Acura's problem is that they really were everything that Lincoln has been (somewhat legitimately) accused of being: a rebadge/trim level rather than a true brand. ****, I've called them the "overpriced Accord store" for years, now.
The biggest issue is that Acura cracked open the door for the other Japanese luxury marques, but completely failed at defining the brand in the process. They really did seem to want to stay at a "Mercury" level, one step up from typical Honda stuff...while Lexus and Infiniti were going all-in with the LS and Q models. Even the NSX, as great as the original was, was too niche to really have a big impact with typical luxury brand customers. Their most endearing model, the Integra, was shelved as they tried to be more "mature" without really offering anything distinct from the other sedans and CUVs out there.
It's only gotten worse as Honda has become a pale shadow of its former self. The new NSX is a tech tour-de-force that isn't terribly interesting or engaging among supercars. The Accord is still arguably best in class (which hurts to admit, as always), but it's taken 3 generations for the Civic to generate much attention and the various CUVs are very nearly identical to everyone else's.
This kinda makes me sad. I had enormous respect for Honda for years, even as I saw them to be a truly terrifying rival. They were killing everyone in Formula 1 for years (first with Williams, then with McLaren), their Civics were impossibly better than most of the compacts in the market, the Accord was the only real driver's car in the midsize sedan market (excepting the SHO), and so on. The original Integra and Legend were very good, but...Infiniti and particularly Lexus took bigger steps and bigger risks, gaining headlines Acura still has never approached.
To be honest, the last Honda I thought had a glimmer of personality was the Element...and this is from a guy that's trying to climb out from under a ton of medical bills to get an Ecoboost Flex before they kill it. As a guy that lugs guitar gear around regularly, wagons and other cars with actual utility are dear to me.
Anyway, Acura is bolting a new shnoz onto their collection of fwd/awd sedans and CUVs, yet still won't step up to the plate with a real competitor for true luxury offerings. More news that ain't news.