<http://schema.org/articleBody>
" The old adage says that beauty is in the eye of the beholder, yet when it came to the Acura TL, not many courters were charmed by its appearance. But Acura managed to sell more than 30,000 TLs last year, proving that a nice personality can go a long way. Still, Acura dealers often quietly told me that the main thing hurting sales of the TL was its styling, with many potential customers commenting, &amp;quot;I would take it if it only looked better.&amp;quot; The car&amp;#039;s radical face was characterized by a massive grille we referred to as the &amp;quot;shield&amp;quot; (Acura insisted we call it the Dynamic Power Plenum) and the rear end was an amalgamation of strange shapes and sharp angles that made many look away.         2012 Acura TL    So for 2012, Acura decided to give the TL a complete makeover, one that would impress the best plastic surgeons in Beverly Hills. For starters, the shield has been dramatically toned down, with the vent openings, which also house the turn signal lights, blending more naturally into the front bumpers, helping to make the overall face of the new TL appear classier and, simply put, better looking. The rear end has also been improved via new bumpers, reshaped taillights and thinner trunk edge. What&amp;#039;s more, the TL&amp;#039;s new body style is also more efficient than before, with drag reduced by 5.4 percent. This means better straight-line performance and improved fuel economy.   New 6-speed Automatic Gearbox    The car&amp;#039;s on-road personality has changed little because most of engine and chassis components from the current car have been carried over. The same two engines will be offered, the 280-bhp 3.5-liter V-6 for the front-drive TL and the 305-bhp 3.7-liter for the SH-AWD (all-wheel-drive) model, albeit with some minor improvements that includes a better intake system and pistons with reduced friction. One completely new addition to the TL is Honda&amp;#039;s 6-speed automatic transmission that also sees duty in other Acura vehicles. Thanks to this new gearbox and an improved coefficient of drag, the new TL boasts better fuel economy, getting 20/29 mpg for the front-drive model and 18/26 for the SH-AWD.         2012 Acura TL SH-AWD     On the open road, the TL exhibits the same sporty character as the current car. The new transmission provides smooth up- and downshifts in full auto mode, while manual gear changes performed via the paddles behind the steering wheel are quick. Both the front-wheel-drive and all-wheel-drive models displayed near-neutral balance through corners. There was about the same amount of understeer through tight turns in both cars, but steering improvements have made the TL feel a bit more agile.   Now that the TL has the good looks to go with its wonderful personality, Acura predicts that sales volume will increase by at least 10,000 cars per year. We say that&amp;#039;s a fair estimate, especially when you consider that the price for the new car will remain about the same. The base TL will sell for $41,535, while the 3.7L V6 SH-AWD will go for $45,085. The car goes on sale on March 18.         2012 Acura TL SH-AWD Interior    "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.roadandtrack.com/new-cars/first-drives/reviews/a17107/2012-acura-tl-1/>