It's "game on" for Acura's edgy TL entry-level luxury sports sedan this year, with new horsepower and dramatic new styling.

The TL competes in the entry-level premium luxury sedan market against such cars as the BMW 3 and 5 series, Mercedes C-Class, Lexus IS Series and the Cadillac CTS.

To look at it, you'd be surprised that it's an Acura. This is a brand that's always been known for fairly cautious styling, but that old playbook was thrown out with a vengeance this time around.

In a nod to the growing popularity of all-wheel drive among luxury and sport car consumers, Acura is unveiling a new TL SH-AWD model that features a 3.7-liter, 305-horsepower V-6 that is rated at 17 mpg in the city and 24 on the highway.

The styling is at the very least, envelope pushing -- in a nice way, I think. It has a predatory look about it, and it's a logical follow through to the previous generation's blade-like, groundbreaking design that prompted big sales increases for this model.

Some folks think the grille on the new TL in particular is over the top, but I liked it. It gives some individuality and uniqueness to the brand, which I suspect is welcome for those tired of bland design. The grille has a hood piece that looks as though it's floating over a large opening, flanked by those slanted, sinister looking headlamps.

The rear three-quarters view is particularly striking, and carries the high performance theme to the rear of the car, thanks to the combination of an almost fastback roof line, slanted taillights that look just as sinister as the headlights, a nicely creased trunk and dual pipes, the TL looks both classic and contemporary as it roars away ahead of you.

Acura officials hope that the new design will help elevate the TL into a more premium position in its field. For some journalists and industry observers, Acura products, while widely respected, aren't always seen as being quite as "premium" as the competition.

To help the brand get there, the TL is bristling with technology -- certainly an Acura trademark strong suit since the brand's inception and the reason a stylized set of calipers is used as its emblem.

It starts with an all new intake/exhaust VTEC system that Acura says provides more power and efficiency. The paddle shifts have several settings, such as a smart mode for instant gear selection, engine braking and sequential settings, while the manual mode offers manual transmission operation and gear hold. The "D" position provides the best fuel economy and performance, while the "S" position is for sporty driving.

The car has an "intelligent climate-control" system that turns the defogger system on automatically to prevent windshield fog and can provide cool air to the face and warm air to your legs and feet as well.

There's also an emphasis on little touches: The leather is a premium grade and there is stitching on the steering wheel. There's a beautiful aluminum door sill, and the dashboard has a fluid, sweeping look.

As you can tell, there's little that's traditional or staid about the new TL, so I don't expect it to be to everyone's taste. Some aspects of the interior -- namely its dramatic design and layout -- are going to rub more conservative types the wrong way. And that's OK. Kudos to Acura for pushing the envelope.

The TL handles even more aggressively than the previous model, and corners flat, with electric steering that for all the world feels like a hydraulic system. The new system is completely without the uncertainty, sloppiness and constant corrections that many electric steering systems bring with them.

In addition to the aforementioned 305-horsepower V-6 for the all-wheel-drive model, Acura's offering a 280-horsepower, 3.5-liter, front-wheel-drive model that proved to be just as fast and lusty as the bigger powerplant.

No prices for the new TL have been announced yet, though I expect them to fall between $34,000 and $42,000.