the option to move up to the NSX.. Until Honda management has a complete overhaul in their personnel and their way of thinking I don't see the CL series ever having RWD.. Conclusion, Honda/Acura is way too conservative in their thinking or management to allow the CL to become more that a sporty touring coupe..

 

I'm telling you guys...

there WILL be a All Wheel Drive CL/TL or similar car from Acura SOON.

VTM-4 has all the makings of a high performance AWD system.

There is no way in hell Acura spent all that money making it for the weak ol MDX alone.


I've said it before.

Mark my words.

There will be a AWD Acura SOON. I will also bet that most ALL Acura's will be AWD within 5 years.


I would bet youll see the first sign of this by MY '04.

 

Soopa-I agree with you 100%!

I think Acura fell so far behind Lexus, and now Infiniti in terms of styling and creature comforts and V8's that they had to pull something major out of the bag that has not been done before by these companies. Acura is going to have to keep on their toes with regard to Lexus and Infiniti as they seem to be more beemerlike in their willingness to experiment and take big R&D risks all the time.

 

I think the only real concern would be the price point of an AWD sports luxury coupe. I am not sure they could bring it to market for less than $35K. I am not looking for a 35-40K Acura myself. And oh yeah - we want them to bring the 3.5L and the this and the that ... won't happen overnight I guess.

In the mean time - I am gonna get the 6MT '03 model which I expect Acura to show us a sign of things to come

 

why not?

they already have the MDX to recoup the R&D costs of the VTM-4 system.

and from what I've read... it doesn't cost them much more to build it then a tradtional layout.


so... if the MDX can start at under 35k... a smaller car with the same AWD system certainly could as well.

 

Lets try and think straight, though. I really doubt a 2003 AWD 295 hp CLS. Don't get me wrong it would be , but Acura is VERY conservative. They will proly offer the AWD on very limited RL trim first. But, trust me, if im wrong (which I hope I am) i will be the first person in my area with a new CL.

 

But, I think Acura's conservative nature is exactly the issue here. In order to compete they are going to have to lose a bit of that and become somewhat more creative to keep up with Lexus etc.

But, on the other hand, they have set sales records in the last couple of months and seem to be doing pretty OK with their current game plan. I wonder how their sales compare to those of Lexus and Infiniti.

I think styling may always be blan at Acura, which I guess is OK as long as they make up for it in class leading innovations and technology.

 

When you put it that way ... if Acura wants to change the perception of the speed at which Acura moves and the focus on technology -- then they MUST surprise the industry and then use that momentum (AWD in Honda/Acura could be like what VTEC did for them).

I say SURPISE US .... cause my order for the 03 CL 6MT goes in tomorrow ... I am happy to test out the new AWD system and give my feedback

 

OK JZ ... that was scary ... I posted my comments before I saw yours ... wavelength lock ... come on Acura !!

 

I would love an AWD CLS as much as any of you (In fact, I have always wondered why all luxury makers didn't make AWD cars only. It combines the traction of FWD and the performnce of RWD) I just don't wat to getmy hopes up.

 

I'd expect to see AWD on the NSX first. Isn't the NSX supposed to the first non-race car to get new goodies like VTEC? Then it trickles down.

 

perhaps the Acura RWD flagship i referred to in another post is Acura's way of beginning to break out of its shell a bit more...it's certainly heavy enough to b RWD with TCS...and Honda is attempting to change its image somewhat...first the CL (bastard child to some of u), then the MDX, then the TL, then the RSX, now the RL and the NSX...plus u have Honda talking to SMG about tranny improvements...not to mention the 6-speed on the CL...these are all developments that are moving in a timely fashion...u can't expect the company to jump to the next level overnight obviously...but stop and think about all that is taking place between R&D and actual product...conservative?? maybe, but upon looking at what i said above, the pendulum seems to b swinging in the opposite direction somewhat.

im very creative when it comes to thinking outside the box...going back to the early 90's when Acura really showed up on the map and looking at the product, it seemed like just a mock simulation, luxury version of Honda's...over the years, designs changed, became a little abstract (NSX, CL), while other models remained conservative (TL, RL, Legend, Integra)...now i believe we're at the crossraods of something really BIG with Acura...finally, a breaking out of the mold a bit more, expanding our wings, and designing cars/trucks that trace back to conservative methods (such as ease of use with the instrument panel), but the cars are spicier (CL has definitely come far from the 1st generation, the NSX is much more abstract with a much faster engine, etc.)...my feeling is Acura does not want to lose the conservative aspect that has made cars like the TL so popular, but they want to add the sporty flare that made Honda Motorsports a force to b wreckened with decades ago since everyone else seems to already b doing that...this is a fun time to own these cars...i think we're on the edge of some big strides for Acura that will enhance the fleet forever...conservative??? yes, but not for long ...just my 2 cents!!

 

Well, maybe acura service could help us out on this one... :P

 

That is a good point and I have not even heard rumors of that for the "totally redesigned NSX" ... that might not be a good sign for the Acura AWD hopeful ... hmmm

 

I'd like to hear more on this! Where'd you get this from? Honda talking to the people making SMG trannies? That's all we need.