Acura TL comes standard with a 280-bhp 3.5-liter V6 engine, sequential 6-speed automatic transmission, paddle shifters, 17-inch wheels, satellite radio, MP3/auxiliary input jack, USB interface, driver-recognition system, 10-way power driver seat, eight-way power front passenger seat, heated front seats, HomeLink, Bluetooth, steering wheel-mounted controls, power windows/doors, auto up/down front windows, auto-dimming rearview, front brake-cooling ducts, power tilt/slide moonroof, LED taillights, fog lights.

Acura TL SH-AWD upgrades with all-wheel drive, 305-bhp 3.7-liter V6 with sequential 6-speed automatic, 18-inch wheels.

The TL SH-AWD 6MT features a close-ratio 6-speed manual transmission, heavy-duty clutch, specially tuned AWD system, special front springs and dampers, stiffer engine/transmission mounts, heavy-duty front driveshafts and front CV joints, heavy-duty front differential, special electronic power-steering tuning.

Technology Package ($3,730) includes navigation with voice recognition and rearview camera, AcuraLink communication system, sport seat with perforated leather trim, surround-sound audio, hard-disc drive, push-button ignition, GPS-linked dual climate control, keyless-access security system. Advance Package ($2,200) adds blind-spot information system, ventilated front seats, 19-inch wheels, all-season tires.

Safety features include mandated dual front airbags, dual side-curtain airbags for head protection, dual side-impact airbags for torso protection, three-point seatbelts with automatic pre-tensioning, active front head restraints, tire-pressure monitor, daytime running lights, LATCH child-seat system, immobilizer theft-deterrent. Active safety features include anti-lock brakes, electronic stability control, electronic brake distribution, brake assist. Optional safety provision: All-wheel drive on the TL SH-AWD improves handling in slippery conditions.

On the positive side, in profile, the forward-thrusting stance of the TL is athletic and very much in keeping with this performance sedan's personality. Headlight and taillight arrays wrap around the edges of the nose and tail dynamically. Xenon low-beam headlights are accompanied by halogen high beams, which serve as daytime running lights, operating at a lower voltage. The new lower front fascia contains revised fog lamps. Handsome five- or seven-spoke alloy wheels in various sizes are available.

Twin-layer windshield glass and extra-thick side and rear windows are acoustically tuned to reduce wind noise. All are UV absorbent. And to ventilate the TL in hot sun, all four windows and the sunroof can be opened with the keyless remote.

Handsome titanium-looking trim accents the doors and dashboard. The left side of the steering-wheel hub contains controls for the audio and phone with voice activation. On the right of the hub are controls for the cruise control and info panel, the latter displayed between the speedometer and tachometer. And as expected in a luxury Acura, the switchgear are handsome and of excellent quality.

The key instruments, speedometer, tachometer, water temperature and fuel gauge, are on the small side but adequate and easily read. On the center stack at the top is the medium-sized display screen. It has been well shielded against daylight glare. Moving down the stack, the audio controls are next, and below these are the dual-zone climate controls.

At the bottom are the navigation and connectivity controls. The nav is no-tricks simple and easy to use, with a straightforward top-view map. The screen can also be used to deliver full information about XM/Sirius or other audio programming being used, and real-time traffic and weather data can also be displayed.

The front compartment is comfortable without being huge, and the richness of the colored leather contributes to a feeling of snugness.

The seats are snug without feeling constricting. We found they hold you firmly in position and promote fully alert driving. Hot and cool seat controls for the front seats are on the center console. Concealed in the front elbow rest compartment is a power outlet. And in the glovebox is a keyless-access control switches off the remote system for both the cabin and the trunk.

The Acura TL SH-AWD Advance we drove is by its own lights a near-luxury performance sedan, which is reflected in its attractive pricing. You begin seeing the tiny telltales of this car's modesty the moment you adjust your seat. It has only two driver's-seat memory settings, whereas the competition a few thousand dollars up the ladder commonly provides three memory settings. The Technology and Advance packages add a healthy list of conveniences to add to an already generous equipment inventory.

Throttle response is immediate and forceful. At normal cruising throttle, the drivetrain is pleasantly quiet, but the minute you tromp down on the throttle, you're reminded that this car is determined, if you are, to go very fast.

Snugly tucked into the well-fitted seat, feeling very much in control, it's natural to exercise this engine, transmission and suspension vigorously. And the more you do so, the more clearly you recognize that wringing out this agile and powerful car might best be done on a racetrack. Acura claims an extremely grippy 0.97g of lateral acceleration on the skidpad, and in real-world driving, the TL's cornering force and stability are impressive.

The big plus of our test TL was its brand-new and oddly named SH-AWD, which stands for the gee-whiz-sounding Super Handling All-Wheel Drive. We had occasion to test the Acura in some raw early-spring Northeast inclemency, a mix of rain and sleet that didn't test the system's hard-core snow-handling capability but nonetheless proved beyond doubt its high competence in similarly demanding conditions. Acura is proud not only of the system's snow traction but of its all-wheel-drive system's vector-guiding directional stability in any kind of slide-inducing conditions.

Driven up to the limit on wet, slippery roads, the SH-AWD guided us with confidence-inspiring surefootedness. The system automatically delivers power to whichever wheel can help most in delivering control and driving the TL forward on its course. This Super Handling drive system is so good that it's tempting to begin thinking you're some kind of foul-weather driving phenomenon. The phenomenon isn't you; it's SH-AWD.

The other standout quality of the Acura TL is its firm, excellent steering feel. It allows you to accurately feel everything that's happening on the road during hard driving. Yet it also lets you drive comfortably at more relaxed speeds, keeping you properly informed whenever something on the road surface demands closer attention. First class.

The sharpened feel of the TL's steering and its alert ride, however, have a consequence that's not quite as happy. The TL ride is tuned to give the driver all necessary road information, and provided the road you're on is in the Sun Belt and billiard-table smooth, the news is all good. Driven on rougher roads caused by winter and frost heaves, however, the TL's ride is sharp and choppy. Conceding Acura's unquestioned ability to produce a superb-handling sporty sedan, the TL misses the real-world ride-quality compromise that will be best for many wintery parts of the U.S. This is in the purist sense an agile, fine-handling car, perhaps just a hair too fine. It could prophet from a little of the Europeans' finely calculated ride compliance; everyone, even the best of us, comes upon a rough road from time to time.

As a near-luxury performance sedan, the Acura TL is well priced and inviting. Its engineering is excellent, and the experience of driving it is very good. But if all-wheel-drive peak performance is the buyer's motive, for only about $5000 more than our test SH-AWD Advance, an Audi S4 sedan, the definitive performance sedan, delivers the kind of visceral brilliance the Acura only hints at. That is another way of saying, the TL is properly priced. If getting a lot for less money is the measure, the Acura will continue to attract masses of buyers. It is a quality sedan of very great capabilities, delivering that little bit extra many buyers crave. And with good EPA figures of 18/26 mpg (the Audi S4 gets 18/27 mpg), our test car is well situated in the market during a time of rising fuel prices.

NewCarTestDrive.com correspondent Ted West filed this report after his test drive of the TL SH-AWD.