5/25/13

Today's car is the 2001 Acura CL. The Acura CL is a grand tourer manufactured by Honda's Acura brand from 1996 to 1999, and from 2001 to 2003. The CL is often thought to have been a replacement for the Acura Legend coupe, but with the advent of the TL in 1996, which directly replaced the Vigor, the CL is more precisely a TL coupe. All Acura CLs were built at Honda's plant in Marysville, Ohio alongside the TL and the Honda Accord upon which the Acura CLs were based. The CL was the first Acura to be built in the United States.
Following the end of the 1995 model year, the Acura Legend coupe disappeared from Acura's lineup when the sedan version was renamed the Acura RL. The CL was not a direct replacement for the Legend coupe as it no longer shared the same chassis as its sedan counterpart, and was not made in Japan, unlike the RL which still is. The first CL was a model year 1996. Because Acura no longer had a suitable Legend coupe replacement, they created the CL, which is based on the first generation Acura TL, which was released one year before the CL. With the release of the TL and 3.5RL in 1996 Acura transitioned to alphanumeric and/or two letter names, naming of all of its vehicles (with the exception of the Integra, which kept its name until the 2001 model year). Although the CL was considered to be a satisfactory vehicle, it never gained traction or popularity like the other Acura coupes.
For the 1999 model year, the Acura CL's sibling, the TL, was redesigned. The CL, however, was never produced as a 2000 model and instead in March 2000 the completely redesigned Acura CL was released as a 2001 model featuring a 3.2 L SOHC VTEC J-series V6. A navigation system was also available along with the Type-S model, denoting Acura's 'Sport' edition. While the regular CL featured a 205 hp (153 kW) V6, the Type-S boasted a 260 hp (194 kW) V6 with 17-inch wheels, a firmer suspension, slightly larger brakes, and firmer seats.
In 2002, the CL Type-S was offered, as a 2003 model, with a close-ratio 6-speed manual transmission with a helical limited-slip differential. The 6-speed CL deleted some minor interior features from the automatic, such as a center console light. Also, the heated seats only featured one heat setting (vs. high and low in the auto). VSA and TCS were also not found on the 6-speed car, and as such, a 3-channel ABS unit was used. One of the main criticisms of the CL was that a manual transmission had been dropped when the car was redesigned for the 2001 model year. Very few manual transmission models were built; there were 2,691 without navigation and 820 with navigation, for a total of 3,511. Despite such small numbers of manual transmissions, there was still a greater demand than Acura had expected. However, with the CL's sister car, the TL, coming up on a redesign for the 2004 model year, the CL was dropped from Acura's lineup due to declining sales, and to this day Acura has no mid-size luxury coupe replacement. Total Acura CL sales from 2000 until 2003, when the last new model was sold, was less than 31,000 units. The CL's manual transmission survives in the 3rd generation TL and 7th generation Honda Accord.

2003 Acura CL

2003 also saw cosmetic changes to the CL. The 5 watt road/fog lamps found on the 01-02 models were deleted, and non-functional air vents were installed in their place. The grille surround and door handles were now body color, as opposed to being chrome on the 01-02. The side mirrors were also redesigned (for both the 2002 and 2003 models) by having a more square shape, full body matched paint, and tinted glass since customers had complained about excessive wind noise coming from the mirror seam. The 2003 models also saw new headlights which now featured a blacked-out interior, and the taillight lenses had a cleared turn signal and reverse light. Type-S's now included updated 17x7" 12-spoke wheels. Revised thicker exhaust tips were also a new addition. Canadian CLs offer daytime running lights and a windshield washer fluid level sensor as standard equipment (USDM CL's do not have these as an option).

• 2001–2003 Acura 3.2 CL - 225 hp (168 kW), 217 lb·ft (294 N·m)

• 2001–2003 Acura 3.2 CL Type S - 260 hp (194 kW) @ 6900 rpm, 202 lb·ft (274 N·m) @ 3500-5500 rpm

Transmission concerns

The 2nd Generation Acura CL models include a 3.2L 5-speed Automatic, a 3.2L-Type S model 5-speed Automatic, and a 3.2L-Type S 6-speed Manual transmission. The TL only includes the Automatic transmissions with manual controlled shifting. The problem which is most seen with owners is with the Automatic transmission. Reports say that after an average of around 40,000 miles, the transmission experiences gear failures, such as downshifts, slipping, flaring and not shifting, and leaking.
One main cause is excessive wear of the 3rd gear clutch pack, resulting in large amounts of debris blocking the flow of transmission fluid. Many owners reported problems with the replacement transmissions as well. Similar transmission-related issues exist in the Honda Accord, Acura MDX as well as the Honda Odyssey.^[2]
Due to many failures, the manufacturer extended the warranty on the automatic transmission on some CLs and TLs for 7 years, 100,000 miles (160,000 km). Many replacement rebuilt units had problems. A class action lawsuit later extended the warranty to 93 months or 109,000 miles (180,000 km). Despite the conversion to kilometers, the class action settlement applies only for persons and entities residing in the United States.^[3]
In addition, there was an unrelated transmission recall for safety reasons. One gear tended to overheat, break and cause the transmission to lock up. Since this failure would cause the car to come to a sudden stop, this might cause accidents.

Second generation (YA4)

2001–2002 Acura CL
Production	2001–2003
Engine	3.2 L SOHC VTEC J-series V6
Transmission	5-speed automatic 6-speed manual (2003 only)
Wheelbase	106.9 in (2,715 mm)
Length	192.0 in (4,877 mm)
Width	70.6 in (1,793 mm)
Height	55.5 in (1,410 mm)
Curb weight	3,000 lb (1,361 kg)
Related	Acura TL Honda Accord Honda Pilot Honda Odyssey