Our relationship with Acuras goes beyond this one article. We’ve written extensively about Acuras and explored a plethora of their features and capabilities. Today, we will talk about Acura as a luxury brand. What makes it a luxury vehicle, how does it compare to other brands, and should you get an Acura?
Acura is a luxury brand because it has a small line-up of six premium vehicles. Furthermore, Acura uses high-quality materials such as open-pore wood and hand-wrapped leather with French stitching, and they tend to have premium LED ambient lighting. Finally, an Acura costs between $30,000 and $80,000, which is a premium price point.
However, that is the most straightforward answer possible. We have researched what features Acura offers and how it holds up against other brands. Read on to explore Acura as a luxury brand.
Why Are Acuras Considered To Be Luxury Cars?
As we said in our introduction, Acura has a relatively small line-up. This is normal for smaller premium brands, and it helps them focus on quality over quantity. However, naturally, there will be differences between the cars in their line-up. In the case of Acura, their lineup looks as follows.
Acura has two sedans (ILX and TLX), one crossover (RDX), and one SUV (MDX). Furthermore, they have one supercar (NSX) and one racecar (NSX GT3 Evo22). Additionally, Acura has two premium series of their regular cars. These are the type-S series and the PMC editions.
The MDX, TLX, and NSX are available as a type-S model. Type-S models are more powerful than their regular counterparts. They also offer better handling and a more premium interior.
Finally, there are the PMC editions. These cars are made by a sub-division of Acura and are known for their craftsmanship and higher performance compared to regular vehicles. Currently, only the RDX and NSX are available as a PMC edition.
Luxury Features
Regular Acura
You can’t have a luxury car without luxury features, something to set your vehicle apart. The premium interior comes as a must in luxury cars to add to your comfort and sophistication. In the standard versions of the ILX, TLX, RDX, MDX, and NSX, Acura surrounds you with open-pore wood accents, a hand-wrapped leather dash with French stitching, and personalized ambiance using its Iconic Drive Cabin Lighting. Premium Orchid and Azurite Blue leather seating ensure high-class comfort, providing 16-way power front seats and nine massage modes. It also offers a premium Carbon Fiber interior package.
Type S
Acura brings you the full package in its Type S vehicles with the 25 speaker Signature Edition ELS STUDIO 3D audio system and the wide panoramic moon roof view. It offers Cabin Control to create the perfect atmosphere and a digital Precision Cockpit to control everything on the HD center display.
To ensure a more comfortable and safe drive, Acura presents all the important information like speed, AcuraWatch alerts, navigation, and music to the 10.5-inch Head-Up Display on the windshield. (Head-Up display size is of the Acura MDX). Acura also integrates QI wireless charging and a built-in Alexa.
Acura’s supercar, the NSX Type S, gives you a stunning exterior by utilizing Nano-technology premium paint for a limited edition Gotham Gray Matte color.
PMC Edition
The Master Technicians of Acura work tirelessly to bring you the special hand-crafted PMC Edition Vehicles. These vehicles have a performance-oriented design to give you an exhilarating drive. Only 200 vehicles of each model are produced to ensure the highest quality. Each vehicle is badged with an Acura PMC performance emblem that marks your model’s specific number. Owning a limited edition vehicle is a luxury of its own.
You can spot a PMC Edition vehicle owing to its breathtaking NSX Long Beach Blue Pearl color. Its athletic-style interior full of bespoke features to make you feel at home makes the PMC Edition stand out. It offers Ultrasuede trimmed sports seats with blue contrast stitching and a quieter cabin because the drive is everything for the PMC Edition and its owners.
Capabilities
Luxury cars are expensive. You want comfort, limited features, and performance with that hefty price tag. The Acura brand delivers on comfort and features, but what about its performance?
If you consider performance to be a part of luxury (which it is for many people), then the table below will give you a clear understanding of what Acura is best.
First, we see that Acuras are powerful cars in general. The ILX has a minimum of 201 horsepower and is, therefore, the least powerful Acura. However, let’s not forget that 201 horsepower for a compact sedan is already quite powerful. This does indicate that Acura is a luxury car since they’ve also focused partially on performance.
| Model | Horsepower | 0-60 time |
| ILX | 201 | 6.6 |
| TLX | 272 | 5.7 |
| RDX (and PMC) | 272 | 6.4 |
| MDX | 290 | 6.4 |
| NSX (and PMC) | 573 | 3.1 |
| MDX Type-S | 355 | 5.3 |
| TLX Type-S | 355 | 4.5 |
| NSX Type-S | 600 | 2.5 |
When we look at the other Acuras, we see that most of them have a horsepower number between 272–355. This results in 0-60 mph times between 4.5 – 6.4 seconds. We would consider that to be quite a good performance. As can be expected, only the NSX is an outlier. The car has 573 horsepower (600 if you opt to go for the Type-S) and has 0-60 times of 3.1 or 2.5 seconds.
We would conclude that Acuras are indeed luxury cars when looking at performance-related aspects. For example, we would expect to see similar power outputs and 0-60 times in BMW, Lexus, and Mercedes-Benz cars which shows Acuras can handle the competition.
Price And Cost
Luxury comes at a price. Generally, vehicles costing more than 40,000 USD are considered luxury vehicles. The lowest trim model available is the Acura ILX Premium Compact Sports Sedan starting at 27,300 USD.
The highest trim models available are the Type S models, with the Type S TLX High-Performance Sports Sedan starting at 53,300 USD and the MDX High-Performance SUV starting at $66,700. The Type S vehicles offer exclusive features making them the most premium vehicles in the Acuras lineup.
Acura also has an impressive supercar in its lineup, the NSX Type S, which starts at 169,500 USD. For the Acura NSX Type S, you are paying for the sleek look, incredible interior, and 600hp and 191 mph top speed.
If you’re interested in the cost of owning an Acura, read this blog post: The Complete Cost Of Maintaining An Acura
Safety
Every vehicle available today has some basic safety features, but the latest features are usually only included in high-end or luxury vehicles.
The Acura vehicles include:
- Collision Mitigation Braking System, which can apply the brakes to avoid or reduce collision impact (frontal impact).
- Road Departure Mitigation alerts drivers to unintentional departures from detected lanes or roadways. This feature can apply steering torque and braking to keep the vehicle on the roadway.
- Blind Spot Information System monitors the rear and sides of your vehicle to help detect vehicles in alert zones of adjacent lanes. (On Technology, A-Spec, Advance, Type S Packages)
- Rear Cross Traffic Monitor helps detect vehicles approaching from the sides while the vehicle is reversing. (On Technology, A-Spec, Advance, Type S Packages)
- Surround View Camera, which gives you a 360 view of space around the car. Helpful to get in and out of tight spots. (On Advance Package)
- Acuralink, which is not really a safety feature but more of a comfort feature. You can read more about this here.
What Acura Is Top Of The Line And Why?
The Acura NSX Type S is the jewel of the Acura lineup. It’s a Type S supercar with a 600 HP V6 engine and twin turbos that are a treat to any car enthusiast who is lucky enough to hear the roar of this limited-edition vehicle. It’s a hybrid vehicle that draws power from a 1.3 kWh battery pack.
The focus of this vehicle is the ultimate driving experience and performance. The NSX gives complete control with four driving modes, and you can choose the Quiet mode to fly under the radar or showcase the power of the NSX with the 9-speed DCT in Track mode. The NSX does 0-60 in under 3 seconds and achieves a top speed of 191mph.
The exterior is painted using Nano-technology to give the breathtaking Gotham Grey Matte color. It utilizes carbon fiber to add to its stunning exterior and reduce weight. The interior comes in Orchid, Ebony, and Red while using the Alcantara trim to give you a motorsport experience. It also offers a leather-wrapped steering wheel as well as four-way power-adjustable seats.
Where Does Acura Rank Amongst Other Luxury Car Brands?
Acura is the luxury lineup of Honda Motor Company and comes to direct competition with Lexus and Infiniti, all Japanese brands. As far as the comparison of these brands is concerned, Acura tends to lean on the sports side of cars, whereas Lexus focuses more on luxury and reliability.
Acura has a smaller lineup giving you fewer options to choose from, but it offers luxury with more outstanding performance than its Japanese competition. Even though Lexus comes out on top in terms of reliability, Acura’s production of such a reliable supercar is an incredible achievement.
Acura excels at safety and is widely recognized as having some of the safest luxury vehicles. Acura makes its place in the competition by having lower price tags on its vehicles and has some of the world’s cheapest luxury cars in terms of performance and features. That gives it an edge over other brands. However, brands like BMW and Mercedes Benz tend to have a better level of refinement, which gives them a more luxurious outlook.
The Acura has a great value for money interior; however, other luxury brands with higher prices also offer better interiors which are of great importance in luxury vehicles. Other brands also excel in infotainment systems, whereas Acura uses a similar system as the Honda lineup, which is great but doesn’t go toe to toe with the luxurious systems of other luxury brands.
Should You Get An Acura?
We’ve taken a look at a lot of information on Acura as a luxury brand. But the question is: Is Acura the right brand for you? The short answer: Yes, if you’re looking for a luxury car with commendable features but one that doesn’t break the bank.
The Acura brand offers excellent performance and reliable luxury vehicles. Another reason to buy an Acura is its slow depreciation which is always an advantage. It has also made a name for itself by receiving safety awards for its luxury vehicles.
If you are looking for older models of Acura, we suggest you refrain from buying the early 2000-models. Those models had several problems with their transmissions, which were addressed in the later generations. The majority of Acura owners have a consensus on this opinion.
Over the years, Acura has truly shaped itself as an authentic luxury brand. It offers a subtle mix of both luxury and comfort. However, if you’re not concerned with the price tag and want a more refined luxury vehicle, then you might find better options in brands such as BMW and Mercedes Benz.
Sources
His interests in cars, motorcycles, and machines led him to the University of Engineering and Technology, Lahore where he is currently a mechanical engineering sophomore.
His future aims include the development of an energy-efficient prototype vehicle for the Shell Eco-Marathon competition and getting a Master’s Degree in Automotive Engineering from Germany.