Hi Fellas,

I used to drive a modded 90 Maxima GXE, but last week I decided that I needed something new. My brother was in town so I went looking for a new(er) car.

Obviously I had many cars in mind...one being a new Maxima. Well I first hit the BMW dealership and drove a 01 325i, which was nice, but I hate the interior and dash layout. Not to mention that the power was significantly lacking. However the BMW out handled all the cars I drove.

I then went to the Acura dealership and fell in love with the CL type s. The car is simply stunning and the interior and power are spectacular. I was ready to work the #'s, but I still wanted to check out Nissan.

I found a 03 Maxima GLE with the 3.5L engine. I drove the car and found it very comfortable, but not as sporty as the CL. The power was comparable to the CL, but I think the CL outhandled the Maxima. The Max had a lot of torque steer, which I didn't like. The CL also has the sportstronic transmission where as the Maxima does not.

I dunno, but the CL immpressed me more so I purchased it.

I am still a maxima loyalist because I know they are well built cars.

I had some questions...are there any article or links comparing the 03 CLS to the 03 Maxima?

Both have similar engines putting out comparable power. Which one is quicker??

Which do you guys like better?


Thanks,
Kevin

 

Kevin,
Congrats on the new car. My buddy has an '01 CL-S as well with the 5 sp auto. Granted these two cars are similar in size, weight and power, but the suspension of the Acura is much sportier (stiffer) which improves the handling, some of which comes from the oversized OEM RSB. I have driven my buddy's CL-S many times, and don't really feel this is a fair comparison overall. We have yet to "race" our cars yet, but I think that in terms of 0-60 acceleration, my Auto Maxima is quicker. My buddy even said so after driving my car. Just one opinion obviously. Good luck and check out an AEM intake for some added power.
-Tim

 

Thanks for replying.

I also felt that the 03 Max I drove had a tad more power. Maybe its due to the tad more low end torque the 3.5L has. The added power really doesn't matter to me because I don't race my car around town. It feels good being able to pull on people though

I will probably keep my CLS stock, but in time I may get a cold air intake. My days of having a loud car are well over....I'm only 23 btw.

What kind of gas mileage does your friend get in his CLS?

Thanks,
Kevin

 

Not sure what it averages out to, but he gets like 400-450 miles per tank, but he does all highway driving. He is a college recruiter, so he has over 65k on his car already.

 

Do a search on here and register on acura-cl.com if you care to.

You're CL Type-S is nearly identical in 1/4 mile times with a 02/03 maxima auto. The Maxima has more tq, but the CL has more hp. The Maxima weighs 200lbs less, but the CL has better gearing. It's a pure drivers race. The CL will not "feel" as fast from a stop because of the Max's tq advantage, but it outpulls the Max in the upper rpms.

I have a 6 speed Type-S and I average 23-24mpg combined, with about 75% highway/ 25% city. The automatic has a much much deeper OD ratio so the highway mileage is actually better than the 6 speed.

BTW I know what I'm talking about concerning the Max because my girl has a 03 SE Auto.

 

I raced a CL type-s couple times before and from the roll we was tie... from died stop i beat it easilly... but its a nice looking cars!! i drive max and i cant change it for nothing... if anything happen to my max i will buy another max... i love this cars a lot!!! its my little baby!!!!

and i will tell you guys my secret "im here to US because i drive one fast car, thats all"

i cant go back to europe and i drive on piece sh*t fiat, peugeot, seat or something like that with 1.2 litter engine, ~60-70 hp... just I CANT!!!!

 

Hey about three months ago I went to my Acura dealer to check out the 03 cl type- s and the sales guy told there was no such thing meaning that they stopped in in year 02 .Is this true

 

Congrats Akai, you made one of three good choices (the third option being the TL Type S). As indicated in the other posts, the 1/4 mile times are pretty similar bet the Max and Type S but, I think the Type S has a higher topend (somewhere around 150mph+) not that I recommend discovering it firsthand.

 

from experience of owning a 01 cl s before buying my 02 max, you cant lose with either.
the cl was the car i had more fun with than any other, though the max is quickly climbing the ladder.
they did discontinue the cl after 03, meaning there was an 03 cl-s made, but you would be hard pressedto find one now.
a friend of mine bought his cl when i bought mine, and he recently went to trade it in for a 03 g35.
they gave him 13k on the trade, a week later they had it on the lot selling for 19k...

 

I heard there is no more type s the 03+newer all will have the big engine

 

I was actually reffering to the 2002-2003 TL Type S. The new TL (still 3.2L, but 270hp) is in a whole new ballpark now.