HERNDON, Va. — If born before 1996 you’ll have little memory of Acura’s beginnings. Honda was the first of Japan’s ‘Big Three’ to move upscale with a luxury division, launching Acura in 1986 as a competitor to the near-luxury models of BMW, Mercedes and Audi. And while it hit the showroom with just two models — a 4-door luxury sedan dubbed Legend and a 2-door Civic-based hatch it called Integra — the Honda offshoot hit those new showrooms running.

PHOENIX — The Acura NSX supercar couldn’t help but turn heads and draw a crowd whenever I parked. The styling is gorgeous with an exterior design that’s enticingly worthy of praise. No crazy swoops, no melodramatic over-the-top spoilers at the rear or sculpted fins, rather styling that’s astonishingly beautiful, mostly. The snout is large and a bit on the fussy side, the rear a bit heavyset, but overall errs on mimicking the likes of the McLaren 570S in my eyes.

PHOENIX — The Acura MDX is one of the first 2022 models to arrive in showrooms. And just about everything in this fourth-generation three-row crossover is brand new. Acura is Honda’s premium brand, and has been around since 1986. The popular MDX was first introduced for 2001, and Acura says the new model is in an entirely new class. Changes start with the exterior styling, and continue to the all-new ultra-rigid platform with an MDX-first double-wishbone front suspension, new technology, and more space for people and gear.

PHOENIX — For 2021 Acura — Honda’s up market luxury brand — has just unveiled the second generation of its TLX “sports sedan.” Better known for its popular MDX and RDX SUVs that outsell its three car offerings nearly 3-to-1, Acura wants shoppers to know that their sedans are an important part of the caliper-badge product offerings. The new TLX is a vehicle that shoppers of premium sedans should put on their consideration list.

PHOENIX — RDX is Acura’s premium compact to mid-sized crossover utility vehicle that first arrived for 2007. With its turbo-powered engine and upscale appointments, it was an enjoyable vehicle to drive but, unfortunately, didn’t catch on with the car-buying public. Later, the second-generation RDX added more luxury and a standard 279-horsepower 3.5-liter V-6 engine. But it was predominantly a gussied up Honda CR-V, sharing the same basic chassis architecture.