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Prestige is overrated, which is not the same as saying it’s unimportant. It matters as long as people think it matters, which is why it’s overrated. Many people have inflated opinions of themselves and the things that furnish their world.

Consider cars.

The longtime presumption in the automotive industry – among manufacturers, dealers and buyers – is that European cars in general, and German cars in particular, have more panache than their non-European rivals.

It is a notion sometimes reinforced by non-Europeans themselves – as evidenced by the “Euro-style” design craze that swept through the U.S. auto industry in the 1980s and early ’90s, and by the Japanese car companies’ slavish imitation of all things European in their early introductions of luxury marques such as Acura, Infiniti and Lexus.

Presumption of European automotive superiority remains today. A non-European car may run just as well as its European competitor, or better; but it is likely to suffer a panache deficit, as in: It’s not an Audi, BMW or Mercedes-Benz.

It’s silly stuff when you get down to the driving of it. This week’s test car, the 2005 Acura RL sedan, is proof.

First, the new RL, completely revised from the lackluster original introduced in 1996 and much better than the substantially reworked edition of 2003, offers something that few luxury cars provide – actual value for the dollar.

But that may not be an advantage for the RL, because the concept of value is at odds with that of prestige. Value measures what you’re actually getting – the tangible property – for the money spent. Prestige speaks to what you think you are getting, especially in terms of improved public perception of your worth, in addition to tangible property.

The RL sticks with what’s real. It has no factory-available options. Instead, it comes fully loaded with standard equipment – including sumptuous leather seating and fine wood trim, of course; and a 10-speaker Bose sound system that is its own wonderful excuse for being. But the RL goes far beyond those items by offering as standard equipment bona fide technological advantages, such as its trademarked Super Handling All-Wheel Drive (SH-AWD) system.

All-wheel-drive systems commonly transfer drive power from front to rear wheels and from rear to front on an as-needed basis – sending torque, the twisting power exerted to turn the wheels, from the wheels that slip to those that grip. The function improves traction, the binding force between the car’s tires and the road.

The Acura RL’s all-wheel-drive system transfers drive power both vertically, front to rear and vice versa – and horizontally. That means it also distributes power between the car’s left and right rear wheels. The side-to-side power distribution yields superior handling – discernibly better than that of rival all-wheel-drive automobiles – in sharp turns and around curves.

Other standard technological wizardry in the RL includes a satellite-linked navigation system that provides instant, real-time reports on local traffic conditions. Trademarked AcuraLink, it is the first North American offering of a real-time traffic information system in a civilian automobile.

AcuraLink works in conjunction with XM Satellite Radio’s NavTraffic information service to provide frequent updates on road conditions – traffic congestion, accident- or construction-related blockages, free-flowing traffic and/or the most suitable alternative routes. The information is displayed graphically on the Acura RL’s dashboard-mounted navigation screen. It’s an effective tool in helping to reduce commuting times.

On those welcome occasions when you have an open road and lots of time and the desire to run just for the thrill of running, the RL is ready and willing to run with you. A standard 3.5-liter, 300-horsepower V-6 engine – compared with a 210-horsepower, 3.5-liter V-6 in previous RL models – comes with the new car.

Low-end torque, the amount of wheel-turning power available at starting speeds, leaves something to be desired for people accustomed to the back-slamming launch of, say, a BMW M3, an AMG version of anything Mercedes-Benz, or the DaimlerChrysler-inspired Chrysler 300C SRT8 (SRT stands for Street Racing Technology) with the 425-horsepower V-8.

But what the Acura RL doesn’t do in the short run, it more than makes up for in the long haul. It’ll catch up with almost anything that leaves it at the starting line, and will take and maintain that lead without once gasping for air.

In the end, that is the only prestige that counts. No European badge is needed on the RL. The Acura logo works just fine.