1997 Acura CL Review

The 1997 2.2CL luxury coupe from Honda's Acura division is stylish, roomy and a whopping $17,290 cheaper than its predecessor.

That's good news at a time when many can't afford a new car. How did Acura come up with the lower price? It wasn't done with mirrors.

The new front-drive coupe, which recently went on sale, is based on Honda's $17,890 Accord coupe. Previous Acura coupe prices started at $39,400 because the car was derived from the costly Acura Legend sedan.

Base prices of the 2.2CL (Contemporary Luxury) are $22,110 with the standard five-speed manual transmission and $22,910 with a slick shifting four-speed automatic, which was in the model I tested.

The quiet, rigidly built 2.2CL is the first Acura primarily designed, developed and made in the United States. The car has its own striking body, which makes the Accord coupe look stodgy. Especially eye-catching is the new Acura's angular trunklid and taillight treatment, which is similar to that of the Acura CL-X concept car.

You get more than good looks. The 2.2CL has the highest standard feature content in its class. Standard are dual air bags, anti-lock brakes, air conditioning, AM/FM/CD, power sunroof, remote keyless entry and security system and power driver's seat, windows, locks and mirrors.

Acura--or shall we say Honda?--is after 35-44-year-old baby boomers with the 2.2CL and knows the new coupe's pricing should draw a lot of buyers. The Legend coupe was a slow seller, but Acura hopes to sell up to 30,000 CLs annually.

Honda is a master at selling to boomers, and its hopes are especially high for the new Acura coupe. That's partly because U.S.-brand coupes such as the Cadillac Eldorado and Continental Mark VIII are costlier and perceived as ``parent cars.'' Foreign coupes like the BMW 328 Series and Lexus SC 300 are just too expensive.

Women looking for an affordable, comfortable, stylish car are expected to be especially attracted to the 2.2CL. In fact, it's almost impossible to find a posh, sharp-looking coupe such as the 2.2CL for less than $30,000.

The 2.2CL initially only is offered with a 2.2-liter, 145-horsepower four-cylinder--also found in the Accord. This fall, a 3.0CL model with a completely new Honda 190-plus horsepower 3-liter V-6 will be offered. It will come only with an automatic, and prices are expected to start at about $25,000.

The 3.0CL's engine will make the CL coupe quieter, smoother and faster. But there's nothing wrong with the single-overhead-camshaft 2.2-liter four-cylinder. The 16-valve engine even has variable valve timing.

While noisy when pushed hard, the high-revving engine offers strong initial acceleration and plenty of zip for merging into fast traffic and passing on highways. The motor of this compact, 3,064-pound two-door also is economical, delivering an estimated 25 m.p.g. in the city and 32 on highways with the manual--or 23 and 30 with automatic.

The 2.2CL can be driven quickly and safely after a short time behind the wheel--one sign of a well-developed car. The power variable-effort steering works well during parking and highway driving and the big, easily modulated all-disc brakes have flex-resistant calipers to help provide consistent braking.

Ride and handling are first-rate--thanks to a race-style, all-independent double-wishbone suspension with unique shock-absorber valving and 55-series tires on big alloy wheels.

You need not feel too self-indulgent with the rakish 2.2CL because it's really quite practical. The car offers a surprising amount of room for a small coupe. It comfortably seats four tall adults in its warm interior, which has well-bolstered front seats, wood-grain trim, easily read gauges and well-located, fluid-feeling controls. The trunk is impressively large and is easy to load and unload.

The refined, high-quality 2.2CL should have long-term appeal, but it lacks that intangible quality called passion. For that, one needs somethinglike a BMW or Ferrari.