Out of all the cars i've owned and driven... I think the CL has a nice feel, however i've definitely driven cars that feel more connected and are smoother, a friend the other day told me my car felt "floaty" (is300 driver).. i think i agree with him, at times it does feel like a boat but then again... when i'm cruisin on the freeway, i dont have to put much effort into moving the steering wheel.. it seems to stay very straight w/ little correction and smooth.

..... what do you think?



:blaze:

 

the cl is a very easy car to drive imo. i guess you could call the stock suspension kind of floaty compared to more sporty cars.

my suspension isn't very floaty though.

 

One of the most comfortable rides I've ever driven...perfect combination between sport & luxury.

 

i tend to compare everything i drive to a BMW. i own an '02 540i/sport, and it is by far the most awesome ride ive ever driven. however, the CL is great for the money. i would like to drive a CLS-6MT and compare. i bet the 6MT is a lot more nimble and responsive than the AT.

 

the 6spd mt is definitely more nimble than the auto. ive owned both. adding comptech sways and modest lowering helps a lot too. but you cant get past the overall weight and weight distribution. its a heavy car with alot of it poised over the front wheels and IMHO you can only do so much with that situation

 

The CLS is the best car I've ever owned, but it's also the first brand new car I've ever bought too...

 

With all the mods, my TL has a lot of torque steer. Gotta hold on when you gun it.

 

I have Comptech springs and sways..I am very happy with the road feel and handling.

 

w/ my springs and sways it doesnt feel floaty at all, drove my dads gs 300 las nite, that thing floats like crazy on the road even though ts rwd

 

i smoked a fattie

well i got a good suspension, and im on stock wheels. powerwise yea i got some torque steer but its not that bad i've owned AWD, FR, and FF cars. in normal driving there isnt toooo much different but during cornering and launching off the line... yea there is a difference and FF cars lose out

 

I would be say its a best of both worlds.... sport + luxury... To even out the floating feeling just install sways and springs... My current setup has H&R Sport Springs, and Comptech Sways.... The car feels more firm, and stable from before.

 

I like the combination of some luxury features with the sporty engine. However, I do think its a boat for a sports coupe and the stock suspension and brakes suck for 260hp. Nevertheless, its a
nice cruiser!! It is the same concept as the Mercedes CL-class... not quite the G35, M3, CLK type of car.

 

My vote was for "Pro FWD Driver"

 

Aren't we ALL ???

 

01 cls driver, 60k mi.
FWD from the factory, m-soft suspension, average tires , poor to fair brakes, good manageable power above average steering feel, very good seats, excellent transmission in ss mode.
modded with 1.lowered stiffer springs and heavy duty sways, lighter wheels and higher performance tires 2. upgraded brakes and ss lines 3. CAI and headers, performance chip.
Post mod this vehicle now is a balanced blend of power handling comfort and style unmatched for the pricepoint (29k initial+3.5k mods = 33k)

 

I have owned both cars since i switched to an is300 after my cls got flooded out. When i was on an eibach drop the cls didnt feel that boaty but still had alot odf body roll, but when it was a 4x4 it handled like a boat especailly when trying to accelerate out of a nice turn since the cls was fwd. It def didnt handle like a luxury sports coupe should, but i still love the cls. Now Im a rwd fan and really dont want to go back to fwd.....lexus did a great job on the stock suspension too IMO

 

H&R Springs and 18 rims/tires and the car handles great!! The car is a little floaty stock, but it's designed to appeal to the masses, and the masses like soft cushy rides from Acuras (minux the RSX and NSX). That's why there is an aftermarket industry

 

Stock suspension was definitely floaty but nowhere near a chore to drive.

With all the suspension work done this car handles real nice. No more boat feel at all.

 

The CL is the best car I've owned to date. It has a few bugs that I felt could be better.

rotors, ride height, suspension, etc.......

Since I've upgraded with aftermarket products I think the car is perfect now (for me anyway )

Now I have a pretty bad torque steer problem but I'm getting used to it.








I picked pro FWD driver.

 

i love the feel of my car, the steering isnt too loose and the gas pedal is firm and responsive. my moms 01 lexus es300 feels like your driving on air and i dont really like that. good for a mom

 

I had a chance to drive a 330ci and a CLS MT back to back at a track day up at Willow Springs racetrack about a year ago. These are strictly SOP impressions since my lap times as I recall were pretty close. The Beemer had a better feel on corner entrances, specifically the brakes/tire combo felt more planted when you needed to aggressively slow down. I could get on throttle sooner with the CLS and although the drive out of the corner was stronger with the CLS, the Beemer could be over-steered a bit to adjust the line. Both were fun but they had different strengths. I suspect that some of the differences had to do with the amount of rubber the Beemer carries. The biggest surprise was the amount of body roll inherent on the Beemer! The CLS MT had a significantly flatter cornering attitude.



Dave

 

im actually impressed with the handling of the cl and all i have is CT springs. It doesnt have much body roll

 

difficult to drive... no

floaty... yes (stock suspension)



sways and springs/struts fixes that right up though.

 

Pretty bad torque steer when you get on it. Too much sway with the stock springs and bars. There is significant oversteer when pushing through corners. When the tranny goes south, the CL-S is a perfect handling car at a stand still. Other than these things, it is great to drive after you fix the brakes / rotors, motor / tran mounts, throttlebody, throttle position sensor, seats, replace the 5AT, remove all the squeaks and rattles.

 

i droped my with H&R sports and i am very happy with the handling.

 

my car is dropped on some h&r springs and will feel a little floaty until i get some sways. it's gotten a lot better than stock though. i've driven many front wheel cars before this one, saab 900s, nissan altima, mazda mx6...and i am a pro fwd driver. hehe. it already feels better than my mom's 2000 trans am. i can tell you with 300-500 dollars invested it will feel as good as any is300 out there or better. it's unfortunate about our weight distribution and overall weight. i wish i could send my cl to fat camp to shed a thousand pounds. remember guys if you want a roadster get an m-roadster or an s2000 not a cl.

 

I could not have said it better myself. The CL does have a smooth ride, and some body roll in corners, but it can be driven very fast despite that. It has an excellent balance between ride and handling in my opinion. I like to go fast around corners, but I don't like getting beaten up on rough roads by a stiff suspension. I think it is a very easy car to drive, and, by the way, the six speed gives you more control than the automatic, as all manual transmission cars do.

 

No, not difficult at all to drive.

But my favorite transportation device is a small, single or twin engined airplane. Not really tougher, but a lot more planning is required. It is not like firing up the car and driving to the nearest 7-11.

 

CLS MT very enjoyable to drive. The mt is great, the clutch is pretty poor - one in my 87 legend felt better, one in my 96 maxima felt better. Funny to have such a great tranny mated to such a crappy clutch; but eventually you do get used to it.

 

with good tires,springs,alinement the cl handles pretty good i think. im just used to my car and the way it handles so i feel comfortbal in it. after 3 years it suits me just fine. plus i smoked a fatty tonite:blaze:

 

handles like crap- stock

 

the TL and CL are ridicolously EASY to drive, and the handling is pretty predictable

typical honda FWD cars but with a more stable ride due to a stronger chassis

 

With a few suspension mods and brakes, this car is suprisingly agile despite its size.

 

Torque steer with the S/C scares me sometimes on uneven roads. The springs and sways made a WORLD of difference. Strut bar did little to nothing. Going to the Auto-X made me realize just how poorly a FWD car w/ a 60:40 weight distribution can handle. I still love my boat though!!

 

i bet the torque steer w/ the s/c is insane

 

I actually don't mind at all drivin my sister's cl-s, nice around town, but i didn't really push it too hard. Really nice feel on the highway but the suspension could be a just a tad bit firmer, but then again, i'm used to drivin my eclipse.