To my core, I’m a bang-for-the-buck guy, and I think that speaks more to Acura shoppers than it does to all-out performance enthusiasts who shop BMW and Audi. There’s nothing wrong with that; the idea that every car needs to be the ultimate track star is ludicrous when most drivers never get to experience anything more thrilling than twisty country roads. The base TL takes those twisties just fine, and if you have a significant other, he or she won’t mind going on a drive in the smoother-riding base model. The light steering will be a blessing for those who find BMWs and Infinitis to be heavy-handed affairs as well.

Acura sure doesn’t go too crazy with its interiors. The new TL is more refined and slightly more upscale than the previous generation, but as radical as the exterior is, the interior is completely sedate. The only relatively avant-garde aspect was the color palette. Besides standard black, there’s also a deep chocolate option used on the upper dash and doors that goes with a cream leather for the seats. This was my favorite combination. There’s also a bright-bronze leather selection available in the TL SH-AWD.

The front seats were both comfortable and supportive; after six hours of straight driving, my back felt fine. As a baseline, this is usually not the case for me, and I take note when my spine isn’t bothering me on long drives. I had also spent three hours on a plane and two hours in a helicopter immediately preceding the test drive, so, yes, I was paying attention to seat comfort.

The backseat is also comfortable, gaining a slight amount of extra legroom over the 2008. I wouldn’t want to take a long ride back there, but it was vastly roomier than any of the competition from BMW, Audi, Cadillac or Infiniti.

There were a number of subtle yet stylish touches inside that I enjoyed but which may go unnoticed. On Technology Package-equipped models, the meshed-metal surface that’s used to cover parts of the dash, doors and center console and create a flowing design is real metal; when you touch it, it feels cold. There’s even a metal sliding door that hides the 115-volt plug for electronic accessories.

The hooded gauges are sporty, and while they’re not the most impressive I’ve seen, they do stand above most of the direct competition. Dual cupholders in the center console are deep enough for water bottles, and they hugged soda cans, too. They also have an attractive sliding cover.

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