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2019 Acura NSX vs. 1991 Acura NSX | Respect your elders

A car that forces the competition to head back to the drawing board does not come around often, especially when that competition happens to be Ferrari. Honda achieved such a feat back in 1991 when the original NSX was set loose in the supercar world. Not only did the NSX smack its contemporaries down in terms of performance and technological prowess, it also forced the Italians to make supercars with some semblance of reliability and manners. Spend only a few moments in an original NSX, and its specialness is palpable. The lack of power steering is acutely noticeable at low speed as I roll over little cracks and dips in the road, while the sticky rubber chucks small rocks up into the wheel wells. A near 360-degree view is at my disposal with the bubble-like canopy, and the ground right in front of the nose is visible from my vantage point. This is what control feels like, and we haven't even gotten to the reverie-inducing VTEC noises getting piped right into our eardrums yet. There are no dials to change the throttle response, no buttons to make the steering artificially heavy, no shift paddles behind the wheel to tell a computer to swap cogs. To my right is a manual shifter that can legitimately be described as perfect. This is a 1991 Acura NSX, and it is glorious. For some of the reasons I've briefly described, and plenty more, this car has reached legend status amongst enthusiasts. In the early 2000s it was a sales disaster, outgunned by pretty much every other supercar in the space. Honda/Acura was only working with a 3.2-liter V6 making 290 horsepower when that car finally met its maker after the 2005 model year. As collectable modern classics, the relatively low power output doesn't seem to bother folks spending close to, and over, six digits on low-mileage examples of these cars. What changed? Well, the passage of time tends to be the biggest factor in these things. Also, there's a new NSX out there, reminding the world that the old one exists. And just like when Acura discontinued the original, the new one is mighty expensive, selling in extremely low numbers, and generally regarded as lesser than other options in its class. This time around it has to deal with standout cars like the 911 GT3, McLaren 570S and Audi R8 V10. But perhaps even worse than that, the new NSX must withstand comparisons to the original. Can you think of any other legendary Japanese car with a similar image problem today? Yeah, the Toyota Supra.

MotorWeek remembers the 1993 Acura Legend coupe

When discussing classic Acura models, the Legend, particularly as a two-door, doesn't get brought up nearly as often as the Integra or NSX. Perhaps that's because those sporty models were brash for their time, whereas this bigger car came off as a more conservative ride. For a MotorWeek Retro Review, John Davis and crew have looked back at a 1993 Legend coupe to give us a chance to remember Acura's luxury GT. In 1993, the newly revised 3.2-liter V6 managed 230 horsepower, and this one had power routed through a six-speed manual. It also came packed with luxury features, including automatic climate control and traction control. However, the Legend turned out to be more of a comfy cruiser than an all-out sports coupe for the reviewers. MotorWeek wasn't happy with the performance through the slalom, and the shifter wasn't perfect, either. Still, this clip is a great refresher on a model that's often overlooked. Related Video:

2021 Acura TLX Long-Term Update | Seats look great, feel less so

There's a lot to like about our Acura TLX A-Spec's interior. In particular, I love the vivid red leather upholstery, the satisfying drive mode selector, and the loads of space inside. What I'm not so in love with is the actual design of the front seats. They look great and are quite shapely with the undulating black faux suede inserts and leather piping separating the aforementioned red leather panels. But they're underwhelming when they're under you. My biggest complaint is that the seat bottom is extremely short, and the adjustment for angle is a bit limited. As such, my thighs lack support, and on a long trip, this can become quite uncomfortable. The Acura is far from the only car I've experienced with this issue, but with our car priced over $45,000, it's surprising there isn't more adjustment, or some sort of seat base extender common in sportier cars (most notably BMW). 2021 Acura TLX A-Spec View 51 Photos Also disappointing is the lack of lateral support. The seats look like they have some decent bolsters, but they're very soft and fairly wide apart. As such, they don't do much to keep you in place. And although this isn't the full-force Type S, the A-Spec still has an air of sportiness about it, so it seems like something Acura would want to improve a little. It's not all bad, though. The seats themselves have thick and reasonably soft cushioning, so the parts of you that are supported are comfortable. The adjustable lumbar support is actually quite excellent with the ability to add quite a bit over a large area. Overall, I'm not angry with the TLX's seats, I'm just a bit disappointed. They wouldn't put me off the car, I just think that, for as good as so much else is, it deserves something better. Related Video: