gavriil

IS THE ACURA 3.2TL TYPE-S AN ALTERNATIVE to European sports sedans like the Audi A4, BMW 3 Series and Mercedes-Benz C320? Acura would like to think so. To that end it added performance to its base TL. Engineers massaged the intake and exhaust of the TL's 3.2-liter V6 to make 260 horsepower and 232 lb-ft of torque, stiffened the front and rear springs and shocks, and increased stiffness of the rear antiroll bar. The Type-S's steering was tightened, too, and an engine speed-sensitive rack-and-pinion setup replaces the vehicle speed-sensitive system on the base TL. Why that's good: The former device could often be overwhelmed during repeated fast turns. Also new to the TL are tires whose performance goes up a notch from 205/60s on 16-inch rims to 215/50 Michelin Pilots mounted on 17-inch wheels.

Acura doesn't want to alienate those buyers looking for a nice, quiet ride and a comfortable interior, those who cross-shop the Lexus ES 300 and Infiniti I30. So it couldn't bulk up the perfor-mance option list as far as some sports sedan intenders might have liked.

For an estimated 30,000 buyers a year, though, the Type-S will be just right. It's a safe way to have a comfortable four-door that can still handle the occasional hole in traffic or twisting mountain road that beckons the closet sports sedan pilot.

So what's it like being in the "inoffensive" middle? It's surprisingly quick, for one thing. The Type-S gets to 60 mph in 6.42 seconds, quicker than every other vehicle (save BMW's 330i) in this wide-ranging class.

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ROAD TEST DATA
STANDING-START ACCELERATION
0-30 mph: 2.46 sec
0-40 mph: 3.53 sec
0-50 mph: 4.89 sec
0-60 mph: 6.42 sec
0-100 km/h (62.1 mph): 6.75 sec
0-80 mph: 10.73 sec
0-quarter-mile: 95.2 mph, 14.94 sec
ROLLING ACCELERATION
20-40 mph (first gear): 2.2 sec
40-60 mph (second gear): 3.4 sec
60-80 mph (third gear): 5.2 sec
BRAKING
80 mph-0: 237 ft
60 mph-0: 134 ft
30 mph-0: 33 ft
FUEL MILEAGE
EPA combined: 23.50 mpg
AW overall: 22.3 mpg
HANDLING
490-foot slalom: 43.9 mph
Lateral acceleration
(200-foot skidpad): 0.82 g
INTERIOR NOISE (dBA)
Idle: 41
Full throttle: 72
Steady 60 mph: 65

And the car is fast, too. The beefier suspension hustled it through our slalom at 43.9 mph; again, better than the luxury competitors, and even better than the last Audi A4 we tested. But the slalom is where manufacturers that compare their cars to the BMW 3 Series fall down. BMW's 328i zipped through the cones at 46.4 mph, tromping all comers.

That is perhaps the most telling number. While it's one thing to make straight-line speed and a quiet ride, which the TL Type-S does superbly, it's another to create a sports sedan as well-balanced and well-behaved as the rear-drive 3 Series. In terms of handling prowess, like so many others that try, the TL falls short.

But this car does well in keeping Acura buyers happy. The division estimates it will sell just fewer than 70,000 TLs in 2001; slightly more than 40 percent of those TLs will be in Type-S configuration.

As the marketplace continues to become more and more niche-oriented, the TL Type-S comes closer to being the perfect car within its own little niche.

LIKES: THIS IS MY FOURTH ACURA, EACH OF which has been bulletproof reliable. I love the sound of the 260-hp V6. Dislikes: This car would be great with a five-speed manual. The auto-stick is finicky on second-to-third upshifts. It is fast, but not really tossable. -- WILLIAM F. WESTADT, Lewiston, N.Y.

ONE OF MY FAVORITE FEATURES IS WHEN you put the car in reverse, the passenger-side mirror tilts down so you can see the curb for parallel parking. I also like the convenient, easily accessible cupholders, and the six-disc in-dash player makes CD swapping while driving a thing of the past. The ride is firm. You'll notice bumps on the road. But it's not that bad. -- DOUG HANSON, Denver

I CANNOT BELIEVE HOW FAST THIS CAR IS. The handling is exceptional and though the ride is firm, it is not harsh. The car feels as solid as my 1996 RL and is actually quieter. The five-speed auto is very smooth and the sport shift mode is a blast. Complaints: The sport seat lacks lower side bolsters on the bottom pad, and the black plastic "wood" is hideous. Also, the steering wheel should be the size of the RL's and have the electric telescope and tilt feature. -- PAUL PERAKOS, New Britain, Conn.

I'VE MANAGED TO PUT 500 MILES ON IT IN one week. I have been very impressed with its firm but silky highway cruising qualities, authoritative power, high gas mileage, the growing feeling of tossability, as well as its completeness in terms of equipment. -- ROBERT E. LUCE, Riverside, Conn.



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Gabriel
CL Type S

eclipse23

Nice review, and true to that as well

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01' Acura CL Type-S
Piaa 19169 Bulbs
Valentine1 Pig Detector
CompTech Exhaust
Xephyr Cold Air Intake
Founding Member of the NO SCRATCHED RIMS CLUB

01'Acura Integra GSR

4thGSi

Nice review!!

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1990Si
2001CL-S

TL_Type_S

Interesting -- I'm surprised it outhandled the Audi as they claimed!

6.42/14.9 vs. 6.28/14.7 --> in the real-time application of these types of testing, I'd say from all info I've read that the TL-S runs to 60 in anywhere from 6.2 to 6.8 and runs the 1/4 in anywhere from 14.7 to 15.2 seconds.

You get what you pay for -- I paid $34K OTD and got the TL-S, running the 1/4 in 14.7 (at best) -- if I paid $45K OTD in 1999 and bought an M3, I'd have a car that runs the 1/4 in 14.2 -- you get what you pay for! I like the $11K to put into a dp on another rental property!

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2002 TL-S

Nashua_Night_Hawk

One surprise is that the CLS/TLS has no problem accelarating to 100 MPH from 60 just at 3,000 rpm, at 80 MPH it's 2200 rpm 3,000 is enought to get you to 100 MPH!!!

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Black, Ebony, 3.2 CL Type-S, NAV.
- 3M clear bra, by Stonguard (full front bumper, and side mirrors, and partial hood)
- Acura Spoiler, Moonroof visor
- Splash guards, Winter mats, Trunk liner
- Valentine V1 Radar Locator
- HELMS Service Manual
- PIAA 19169 road lamps
- 03/19/01: Injen Polished CAI
- 04/13/01: 235/40/18 NITTO 555 on 18x7.5, +45 offset, Koing Imagine in Silver with wheels locks

gavriil

I know! Another proof of the super long gearing with our tranny. Oh man if that 6 speed is really to be true. High 5s get ready.


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Gabriel
CL Type S