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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  Great Car, Fun to drive - 2003 Acura RSX
  By Luvmyrsx - July 4 - 10:00 am

  I absolutely love this car. I cant wait to wake up every day to drive it, and I have had it almost 2 years! I usually trade my cars in every year, and there still is nothing even close to this one so I am keeping it even longer!

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  MDX review - 2003 Acura MDX
  By skywalker2910 - July 4 - 10:00 am

  I have had my silver MDX for a year and have put 19900 miles on it.The fit and finish are flawless.The build quality is solid.The acceleration is more than adequate.There is wind noise when you go over 60mph .It is quite at speeds below 60.The bose system is decent.The navigation system can be misleading at times.

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  What a great car - 2003 Acura TL
  By scottyb - July 4 - 10:00 am

  This is the BEST car I have ever owned. The value this car represents is truly unbelievable. There is nothing else in this price point that even comes close!!! I had the best buying experience ever at pohanka acura. They were strait forward and honest, a welcome change in this industry.

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  Excellent Purchase - 2008 Acura TL
  By CRPoore - July 3 - 9:42 pm

  I have driven full and mid sized SUVs for years, but missed the fun of a bit of a "performance car" but still have a family now, so a 2 seater or 2 + 2 was out of the question. This is a great blend of functionality, luxury and performance. The list of standard features is staggering. When you compare this to a 3 series BMW you will find 40K plus to get close to the standard equipment on the TL, and that is with BMWs standard "leatherette" interior without upgrade. Yes, for those who have not researched it, real leather is NOT standard on a 3 series, you pay about $1,500 to get it. Now, at the very high end, BMW gets the performance nod, but for the average commuter, this is a win

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  Great Experience - 2004 Acura TL
  By Todd A. - July 3 - 3:13 pm

  Bought this car used two years ago, so was a little concerned with hidden problems. No problems whatsoever. Still a head turner, even for a four+ year old car. Styling is excellent, inside and out. Interior layout is great. Not too bad on gas -- 21 in town and 26 on highway. Decided to take the plunge and switched to regular unleaded a few months ago and havent noticed any negative effects. Lots of features and styling for the money would buy one again. Acura seems to have hit a wide market here. Teenagers to grannies love this car.

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  Im Still Driving It - 2001 Acura CL
  By id03557 - July 3 - 2:49 pm

  After 103,000 miles it seems like it will go another 100,000 no problem. It gets 30 mpg hwy and has only one problem the tranny which Acura replaced under warranty at 63,000. It is quick, handles well and I have only put one set of tires on it at 65,000. My biggest complaint is that it picks up a lot of road noise... RRRRRRR. Otherwise it handles well, is faster than 98% of cars out there, and just keeps on keeping on. Heck it still has the original battery. I wish I could buy another one, but Acura, in its wisdom (?) doesnt offer a sporty coupe anymore.

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  A nice step up after owning 2 Accords - 2008 Acura TSX
  By Andrew - July 1 - 9:57 pm

  After a 92 and 98 Accord, I decided to upgrade to the Acura TSX. So far after almost 6 months I am not disappointed. This car is fun to drive and sporty, yet still gets awesome mileage (I have gotten mid 30s on pure highway). Commuting mileage is OK and can get mid 20s. For the price you get so many features found in many higher level models. Audio is OK, but not the cars high point. However almost all the features can be found on the new 8th gen Accord (minus HID headlights and bluetooth phone), in a much bigger but more powerful car. Above all, this car is a Honda. Dependable, great resale value, laundry list of standard features.

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  Great car - In love with it - 2002 Acura RSX
  By Sid Arora - July 1 - 10:21 am

  I bought this car in 2002. This car has been my first sports car right from the dealership. I loved it on the first day and still have admiration for it. Car has cute reddish dash board thats eye pleasing. Secondly car has been extremely reliable. The car currently has 93000k miles and only changes I have done is brake jobs, tires, emission issue. At 93000 car still feels like new with same amount of acceleration as it was new.

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  Bulletproof Beuty - 1992 Acura Integra
  By maxzando - June 30 - 2:42 pm

  My Integra GS-R is a rare Aztec Green 1992 model. It is absolutely bulletproof. Aside from regular maintenance and tires, it has never needed extra service. It is a joy to drive, especially past gas stations. I get almost 27 mpg. It carves up curves as well as the day it came home from the dealer. And you cant adequately put into words the sheer joy from seeing young men pressing their faces against the windows of passing cars to get a longer look at a true dream car. People stop me almost weekly, intently asking, "Do you want to sell?" Well, maybe, if the price is really right. See, I know what I have in my garage and I think Ill keep it.

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  Pleasure for All - 2008 Acura MDX
  By twosweetbabes - June 29 - 9:21 pm

  As a busy mom of 6 year old twins, I needed the size of an SUV, but didnt like the size of my Expedition. My kids love the ease of this vehicle and I love all the bells and whistles. The navigation is by far the easier I have ever used, the voice recognition is very useful, can command even climate control! All controls are easy to use and the dashboard is just beautiful. Very smooth ride and an absolute pleasure to own. Fuel economy is not as good as I had hoped, but to be expected in this size vehicle/motor. I would recommend the MDX to anyone w/ children, my kids can open/close the doors w/ ease and the back seat is very comfortable. The safety features are top-notch as well.