Compared directly to its main rivals, the current Acura lineup is really nothing all that special. Despite being well-built with decent enough performance, today's Acuras are clearly missing that "wow factor" that's needed in order draw in new and returning customers. Look at what Lexus has done, for better or worse, with its latest styling language. Call it whatever you'd like, but at least Lexus is taking a chance in its effort to redefine itself. Even Infiniti is making solid efforts to do the same.

But not Acura. In fact, it's getting more difficult to justify its relevance anymore. Why buy an ILX when you can get a Civic Si, both of which are built on the same platform, for a few thousand less? Unless you just have to have that Acura badge, there's no real good reason to make a purchase. Fortunately, there's hope and it's called the NSX. Due to arrive sometime in 2015, this second-generation NSX may just turn out to be Acura's savior. The production version is expected to look nearly the same as the stunning NSX Concept that was revealed back in 2012. And that's a very good thing, because Acura is in desperate need of a halo car that will hopefully reinvigorate the rest of the mainstream lineup.

The big question, however, is whether the new NSX will be enough to do that after too many years of Acura allowing its once cool image to fade away to near boredom. Then again, perhaps it'd be best to just slap a Honda badge on the NSX (as will be done for the rest of the world), and call it a day for the brand entirely. Honda could really use some exciting new product too.