TL in 1998. Two years later, the MDX - a mid-sized SUV - was added to the line, and it was hailed by both Car and Driver and Motor Trend as the SUV of the year. 2001 saw the Integra replaced by the new RSX sports coupe, and 2003 gave us the TSX and the updated, and bluetooth equipped, TL as well.

Acura continues to offer technological advances, including the first North American traffic system, and state of the art all-wheel drive systems. The RDX has merged the style of a sedan and the flexibility of an SUV into a model that some call a Crossover Utility Vehicle, though Acura refers to it as an Urban Adventure Vehicle. Whatever name is given to it, however, it is clear that for Acura, the adventure in luxurious, comfort-filled cars, is just beginning.

The trend of excellence and innovation continued through the 1990s which saw the introduction of the 3- and 5-door versions of the Integra, as well as the all-aluminum NSX. Later, Motor Trend would call the 1991 NSX sport coupe the “best sports car ever built.”

Throughout the 1990’s, Acura expanded its line, introducing the RL in 1996 and the TL in 1998. Two years later, the MDX - a mid-sized SUV - was added to the line, and it was hailed by both Car and Driver and Motor Trend as the SUV of the year. 2001 saw the Integra replaced by the new RSX sports coupe, and 2003 gave us the TSX and the updated, and bluetooth equipped, TL as well.

The second-generation TL (now called 3.2 TL) was released in 1999 and was now derived off the US-market Honda Accord platform. It was available with a newly-designed 3.2 L 225 hp (168 kW) SOHC VTEC J32 V6 mated to a four-speed electronic automatic transmission with SportShift.

The second-generation 3.2 TL (the 2.5 was dropped) was built in Marysville, Ohio, alongside the Honda Accord, at Marysville Auto Plant. These cars were imported into Japan and sold as Honda Inspire in the Honda Clio dealer network, and as Honda Saber in the Honda Primo and Honda Verno dealer networks.

The very first 1996 Acura TL rolled off the assembly line on March 28, 1995. Sales of the 2.5 TL began in spring 1995, but the 3.2 TL was delayed until fall because of a U.S.-Japan trade dispute.[2]

The first generation Acura TL had standard features including dual airbags, antilock brakes, automatic climate control, a cassette/CD player sound system, and power windows and locks. Leather was standard on the more upscale 3.2 TL, while the 2.5 TL featured a firmer suspension setup.