The 2015 Acura TLX is probably even more conservatively styled than some Audis, and that’s not a compliment. Aside from the blingy headlights, the rest of the design is dull, even if it’s handsomely proportioned.

It doesn’t strike you as a premium product, according to Consumer Reports, either inside or out. It’s not particularly bad in any area, but not quite up to the level of the class leaders.

You can still easily justify buying one if you factor in the powertrains and their known reliability, the cheaper acquisition price and the generous helping of standard kit. It comes with everything you’d ever need without ticking a single options box, and that’s something Acura has been doing much better than the Germans for years.

It’s biggest downfall is probably the fact that it doesn’t make you want to buy it with your heart – if you decide to go for one, you’re most likely doing it based on monetary calculations and not actual automotive preferences.

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