2009 Acura TL

There’s no overstating how important the 2009 TL is to Acura. The luxury brand from Honda has had a tough time over the past few years, with lackluster sales of its SUVs, the MDX and RDX. Its flagship RL sedan recently went under the knife after a run of dismal sales. The brand’s most recent success was the redesign of the entry-level 2009 TSX sedan.

Even with sales down 22 percent so far this year, the TL is still the company’s best-selling model. The 2009 TL takes a lot of its design cues from Acura’s SUVs and its TSX, but what will make it a winner is what has always been a strength for Acura: value teamed with performance.

Get past the looks (or drool over them, depending on your point of view), and what you find is a TL that’s improved in every way. The 2009 TLs go on sale in September.

The biggest change for 2009, besides the new design, is the introduction of an all-wheel-drive trim level that makes 305 horsepower. One of the most common inquiries we get at Cars.com revolves around all-wheel drive. Buyers want it, even if they don’t need it, and they’re willing to pay for it. Acura says the SH-AWD — which stands for Super-Handling All-Wheel Drive — trim level was created to attract driving enthusiasts who shop BMW and Infiniti, both of which use rear- and all-wheel-drive setups in their cars. Enthusiasts looked down on the previous front-wheel-drive TL even though it sold in great numbers, meaning some people obviously didn’t mind or notice.

I’m not sure if Acura will achieve what it wants to with both versions of the new TL, but any fan of the old car — or any shoppers looking for a little luxury in their next sedan — won’t go wrong with the base model. The uplevel TL SH-AWD, though, is an interesting beast; it may be too much for those who just want all-wheel drive and too little for those looking for an ultimate performance machine.

Before I get into how remarkable a car the new TL is, there’s just no escaping its looks. The phrase “love or hate” is used a lot in today’s automotive world because executives believe a car needs to stand out in a crowd to attract buyers. Even if 70 percent of people hate the look, designers would rather draw the eyes of that other 30 percent. The new TL will certainly draw stares. On my test drive through Connecticut, before the TL was revealed to the public, other drivers definitely stared my way. Sure, some of them seemed to know they were getting a sneak peek, but I think most were gawking at the car’s pronounced beak.

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