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:

• 

  91 Acura Legend 4dr L sedan - 1991 Acura Legend
  By mrfoxy54 - March 31 - 2:00 am

  Bought this car with 91K on it a year ago. Other than no cupholders which ive struggled to get used to..even now, this car is a joy to drive and to look at. parts are not that much higher than Honda. Gas mileage around 23 - 26mpg. with new tires (i have Dunlops) and wheel alignment correct, this car rides like a dream.

• 

  Acura actually mfrd a lemon! - 2001 Acura CL
  By jenr8er - March 29 - 2:00 am

  I took my 1st CL (97)to 110k w/o ever using the warranty. Completely different story this time around. Nearly every recall and service bulletin my car has been in for-from rattles to a blown transmission. Whats worse is that while service did everything they could on my repeated SRS/engine light issues, we had exhausted all resources (6 visits) and were praying to the car gods to please let it be fixed. Read the recalls/TSB for 02 & 03 models-they are nearly identical. Feeling a little sketched out by it all and thinking maybe I should find something else to drive til they get it together in a year or two!!!!!

• 

  Big - 1996 Acura SLX
  By Kristeen Fitts - March 21 - 2:00 am

  I love the size of this SUV. Lots of storage space in the back and lots of headroom. The back seat is large enough for three carseats!

• 

  Ok, but look elsewhere - 2009 Acura TSX
  By eyeguy - March 20 - 2:26 pm

  I bought this car 2 weeks ago and am unhappy with the vehicle overall. The fit and finish is poor for a car of this caliber. Im noticing many inconsistencies in the paint and window molding. The felt trunk lining is already coming loose. The car lacks power. If I had to do it over again I would have sprung for an Infiniti or Lexus. I will be selling this car the first chance I get. Stay away from Acura, spend more money and get a higher quality car.

• 

  Transmission nightmare - 2002 Acura TL
  By Sailorman - March 20 - 2:00 am

  I bought my 2002 model Acura 3.2TL based on excellent consumer reports. Why did I not hear about their transmission problems? After 15,000 miles I had to have a new transmission installed under warrenty. After another 10,000 miles on the new transmission the fluid looked like oil! The dealer admitted that the repair shop was full of TLs with transmission problems. From what I have read and heard since, I am amazed there has not been a recall. I hope to read more about this apparent "cover up". Shame on Honda.

• 

  Anonomous but so satisfying - 2002 Acura TL
  By wolf20910 - March 19 - 2:00 am

  On both long and short trips the car has been flawless. It is fast, silent and very comfortable. On a recent 2,200 mile trip it delivered 30mpg at hwy speeds. We are so very pleased with it.

• 

  04baseMDX-SO HAPPY I OWN ONE - 2004 Acura MDX
  By annalisa - March 19 - 2:00 am

  Ive been eyeing this vehicle for several months and did a lot of research. dealerships were competitive but got the best deal at 35,300 with side steps!-excl.tax and license. love the vehicle and look forward to driving it all the time. i just wish gas consumption was a lot better even though thats a given with an suv.

• 

  more luxury than sports in this coupe - 2003 Acura CL
  By vaid02 - March 18 - 2:00 am

  this was my first car, and im very very happy with it...for now. its a great luxury car with an enourmous power band, but only in the lower gears. your gonna have to downshift to get any acceleration, but when you do downshift, its there. the handling nowhere near matches the power though. its all but non-existant. for a japense car, the price your paying, and the fact that luxury comes first in its name, you cant expect much. although its not horrible, it cant match BMW or anything else in its price range. but you can tell how they cram in so many options as standard equipment, by cutting back in certain places.

• 

  Good vehicle but not a great vehicle. - 2002 Acura MDX
  By Outlaw 06 - March 18 - 2:00 am

  My wife drives the MDX primarily for shopping and shuttling around our 3 children. I drive it primarily on weekends. Like all Hondas, the MDX offers good reliability and value (dealer price gouging notwithstanding). The MDX is built well and has a very good engine and drivetrain. The MDXs interior quality and ergonomics are also very good. However, performance is average, handling is unimpressive and the vehicle is noisy at highway speeds. Braking is HORRIBLE, the MDX takes forever to stop! Additionally, the MDX is not very stylish when compared to other "luxury" SUVs such as the BMW X5 or Mercedes-Benz M-Class (regardless of the price difference).

• 

  Great affordable luxury/sport sedan - 1990 Acura Integra
  By crxbrett - March 16 - 2:00 am

  I had the 90 GS Sedan and never let me down. The car handled and cornered like it was on rails (I did upgrade the wheels to 16s and had low-pro tires). The engine is adequate for city driving, but needs to be revved past 5500 rpms to get any kind of power (0- 60 is about 8.5 seconds). SO A 5-SPD IS A MUST! Do not get an AUTO! The cabin is very nicely done and isnt too fancy or dated looking. I recommend the 90- 93 Integra if you want a car with good looks, good driving characteristics and good reliability.