The American automotive market is one of the world’s biggest meritocracies. If a car is good, it sells well, and if it’s not, well, it gets a shorter Wikipedia entry. Now some may argue that vehicles like the Toyota Camry are too bland and don’t deserve their success. Then again, there’s a lot to be said for consistency…ask McDonalds.

Every now and then though, a car comes along that, despite a long list of merits, never quite achieves the ubiquity that you might expect. Sometimes it’s style, other times marketing, and yet other times it’s simply because the car was “ahead of its time,” that is, not exactly fitting in with contemporary consumer tastes.

Do these cars deserve their fate as also-rans? Not to me…they’re all good, and if people would be willing to overlook one simple thing (OK, maybe more than one in some cases), they’d find themselves behind the wheel of some very satisfying machinery. On the other hand, look for some great values on the used market in the near future.

2009 Acura RL

Why It’s Great: Terrific handling, feature-loaded and luxurious interior.

What Holds it Back: “What’s that?” styling replaced with “What the…?!?”

The Acura RL’s spec sheet reads like an Audi: 300-horsepower V-6; sophisticated all-wheel drive system; sport-tuned multilink suspension; luxury features out the wazoo. Yet the wrapper that all this sophisticated and fun stuff comes in has suffered from two distinct flavors. From 2005 through 2008, the RL went virtually unnoticed thanks to its plain-Jane clothes. It wasn’t ugly by any stretch, just so understated that it was practically invisible. For 2009, Acura attempted to rectify the situation with a radical makeover, including a new nose, tail, front fenders, head and taillights and the now-familiar Acura milk-mustache grille. Mission accomplished: It definitely stands out, although probably not in the way Acura intended.. Too bad we’re all so shallow, because this is really a good car.

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