2011 Acura TL

There's no getting around the fact that widely admired styling can sell cars and overcome glaring faults. At the same time, questionable design can sully an otherwise appealing car.

Take the 2011 Acura TL, a midsize luxury sedan that's difficult to fault. It has compelling performance, perfect crash scores, a spacious interior, solid build quality and plenty of the latest technologies. Even so, since being completely redesigned two years ago, the once top-selling TL has taken a steep nose dive in sales compared to similarly priced luxury cars. You would think that a car renowned for its reliability and strong value would do relatively well in tough economic times, yet the current TL has floundered. For most buyers, one look at its bloated bodywork and big metallic beak of a grille will be all the explanation necessary for this decline from one generation to the next.

Styling is subjective, though, so if you can put aside (or appreciate) the TL's looks, then you should welcome its many positive attributes. Available in two distinct flavors, the TL consequently caters to two distinct type of buyers. For those interested primarily in a refined ride, a spacious cabin and a full helping of bells and whistles, the base model TL is a smart alternative to luxury sedans like the Buick LaCrosse, Hyundai Genesis or Lexus ES 350. The sport-oriented TL SH-AWD, meanwhile, can keep pace around corners with sport sedans like the Audi A4, BMW 3 Series or Infiniti G37 thanks to its high-tech Super-Handling All-Wheel Drive (hence SH-AWD).

Luxury cars and sport sedans must strike an emotional connection with their buyers, but if that emotion is a negative one, then those cars are unlikely to win many takers. As much as we like the 2011 Acura TL and find it to be a compelling value with few objective faults, it's easy to understand why buyers aren't flocking to Acura showrooms to pick one up.