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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  2005 Acura TL - 2006 Acura TL
  By zydecolady - January 10 - 4:03 am

  Great car - comfortable ride and handling. good gas mileage with city driving better with highway. A fun car to drive

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  Meticulous Owner - 2005 Acura TL
  By Mark - January 9 - 9:50 pm

  I researched and test drove nearly every possible competing vehicle and I previously owned a 2000 Acura TL with Navi. I had transmission problms with the 2000 Acura but Acura rectified the situation to my satisfaction and saved a customer. In addition, I have read that previous transmission issues have been rectified. I am a gadget and value junkie. Acuras combination of the two won me over, again. Sure, there were some features that other vehicles offered that would be nice, but overall no other car offered as much for the price. I have had my 05 TL for three months and have driven it about 5,600 miles with no problems to report and I still love to drive it!

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  Stype is great! - 2003 Acura TL
  By LAdaveH - January 9 - 10:00 am

  I just picked up an S type 3.2 and I want to say that I am very happy with my decision. Acura is more car than others in its class. The car came fully loaded with 6CD chnger, full NAV syst., Onstar services, electric seats (heating option as well) along with way more room in the car. Mercedes and Infiniti wanted so much more for the features that came standard with the Acura. With the money that I saved I can pay for my insurance and gas throughout the year. Most imortant feature on the car is that it drives well...fast, handles well, and the interior is extremely quite. Great car and a great deal!!...260hp helps as well!

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  Awesome vehicle!!! - 2008 Acura RDX
  By Brenda Rodrigues - January 8 - 1:45 pm

  This is a great SUV! I received this SUV after totaling my 2002 dodge neon. I was telling my husband how much I loved the MDX but not just any MDX. It had to be the older model because I was no fan of the rounded backs. After a wise car salesman convinced me that I could get a 2008 RDX for the price of a used MDX with nearly 30-50 thousand miles it was no surprised I rushed to take the RDX for a test drive. After the test drive I was sold. We visited that dealership more than my in lawsÂ… literally. After a few weeks of debating, on 12/15/07 my husband purchased me the 2008 tech RDX. I have put well over a thousand miles on it and I have had it less than a month. It is a joy to drive!

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  What a fun-to-drive vehicle! - 2007 Acura MDX
  By CLopez - January 8 - 11:56 am

  Traded in my 2001 Lexus RX 300 for a fully-loaded 2007 MDX, and what a difference. The ride is not as comfortable/quiet as the Lexus but one can easily get used to its comfort level. Drove down to FL from NJ, and was so comfortable driving that I drove straight on the way back. The kids loved the Entertainment System that they did not even bother using the game system which we can plug in the truck too. Averaged around 20-21 MPG on our trip, and was very pleased with the good acceleration on the highways. Constantly getting looks hopefully due to its handsome styling. My only complain is that the voice recognition falters. I really enjoy driving this vehicle (which I think drives like a car).

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  I LOVE MY MDX - 2007 Acura MDX
  By Acurafan - January 8 - 11:28 am

  My husband and I fell in love with the MDX in 02 bought it and when we needed a second vehicle, got another one in 03. Kept going and got the 07. We wanted a change and test drove the X5. Nice ride but for the bang and the buck, the MDX was the clear winner!! I love the way the vehicle moves and the smooth braking action is awesome not to mention the way it hugs the curb as I try to see what it can do... wow!! No vehicle is safe but I feel a sense of security in my MDX. Who knows... might be riding an 08 in the upcoming months. I didnt think it was possible to improve on the vehicle but wow... they did!!!

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  SOLID!!! - 1994 Acura Integra
  By Tsunami78 - January 8 - 8:59 am

  I could not help but give this car all 10s because I am extremely pleased. I purchased this car because my previous vehicle blew up in my face. Being a mechanic reg. maint. is my pet peeve. I simply cant explain why the head cracked, maybe the cold? Long story short I came across my Teggy for about 2k. It turned over 133,000 miles last night, 1/07, while driving home from work and even though I technically am still young(Im 29)I feel young again. I am so confident I didnt even think twice about driving this car cross country next month. Have all the maintenance records from previous owner and am looking forward to having this car for as long as Honda/Acura is known for 3-400,000+ miles.

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  Acura TL - An Exceptional Car - 2004 Acura TL
  By Linda Cohen - January 5 - 10:50 pm

  This is a joy to own. Its stylish and not like every other car out there. Its sporty, fun to drive and eell equipped.

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  Great all Around Car - 2003 Acura RSX
  By Brandon - January 4 - 6:45 pm

  Bought this car as a replacement for my 95 bmw M3 and have no regrets. Performance is great, handles well especially for FWD, shifter is smooth and throws are short. Plenty of trunk space for luggage or a trip to the beach or wherever your headed. Backseat is a bit small for normal sized people, kids and people under 55 shouldnt have it too bad back there. This car is well rounded, performs well but is still well suited as a daily driver. Suspension is a little rough and the shifter vibrates at times. Tire roar can get old. Understeer and body roll are almost non-existent. Close your eyes (but not for to long) and you feel like your driving a Honda s2000. This is really a great all around car.

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  Drives Like A Car! - 2007 Acura MDX
  By JLopez - January 4 - 8:35 am

  Traded in my 2001 Lexus RX 300 for a fully-loaded 2007 MDX. The ride was not as luxurious as the Lexus, but one can easily get used to its comfort level. Drives like a car! Drove it down to Disney from NJ enjoyed driving too much that I didnt even bother stopping (except for gas) on the way back. The kids love the DVD so much that they did not even use with their game system. MPG wasnt that bad either (averaging 19/21). Overall, I think the build and ride is not equal to that of the Lexus, but they are still within very excellent standards. I enjoy using the manual mode for better acceleration on the highways. Regularly gets looks from people - hopefully because of its handsome styling.