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:

• 

  Great Thrill for cost. - 2004 Acura RSX
  By rudohudson - June 2 - 2:00 am

  This car is great for enthusiasts just wanting to get around with style. I love mine. I find the torque on take off is kinda weak, but if you put a short shifter, it feels a whole lot better. It makes a difference. I cant complain other than that. Heated side view Mirros? Awesome considering those are always frozen during the winter in WI. Seats always a comfort.

• 

  Great Car - 2004 Acura RSX
  By Gregpilot - May 29 - 2:00 am

  This is a really fun car to drive. I have had it for about a week now. I love the color and the dash lighting (red) at night rocks. Its very responsive and gets great gas mileage. I hope to keep this car for 10 year

• 

  Fun and Flaws - 2005 Acura TL
  By Jeffish - May 27 - 12:20 pm

  I have owned the car for 7 months. It offers a poweful driving feel, easy to maneuver in small and tight traffic situations and is quite stylish on the outside and the inside. Seats are comfortable and the heated seat feature for the 2005 model is nice on cold winter mornings and nights. Great acceleration and brakes provide security.

• 

  Not Bad But not good enough to be Acura - 2003 Acura CL
  By dj1billion - May 23 - 2:00 am

  I know I didnt buy a civic but, daggggg the gas mileage sucks!!! I swear that when I get on it I see the gauge move and that wouldnt be so bad if it took reg. gas. But other than that know problems!

• 

  Excellent Car for the Price - 1996 Acura TL
  By shadowfenrir - May 21 - 2:00 am

  I bought this for $13000 ($10000US) after selling my 90 4Runner for gas reasons. This car is good on gas for its size (about 10L/100km or 24mpg in city driving and 6.3L/100km or about 30mpg on the highway). It is very comfortable with its nice leather bucket seats (although the leather isnt as high class as in the newer cars, or even as in the older lexus cars, but its good). The engine is very responsive and refined even at high RPM, but the transmission tends to shift at weird times. I havent had any problems at 160000km(100000mi) other than c/v boots needing replacement. Great car!

• 

  4th transmission before 4th year anniver - 2000 Acura TL
  By javawater - May 19 - 2:00 am

  Love the car except for a major problem - transmission. Acura had just placed a 4th transmission in my car. I am trading it in for something else because my 100k warranty is about to expire and at the rate its been, I expect to have a 5th transmission in one year.

• 

  Reliability/customer care could improve - 2004 Acura TL
  By beh_rooz - May 15 - 10:00 am

  Performance, tasteful interior, and slick exterior designs are the best features of this car. I chose the Acura TL over its German competitors because of reliability. However, I was let down when after two weeks the sound system started developing a severe static noise such that listening to anything in the car was unberable. I was further let down when the problem was not fixed after the car had been left with the dealer twice for several days. Going for the third time to see if they can figure the problem out. Not an enjoyable experience! So much for reliability and customer care :(

• 

  Satisfied owner of Acura - 2004 Acura RL
  By ydnic - May 15 - 2:00 am

  4th Acura that I have owned. I have been a satisfied Acura owner for over 15 years.

• 

  A Sleeper - 2003 Acura CL
  By Old Duffer - May 14 - 2:00 am

  Car was delivered in perfect condition. Finish and mechanicals all done well! Comfortable to drive, quiet, excellent sound system, handles well. Big trunk. 3.2 (not Type S) is a little shy on mid-range torque for spirited highway driving but is fine for touring and accepts 89 octaine witrh no complaints.

• 

  My first new/used car - 1997 Acura CL
  By Player A - May 12 - 2:00 am

  Bought this car used. Drives well, although the turning radius could be tighter. Very reliable. Got 29mpg while traveling interstate 24mpg in the city. Changing oil couldnt be easier with this car. My first Acura, definately not my last.