Many years ago I laid eyes on a car that I cherish very much even to this day. Little did I know at the time that my love for that car would turn into an affinity for a brand that continues to capture the souls of auto lovers young and old. This year, Acura celebrated its 25th anniversary. I had the privilege of attending an event to celebrate this event at Amercian Honda Headquarters in Torrance, California to learn about Acura’s accomplishments over the years. The event also consisted of a tour of the Honda Museum which is closed to the public and a ride and drive event to get behind the wheel of Acura’s current model lineup.

Firsts

Acura was the first Japanese luxury automotive brand with the introduction of the 1986 Acura Legend and the 1986 Acura Integra. Over the years they have released many vehicles consisting of a number of firsts in the automotive industry including:

• First Variable Valve Timing system (VTEC®)
• First Drive-By-Wire™ (DBW) throttle system
• First 4-channel ABS system
• First all-aluminum bodied production vehicle
• First production use of titanium connecting rods
• First in-dash navigation system
• First import luxury brand to design, engineer & assemble vehicles in the US
• First dual-stage driver and passenger side airbags
• First XM® Satellite Radio as standard equipment
• First Bluetooth® HandsFreeLink® technology as standard equipment
• First Advanced Compatibility Engineering (ACE™)
• First satellite-linked real-time traffic system
• First torque-vectoring all-wheel-drive system (SH-AWD®)
• First NHTSA 5-star safety rated line-up
• First IIHS Top Safety Pick rated line-up
• First in-vehicle real-time weather tracking system
• First 3-row luxury SUV

These firsts have led to the production of some remarkable vehicles that are on the want-lists of many enthusiasts long after their production has ceased like the Acura Integra Type-R and the Acura NSX. Only time will tell what next great edition of sports car we enthusiasts will be drooling over.

Honda Museum Tour

A kid in a candy store is how I would describe visiting the Honda Museum. I was very honored to be allowed to view and photograph the vehicles stored in the Museum, many of which I had only seen on TV or in photographs in car magazines, but here I was standing inches away from vehicles that garnished observant stares from car enthusiasts at many a car show. I’ll let the pictures do the rest of the talking…

Ride & Drive

The ride and drive was a fun and reassuring way to end the anniversary celebration. Many enthusiasts are on the edge of their seat waiting for the next exhilarating sports car to adorn the Acura moniker, but that isn’t to say that Acura’s current lineup isn’t worthy of recognition and accolade. Acura has and continues to refine vehicles like the TL and TSX into vehicles that bridge the gap between economy and über luxury by providing consumers with vehicles that offer luxury features at an affordable price without sacrificing reliability and the prestige that comes along with owning a luxury car.

Of all the vehicles I drove at the event, two captured my attention. The first being the Acura TSX consisting of a 2.4-liter 4-cylinder matted to a 6-speed manual. My love for the Integra GS-R Sedan, which was only available with a manual transmission, was probably why I felt so at home in this configuration of a TSX. At the lower end of the Acura lineup, the TSX offers luxury features while still performing as a nimble and sporty family sedan. The second vehicle I was happy with was the TSX Sport Wagon that also consisted of the 2.4-liter motor, but instead is matted to a 5-speed automatic with paddle-shifters.

Simple and classy in appearance, yet advanced in its features, the TSX is a great entry level luxury vehicle consisting of features you would expect in a luxury vehicle like leather seating, Bluetooth, iPod Integration, navigation, real-time traffic and weather information, and memory seats. Another top concern at Acura is safety that is met with features like HID headlights, Tire Pressure Monitoring, a six-airbag system consisting of sensors in the front passenger seat that can detect the type of occupant seated to avoid injury due to air bag inflation among many other safety enhancements to protect occupants. If I were to buy an Acura vehicle today, it would be either of these two, now if only the TSX Sport Wagon was offered with a manual transmission.

If you haven’t gone out and test-driven an Acura TSX, I highly recommend you do so.

Here is a short video describing the event…