The 2002 Acura 3.2CL is an all-around car. It comes with pretty much everything standard. It's simply an extensive vehicle, that covers all aspects of driving, comfort, and convenience.  
 
Exterior  
One look at this car, and this section of the review speaks for itself! The 2002 3.2CL undoubtedly offers a sharp, clean look to it. The curves of this car truly makes one drool upon the sight of it. All in all, the car is very well modeled, especially with the dual exhaust in the back, allowing for a nice symmetry. The curvature of this car also facilitates the washing of the car, since curves are much easier to get around than corners.  
 
Interior  
One could not ask for a more well-equipped interior than the one Acura provides you with. The 3.2CL is nicely equipped with leather seats, which are quite comfortable. Because the car is coupe, the driver and passenger's seats are designed to be much more comfortable, than say - a sedan. This is definitely evidenced by this vehicle. The driver and passenger's seats are both somewhat deep bucket seats that allow you to sit snugly in the seats without being overly comfortable. Because I rarely have any reason to sit in the back seat of my own car, my account of the back may not be accurate. However, I have sat in the back, just not for a trip. It seems the back could use a little more leg room, but this of course only depends on the seating of the driver and/or passenger. Regardless, the seats in the back are rather comfortable. I have also been told this by my passengers. Of course, if you do intend on having more than 1 passenger in your car at a time, you may want to consider the Acura TL - the CL, just with 4 doors, pretty much.  
 
Handling  
The handling on the CL is pretty decent. It drives very smoothly, but a bit heavily. If youre the type who speeds excessively around corners and enjoys being thrown into your door or armrest around these turns, you might consider another vehicle, such as the Lexus IS300, Subaru Impreza WRX, and other competing models. Of course, you do sacrifice certain features when you choose another car.  
 
Regardless, the bucket seats hold you nicely around those curves and turns and the car accelerates very smoothly, if driven regularly. It doesnt exactly have the fastest acceleration of its competing models, but its pretty decent, provided the cars weight (3485 lbs.  with Navigation; without  3470 lbs). All in all, the handling of this car is pretty good, unless youre one with a passion for speed and hard cornering.  
 
Features  
The 3.2CL is equipped with pretty much everything standard, which I feel is a big advantage of owning this car. Everything from the tape deck to leather seats is in this vehicle, which make it such an enjoyment driving.  
 
Navigation/GPS (optional)  
The GPS (Global Positioning System) is exceptional on this vehicle. It is a touch-screen navigation system, which makes it much more convenient than some of the current navigation systems that are on the market. Many require the use of a small knob-like object to select your choice, which can make typing in long addresses a hassle. With the CL navigation system, its just point and shoot. However, if you do prefer the joystick style knob, that is available as well.  
 
The navigation system is pretty concise. The female voice who assists you guides you well, and it also guides you to your preferences, which it should do anyway. In addition, you can select places by their name, and it can sort the places by distance, and so forth. This is an all-around comprehensive system that covers all aspects of navigation and GPS.  
 
The navigation unit/screen also controls the A/C air flow of the car, whether or not you want A/C itself on, and the speed at which the fan is blown. This feature is perhaps not extremely necessary, but it does add a nice touch to the high-techness of this car.  
 
Also, if you are not using the navigation or A/C controls at the time, it can display the time for you set in a background of stars. However, if you are using the navigation, it will summon the time to the bottom right corner in a small box. This is a con because there are no other points on the car in which it displays time, making the driver, who always races against time, have to make an extra effort to sometimes lean over to the right to check out the time. This may be a safety hazard, for those seconds trying to find the time should be seconds spent surveying the road ahead.  
 
Basically, navigation is all a personal choice. Its just up to the buyer whether or not he is willing to shell out approximately $2000 for something he or she may never need, depending on amount of travel and sense of direction. Maybe you could get it to show off, if you are the conceited type :). Personally, I enjoy the fact that I have a screen and voice that can assist me in case I ever get lost and whatnot. Safety wise, the navigation system isnt much of a distraction, unless you are constantly looking at and inputting things into the screen. Just remember that though you may be tempted to often look down at the screen, the road is always the most important when driving, hence the female voice that assists you.  
 
Music  
The Bose system in the car (standard) is pretty decent. It delivers a adequate bass, though I feel it could use a little more bass  perhaps another woofer. All in all, however, the sound quality is pretty good, and is suitable for most types of music. A nice feature to its sound system is the 6 disc in-dash CD changer. This is a very nice and convenient feature for you dont have to go to the trunk to change the CDs, like in many other CD equipped vehicles.  
 
Overall, Bose equips the CL with a pretty nice system, though a pinch of bass could always be added.  
 
Additional Features  
TCS  Traction Control System  This feature keeps your car straight and not sliding and spinning after those fast sharp curves. TCS, or others like it, with other cars, should always be considered when purchasing any vehicle. Its a large safety factor nowadays, and it could save your life one day when youre supposed to be spinning 360s, but you simply fishtail a bit.  
 
Automatic Seats  This is a very nice feature. Because this car is a coupe and it seats 4, it is pretty obvious that the front seats have to move forward in order for the rear passengers to get in the vehicle. This is true in any coupe that seats more than the driver and passenger. However, most of the time, you have to lift up a lever near the bottom of the seat and manually push it forward. Not the case with the CL.  
 
In the CL, you simply give the lever on the side of the seat a little push, and the seatback will fold down, and the seat will come forward automatically, giving the rear passengers entry. Then, after the rear passengers are in, you simply push the seatback back, and the seat moves back to its original position. This function is very nifty, efficient, and saves the energy of those who constantly have multiple passengers.  
 
Sequential SportShift  Many current cars now carry this feature, though each has its own name. Its for the driver who has no interest in learning how to drive manual transmission, or the one who prefers automatic, but likes the feel of a manual. I personally have never driven a manual, but people who have say the SportShift is nothing like driving real manual. It seems like its just a cool little useless feature that can give the driver a bit of power when he or she downshifts.  
 
I personally have not really had the chance to take a ride in SportShift mode, but when I do, I will post an update!  
 
Sure, the CL has SportShift, but it lacks the manual transmission, desired by those hardcore drivers who really like to get the most from a car.  
 
Steering wheel buttons - To keep the driver focused on the road and not the buttons throughout the car, audio buttons that control volume and tracks (CDs) or stations (radio) are easily accessible by clicking the buttons mounted on the steering wheel that can change audio. On the right-hand side, there are buttons that control Cruise Control, which are also easy to get to.  
 
Automatic power window  Like many cars nowadays, this car has the Automatic window function, however only on the drivers window. The passenger window is like any old power window though.  
 
HID (High Intensity Discharge)/Xenon lights  This, I feel, is a very considerate of Acura to include standard. These lights provide a brighter, whiter light that allows the driver to fully see the road while driving in the dark. Though you may not know/have known the name of these lights, you know what Im talking about  when youre driving down the road, seeing all these continuous yellow lights, then one, which isnt yellow, all of a sudden catches your eye. It has a slight blue tint to it, and it really stands out. Thats what Im talking about :)  
 
I consider Acura very considerate to include these because on many luxury cars, its still an option. Also, it enhances safety for the driver, his or her passengers, and other drivers on the road.  
 
The specifications and conveniences of this car are practically endless. Please visit Acura at www.acura.com and perhaps request a brochure if you wish. Perhaps through updates, I can add what features and conveniences I find to be worthy of posted.  
 
Conclusion  
In conclusion, this car is worth its every penny, because it comes very loaded with everything standard. There is nothing really I couldnt ask for in this car. If youre looking for a combination of performance, luxury, and convenience, this is the car for you! However, if youre looking more into performance, and are willing to shell out a few more thousands, then I would maybe consider Lexuss IS300.  
 
Competing Models  
If you are interested in this car, I would recommend you also check out its competing models, as I dont really know your tastes and interests in vehicles. Though I do own this car and love it to death, I still, and always have, envied Lexuss IS300 (as is evidenced by my constant comparisons/references to it throughout this review). Though it looks to be styled towards a younger generation, it still is an awesome car, despite that it may be a bit more since not everything is standard with the IS300, like it is with the CL.  
 
If theres any specific item you would like me to review about the CL, please post a comment or feel free to e-mail me at chineze@tampabay.rr.com! If you have any questions or comments regarding the review, please e-mail me or post a comment as well!  
 
Thanks for your time!  
 
~Asian-Playa 12.31.01 |Happy New Year!|  
