: : Those of you who are regulars, please do NOT take this as a troll! I am the poster of the 330 prices, I assure you I am NOT trolling!

: : That said, I figured that before ordering a 330 (this week, I hope), I would test drive some of the "competition." I had already tried, and ruled out, the A4 2.8 (I can't buy the same car Mom has!) and the S4 (too much power, a little too isolated from the road, not my taste in looks). Well, yesterday I tried the SLK 6 cylinder and this afternoon I tried the CL Type S.

: : In a word, it felt like my father's oldsmobile. Don't get me wrong, the CL Type S is a very nice car that is very well equipped. But I feel like I'm driving aroung in a sportier version of my realtor's ES300. OK, now for specifics. The interior is nice, but too Honda. It reminds me of an upscale version of the Honda Accord, or even my current Civic. In fact, half of the buttons are the same as in my $16,000 Civic!. White face gauges (I hate them) are the only option, full leather, cassette and 6 CD in-dash (get a clue, BMW!! It's not that hard to have a cassette AND a CD changer in the dash!!), all the options, power everything, heated seats, etc. That said, the interior was a little too Lexus for me. While there is something to be said for luxury, I felt Acura was trying too hard. The BMW, Audi A4, and MB SLK all had similar trim levels, but these all felt "nicer" to me and gave me more of the "I've arrived" feeling one should get when spending this much. I guess the bottom line for me was, the CL was too insulated from the road (see below).

: : OK, now for the ride. The engine has good power, but the only-choice-available shiftable automatic makes poor use of it. It is quick, I can't argue with that, but again the car insulates the driver from the road. Also, I found the handling too soft.

: : Bottom line. Great value for the money, one can't argue with the package for around $30,000. The comparable BMW is the 328ci Step. Is the extra $7000 or more for the BMW worth it? Depends on what you want. For me, the CL is not even worth considering. Interestingly, in chatting with the salesman, he conceded that Acura was not directly targeting the BMW 3 series, but more the Lexus SC300 and MB CLK. In my opinion, it was a poor editorial choice for Motor Trend to even suggest that the CL and the 328ci are competitors. They are worlds apart in driving experience. If you like a soft, sporty coupe, then the CL is for you. But if you like how a BMW rides, don't even bother trying the CL -- you'll be disappointed.

: : Just my humble opinion.
: : -David