After spending a week with a 3.0CL, we find these observations mystifying.

True, the V6-powered version of Acura's mid-size front-drive coupe lacks

a manual transmission, optional or otherwise--that sport-driving essential

is available only with the four-cylinder 2.2CL--and its on-road persona

is serenely quiet, composed and competent.

But for all its posh good manners, the CL can handle a slalom course

or series of s-bends in a considerably faster than average hurry, and its

all-around dynamics are on a par with most of BMW's superb 3-Series coupes,

though the M3 is in a class by itself.

Comments about two doors versus four defy comprehension. Yes, sedans

are more versatile. But coupes still have an appeal--sporty, intimate,

personal--that sedans don't. We don't think a coupe has to apologize for

being a coupe.

As for the price issue--well, let's look at that. With a base price

of $25,545, including destination and delivery, the 3.0CL is $3000 higher

than the 2.2CL, and at $27,105 the Premium version, our test subject, is

in near-luxury territory.

At a glance, that may seem a trifle dear. But check the standard equipment

list. This baby is loaded, and the basic 2.2CL is only slightly less so.

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.

We're not big woodgrain fans, but the CL's burled walnut is tasteful,

enhancing a dashboard that is typical of all Honda products--straightforward

and handsomely functional.

Typically Honda also applies to the extensive glass area of the CL's

greenhouse, which affords excellent driver sightlines all around.

Unlike smaller sport coupes such as the Ford Probe and Mitsubishi Eclipse,

the CL's back seat is useable, but this is one area where the Chrysler

Sebring takes the prize.

Consistent with its luxury theme, the CL's front seats are a little

roomier and offer a little less lateral support than the boy racer buckets

in a BMW.

But they're long on comfort, with a wide range of power adjustability

and plenty of legroom. The seat heaters in our test car were welcome, too,

during the January doldrums.

Nifty touches: The driver's seat automatically eases forward to make

rear seat access easier, and a small trapdoor next to the digital quartz

clock shelters easy-to-use reset controls.

Small demerits: Undersize audio controls, spoke-mounted horn buttons

(instead of a center switch) and a relatively tight rear seat area.

Fit and finish were flawless, and interior noise levels were hushed.

There are lots of goodies baked into this purchase price--power everything,

excellent sound with an in-dash CD player, a power moonroof and plenty

of storage for small items. For the extra $1500, the Premium edition adds

leather to seats and door panels, plus the seat heaters.

So what you really have here is a superb luxury coupe executed on a

relatively small scale for what looks to us like a terrific price.

performance. But this doesn't mean the it can't haul the old mail.

It's powered by an all-new 3.0-liter single-overhead-cam aluminum V6

that generates 200 horsepower and plenty of go, even though this top-of-the-line

model weighs in at a rather hefty 3219 pounds.

With four valves per cylinder and Honda's versatile VTEC variable camshaft

timing system, the new V6--manufactured, like the rest of the car at Honda's

ultra-modern facilities near Marysville, Ohio--is wonderfully smooth and

quiet across its entire operating range.

Mated to a smooth four-speed automatic with Grade Logic computer controls,

to limit up-and-down hunting on hills, the 3.0 delivers luxury motoring

with more than enough punch to keep boredom at bay.

Like the powertrain, the CL's excellent chassis and suspension are tuned

for long haul comfort.

There's enough starch in the springs and shocks to keep body roll within

the realm of sporty acceptability, and the crisp rack-and-pinion power

steering lends gratifying accuracy to quick changes in direction.

A little more rubber on the handsome 16-inch aluminum alloy wheels would

probably knock a few tenths off the CL's slalom time--Honda has always

been conservative with its tire specs--but in general this coupe has a

surprisingly high fun-to-drive index for a car conceived to appeal to luxury

buyers.