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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  A great car - 1996 Acura Integra
  By gdub - June 24 - 4:58 pm

  Loved this car, recently sold it to upgrade to an RSX type S. Handled great, shifted great, and you cant get that 8000 RPM scream anywhere else. Also had lots of cargo space. I know lots of people dislike the 4-headlike look, but Im not one of them.

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  Must have gotten a dudd - 1996 Acura TL
  By Dissapointed - June 24 - 4:38 pm

  Wanted it as soon as I saw it. Bought a 8 yr old car with 69,000 miles on it, expecting to make it to 100,000 with grace (Honda engine!). In the first 6 months replaced battery, starter, had random misfire, replaced sparkplugs, heater failed, sound system failed. NOW I am replacing a blown head gasket and am worried about the antifreeze that was BURNING out my tail pipe. Minor cosmetics were fixed like cupholder cover. Not only did I pay too much at the dealership originally but I could have bought a new car for the amount of money I have put into this one. As soon as this car is out of the shop I am selling it to someone who can deal with fixing it every week.

• 

  TL - 2003 Acura TL
  By Jellyfish - June 22 - 6:43 pm

  Handling is crisp and precise with ample comfort to boot. Rear seats are a bit cramped for average size adults. No fold down seats, no rear heated seats, no heated steering wheel. Tilt needs to be improved as well. Fuel economy is outstanding with better than 30MPG.

• 

  My first coupe - 2005 Acura RSX
  By patrick tyrone - June 22 - 1:43 pm

  This being my first coupe had to be the most exciting. It was the 1st car I laid eyes on as I walked out onto the lot. I was impressed with the ergonomics of its compact yet stylish design that says, Hop in and Go! I will say while the engine loves to rev, the ride can be a bit tight and bouncy, but in this particular car, thats what gives it that race appeal. On the inside, Acura did an outstanding job on the leather seating, simple yet functional. The controls on the dash were again simple, but tied into the whole theme of the vehicle. I did think for this class of vehicle, Acura could have beefed up the audio system, which was not bad, but could be better. All in all, this was a good buy.

• 

  First Impressions - 2007 Acura TL
  By Luke - June 22 - 11:16 am

  Just picked up our 07 TL today and drove it home, about 30 miles. Beautiful car, handles nice. The new Nav system is cool with the backup camera when you put it in reverse. Got a couple blind spots off both sides that I need to work on. Ride is very comfortable, not too soft and not too stiff. Stereo is outstanding. Enough gadgets to keep me studying for a bit. I like the new gauges over the previous ones. More later!

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  Great car, combines fun w/practicality - 2002 Acura RSX
  By David - June 20 - 6:57 pm

  Ive been driving my RSX since 2002, and still love it. Its been wonderfully reliable, without a single significant mechanical problem. Performance is excellent, especially the i-VTEC. Good cargo capacity, and hatchback can handle large/bulky objects better than you might expect.

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  Acura/Honda = Quality??????? - 2002 Acura TL
  By PhiKapp33 - June 19 - 2:37 pm

  Ok, bought the car with 38000 miles on it as a certified Acura. Car has 58000 on it and the transmission COMPLETELY went out. I bought an Acura because I expected reliability and quality up through 200,000 miles. Im sorely disappointed. Might as well have bought a Ford.

• 

  Poor Mans BMW 530i - 2003 Acura TL
  By Joe - June 19 - 10:00 am

  Great value, performance near 530i at 60% the price. Con: More squeeks and rattles that I would expect from Acura.

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  Contemporary Luxury with a hint of Sport - 2001 Acura CL
  By CalicoFeline - June 16 - 10:32 pm

  Best car I have ever owned. CL Type S, Black on Black with additional black wood accent trim around inst. panel, A/C vents, console, etc, WOW, upgraded interior, backup and fog lights to PIAA- improvement! When you ask it to go, it comes back and says “how fast”, very smooth & responsive, handles like a dream. 29,000 miles replaced tires to Bridgestone Turanza LSV – good choice. When you sit in the seat it wraps around you as to say “I’ll protect you”. Sad, to say I have experienced a few hard shifts from 2nd to 3rd, hope this is not a sign of the known tranny issues, other than that, no mechanical problems.

• 

  91 teg - 1991 Acura Integra
  By snyd - June 11 - 1:46 pm

  Good reliable car. My original clutch lasted 13 years. It was in a major accident but still drives remarkably well, well made car, highly recommend.