monkeybutt

I was hoping some CL-S owners who have driven or owned 350Zs could give your impressions of handling, power, shifting, ergonomics etc. Likes and dislikes?

clsmiami03

acura all day 6speed 350z and 6speed cls 350z is parked to mee

RYANGP

was that english?

gnuts

iTrader: (1)

I've never driven one, but i'm sure people would enjoy the handling and acceleration better on the 350Z.
If you live in an area that gets a fair amount of snow, i'm sure the CL would be better.

GhettoNinja06

iTrader: (1)

CLS vs. 350Z? How could you compare a luxuryish sedan with a sports car?

monkeybutt

With experiance like I asked, otherwise...no one asked ya eh?

nbennettksu

iTrader: (2)

what.the.fuck?

350Z imo is a fake sports car...

nspec_ya4

iTrader: (38)

corrected

mee to parked is 350z cls 6speed and 350z 6speed day all acura

monkeybutt

Har, har...well...okay, that's it then. Praise Pac-Rim ebonics.

'01White3.2CL

nspec, what are you saying....

im sorry, one post thats not understandable is one thing, but 2 in a row!!! lol!!

use punctuation, clauses, any kind of structure to your sentence PLEASE...i want to understand you man!

Ralphie917

having driven and driven in a 350z numerous times its a toss up ---

i wouldnt mind driving a 350 as a second car, but no way i could do without the back seats of my CL everyday... not to mention the nice sized trunk...

the 350, i will admit, is more fun to drive -- my opinion

I never liked the clutch on the CLS... although the clutch on the 350 i was driving was slipping at around 17k on the ticker, the car is babied and easy driven for the most part--- nissan would not warranty it.

The 350z i was driving was a base... doing without cruise control was a big no no for me ---

HIDs are nice on the CL --- but youd have to get a higher model to get them on the nissan...

without saying too much more --- a 350 would be nice, but id need leather, cruise, HIDs, and navigation for me to want it, all things the CL comes with stock (minus the navi)

and im sorry but the door panels on the 350 are so hideous... just a big pile of blah...

lastly, the high doors and small windows kinda hinder my visibility, which is an uncomfortable sacrifice for the sleek look.

badeh2

iTrader: (1)

LOL SEDAN? CLS and 350's are both coupes...

monkeybutt

Thanks, yeah I've read pretty much the same that the interior amenities of the Z are pretty blah or yuck and that customer service was better at Acura than at Nissan. However, the fun to drive part seems to be winning out over the negatives that I have read so I'll be checking out a couple of Touring models out tomorrow. Not quite sure that this is the best time for a two seater w/ a baby due in a couple months but it will be a fourth car and life is too short not to have RWD.

aznboi2424

iTrader: (10)

get a RWD sedan then. It will not be very child friendly, especially the 350Z.

davepaul033

iTrader: (1)

your a fake sports car!

ChineseGuyinthe415

^he don't done did that? ya fo'sho fo'sho

GhettoNinja06

iTrader: (1)

Haha, was hopeing no one would catch that.. I noticed that wayy after the 5 min edit.

But seriously, a 350Z is way faster, handles alot better, looks nicer (imo) but rides stiffer, and the interior isn't as luxurious. Thats basicaly it.... Like I said, it's compareing apples and oranges. Sports car vs. luxury coupe.

victorvu

iTrader: (1)

The 350z is not faster then a Cl-s 6 speed. doesnt look that nice ill choose the cl over a 350z anyday. CL-s 6 speed RARE.

CH46ESeaKnight

I've driven both and would take the Z over the CLS anyday. But I have a child who sometimes needs to ride in my car. So the CLS it is. Now if you asked G35 coupe, then I'd take that in heart beat. The CLS is not that nice of a car. Everybody talks about how luxurous it is.... PLEASE! It's a nice car but come on! To call it a luxury coupe is an overstatment!

A 350Z stock for stock is faster than a CL6. To not call the 350Z a sport car is stupid. Put it on the track against a CL6 and see what happens.


handling, power, shifting, ergonomics, are all in my opion better in a 350Z.

Just my

bigguyonbike

i had both cars at the same time and love them both. ended up getting rid of the 350z and keeping the cl-s6. can't really tell you why but the cl-s6 always felt like a better fit for me.

nbennettksu

iTrader: (2)

I know it I am

pits200

So just because it can beat a CL-S means it is a sports coupe?

Also, the CL is made to be a mixture between performance and comfort. The 350z is straight performance which isn't even that great.

Lets use numbers to base things and add it up. three categories. Handling, Power, Comfort, Usability. Thats 2 performance and 2 practical categories.

350Z
Handling -8
Speed - 7 (they really aren't that fast unless its made in the past 2 years)
Comfort - 3 (Horrible)
Usability - 3 (Rwd, no trunk, no backseat)
Total = 21

CL-S 6 speed
Handling - 6 (You can mod this handling to make it a 7)
Speed - 6
Comfort - 7
Usability - 6 (fwd and big trunk, but it is a coupe or it would be higher)
Total = 25

You can mod speed and handling but you can't mod Comfort and usability.

Overall, I feel the CL-S is a better car.

CH46ESeaKnight

I never said that, but are you saying te 350 is not a sports car? OK! Just pointing out that people here are saying a CL6 will beat the 350Z, NO IT WILL NOT! Not without mods, and if you put the same mods on the 350 it will eat your CL6 for lunch. Stock for stock CL6 aint shit against the 350. 03 350Z has like 45 more ft lbs of TQ, 27 more HP and its 300 pounds lighter.

CLS gets 7 for comfort, please the CLS rides like shit, it rough as hell and you feel every bump in the road. My VW rides way nicer and handles just as well if not better. The ride is hardly better than a 350Z.

The CLS isa heavy ass pig with piss poor brakes. I'd say the CLS gets a 3 for brakes, and the 350 gets a 7.

Oh and lets not talk about resale value either. Cause we all know the CL has great resale. A 2003 Civic Si has better resale then a Ultra Nice Super High end CLS. CLS-6 Resale = 3, 350Z resale = 6.

So CLS =31

and 350Z= 34.

Like I said just my two cents, I think the CLS is a medioker car.
And the 350Z is a sweet little sports car.

CH46ESeaKnight

Id say in the Performance catagory hands down, no compatition the 350Z is far better car.

In practicallity, or usability the CLS wins.


As Monkey put it, it will be a 4th car. So he most likely does not need a back seat. So it sounds like practicality is not the most important thing to him when comparing the two.

I drove a 2004 350Z for a week In Las Vegas, then drove it to Colorado. If I did not have a child, I'd take a 350Z over a CLS anyday.

Joe5.0

I've owned my CLS6 for almost 6 yrs now, and have driven a couple 350Z's, so I think I can give an opinion pretty decently.

IMO they arent really comparable overall. They both have some similar attributes, but they have more differences than similarities.

The CLS6 was NEVER designed to be a 'sports car'. Its main purpose is to be "under the radar" quick, and still ride nicely and handle nicely. Stock for stock the handling isnt even remotely close, as the CLS has a ton more body roll, much weaker brakes, and weighs a couple hundred pounds more.

However, the CLS interior is a thousand times nicer (and thats being nice to the 350Z), it rides much better on crappy roads, the stereo is much better, and it has a back seat and very decent sized trunk.

The 350Z has very nice handling, but in a straight line is not that fast (IMO). Overall it is faster than the CLS6, but they are close enough that most often its a driver's race. Traction off the line is the biggest factor for either car, and usually RWD + LSD + lightweight will get a better launch, but not always.

To sum it up, I can only speak for myself, but I would NEVER buy a 350Z. Why? Because I live in a state that gets snow and rain often, and would not want a manual trans rwd sports car for my daily driver. Plus, if it were to be my "fun" car, a V6 w/o FI just doesnt really fit the bill. I would MUCH rather have a used Vette or a Cobra mustang instead.

Now if I lived in Florida, or Cali, or Arizona and could ONLY afford one car, I MIGHT consider it. But the V6 really turns me off in a sports car, and plus it doesnt get that great of MPG versus higher hp V8's.

Onese1f

Comfort???

Practicality???






/thread

RYANGP

as much as i love my CL, i every time i see a nice Z, and if it were more practical i'd love to get one someday

AnthraciteBeast

iTrader: (3)

You can't compare the two! Acura wasn't going for straight performance when they built the CL. But if you must a 350z is WWAAYY better than a CL. My dads 2000 323i has all the features that the "luxurious" CL has and its interior is nicer. The truth is Acura didn't try very hard on this car. Look at any other luxury brand car from 2003 and its interior/comfort/preformance is better than our CL

Joe5.0

Now add a couple layers of road salt, a couple bends in those high dollar rims, and a load of rock chips and then let me know how they look.

DFoster0

ive only drove autos in both versions but the 350z definatley had more go than the CL, but if your like me you wanted something somewhat unique and got a CL. OH yeah im 6'5 which means no way i can sit in a 350z for more than 5 minutes without hitting my head on the roof

Onese1f

Right! Then apply the same theory to a CL!

clpassenubye

iTrader: (20)

Wrong the early Infiniti G35's interior was horrible. Your dads 323i is also a smaller vehicle and slower also if it has all the options that the CL came with standard chances are if he's the original owner he paid a lot more for them.

'01White3.2CL

for me i could care less about interior as long as its comfortable...i mean i appreciate the 6cd changer, the leather, seat heaters are great...

but i guess because I am young, it comes down to PRACTICAL POWER with that SPECIAL TOUCH.

there is absolutely nothing practical w/ a 350z nor does it have that special touch. 350z's ARE EVERYWHERE!!! ill!!!! there were only 3500 2003 6speed CL's...

and the CL-S6 is fast enough, very practical, FWD for snow here, VTEC makes for extremely easy and smooth passes on the highway (350z has this as well), etc, etc.


LOOK GUYS, going fast is WAY overrated because there is always something faster. 350z is slow as hell compared to sooooooo many cars...

IMO, since going fast is overrated and I just want to be faster than the standard car and have PRACTICAL FUN with that SPECIAL TOUCH:::: HANDS DOWN 100% 2003 Acura CL-S6 FTMFW!!!!!!!!!!! b/c it has WAY more to back it up than just its rather average power (unlike 350z)

'01White3.2CL

ok and now in terms of the OP, if you are going to keep this 4th car for awhile and agree with what i just said, the CL-S6 is for you...

but because of resale, you'll get a great deal for sure, but you won't get much of anything when it comes time to sell. also if you only want power and performance, then your choice might be the 350z, but other than these 2 relative "weaknesses" which may decide for you, i still say CL-S6 FT-PRACTICAL, SPECIAL TOUCH-W!! lol

good luck either way.

gnuts

iTrader: (1)

Why not look into an NSX!

AnthraciteBeast

iTrader: (3)

That's the point! A CL isn't as luxurios as peple say! Its only as good as the cheapest BMW. How is it possible that a 2000 BMW has all the features that a 2003 Acura? Simple Acura did a poor job in the luxury part of this car. As for preformance I'm not saying the 323i with a 2.5 is faster than a CL but the CL doesn't stand a chance against BMW with a similar engine size (335i)! Face it the CL is a nice car but it isn't everything people say it is

Onese1f

Well the 335i is a whole different animal. That's not even comparing apples to oranges anymore, more like apples to elephants.

Vishnu Chip + Exhaust and say goodbye to pretty much anything on the road.

It all comes down to personal preference. My last car, B5 Audi S4 (APR Stg3 ) had performance AND luxury. So coming from that, this "Luxury" everyone is throwing around is pretty much relative. I happen to like my CL-P for what it is, a DD/parts mule. It's great on gas mileage, safe, comfortable, yet the practicality is overrated, the whole rear seat not folding down kind of pissed me off, (try shoving an 8'0 longboard in that car...GL!). I take it for what it is. My money pit is the APS Z my cousin and I are trying to piece together..lol...Coming from a high-priced Nazi sled, I think the Acura does OK with its features, but if you're coming from a Kia or something, well, I'm sure you can figure the rest out.

nbennettksu

iTrader: (2)

meh

Onese1f

Well, I'll wait for you to get off your soapbox so I can get on mine.

Ready?

Sure having 6 disc CD changer and leather seats is a good thing to have. And the whole "Special Touch" thing, okay I guess you have a point there too. Do you have fun driving it though? Have you ever even DRIVEN a Z? On a nice curvy road or a straight line? If you got your car simply to be original in the sense that no one else has one then bravo for you. If you were a driving zealot like me and many others you could care less about how many other people drive the same model car as you, because what sets those apart is the driver, not the car.

Again, "the 350z is sloooow compared to soooo many other cars."
Nice.
You do know that the VQ35 was noted as one of the best engines made in the last few years right? You probably also know that "slow" is a very relative term. Rx-8s are almost completely devoid of torque, and horsepower yet are currently DOMINATING everything in their class for SCCA racing right now. Why? Handling.

The Z also shares a nice 50/50 split and with a few bolt-ons could easily out run many cars twice as fast with a simple driver mod.

But what do I know?
Not trying to be a dick, but accept the truth for what it is. The CL is a great and stylish coupe, but it is NOT a sports car, nor does it even come CLOSE to comparing to one.


Lock in 3....2.....

/rant

AnthraciteBeast

iTrader: (3)

The 335 can be directly compared to CL (motortrend did).

But everything else you said I agree with.

Now if you really want to make a FAIR comparison: S2000 CR vs. 350Z