Acura: The Improved Luxury Lineup

Honda originally launched their Acura sport and luxury division during 1986, and the company has continually improved their product line ever since. The days of Acura's driving and performing like their similar Honda counterparts are long gone. Numerous upgrades and enhancements have been made to the Acura vehicles to make them more luxurious and refined than ever before.

When the Acura product line first rolled off the assembly line they had a few top selling vehicles including the Integra, Legend, and Vigor that quickly became popular. Motor Trend even named the Legend coupe as the "Import Car of the Year" back in 1987. In addition they also named the Integra as one of the top 10 best cars to drive on the road. Considering this was a fairly new brand for Honda, the Acura series did exceptionally well in their first few years. This definitely raised the standards for Honda on all of its new models.

Up to this day, Honda's subsidiary brand still remains a leader in providing high quality, luxury sport coupes and vehicles. Many of the older models, however, have been retired and others replaced with newer models that are being marketed under a few new names such as:

- Acura RL: A midsize, luxury sedan that seats up to 5 passengers
- Acural TL: A midsize, 5 passenger sport luxury sedan
- Acura TSX: A midsize, 5 passenger lower priced alternative to the TL
- Acura RSX: A 4 passenger, sporty coupe priced at around $24,000
- Acura NSX: A fairly expensive 2 passenger exotice sports car
- Acura MSX: A larger 7 passenger luxury sport utility vehicle (SUV)

The new models have definitely changed drastically since the car manufacturer's line was first introduced in '86. Interior improvements, technological improvements, and additional standard and luxury features, have been added over the years and especially in the recently released models. Acura is definitely providing some stiff competition for two similar competing Japanese luxury brands (Infiniti and Lexus).

Acura has also created a very stong following for car enthusiasts and aftermarket "tuners" looking to spice up or "trick out" their sport compact. The Acura Integra (now the RSX), is still an ever popular choice among these enthusiasts. Although, this car is probably not quite as popular as Honda's Civic, it offers many of the same features at a slightly higher price point.

In summary, Honda has clearly brought out an excellent and constantly improving line up of vehicles for consumers both young and old. With everything from small sport compacts to large luxury SUVs, with high quality features and added extras, they are sure to appeal to just about everyone. Loyal Acura enthusiasts and car lovers alike will surely continue to follow the company's strong brand and well known quality line of vehicles for years to come!

Author Ryan Lawson is a car enthusiast and owner of various automotive websites including an online dash kits store that offers Acura interior kits and Honda interior kits.