2003 Acura CL consumer reviews

I loved my CL!!! The car was a sleeper! I put on an aftermarket exhaust and intake, and this car was unbelievable! Glad it was a Certified Acura, because without it... It would of been a very, very bad purchase. Many of the reviews I've read on other websites mentioned the transmission was an issue... Buyer beware... SO TRUE!!! My CL only had 52K miles when I had to replace my transmission and after only 10K miles more, the car started to shift had again. Which was the prelude to the issue I had last time.

Well I love this car but it does have some faults. First Let me just say it is compfy and very very quick. I got the car for 14500 with 38k and I still have no problems, but this car has bad tranny issues. I have not experienced any, but a lot of people have. The Engine goes beautifully, and it is very reliable next to the tranny. It is also not very attractive. You wont turn any heads. I would recomend for the price i bought it for!

Bought used '03 CL-S w/ 6 speed and 42 k mi. Have put on 45k mi as dailey driver commuter in past 2.5 yrs with NO problems. Pulling a consistent 27 - 28 mpg. (this beats even old EPA estimates due to my "creative hyper-mileage" driving such as coasting, keeping rpm's 2500 or lower (72 mph in 6th), and of course keeping the lead out of my right foot! Even before doing this I ave. 25-26+. Best mileage on long trip is 32! I know, hard to believe to get this with a 5 year old 260 horsepower 3400 lb sport / luxery coupe! This w/ stock rubber; plan to experiment with taller tires with which the close ratio gearing and wide power band should handle well. Have heard A/T will not do this good on mileage, but neither will many under powered 4 cyl's! The engine gets an A, but the 6 sp. tranny gets an A++. I doubt a Porsche, Ferrari or any other 6 figure exotic could shift any smoother or more positive. NO problems with clutch (orig.) or trans, hooks up nice, bullet-proof! Handleing was rated excellent in '03 by Car & Driver, "best front driver ever". Fact: Tested head to head in '02, the CL-S actually beat a BMW 330 CI on test laps, lateral G's, and matched it in performance! Mine is lowered a bit, enhanceing this further, and giving it a custom look. One other bonus: I'm a road & mountain biker. Even my tall carbon road frame at 61 cm, wheels & gear fit snugly and securely in the abundant trunk with room to spare. Show me another coupe, under 6 sec to 60, that DOES ALL THIS! Acura discontinued this model in '03, in favor of producing more SUV's. In light of $4.75 gasoline, was this a big mistake or what?! Nissan has no problem selling their hot-rod Altima's; the CL-S, even at 5 yrs old not only out-classes an Altima hands-down, but match's the 3.5 SE & SE-R in performance. Acura's loss, no problem, makes my '03 more of A CLASSIC! While initial quality and styleing ratings were not tops, check out the JD Power 3 year quality survey, completed a year after I bought the car in '06; Yep, CL named first place in the "Entry Premium" car class. "Sometimes a classic just takes a while to grow on you."

This car is a dream. It looks modest and unassuming on the outside but is a monster under the hood and has sexy interior styling. The 260 HP engine (on the 6-speed manual) performs well at all RPM's, but is just begging to be let out of the corral. Watch Out! It jumps to 60 mph in less than 6 seconds! And, did I mention that the seats are heated and quite comfy? The built-in garage-door opener is neat, as is the 6-CD changer in the BOSE sound system. I also love the Acura Navigation compared to others I have used. It comes in handy when I am so into driving the car that I get lost!

I bought this car new and have put 30,000 miles on it. It truly is a great car. Very fun to drive. The harder you push it, the better it responds. I have had no problems at all. If you are looking for a used car loaded with features at a reasonable price, strongly consider an Acura CL-S

This car hasn't disappointed me. I originally owned an '01 Type-S and when the lease was up on that I searched far and wide for a leftover '03. Basically, I've had this car for 6 years and I love it!