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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  EXCELLENT VEHICLE! - 1990 Acura Legend
  By PETER - July 11 - 11:22 pm

  I bought the car about 2 years ago with 183K miles. It has given excellent service for a 15 year car. The car is in fair shape. I replaced timing belt a year ago it was the original according to the mechanic. Great car!

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  Good Car, Not So Good Tranny - 1998 Acura CL
  By Tim - July 7 - 11:39 pm

  Bought the car from a local Acura dealer with 66k miles in Feb 2004 (3.0 premium). Car was (then) mechanically perfect and ran flawlessly. Now at 85k, the tranny is slipping and has been periodically for the last 10k miles. Fortunately, I have a warranty that will replace it. Wish I could drop a 5-speed but the cost would be around 8-10k, way too much money. So except for the one huge problem, this car is fantastic. Build quality is typical Honda, interior has held up great, very nice all around. Im actually thinking of getting a 2.3 stick as a 2nd vehicle.

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  Good Value and Ride - 2009 Acura TSX
  By Joey - July 3 - 2:00 am

  Ive had this car for about a week and so far its great. Handling and power are great for a 4 cylinder car. My last car was a V6 Honda accord and it performs as well if not better.

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  Amazing, but could be rounded out more - 2003 Acura RSX
  By John - June 29 - 6:28 pm

  I have owned this vehicle for about 23 months now and I drive about 2000 miles per month. My driving is about 1/2 city and 1/2 freeway and Ive taken it on some longer road trips also. It has great gas mileage, great acceleration and tight steering and suspension. The seats definitely get uncomfortable, but they also let you feel the road in a sporty way. After the first few hundred miles, I thought the 6-speed transmission was broken, but it turns out that Acura just makes em "different". Third gear is a little odd (youll probably grind it from time to time, even if youre very experienced). The BOSE sound system is nothing special compared to other luxury sound systems.

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  Ode to the CLs - 1998 Acura CL
  By MB Finck - June 29 - 4:08 pm

  I am a huge fan of my Acura CL. I was really disappointed when the line was discontinued. With under 115k on it, I cant see any reason to trade it in for at least another 85k miles. Was originally wanting the Honda Accord which had just been redisgned, but because of extended backlogs ... I looked at the Acura CL instead. It was fate ... I have been loving my car ever sense.

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  freddieboi - 2005 Acura MDX
  By Fred Miller - June 27 - 8:00 pm

  safe, solid fun to drive for an SUV, good looking, very dependable, comfortable and solid as a rock

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  Hard to beat...but for gas mileage !! - 2005 Acura MDX
  By Austin Barney - June 27 - 6:52 pm

  I have had my MDX for about a month... first car that ever talked back to me! I looked at MANY other cars first and think I chose the best for my needs, a combination of off road and long distance driving. The car is great in all respects but the gas mileage is atrocious!! I am getting 14.4 around town and only 18.6 on the highway ! Miserable compared to my last car, a W8 VW wagon.

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  Hond has lost its way - 2005 Acura TL
  By Very Unhappy - June 26 - 12:03 pm

  The exterior paint job on this car is HORRIBLE. You will have to repair paint chips as soon as you exit the dealer. For 30k + you have got to be kidding me. I really LOVE most eberything else My biggest gripe at this point is the poor paint job that results in scratches from the simple everyday driving, but then I only have 4000 miles on it. So I guess it will get worse with the noises and stuff, like everyone else. I will trade this in for a nissan as soon as I pay off the note. What is the most imortant aspect of a vehicle (how it LOOKS) thats one of the biggest reasons we choose the car we choose.

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  Fun ,Fast & Reliable - 2002 Acura RSX
  By Kenobfish - June 25 - 9:30 pm

  This car is a blast to drive.

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  15 mos and 5500 miles - 2004 Acura TL
  By mike l. (tampa) - June 24 - 7:43 pm

  I had a 94 Legend b/f and bought my new TL right off the showroom floor. The car is outstanding as is the dealership here in Tampa. The only flaw is the interior seems to be wearing more than I expected. Im afraid after a few years it will show some wear that the Legend never showed over the 10 years I owned it. For 35k though its hard to beat.