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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  Miss my BMW2, but still a great car - 2004 Acura TL
  By BMWfan2 - August 27 - 10:00 am

  I have to agree with others that have owned german cars, the japanese just cant compete for performance and safety. I have owned 7 Acuras and although they are awesome cars with excellent reliability, I miss the performance and road manners of a BMW or Mercedes, in defense of Acura, I dont miss those frequent trips to the shop for those expensive repairs and maintenance. The new TL has alot going for it, especially the styling, the bluetooth, the sound system and the well appointed interiors, However, the front wheel drive sucks! With this much horsepower it ruins the performance, so much torque steer! This car is a tremendous value 35K!

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  I love my acura - 2001 Acura CL
  By Cinci - August 26 - 2:00 am

  It is fun to drive and looks good. I bought mine used and got a great deal! Im sticking with Acura for my next car.

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  Fun but with consistent issue - 2001 Acura TL
  By Dvdleav - August 23 - 2:00 am

  Love the car, consistent great dealer service (3 different dealers in 3 years b/c of job transfers). Only issue is a consistent trim flaw (seen on several other 00 and 01 too) The rear door trim peels/falls apart after about 8,000 miles. Actual service notice was sent by Acura to dealers. A real annoyance every 9 months to replace.

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  Best Sports Car for Your $ - 2002 Acura RSX
  By J. Logan - August 13 - 2:00 am

  At its price range, it is the best 2 door coupe you can get. Engine with a lot of power despite being a 4 cyl., Acura styling and accesories.

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  supposed to be a good one... - 1993 Acura Legend
  By bon911 - August 11 - 2:00 am

  Like to the look and performance. but Ive had too many problems with cooling system and it does cost a lot of fix those problems.

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  deluxe honda - 2003 Acura CL
  By Nhoj - August 9 - 2:00 am

  The CL has been trouble free and very reliable. Excellent for long trips except for mileage, which should be a bit higher. The handling is very good with good comfort on long trips. The roof is a bit too low for me, so I usually drive with the sunroof open, weather permitting. Fit and finish are near perfect, no rattles, but some body flex is evident with a squeek of the sunroof weatherstrip.

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  Waynes Wheels - 2003 Acura RL
  By peegunn1 - August 6 - 2:00 am

  A very good automobile for the value,could use a few more horses. If this one stands uo Ill purchase myself another one.

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  Warranty Coverage Helps!!! - 2000 Acura TL
  By Tim Cox - August 4 - 2:00 am

  The car is fun to drive and has a powerful engine. I have had some warranty work. 1. Transmission did not shift from 3rd to 4th smoothly. The dealership recommended I change the fluid every 30,000 miles. 2. The temp indicator had to be replace. 3. The Drivers seat back popped and creaked. The Drivers leather seat bottom cracked. Buy this car but make sure it has warranty left on it. Youll have to work out the bugs.

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  Does what it is designed to. - 2002 Acura TL
  By Solman42 - August 4 - 2:00 am

  I have owned this vehicle twenty six months and have had no problems with it. As an entry level luxury sedan I believe it is without question the best value on the market. It has more speed and better handling than most people will ever use. Very comfortable on a 3500 mile drive. Gas mileage is 22-23 general driving and up to 31 on interstate. Highly recommend it.

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  Reliable car - 1995 Acura Integra
  By jay_friendly - July 31 - 2:00 am

  One of the best cars that I owned so far. Except a few aging problems and regular maintenance such as brakes, belts/water pump, radiator, I havent had any major issues (except ABS controller unit light showing up - although it always worked) The paint is still in decent condition with hardly any rust. It still gives me the same gas milage at a little over 100K miles. Even though I also own a new Infiniti G35, I still love driving my lil Integra :) I have really driven this car everywhere and abused it even.