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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  Great Car! - 2004 Acura RSX
  By TypeSGirly - July 6 - 10:00 am

  I love this car! I have had more fun with this than any other car!!! Great Value and Great Fun!!!

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  I love my car - 2004 Acura RSX
  By wonit - July 6 - 10:00 am

  There is no doubt in my mind that I made a good choice with this vehicle. I love to drive and everyone time I get into the vehicle, I am overcome with joy. It is a lot of fun and it looks awesome.

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  I LOVE MY RSX-S - 2004 Acura RSX
  By Abs - July 6 - 10:00 am

  I just bought a new rsx-s in February, and I am in love with this car. The handling is amazing, and the bucket seats hold your body while taking sharp turns. The interior is very functional, and the sound system is excellent. I find myself smiling every time Im about to get into this car for a drive. The shifting is really smooth and quick, and i love the hovering sound the engine makes at high rpms.

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  Great Car - 2004 Acura RSX
  By wigs - July 6 - 10:00 am

  I have had this car for a little over a year and a half and have nothing but nice things to say. I consider this car the poor mans Porsche. I have done minor things to the intake and have put more aggressive tires on it and the car, unbelievably, became even more fun to drive. If you are considering buying on of these do not hesitate. It is just a blast.

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  Very Happy - 2004 Acura RSX
  By Melanie - July 6 - 10:00 am

  This was the best purchase I ever made. I love this car. I haggled over price to the point of obnoxiousness but I got what I wanted. The car is perfect.

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  One year later... not as impressed - 2009 Acura TSX
  By Gritty - July 5 - 9:38 pm

  Loved the car when first purchased. Like the car now. Voice rec., nav, bluetooth not perfected, not close. Very irritating when not functioning properly. Mechanically sound. Thinnest layer of paint under trunk lid, three areas of rust already. Lots of rattles (poor quality control), dealership cant correct to this point yet. Hopefully fixed after this week. ELS stereo best Ive heard (much better than G35 bose, etc...). However, other brands will get much closer look when next new car purchase comes around...

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  Best car Ive ever owned - 2009 Acura TL
  By Gatojeff - July 5 - 12:56 am

  I cant say enough about my 09 TL (basic model). It comes equipped with features youd expect to find in a much more expensive car. Best deal on the market.

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  It just doesnt get any better than this - 2009 Acura RL
  By Stephanie - July 2 - 9:52 am

  As a business executive and also a mother, I wanted a vehicle that exuded class without snob appeal that needed little maintenance and had the room for my clients as well as my family of four. I found the exterior to be stylish, the interior incredibly plush and the surround sound audio system unbeatable.

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  09 AcuraTL - 2009 Acura TL
  By Hawaiihi - July 1 - 2:02 pm

  Just bought my new 09 TL base love the car already. I traded in my 02 because the transmission went out right in front of the dealership it must have been a sign. Everything in this car is 100% improved from the 02 model. I looked at ES350 nice car but once you add all the options just too much and the G37 it was too small. Best car you can get out there for the money hands down

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  Great Choice! Would do it again - 2009 Acura TSX
  By Dude - July 1 - 12:46 pm

  I have had my TSX now about 3 months. I love just about everything on the car - the paddle shifters, the stereo system (try real DVD-As), the ipod usb jack, the backup camera, etc. But most especially the engine - what a sweet little V-4 - I have been getting 27.4 MPG in mixed driving. When I do all highway, I am consistently in the low 30s mpg. Agree the steering feels a little remote, but still drives wonderfully. I looked at BMW 3s and Aud A4s, but the cost was nowhere close (yes, may be better but not $10k better). Who needs a 6 cyl today?