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economist suntribune wheels thursday aug 8 2002 17 ifiisi acuras refreshed cl type s improves upon its sporting nature while ensuring trie max imum amount of fine style and creature comforts for your driv ing dollar there are plenty of luxury brands tout ing opulence ahead of performance these cars do a great job of shielding both the driv er and his or her privileged passengers from those nasty outside elements a mere power- window button away however stab the gas pedal and the response is sometimes indif ferent its as if the car js saying hey whafs your hurry thats a far cry from acuras personal- transportation philosophy hondas upscale division has always focussed on superior road handling impres sive braking and highrewing engines that immediately and instinctively respond to driver inputs for example what other car company could create an exotic like the nsx a midengine twoseater so technical ly and aesthetically advanced that it remains one of the worlds toprated sports cars after 1 2 years at the other end of the scale the rsx coupe delivers plenty of thrills of its own but at an earthbound sticker price slotted between these two extremes is the type s version of the cl coupe a vehi cle that has luxurycar status combined with enough strongarm power to keep most other quickstepping pretenders at bay initially brought to life in 1997 the ohiobuilt cl received a completely new design for 2001 giving it a more substantial profile as well asvisual and visceral kinship to the tl fourdoor sedan now the 2003 version has been released featuring numerous mechanical improvements along with minor changes to the front and rear fascia and some titanium- style interior trim both the base cl and the type s employ a 32litre 24valve sohc v6 with hondas vtec variable valve timing and lift control system originally pioneered for the nsx however while the base cl makes 225 horsepower the type s badge bumps this up to a more thrilling 260 horsepower and 232 ibft of torque all of this engine number crunching basically carries over for 03 the major change is the availability of a sixspeed manual transmission in the type s the new gearbox a noextracost option a fivespeed sequential sportshift automatic that comes with the regular- strength cl is also available allows the driver to control cog selection via a short- throw shifter in the process it also prunes nearly 30 kilograms of curb weight and reduces the frontrear weight distribution to 6238 compared to 6337 with the auto matic acura also claims that the sixspeed shaves a half second off zeroto1 00 kmh sprints opting for the sixspeed however means you cant get stability control a stan dard item when specifying the automatic the type s is as complete an automo bile as you can imagine its leglong list of content includes climate control with air fil tration power moonroof power multi- adjustable and heated front seats leather interior coverings sixspeaker bose sound system with sixdisc cd changer xenon highintensity discharge headlamps and 1 7- inch alloy wheels the new type s is more than just an improved version of last years version it now acknowledges that some drivers want to take a more active role in driving their cars and gives them that opportunity with out charging extra for the privilege if that sounds like a good deal to you the cl might just be your type type s that is 278 mth lease at 58 i llg zuiiz cl the sleek and sporty el is an opportunity not to be missed it features a responsive vtec engine 4wheel independent suspension and abs plus you get a co player power window and door locks air conditioning keyless entry and a generous array of standard features for all of the details and a test drive visit acura in markham acura limited time lease offer based on the 2002 el touring sspced model es3562e and available through 1 londa canada finance inc lease payments ure 278 per month for 48 montlis oac down payment or equivalent trade of 2565 and first monthly payment required alr 58 total lease obligation of 15909 96000 km allowance 12 per km exceeding 96000 applies destination charges 900 included taxes licence and insurance ore additional option to purchase at lease end for 10199 plus taxes see acura in markham for details acura in- markham 5201 highway 7 east markhanwc 9059488866