Acura’s 2007 Tl-s

In the market for a new car that’s both fun and high-performance?

Well, Acura’s mid-range 2007 TL-S might just be the perfect car for you. Long been a favorite among car enthusiasts and considered to be Acura’s coolest car since its 2004 redesign, the TL has been Acura's best-selling vehicle since then at roughly 76,000 U.S. units annually.

For 2007, the TL gets honed and sharpened, and – if you’re just the type who loves performance - the Type-S is out to butt heads with BMW's 3-Series and every other entry aspiring to be the best in the higher-performance market.

The standard TL comes with a 3.2-liter six that bangs out 258 horsepower. But in the S, standard power is a 3.5-liter V6 with 286 ponies and torque of 256 pound-feet at 5,000 rpm. Tie that to a six-speed close-ratio stick shift and all the perks of quality Acura parts, and the fun factor increases significantly.

The Type-S is will be offered with the options like summer tires and either the close-ratio manual or the quick-shifting manumatic. Its performance is strong, its grip fierce, its higher-effort steering quick and precise and its big four-piston Brembo brakes more than impressive. The Type-S could easily give the likes of the BMW 330i, Infiniti G35, and the Lexus IS 350 a run for its money.

As for the numbers, the Type-S's 11 percent stronger engine achieves its impressive numbers through an eight-percent boost in displacement (from 3.2 liters to 3.5 liters), thanks to a seven-millimeter longer stroke, slightly larger intake valves with increased lift and duration and 14-percent freer exhaust flow. The engine is also lighter thanks to the hollow camshafts and Acura’s careful use of lightweight materials, which improves front-to-rear weight balance, and its double-wishbone front and multi-link rear suspensions are retuned with stiffer springs, dampers, and stabilizer bars to optimize both handling and stability.

Meanwhile the Type-S' exterior look is distinguished from the TL's by specific front and rear fascias with unique bumpers, black chrome trim, wider side sills, racing-inspired ten-spoke alloy wheels, and big quad-outlet tailpipes. Inside, the stunner of a vehicle gets terrific added-lateral-support sport seats, red ambient lighting, Type-S logos on the steering wheel and seatbacks, and Active Noise Cancellation (ANC). ANC uses microphones in the headliner to sense powertrain booming noises, which the car's sound then system "cancels" by generating synchronized opposite-amplitude sound waves.

Honda's luxury division plans to move some 70,000 Acura TLs this year in North America, at prices ranging from $34,000-$39,000, and believes about 40 percent will be Type-S models.