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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  2003 TLS Great Auto - 2003 Acura TL
  By Yankee Joe - April 7 - 2:00 am

  I have a 2003 TLS with Nav and OnStar it is a great car to own and have fun with. Rides like a dream and has enoung power (260 HP) to get you where you want to go QUICKLY. The Nav. system is really fun to use and a great help to have when you lost. For the price I think it is one of the best cars around. Joseph

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  I like it but... - 2004 Acura TSX
  By leejin1 - April 3 - 8:43 pm

  I like driving this car. Handling is very good. The 4 cylinder engine is fairly powerful. The interior is what I really love. But, I have a kid now. And I found it very hard to carry my baby in this car. I never worried about back seat space and its access. But I notice more and more. It is really a 2 door car than a 4 door. If you are single and looking for a fun car, this is it. But if you are looking for a 4 door sedan, this is not the car you want to consider. My friends have Audi A4 and BMW 3 series. I think they are better as family car, even though they are similar size cars.

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  wheres the money - 1996 Acura RL
  By white ghost - April 2 - 7:14 pm

  Simply the best vehicle Ive ever owned. An oil change every thousand miles followed by scheduled maintainece. Never a major problem, but, hes getting old and its time for something alittle newer.

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  Almost 1 year with my TL - 2005 Acura TL
  By Ajax Crow - March 31 - 11:54 pm

  Great car. Nav system and associated functions a great joy to have. Sound is AWESOME, especially with DVD audio discs. Only complaint is it could be more nimble in handling,but thats the price you pay for extra space. Interior fit and finish among the best anywhere, even in much more expensive vehicles. There isnt a better value on the market. Could be more sporty in handling, but thats the price for the extra space gained. Very roomy. A joy on road trips. Very intuitive controls. Stopped using voice activiation. Its much faster and more conveniant to just press the button instead of waiting for the system to process the command. Almost impossible to beat!

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  Road Noise - 2006 Acura RSX
  By Britt - March 27 - 8:53 am

  First off, the car is great, and everything you could ask for the money, HOWEVER, the road noise is horrible. The trunk and glove compartment rattle non-stop and the dashboard creaks when it is cold. I have taken it to the dealership 3 times and nothing has worked. I am thoroughly dissapointed in the overall quality. I was told that "its a commuter car and is noisy". If you dont mind the noise - buy it - if you do, run away fast.

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  Even - 2005 Acura RSX
  By David Rector - March 22 - 11:59 am

  I love the care but it has allready had a new Motor put in it and there are alot of rattiling in the dash but overall the car is fun to drive and the fuel economy is great so over all I would Rate and allright car

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  Bridgestone Tire Update - 2004 Acura TL
  By Sundance - March 14 - 3:26 pm

  Our very good Acura dealer finally participated with us in removing the Bridgestone Turanzas and we replaced them with new Michelin Pilot MXM4s, which are the tires now used on 2005 NAV models. The improvement in ride and handling was nothing short of a miracle. All the harsh ride, shock transfer and pushing is now gone. It made a new car out of it.

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  So far, just worries - 2005 Acura RL
  By AcuraRLBlue - March 13 - 3:03 pm

  My 2005 RL came with diagnostic codes indicating problems with the AWD and emission systems. The dealership just deleted the codes and explained that it was just "temporary codes" for other issues. This is hardly assuring, and further inquiries to the sales person/his service manager are being ignored. No one should be expected to have to worry about a $50K+ car. To be fair, the car is fun to drive, and my rating is "temporary" in nature until I get to the bottom of what it really means to have these diagnostic codes. If there were real problems with my car that were ignored by the dealership before handing the car over to me, I expect the dealership and Acura to make it right.

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  Integra good little car - 1997 Acura Integra
  By kim - March 11 - 11:37 am

  I use my car for work, so I do a lot of driving in the country and in winter driving conditions. Very good on slippery roads. Dust is a problem when on gravel roads when the moon roof is open. VG acceleration on exit ramps. Good acceleration in the Rocky Mountains. Drove from Calgary, AB to Vancouver BC. Great gas mileage and a very reliable car, even with -30C winter weather. Stereo isnt that great-replaced that right away.

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  Ok so far - 2006 Acura MDX
  By Tina - March 10 - 10:04 pm

  I needed the space so I traded my 04 TL- I am dissapointed in the lack of power, compared to the TL, however the layout is nice- I hate where the parking break is- its in the way of stretching out my left leg.Wish the stereo was better and illuminated, and placed higher on the steering column. Clock should be where heat display is. Wish the nav. creen was programable as to what is displayed.I like the look of it but would like to see the front end redesigned. Gas mileage is acceptable for such a roomy SUV. I wanted white with a black interior but, your stuck with the light colored interior WHY?? doesnt acura change the limited color choices? I hate the light interior- it gets too dirty