pits200

I have two vehicles,

Fully Modded 2001 CL-S with all bolt ons, it has 190k miles on it.

Stock 2008 Acura TL with about 18K on it.

Now I travel for work so the CL is my road car and I just recently had a rear wheel bearing go out on it. So I garaged the car for 2 weeks and drove the TL. Now the more I drove the TL, the more I realized how it lacked the power/handling/excitement of my CL-S.

Quick list of Pros for the CL- Now many of these Pros are probably because of the mods I've done to the car but still. It has 190k miles on it and is 7 years older.

Pros.......
-Better handling
-More Solid feel in terms of body control
-Much Much better acceleration at passing speeds
-Bucket seats are more comfy for long rides.

Cons....
-Big sideview mirrors make a decent amount of wind noise. The TL is a decent amount quieter in terms of wind noise.
-The TL takes bumps better meaning that there is not as much feedback through the car. But the CL actually felt more solid when hitting the bumps.


Oh well, too many details to list but I was surprised that my CL-S with a KBB of $6,000 felt as good and even better in some portions than my $30,000 TL.

I also drive my fiancees 04 G35X and you can't even compare the two. Her stock G35X is no match for my modded CL on the highway. I'm not just saying that because the G does have good body control due to its close to 50/50 weight distribution but the CL just does everything better.

I love the CL-S overall, but when it comes to highway driving it really is a beast...

Ok, im just rambling now.

Pseudomaniac

iTrader: (1)

I've not had any issues walking away from the 07/08 Type S TL's with just bolt-ons - with my new mods, I know I'd eat one from 60+.

Before the motor blew in the CL, I test drove an 07 6spd with 25k on it. It was very nice - the interior is superior, the ride was better, and I love the gadgets. That said, the brakes were *ack* worse than the CL, the acceleration just wasn't there, and it felt sluggish - even moreso than the CL after driving the S2000 around the block.

It's an under appreciated little gem that only a few in the Honda world have discovered.

PAYMEE

iTrader: (1)

I completely agree...i drive an 01 cl type s...wife has 08 tl...i fukin hate her car...seriously loving my type s...08 tl is slow as shit...i do think her car handles better tho at highway speeds...smooth and quiet as shit...but overall the cl kills it...i came real close to trading and selling the cl a couple of times...i was gonna get a 07 g35 coupe...but when it came down to it, i couldn't get rid of the cl...it was kinda weird..lol

pits200

The interior obviously isn't much of a comparison the TL is superior in every way from the leather quality to the DVD audio.

I was just keeping the quick write-up to driving dynamics. As for the brakes, hmm, the CL has a lot of brake fade even with my slotted rotors, they stop nice but the TL has more braking power from what I can tell.

As for the S2000 vs CL debate, you should notice a difference obviously cause of the weight. But its surprising to notice such a difference between the CL & TL since they are comparable in weight.

pits200

TL is verrryy smooth at any speed on the highway but I'm not sure if you have any mods to your CL but I can attest that with mods, the CL-S owns the stock TL on the highway, seriously its not close. I drive the same route every week on the PA turnpike so I can compare the two on the same roads. I seriously can say that I can do bends at 10mph more with confidence in the CL-S.

I have a subtle drop of about an inch, sways, beefed up endlinks & control arms, poly mounts for the sways and tokico illuminas and running on stock sized rubber. 215/50/17.

civicdrivr

iTrader: (9)

I just came from driving an 08 Accord 6MT for a week while the CL was down. As much as I love the speed of the Accord, thats about all it had on the CL.

Yea it was slightly quieter. It weighs the same as the CL, yet felt heavier. Its not as long as the CL, yet felt much larger.

The CL handles much better. I can power out of a turn in the CL without issue, in the Accord the TCS tries taking over. The CL turns-in much easier and feels attached. The Accord I felt I had to constantly readjust my line.

I was really missing my auto-down passenger mirror when I went into reverse as well as memory seats. The dash is a bit of a clusterfuck, but you get used to it. The brakes were typical Honda brakes; undersized. The shifter had crazy long throws, my second to sixth spacing is the Accords fourth to sixth.

The seats really arent that comfortable. I felt like I was driving a truck with the ergonomics. I felt too high with the seat bottom all the way up, but it had to be there because the steering wheel was way to high.

If I lowered the seat some, the blind spots would get worse (and they are pretty damn bad). The mirrors are oddly shaped, so I felt like I couldnt see. I found myself taking double- and triple-takes before I changed lanes.

The headlights suck too. Other then that, it was a great car

To summarize - I like the CL more.

'01White3.2CL

so true!! my favorite part is that its rare and also the CL has a little bit of everything which is really great (luxury, options...good handling, nice acceleration, etc).

ive thought about selling it, but i could NOT find another car on the market that 1). gives you as much for the money as the CL and 2). is rare and "exclusive" to the brand etc...

i basically figure my CL has alot of life left in it, so I'll keep it as long as possible until later in life and Im really thinking Ill probably end up getting a 6 speed CL while im still young and keeping it as a lifelong sports/weekend car...unless i ever win the lotto or something lol

Onese1f

It is a nice handling ride when given the right treatment, no doubt about that!

It is a bit of a gem, because it is a rare car under the brand that you don't typically see on the streets that often.

For what I'm paying now till the car is completely paid off I could have gotten into a Z/G/S2k/MS3-6/Rx-8.

I guess it all comes down to how you view your car and what you use it for

StreetKA

iTrader: (8)

last time i came to the dealer for seatbelt replacement offered me trade for my CL i drove TL 6spd aspec, s2k, mazdaspeed 3 and 6, Sti , g35, and s4. i couldnt find anywhere that thing what my CL gives me i just feel nest in my own car and im not gonna trade it for anything, only S4 was about that i really like but cost like 25k so no thx ima stick with my baby, maybe g35 cuz its RWD but atm cant afford 25k for 06. CL 6 spd was my best choice i could ever make and im glad i did it. also my gf loves my car. im gonna drive it to the death - long way left only 64k here

Onese1f

^Lol yeah bro, of course you love it! It's a 6 Speed.

If I had a 6 speed I would probably have the exact same sentiment as you do, but I don't, I have an auto CL-Pathetic which kind of changes things haha

And 25k for an S4? Must have been the B6->B7 V8 models because I've NEVER seen a B5(TT V6) go for more than 15.

StreetKA

iTrader: (8)

yes it was S4 '05 sedan. my second car is gonna be S4 2006 Avant has to be in White color. im not sure about there is s4 avant on the us market but ill get it. i love this car

Onese1f

Mmmm yesss..The Ibis white on the S4's looks super sick, not to mention avants are totally badass (and rare too). There are DEF avants on the US market, I see many of them at the local Euro meets I go to, a few RS4 DTM wagons too, which they actually did not ship to the US. In fact, they only manufactured the C5 model S6 in an avant only. S4's are totally insane, and worth every bit of the 25k they ask for.

/threadjack

VIPCLS

Def agree with you pits200. There are times when I get out of driving the CL, and stand back and look at her and say to myself " sheeee isss aa beauty!" Also another thing that I can't seem to get over is how the car is 8 yrs old and still looks astonishing. I love my CL!!

pits200

I love the look of 3/4ths of my car. From the back to the sides all the way up to the front tires.

But the front of our car is too pointy and narrow and needs a little substance, thats why Rons Ground Kit looks so sick because it adds a subtle stance to the front of the car.

Just at work I had a guy say "nice car" as I was driving by. Now I wasn't sure if he was juts being nice because I am auditing him and he's kissing my ass or because I just waxed it. But when I told him it was an 01 with almost 190k miles on it, his jaw almost fell off and i know that was genuine.

Change the front of the CL and the interior and I would buy the car again in 2010.

VIPCLS

Haha yea i agree the front of the car is a little pointed, but thats what stood the CL apart from the other models at the time. Yea the car could look better at the present time, but look what we are used to seeing now with all the advancements in cars.

TheWeez

And if you had an '03 CL-S you'd have the smaller redesigned mirrors that don't make wind noise.

LIPPSTUH

iTrader: (2)

now that you pointed it out. i did drive a base a/t tl... aside for the base and a/t part i didn't like it... gave me a headache. anything that floats with super shitty soft suspension gives me a headache.

now i know why i love stiff suspension. i still wished the cl weighed less...

civicdrivr

iTrader: (9)

^ Yup. The Accord I was driving kept putting me to sleep, the suspension was so damn soft.

Ive been beating the shit out the CL today. Just making up for lost time

Pseudomaniac

iTrader: (1)

For certain, be glas doesnt have that GOD-AWFUL nose on it like the new TSX and TL...."Holy steel nosejobs Batman, the Batmobile has a chrome beak!"

Josh99CL

If only the CL had survived to today........

CL with SH-AWD /do want

VIPCLS

+1

Onese1f

truf, those are horrible

clpassenubye

iTrader: (20)

I have an 03 CL and 08 TL also and I agree.

civicdrivr

iTrader: (9)

I kind of like the new TSX. It certainly pulls off the beak much better then the rest of line up.

Pseudomaniac

iTrader: (1)

^Agreed, but the sporty entry Acura touring car should be able to be rundown by stock Civic Si's and out-handled on the track IMO. It's getting the V6 this year (J35) but no LSD, and no 6M. Even the tubby new Accords spank em all around. It's kind of a niche car without a niche.

The interior on the new TL is the nicest thing I've EVER seen Honda build, period. It's a shame they stuck it in an underpowered, sloppy turd of a chassis.

civicdrivr

iTrader: (9)

Nice use of adjectives. And I wholeheartedly agree. I took a look at the TSX back in november and I was seriously considering it, but the 4cyl in such a heavy car kills it for me. Im getting bored of the CL and Im looking around for another car to toy with, but the search is proving to be difficult. Theres some things in new cars I just dont like (electo-nannies and shit like that) and the older cars I do like are either beat to shit or expensive.

Ill probably just stick with the CL and throw some boosts its way once AEM markets the pnp standalone.

Pseudomaniac

iTrader: (1)

I had a CL-P for a daily when I sold my 00Si and bought the S2000. Traded the 01 CL-P in on an 02 MDX that I had for all of about a year. The MDX was nice and all, but with no kids to tote around, it was a really pricey means of daily transit, and just not very much fun to drive. I dumped it before the gas anarchy started, and snagged up the first low-mile 03 CL-S 6 speed I could find.

Aside from the 08 Tiburon GT I just bought the wife (she won't drive a clutch and the new Si was the only option from ol'Honda that was of any interest to her as far as styling - despite my attempts at getting her to like the old body TSX and/or Element SC), I've been a "Honda loyalist" since 97 with my first Del Sol. Problem is that I think I've outgrown them.

Acura/Honda don't have anything on market right now that exceeds the performance of the AP1 / CL-S 6M, in a footprint that I like, at a price I'm willing to pay.

Dude that basically designed the NSX is at the helm now (very recent change). Hopefully we'll start seeing more of the traditional Honda approach; using racing programs to put fun technologies into small, sporty and dependable packages instead of just building something that fits in a lineup with the Camry.

civicdrivr

iTrader: (9)

Hes already said that he plans on bring Honda back to what it used to be, but its still at the very least 3 years away. I guess we'll see how committed they are to changing when they release the CR-Z.

StreetKA

iTrader: (8)

u can get Euro grill from Honda Accord and u are set with this grill TSX doesnt look ugly i had this car for a loaner for one day i liked it but thr 4cyk with 5AT tranny wasnt enough this car must be with v6

civicdrivr

iTrader: (9)

You had a 4cyl in a vette? Was it a rebodied Cobalt?

StreetKA

iTrader: (8)

yeah Vette SRT4 lol

e30cabrio

iTrader: (6)

I agree, I love my CL. I will keep it until the wheels fall off.

ChucksCL-S

During the week sometimes I will dream of owning a Boxter or whatever I see that is newer and looks good. Then Saturday rolls around and I get out the weekend toy, the CL-S. Once I hear that Honda V-6 go thru the gears I'm hooked again. With H/P/I/ it's a blast. I started to get upset last month when it started to shutter in fifth around 60 mph on slight inclines as I thought my tranny, or torque converter was toast. But thanks to this site I did the trans filter and two shift solenoids and changed from synthetic fluid back to Honda ATF...Fixed! All highway shutter gone. So I really appreciate this site and I'm keeping the CL.

Brittonj85

Yes sir! This site is great!!!!

This site help me with my transmission issue too. Come to find out my fluid was dirty, so I changed it out that next day and bam she drives perfect. I also run 93 octane with a bottle of Lucas product to keep the fuel clean. I love my CL. Everyday I walk outside and clean my car and love doing it. People always tell me ''dude your car is shinning'' and women are always breaking there neck looking. I love it!

03JamesCLS

Couldn't agree more. I too have been shopping around but the more I look at whats out there, the more i realize i have a gem! There are some things I'd change about her as stated but I have decided I will buy a second car before I get rid of the CLS, She's around for the long haul with only 67k

Mike

pits, have you spoken to an owner with or driven an 08+ TL with equivalent suspension mods?

pits200

No I haven't and I really don't wander over to the TL side since mines a leased car, it's pretty much hands off when it comes to mods.

Id imagine it would pretty much respond the same as the CL with mods and even better for the engine mods.

I think I'm actually afraid to go to the TL side cause it will tempt me to spend some money.

How about you, do you know anyone who has given an in-depth review of a modded CL and a modded TL? I can only do modded vs stock, I know it's not fair.

Pseudomaniac

iTrader: (1)

I've driven an 07 TL-S 6spd with exhaust and CAI. It felt better from 0-40 than my modded CL does - better torque curve (aka displacement) but once it was in motion, the weight overcomes this. The modded CL with superior peak power, less curb weight, and probably better aero characteristics - the TL wants nothing to do with it from 40-100.

Comparing a normal TL with a CL-S6....is like 4cyl Accord vs 6cyl Accord.....GSR Teggy vs LS Teggy.....Civic Si vs Civic DX....etc.