After several major tweaks and additions last year, Acura's TSX carries over into 2012 with just a few new color choices. Not that anything needed to change at all - the only remaining complaint stems from the fact the TSX is a sports car, and so it has the firm suspension of a sports car. If a silky smooth ride over your typical pothole-ridden roads is what you want, a sports car is not how to get it - but the TSX does promise and deliver a balanced approach to comfort and performance most drivers find quite pleasing.

The 2.4-liter turbocharged inline 4-cylinder that has powered the TSX by default since its birth received another tweak last year for slightly better fuel economy, netting 22 mpg city/31 highway with the default 5-speed automatic. The optional 6-speed manual injects a great deal of fun but drops fuel efficiency a couple of miles per gallon. The new limited-production Sport Wagon body style introduced last year does slightly better than than the manual on economy, but like the optional V6, it is available only with the automatic transmission.

Although the four-banger puts out only 201 hp and 170 lb-ft of torque, drivers have no complaints about its real-world acceleration ability. That said, the smaller engine leaves the TSX a bit wanting in the thrill department. Those who want sports-car power to go with the sports-car suspension would do well to opt up for the V6, which comes with several performance considerations above the standard offering and pumps out 280 horses with 254 lb-ft of punch for zero to 60 in just over 6 seconds.

The standard features list is huge for that level of performance under $30,000, including everything from keyless entry to an auto-dimming rear-view mirror, leather upholstery and powered front seats with memory for the driver's settings. Opting for the Technology package fetches features like a rear-view camera, voice recognition, real-time traffic and weather forecasting, the best stereo of its class and, for the wagon, a power liftgate. A climate-controlled cargo box keeps your drinks cold or hot, and while the sedan offers only about 12 cubic feet of cargo capacity, the Sport Wagon affords 61 cubic feet with the rear seats folded down - better than most wagons of its class.

As for safety, a complete buffet of standard inclusions ranging up to active head restraints helped the TSX earn top marks in every category in 2010, but it has yet to be tested on the latest, more stringent standards. If reliability is a major sticking point, you've come to the right maker - Acura is widely acclaimed as an impeccable alternative to the pricey repair and maintenance of German makers. Even though the German driving experience is second to none, TSX drivers frequently express their preference for cost efficiency over superficial things like minor differences in handling response and feel.