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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  GS1998_deALz - 1998 Acura Integra
  By integra_deaL - August 10 - 2:00 am

  well i would have to say it is a good car i got the car at 100k still feels like its new. But if u really really look for speed i would suggest geting a GSR becuz the GS is fast but the not fast enuff it comes with 140 stock i added intake give me 10+hp(AEM)and a i changed the chip which gave me another 10-15hp, im pushing around 160 hp but i still dont feel like its enuff i would rater have the car in a stick shift !!!! becuz almost all gears change maxx at 4 rmp. Get the STICK SHIFT u will be happy GS is good but i kinda would say its a gurly car or older men would like the auto matic so far i havent had any real problems changed the battery and just did

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  Too Many Problems! - 2004 Acura TL
  By YoYo1818 - August 9 - 10:00 am

  I have owned my TL for almost a year now and have never had so many problems with a car and such bad service from the Acura dealerships!!! My car has been to service over 10 times in the past year for all kinds of different reasons, be careful when buying the TL!

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  Do not let the exterior fool you. - 2004 Acura TL
  By msdearus - August 9 - 10:00 am

  Acura TL has a niece new look but overall I am not satisfied with the car. The reviews Ive read before was right on point (I thought that previous purchasers were hard to please). Theres a rattling sound that comes from dash area (near the phone adapter plug) when the car accelerates. The leather is awful, Ive had the car since April 2004 and it looks like Ive had it for years. I do not have anyone the passenger seat is not used on a regular basis and it looks terrible. I am very cautious when placing items on my seats, matter of fact I do not items on the systems trying to avoid staining them.

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  A/C OUT - 2000 Acura TL
  By mike felix - August 8 - 2:00 am

  GOT 30000 PLUS MILES ON CAR AND THE A/C STOPPED WORKING.TOOK IT TO DEALER THEY SAY IT HAS A HOLE IN COMPESSOR AND NEED 1250.85 TO FIX.30000 MILES AND THEY WANT ME TO PAY FOR THIS SO CALLED HOLE IN COMPRESSOR.QUESTIOND THE SERVICE MAN AND HE SAID ITS THE SEAL IS BAD NEED TO PUT NEW COMPRESSOR ON TO FIX.30000 MILES AND JUNK BECAUSE ITS OVER ON THE YEAR BY 5 MONTHS.TOLD HIM IS THIS A PROBLEM WITH A/C HE SAID 03 HAVE THAT PROBLEM.I DONT FEEL LIKE PUTTING 1200 DOLLERS EVERY 30000 MILES. JUST MY 2 CENTS

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  Disappointed with steering - 2007 Acura MDX
  By rperret - August 7 - 4:26 pm

  I just traded in my 2002 MDX for the New 2007 MDX and am about to trade again! The new car is significantly smoother to drive except the steering is so heavy it feels as if your are driving a truck 3 times heavier. The whole driving experience is that of a much larger car then the old one, but when I get out and look at it, it looks much smaller then the replaced MDX. My wife actually has a hard time parking in small parking lots because of the steering. This is a big negative. The build quality is superb and there are lots of improvements, but be warned the driving experience is anything but nimble.

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  No Brainer for *This* Segment - 2007 Acura RDX
  By changomo - August 5 - 5:23 am

  This is not the perfect car, but it is the perfect choice for the entry level small-luxo-SUV market. Felt the RAV4 and CX7 were not as refined. X3 is the only real competitor in this segment. The X3 was a nice car, but would cost about $10K more similarly equipped. I thought the ride was a bit fairer on the BMW, but I felt the handling and power on the RDX was superior. It has ridicoulous amounts of technology, plenty of power, and sport-sedan like handling.

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  Big Sporty Value Champ Car - 2002 Acura TL
  By davidO - August 5 - 2:00 am

  Ive had my 02 TL-S (non-nav) for some time. Considered BMW 325xi/330xi, Audi A4, Nissan Maxima, Saab 9.3, Lexus IS300/ES300. Acura won by being $10k less than the BMW for the same features and being more reliable. Audi A4 not reliable enough. Maxima not luxury-oriented; Saab to expensive and not reliable. Lexus IS300 is rear-wheel and so not appropriate in the snow; ES300 wont handle -- too soft.

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  Good family vehicle - 2004 Acura MDX
  By JSR - August 3 - 2:00 am

  Overall, we have had a positive experience with the vehicle. My daughter really enjoys the entertainment system and the third seat. However, one of the front headlights lost its seal, and we expected better initial quality.

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  drives like a sports car - 1992 Acura Vigor
  By joh - August 2 - 2:00 am

  expensive parts,but its worth it.

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  Gettin another one as soon as I can - 2002 Acura MDX
  By Pdeaun - August 2 - 2:00 am

  This is a great SUV! Its stylishness turns heads. Its roomy, I have filled this truck with 2 32 inch TVs (in their boxes) and still had room for the rest of the Christmas shopping bags. The MDX is a real workhorse. It has good pick-up and is not bad on gas (which is getting harder and harder to judge) As soon as I am ready, I will fly back to the dealer for a newer model