Acura CL

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Acura CL

Manufacturer	Acura
Parent company	Honda
Production	1997–1999 and 2001–2003
Assembly	Marysville, Ohio
Class	Mid-size luxury car
Body style(s)	2-door coupe
Layout	FF layout

First generation

Production	1997–1999
Engine(s)	2.2 L or 2.3 L I4; J30 V6
Transmission(s)	4-speed automatic 5-speed manual
Wheelbase	106.9 in (2715 mm)
Length	190.0 in (4826 mm)
Width	70.1 in (1781 mm)
Height	54.7 in (1389 mm)
Related	Acura TL Honda Accord Isuzu Aska Honda Odyssey Isuzu Oasis

Second generation

Production	2001–2003
Engine(s)	3.2 L SOHC VTEC J-series V6
Transmission(s)	5-speed automatic 6-speed manual (2003 only)
Wheelbase	106.9 in (2715 mm)
Length	192.0 in (4877 mm)
Width	70.6 in (1793 mm)
Height	55.5 in (1410 mm)
Related	Acura TL Honda Accord Honda Pilot Honda Odyssey

The Acura CL is a model of automobile manufactured by Honda's Acura brand from 1997-1999, and from 2001-2003. The CL is often thought to have been a replacement for the Acura Legend coupe. It was considered to be one of Acura's finest vehicles because of its balance of luxury and sport. All Acura CLs were built at Honda's plant in Marysville, Ohio alongside the TL and the Honda Accord upon which the Acuras 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 line-up when the sedan version was renamed the Acura RL. The coupe was replaced by the Acura CL for the 1997 model year, following Acura's transition to alphanumeric naming of all of its vehicles (with the exception of the Integra which was kept in production until the 2001 model year).

For the 1997 model year, the CL was initially offered with either a 3.0 L J30 V6 producing 200 horsepower (150 kW), or a 145 horsepower (108 kW) 2.2 L (F22B1) I4 engine, which was later bumped up to 2.3 L and 150 horsepower (112 kW) for the 1998 and 1999 models.

Both the 4-cylinder and 6-cylinder CL offered a "Premium" trim level which offered leather upholstery (heated in the 3.0), and in the 3.0, an Acura/Bose stereo. For the 1999 model year, the "Premium" trim level was eliminated, and leather upholstery became standard on all models, as was a trunk cargo net. The alloy wheel design was different on the 3.0 for each year, moving from a five-spoke design (1997) to a seven-spoke design (1998), to a different multi-spoke alloy design for the 1999 model year. The 2.x used a six-spoke design for 1997, then moved to a 5-spoke double-prong design for 1998 and 1999.

For the 2000 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 of 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 225 horsepower (168 kW) V6, the Type-S boasted a 260 horsepower (194 kW) V6 with 17" 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 limited-slip differential. 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 Acura currently has no mid-size luxury coupe replacement. Total Acura CL sales from 2000 until 2003, when the last new model was sold, is less than 31,000 units. The CL's manual transmission survives in the TL.

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

2001-2003 Acura 3.2 CL Type S - 260 hp (194 kW) @ 6100rpm, 232 ft·lbf (315 N·m) @ 3500-5500rpm

The CL shares much with the TL, including the 5-speed automatic transmission installed in the second-generation vehicles (first generation CLs had a 4-speed automatic). Some owners experienced problems such as sudden downshifts from 5th gear to 2nd gear, slipping, flaring and not shifting. 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.

Due to many failures, the manufacturer extended the warranty on the automatic transmission on some CL's and TL's 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. Canadian owners are out of luck. http://www.hondatransmissionsettlement.com/ 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.

For further information on the transmission issue you may try here. or official Acura Service Bulletin: http://www.acuraworld.com/tsb/2gRL/b90-009.pdf

Manual transmissions were rare and never affected by the same issues that the automatic transmissions were and thus Honda has not extended the warranty on them.