The Near Perfection of the Acura TL

Acura's best-selling car is the TL, an entry-level luxury sedan with a starting price of about $33,700. For the money, the BuyingAdvice Team believes buyers will be fully impressed with the full spectrum of features and incredible performance that the Acura TL delivers.

Whether you choose the base TL or the more performance-centric Type-S, which was added back to the line-up last year, prepare to be fully blown away by the full set of high-tech and luxurious standard features like a moonroof, surround-sound system, satellite radio, memory seats, the list goes on and on. The only optional feature is a cutting-edge navigations system. Safety scores are strong and all the desired safety features including stability and traction control are standard. Performance is sublime with two V6 options that offer 258 or 286 hp. Steering is well-defined and the ride has power, control and sporty precision. The only minor drawbacks are that the TL is a front-wheel drive design and that there have been a handful of recalls in the past three years. So, reliability is a little less than what you would usually expect from Acura.

The TL is a tough model to beat. The Infiniti G35 is an impressive alternative costing only a few hundred more and offering rear-wheel drive and about 40 more hp. If you are looking for more traditional luxury styling and a bit more space, the Toyota Avalon Limited may be worth a look for a few hundred more.

The Acura TL Type S Takes Me for a Drive

Someone, please, buy me this car. Then get one for yourself, or you're going to be jealous. My old Acura got jealous just seeing the TL across the lot at Montano Acura in Albuquerque. I don't blame it. The Acura TL is to test drives what a gorgeous professional is to dating - you get all tingly just standing next to it. This car is beautiful, and when you sit down with it, it has plenty to say.

Other cars in its class don't compare. Mercedes' C-230 has nowhere near as much guts, and the Lexus ES 350's performance comes close but its appearance and overall presence fall short. Acura's 3.5-liter VTEC 6-cylinder makes 286 hp and 256 lbs of torque - sweet in a car that weighs 3,680 pounds. "Redline it," directed our salesman. So I put the Sportshift transmission in manual mode and used the highly intuitive paddle shifters. The baby, nestled in the leather back seat, was perfectly content as I kept the Acura TL revved up and glued to the tightly curving back streets. Now that's luxury.

Albuquerque drivers love our Acuras, and Montano Acura is part of the reason. While it's unusual to walk onto a dealer lot and find exactly the car you'd like to drive, that's not the case here. There is a row of variously equipped TLs, including the Type S, with sticker prices in the neighborhood of MSRP. The lovely car I enjoyed was just over $38,000, and my salesman tells me that when the 2008 model is released, buyers can get great deals on 2007 models.

You'll be hard pressed to get more car for the money. The only real dollar-for-dollar challenger is the BMW 328i, which is lighter, shorter, and has a smaller 3.0-liter engine paired with a 6-speed manual and rear wheel drive - an entirely different kind of car, in other words.  Meanwhile, it's a good thing I'm already married to a hot engineer, or I could have fallen in love with the Acura TL and taken it home.