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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  Exciting Car!!! - 2003 Acura RSX
  By Steven Ang - April 9 - 10:00 am

  Ive been wanting this car for a while now and I finally purchased it and love it. I paid BELOW INVOICE for this car so future buyers out there, try to work the dealers a little bit. I must say, its a very fun car to drive and handle. Well worth the price for the car and all the options that come with it.

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  Great car for the money - 2006 Acura TSX
  By Dave - April 9 - 9:13 am

  I bought this car in April 06, and really cannot complain about its performance and reliability. My previous car was a 2001 Volvo S40 with all the bells and whistles, however, it completely died at 18K miles. I have test driven many other vehicles in its class and the TSX is by far the best out there. It looks sharp with the ground effects kit which I have by the way and the car is loaded. When you add up these features with other cars, you are looking at at least $40K when all done and said (with BMW, MB, Lexus, etc). Maybe these other cars may have a more powerful engine, but I probably can smoke em on a long haul! The TSX also has a good resale value... no plans on selling or trading up!

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  Best I have Ever Owned!!! - 2007 Acura TL
  By Jeff D - April 7 - 10:50 am

  I cant believe how much better the 07 Type S is over my old 06 TL. Handles like crazy. FAST! Everything is top notch. I bought the best!

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  Everything I wanted in good commute car - 2006 Acura TSX
  By DDover - April 6 - 7:20 pm

  This car wont rival the likes of a BMW or Mercedes - but it also doesnt come with the price tag. The car is reliable and fun to drive. My only complaint - it lacks the zip to pass quickly on a narrow 2 lane roads when 18-wheelers are in the distance. My wife may have screamed once or twice. But, what do you expect from 4-cylinders? Other than that one complaint - no problems in day to day city driving. The back seat isnt quite as roomy with a now 510" sons long legs.

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  love it! - 2005 Acura TL
  By annette - April 6 - 2:46 pm

  First time buyer and first time Ive said Id buy another one. Very comfortable for long trips and lots of gadgets!

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  Excellent Balance - 2003 Acura TL
  By Samskara - April 6 - 2:16 pm

  Anybody can make a great car -- just pick out some wow factor that seems intriguing and ignore every other aspect. You can have power, or luxury, or economy, or almost anything else, as long as you toss every other consideration aside. The TL-S isnt great by any of those standards, and thats its best feature. It can accelerate well enough to get on any highway, handle well enough to stay out of trouble, offer enough comfort and quiet so that you dont mind spending a day in the car, all at a price thats still within shouting distance of being reasonable, with acceptable gas mileage. FWIW, the model has had transmission problems -- Honda extended the warranty and didnt keep it secret

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  Holding Up over 200k miles. - 1991 Acura Integra
  By chekster - April 5 - 10:46 pm

  Bought at 178k from a friend, now has 218k miles. Stick. Car is fun to drive, handles and runs well, better then my 92 accord (LX-auto). Clutch took some getting used to. Dont care a ton for the anti-lock brakes in snow. Fairly reliable, but several age related repairs are now showing up (thermostat, rear calipers, alternator main relay and fan control module starting to go small oil leak at valve cover gasket frameless windows seals starting to lose some elasticity). Typical 90s Honda rear wheel well rust. Trunk lid size and rear seats are small for this size of vehicle (my 84 escort was slightly better). Still, I would recommend and have enjoyed owning.

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  BMW-like for far less - 2005 Acura TL
  By Robert G NYC - April 5 - 9:50 pm

  Sporty, luxurious with all the buzzers, lights and bells. Powerful and fun to drive. Everyone who has ridden in it is amazed and impressed - even BMW owners. Performance is lively, a nice cross between Lexus luxury and BMW nimbleness. If possible, GET THE MANUAL transmission--more fun! Get it with Navigation; the Bluetooth technology is outstanding. The navigation system is far better than OnStar (and no monthly fee!). NEVER GET LOST AGAIN! Youll feel safe and youll drive in confidence and comfort wherever you go. Surround sound system is impressive; voice control is fun and at times, quite useful. Nice sized trunk; surprisingly good highway mileage (6M).

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  TSX For Real! - 2008 Acura TSX
  By waabese26 - April 5 - 12:34 am

  I love this vehicle to death! There is no car out there that will come close in value, comfort, stereo system, appearance and last but not least the price! This is a luxury sports sedan that is totally amazing. This car is quick and fast for a 4 cylinder. Get the TSX! Totally awesome car! Cant beat it!

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  Luxury You Love - LS Coupe - 1995 Acura Legend
  By 95 LS Coupe du Monde - April 4 - 11:09 pm

  Ditched my 2001 Mercedes E320 for a much more fun to drive LS Coupe. Love the car, love the cost, and love the inexpensive service. This car is 13 years old and still looks and drives like new.