Many drivers find themselves wondering, “are Acuras good cars, or are they just dressed up Hondas?” Let’s explore and find an answer.
You may not have known this, but many of our regular auto manufacturers own and operate luxury brands under a different name. General Motors owns Cadillac, Hyundai owns Genesis, Ford owns Lincoln, Toyota owns Lexus, and Honda owns Acura.
In most of these cases, there is a clear line between the economy-based brand and the luxury brand. The one exception is with Honda.
The Birth of Acura
The Japanese-owned Honda Motor Company created the Acura brand in the 1980s. This was after nearly 20 years of selling cars in the United States. Acura was meant to be the luxury arm of the Honda empire.
Acura had some initial victories with cars like the Integra, Legend, and NSX. Seeing how well this game plan worked, Toyota and Nissan followed suit with their own luxury brands, Lexus and Infiniti.
Are Acuras Good Cars When Compared To Hondas?
If you place the vehicle lineup between Acura and Honda next to each other, you’ll find that many of the most popular vehicles have similar counterparts. Vehicles like the ILD, TLX, RDX, and MDX actually share quite a few components with vehicles like the Civic, Accord, CR-V, and Passport.
There are a few Acura models that do not have a matching Honda, namely the luxury sport NSX and luxury large RLX. At the same time, Honda tends to have a more diverse lineup that includes various SUVs, cars, and even a pickup truck.
Just because these two brands have many shared elements doesn’t mean that they are the same car with a different logo slapped to it. Acura is known for offering more high-end technology options, style features, and comfort elements than what you’ll find on Honda options.
Which Brand is For Me?
Since Honda and Acura share similar platforms, you can often expect similar reliability, dependability, and capability scores between the two brands. That means if you are still wondering if Acuras are good cars, you only have to look at the popularity and longevity of Honda to get an answer.
What makes an Acura vehicle stand out is the kind of sophisticated features you’ll enjoy. A base-level Acura often has the same elements that you find on a top-level Honda trim. If you’re looking for a genuine luxury experience, Acura is a great place to start.
At the same time, if you’re looking for a more diverse selection of vehicles with a more attractive price tag, it might be best to stick to the Honda brand.
If you’re still not sure, stop by your local Honda and Acura dealers and test out a few cars for yourself. At the end of the day, it all comes down to preference and budget. Otherwise, Acuras are a great option, but it may not be the most prudent purchase for everyone.
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