at Detroit's North American International Automobile Show in 1995, the

CL is a striking blend of angles and curves, with a rear end treatment

that adds a spicey dash of sci-fi to a part of the car that's usually as

anonymous as milk.

If this design had come from Ford, it would be called New Edge, and

it's pretty daring by recent Acura standards.

The Acura part of the equation may be a prime source of confusion about

this car's search for recognition.

We're talking identity crisis.

When Honda's premium division first materialized, it positioned itself

as a rival for Germanic luxo-sport manufacturers like BMW, Mercedes-Benz

and, in particular, Audi.

More recently, after wistfully watching Lexus soar to the top of the

charts, Honda's tribal elders decided that Acura should be a pure luxury

make. This was followed in short order by another about-face, emphasizing

performance and sporty character.

Finalized during the waning days of the pure-lux era, the CLs wound

up with a personality that's a tad out of synch with the new direction,

leaning more toward the luxury side of the ledger.

That's why Acura left a manual transmission out of the mix for the 3.0

edition.

If you check around in this price-performance sector, you won't find

many other players. It's been suggested that the Chrysler Sebring LXi offers

a comparable car for considerably less, but we don't see it. Pretty though

it is, the Sebring is no match for the 3.0's performance or refinement.

And the only other coupes in this realm wear BMW emblems--the 318is

and the 328is, which are still style and performance pacesetters. But they're

also pricey. The 138-horsepower four-cylinder 318is starts at over $28,000,

the 190-horsepower 328is, with its sweet inline six, opens the bidding

a bit north of $33,000.

So Acura's CL is swimming around out there pretty much by itself, an

uncomfortable situation for a new car. There's not much to compare it to,

not directly anyway, and that means it has to achieve recognition on a

basis of brand and styling.

We think the styling will speak for itself. As for what's beneath the

distinctive sheetmetal, we think that will speak--seductively--to the inner

driver.

Like all current Honda designs, the CL has a relatively long wheelbase

for its tidy overall size, which pays off in ride quality and more room

inside. The track is also proportionately wide, which benefits stability

as well as interior volumetrics.

The new coupes ride on Honda's sophisticated double wishbone suspension,

with disc brakes at all four corners. The 3.0CL has bigger front brake

rotors than the 2.2, and antilock is standard for all models.