Overview & Reviews

Acura is an upscale automaker known for offering cars with impressive levels of luxury, features and performance. It's come a long way in a short time, however, as the history of Acura is relatively brief. Parent company Honda introduced the Acura brand to the U.S. market in 1986 in an effort to create a separate luxury division for its products. At first, it was just a two-car show: the Legend sedan, which was the first true Japanese luxury car sold in America, and the Integra sport coupe and sedan.

Though essentially a marketing creation for the North American market, the Acura brand was immediately successful. Consumers liked the features, performance and upscale image of Acura cars, along with the fact that Acuras were backed by Honda's reputation for reliability and low ownership costs. In 1991, Acura introduced its crown jewel: the all-aluminum NSX sports car, which offered performance close to that of other exotic cars while undercutting them in price.

As Acura's product line grew in the 1990s, however, the company struggled a bit. Some of its products were duds, and it risked alienating loyal customers when it replaced the Legend and Integra names with alphanumeric designations. The company jumped on the hot luxury SUV bandwagon in the mid-'90s with the SLX. Unfortunately, the SLX was just a rebadged version of an Isuzu SUV, and its quality did not match customers' expectations.

For the new millennium, Acura revamped its product range. An all-new SUV called the MDX debuted, sporting numerous family-friendly features, including a third-row seat. The Integra was replaced with the RSX sport coupe, and an all-new entry-level sport sedan called the TSX was introduced after that. A complete redesign of its most popular model, the midsize TL sedan, followed, as did a redesign of its flagship RL luxury sedan.

By mid-decade the NSX was gone, but Acura filled out its model lineup with the street-performance-oriented RDX compact crossover, the TSX wagon and the ZDX, a fastback-styled crossover that placed unique styling over practicality. Today Acura is still trying to find its ideal niche but there's no denying the quality of Acura's vehicles, nor their appealing mix of performance, technology and value.

User Reviews:

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  Almost Perfect - 2001 Acura CL
  By Jake - August 18 - 1:58 pm

  I love my 3.2 CL. I would have liked the power of the type-S but prefer the understated base model. Small things have been irritating like no switch for the foglamps which look like 40 watt lightbulbs next to the awesome HID headlamps. The door mounted arm rests have started to separate slowly. The transmission was replaced because I mentioned it wasnt shifting as smoothly as it used to. As a precaution and probably to drum up some business, the service department went ahead and replaced it.

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  Very Pleased With This - 2006 Acura MDX
  By Bill - August 18 - 10:03 am

  I really wanted a TSX, but with the kids and boat, etc. that became impossible. I test drove this vehicle and could not believe it was an SUV. It handles (no kidding here) almost as good as my Audi A6 (dont laugh . . . really!) Very comfortable. Dont bother with the DVD package .. . you can buy each kid their own for a lot less. NAV however is well worth it. Surprisingly good voice recognition. Plenty of power (surprised here also. Bose system okay . . . Definitely get the Acuralink for Ipod . . . works GREAT. Some things dont make sense however, no lighted controls on steering, placement of clock . . . but next version expected to be better. A solid purchase.

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  a great value - 2004 Acura TSX
  By mike k - August 17 - 10:00 am

  Im very happy with it.

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  My RSX Problem - 2005 Acura RSX
  By Rylan - August 8 - 9:57 am

  I loved the car when I bought it, but within the last 6 months, it has been in the dealership 6 times for sunroof/suspension problems. I just want it to drive without thumping or clunking over a bump!

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  Great Car - 2005 Acura TL
  By Alex - August 1 - 3:41 pm

  Ive had the car alomst a year and its still fun getting in it. Simply a pleasure to drive and sit in. Comfortable, even for long rides. Good gas milage even when you have a heavy foot. Great gadget car, lots to play with. Nav system is the best on the market and the display is huge.Blue interior lights are great at night and very easy on the eyes.

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  Quality is important - 2005 Acura TL
  By Quality is important - July 27 - 3:36 pm

  Bottom line, I really like this car. Everything from the cool blue lights that shine down on the center console at night to the DVD Surround Sound system. Ive read some reviews about the difficulty of using the Acura Navigation system and the Handsfree Bluetooth phone link. I took time to master both and have had great success. Following the rules in the manual solves most voice command problems. I use the Verizon Motorola V710 phone. 95% of the time it syncs up great. Phone must be paired each time its removed from car. Can do it without looking now. Important to have the engine on before pairing. Wish the TL had MP3 plug with controls intigrated into nav. screen.

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  Special car - 2007 Acura RDX
  By Ben - July 25 - 8:23 pm

  Have had the RDX tech package for about 2 months now. Love the bluetooth and other tech features. Car has the room I need without being too big. Would have preferred manual transmission. I find the car very comfortable, I see some complaints about the ride, I have had cars on either side of the RDX and personally wouldnt want to give up any of the fine handling that would undoubtedly be lost with a more plush ride. I would have considered the 21 MPG that I am getting fine several years ago. Next time around I cant imagine that I would even consider a car with this type of mileage. Very happy with RDX quality, feel, and image.

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  Wish things were better - 2005 Acura TL
  By Jerry - July 24 - 9:40 pm

  Impressive car at first but the interior is lacking and needs some serious attention. We love the power and comfort of the TL. Dissappointed in minor issues that takes the dealorship several times to fix such as passenger window will not always work, Bluetooth, Headliner sagging under sunroof. Aggravating issues keep popping up that make me want to trade.

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  My second RSX - 2005 Acura RSX
  By melvin zerwas - July 24 - 11:54 am

  I had one of the first RSX when the came out replacing the integra. I loved it from the first test drive. The difference between that and my current 2005 model are very minor. As a one time sports car race driver I find the power more than ample, the handleing excellent and the 5 speed box very smooth and enjoyable.

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  Seven years and counting - 1999 Acura TL
  By pmi - July 21 - 10:02 am

  I purchased this car new in 99 and it is easily the best car Ive ever had. Ive replaced the battery once and the tires once and other than oil changes and tire rotations, thats all Ive had to "fix" in seven years. Acceleration from slow or stop is outstanding merging in heavy traffic is much easier than what I have experienced in other vehicles. Its only a four-speed so it really isnt very fuel-efficient. I consistently get under 20 mpg with mostly city driving.