Acura: a Balance
of Luxury and Off-road Performance by Daniel Rogers
When we talk and think of Japanese luxury cars, there's
this one brand that always comes to the surface of our minds:
Acura. Flourishing under the Honda umbrella, Acura made
a mark in the industry by giving Honda the brownie points
for being the first to present the market with Japanese
cars outside Japan. Prior to Acura's debut, imported vehicles
from Japan are modestly designed and generally focused on
penny-prudent customers.
The fruits of a decade
of painstaking research and development were harvested by
the Honda Motor Company when 18 brand-new dealerships mushroomed
all over North America, supporting its Acura division. Emerging
as the first Japanese brand, Acura proudly presented their
initial models: the Legend and the Integra, a V6-powered
coupe and sedan. The success of these models swept the car
industry with a bang, and it paved the way for the introduction
of other Japanese car competitors such as Toyota's Lexus
and Infiniti from Nissan. The world's first-ever all-aluminum
production car was also manufactured by Acura, the NSX,
a rear-wheel-drive sports car supported by a midship V6.
Yet, though Acura enjoyed
a very successful jump start, their sales took a dive around
1990s. Expert motorists and critics attributed this decline
to less awe-inspiring models and Acura's decision to drop
Legend and Integra titles, replacing them with alphanumeric
nomenclature formulas. During this period, even the Acura
NSX sales took a dip since Acura made very minimal modifications
from the original 1989 model.
And still a silver lining
lurked over Acura's dark eras: it was also during this time
that Acura bagged prominence with a specific bundle of customers,
the tuner enthusiasts. Acura's parent company, Honda, has
a reputation of manufacturing engines that are easy-to-tune
and are rev-happy--and Acura benefited from this well-deserved
reviews and the Integra became a well-loved tuner car.
Early on in the year
2000, the introduction of a few redesigned models became
a huge turning point for Acura. The 3.2 TL model (a pricey
sedan was designed to rival models such as Infiniti I30,
Lexus ES, and the BMW 3-series. Displaying a balance between
sportiness and luxury, the TL's well-rounded design and
competitive price snatched customers from rival models and
revitalized their reputation. Models following the 3.2 TL
followed the same principle of various standard equipments
and minimal options.
Today, Japanese automobile
manufacturers are basking in the reputation of building
good quality cars and this is largely due to the glowing
reviews and praises that Acura parts, gleaned from its consumers.
And since Acura is under Honda, it is a given that a lot
of details, planning and focus are involved when it comes
to producing Acura parts. Vehicles under the Acura brand
are engineered with high standards and tip-top quality,
hence their well-deserved reputation for reliability.
Japanese vehicles have
smaller, more efficient designs than automobiles from other
countries such as Europe or America. But even with these
differences, they do not pose a threat to passenger safety.
Vehicles from Acura are tested and proven not only reliable,
but safe cars. And why shouldn't they be? They're made up
of strong and durable Acura parts. Acura models have become
a favorite in the tuner culture, so a variety of modifications
and customization can be done to the Acura parts.
A vehicle could not
be reliable without parts that are equally trustworthy.
In replacing Acura parts, choose carefully and learn to
segregate cheap after-market Acura parts from those that
are of high quality.
About the Author
Daniel Rogers is a 33-year old businessman who owns stores
that sell various Acura parts, among others.
fiftyfiftyracing.com 2006
copyright
