Tag Archives: Acura

Tweet 2014 Acura RDX AWD. All photos by Randy Stern What a difference a year made for Acura. After a generation of being a turbocharged small luxury crossover, the luxury division of American Honda reimagined the RDX for a wider … Continue reading →

Tweet 2013 Acura RDX. All photos by Randy Stern A Victory & Reseda review of the 2013 Acura RDX There is still gold to be mined in the compact crossover marketplace. To mine this gold, oil prices would have to … Continue reading →

Do you still remember the best automobile you ever owned?

I remember the day I took delivery of a 1991 Acura Integra RS coupe. It was dusk on a Thursday in November of 1990. I arrived with a cashier’s check at Marin Acura in Corte Madera, California ready to take my brand new baby home. The vehicle in question just finished with detailing after the air conditioning unit was installed into my Concord Blue Metallic hatchback.

The car was not equipped with all the luxuries we come to expect from an Acura today. But, I did not care. I wanted something pure with fine handling and enough agility to possibly take it to a track – namely Sears Point (now called Infineon). All I needed to add to my new Integra was an audio system that matched my taste. I took it across the highway to an electronics retailer for the aftermarket installation. The rest is history.

The experience lasted two-and-a-half years. I miss it a lot – even today. There are plenty of regrets – I never took it on a track, ever. The Integra did make it to my brother’s wedding a month after I took delivery of it. Also, it went on a few dates with my first boyfriend, and delivered me to my undergraduate commencement at California State University, East Bay in June of 1993.

There is a void that has lasted 19 years since I parted ways with my Integra. Is there a way to close this gap so I could get over my lament over my prized Concord Blue Metallic 1991 Acura Integra RS coupe? Is there something wearing the dual caliper badge of Acura that is worthy of the spirit of that my old car?

Perhaps I need to find its spiritual successor. Maybe there is some ascendant out there with the spirit and the magic of my old hatchback coupe. Sadly, Acura does not sell a three-door hatchback coupe anymore. Not since they cancelled the RSX in 2006. The lowest model in their lineup is the rebranded version of the Honda Accord Euro – the smaller version of the Accord sold in various parts of this planet – called the TSX. This coming fall, a new smaller Acura will debut in the USA – the ILX.

Still, the quandary persists. Maybe the approach to find the right Acura should take in consideration an old Integra owner who has grown up, but remains loyal to the brand. It would have to be the right vehicle for an owner, whose priorities have changed along with their economic status and social standing in the community. Yet, there is still the want to quench the right foot’s need for hitting the limiter – to simply feel what Acura can still do to an enthusiast. Continue reading →