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:

• 

  02 Acura TL - 2002 Acura TL
  By M.Ziolo TL - October 3 - 2:00 am

  I looked at the BMW 330,325,M-B c320,lexus IS,ES,GS, and Infinti G35 and this baby has better quality, engine, and cooler styling than the rest. The TL is best bang for the buck.

• 

  Fabulous Luxury SUV - 2007 Acura MDX
  By Incredible by MBA - October 2 - 7:33 pm

  I drove the X5 BMW and the Mercedes ML class and neither car can hold a candle to my 07 MDX.This vehicle is as solid as a rock yet moves like a light jet. The technology is superb. Weve put almost 1000 miles on it this month and I cant wait to drive it again

• 

  Fun, Fun, Fun! - 2007 Acura RDX
  By Curtis - October 1 - 9:50 pm

  I had been looking for a tall (better line of sight) performance vehicle that has better interior and comfort than the X3. It turns out that the RDX has a much nicer interior and ride. I am very happy with the price and value of this terrific car. I do not notice any turbo lag. I do notice that it accelerates like a jet and handles like a nimble sedan. To quote Burgess Meredith: "It eats lightning and craps thunder!" It is the younger, faster, and more fun brother to my RX 330! The stereo even sounds incredible and has sold me on xm radio!

• 

  Very Happy With This Car - 2006 Acura TL
  By Happy Buyer - October 1 - 6:30 am

  I shopped till I dropped and finally ran across the BEST Car ever! Acura TL I really love to drive this car and get lots of nice looks and compliments too

• 

  Great Little Car - 2002 Acura RSX
  By *El Ocho* - September 29 - 9:20 am

  The RSX is a great little car. Ive had mine for over 5 years now & have had no problems what so ever. You just cant beat Honda build quality & reliability. The K20 may be the best engine Honda has ever built. It revs effortlessly to 8000 rpm & is highly tunable. The shifter is top notch & the car gives the driver great feedback. Tons of fun to drive

• 

  Great choice - 2003 Acura MDX
  By dwacpa - September 27 - 10:00 am

  Shopped for two months for right vehicle for me-The MDX is the one for me. Great vehicle, excellant ride, more than me my expeditions and requirements.

• 

  Excellent car - 2003 Acura TL
  By bobn - September 27 - 10:00 am

  Hadnt planned on buying this car, but glad we did. Excellent value for the $$. Beautiful exterior and interior styling, much nicer-looking than Accord or Infinity. I am normally a German-car driver, but I think this car has an excellent mix of comfort, handling, smoothness, power, gas mileage, and all-around bang for the buck. We get much better HWY gas mileage than I expected (~28+ mpg). Very quiet ride. Feels & drives very safe & solid. Suspension eats up road bumps like nothing. Quiet smooth engine, but still growls when you step on the throttle!

• 

  Love At First Sight - 2007 Acura MDX
  By SteelerMan - September 25 - 8:29 pm

  I purchased my 2007 MDX just two days ago and LOVE it! It rides like a luxury SUV but with the kick and sporty attitude of a TL or TSX. The Technology Package blows my mind and I consider myself a "techy guy"! I am thrilled to have this vehicle!

• 

  Drivers vehicle! - 2009 Acura RDX
  By NirVTEC - September 23 - 5:53 pm

  What a blast to drive! Hugs turns like a sport luxury sedan and pulls off the stoplight like Old V8s I have owned!

• 

  Very happy, should have had one long ago - 2009 Acura TSX
  By Brock Murphy - September 22 - 8:06 pm

  Extremely impressed with gas mileage. I get grigio with taupe leather without tech package. Didnt want nav but disappointed that the premium model didnt have 6 pack cd. Personally I am quite happy with the power from the 2.4L considering the gas mileage. My last car was a V6 with 265HP and I dont miss it. I bought an Acura for the reliability and so far I am happy. Interior fit and finish is great, seats are very comfortable and I love the manual transmission. Steering is very light.