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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  Want to drive! - 2005 Acura RL
  By John Mancini - December 15 - 11:56 pm

  Advanced Technology is everywhere in this car. What a fun car to drive. I moved up from a 2002 RL, which I enjoyed driving. The 05 RL is a different beast. The Audio is top shelf. Bluetooth technology is great allowing handfree cell phone use. Ride is great with excellent handling features and power to spare. I like the SH-AWD feature with the 300 hp. Not a family sedan (due to limited leg room in rear) nor in the same class as the MB S, BMW 6/7, or Lexus LS. But nor is the price. You can save yourself $20 - 40 k over`those other cars. Its amazing Acura placed so much new technology into the new RL with such a modest price increase over the old RL.

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  5 years and no regrets - 2003 Acura RSX
  By Rich - December 14 - 5:32 pm

  I bought my RSX right after I graduated from college. It was essentially a present to myself for securing a decent paying job. Five years later, I still absolutely love my car and wouldnt trade it with anyone. Ill probably have it for at least another 5 years. The cost of ownership is insanely low in five years Ive only replaced the tires and brakes. With 3-4 oil changes per year, my car has treated me right.

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  Beautiful - 1993 Acura Legend
  By Tony Papa - December 14 - 5:02 pm

  Fantastic car. The car was mine then to my first born, then to his little Brother, and it still runs great! Faster than most cars made even now (2007) 14 years later.

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  Lovin it - 2007 Acura TL
  By love it - December 13 - 6:33 am

  Just picked up this 07 TLS a week ago, and think its about the coolest thing going, the voice activation, monster motor and MPGs. The onscreen shows 30 MPGs on a regular basis, and I find it hard to believe. Will do a little division myself to see if its true. When stomping on it, it can get a lot less. Got some of the speedo error reported on earlier TLs, and thats kind of a surprise for an Acura. Lovin it.

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  ACURA ROCKS!!!!! - 2003 Acura MDX
  By ACURA ROCKS - December 12 - 2:18 pm

  We love our Acura MDX. If you have children and do a lot of traveling this is the perfect SUV for you. The MDX rides so smooth you barley realize youre moving.

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  Acura TSX = precision driving - 2004 Acura TSX
  By mxmattd - December 11 - 10:49 pm

  I bought this car used in Feb. 07 with 70k, and after almost a year of driving, I couldnt be happier! This car provides a perfect balance of sport, luxury, and economy. To do this, of course, trade-offs are required. The ride leans towards sporty, resulting in excellent handling but sometimes harsh on poor roads. The engine needs to be above 4k rpm for thrills, but keeping revs down gives excellent gas mileage (I avg 29 with mixed driving). The interior is pure luxury, but seats are still great for hard cornering. Steering, controls, incredibly slick 6sp tranny, dbw throttle, everything in this car exudes precision, which translates to an enjoyable drive thru mtn. roads or city streets.

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  Upgraded To TL Type S - 2007 Acura TL
  By Art - December 11 - 8:40 pm

  I just upgraded my 2005 Acura TL for the 2007 Acura TL Type S and was very surprised on the way it handled and looked. The 2007 Type S felt tighter around the corners and the acceleration was much quicker than my 2005 TL. As for the exterior of the car, I was very impressed on the changes that they made including the side mirrors, exhaust system, and the added fog lights. It looks very sharp! As for the interior, I love the ambient red lights in the Type S compared to the ambient blue lights. The Navi was upgraded and works to perfection and I especially like the MP3 hookup so I can connect my iPod. This is a "No Brainer" for all of the TL enthusiasts. I will be keeping this one!!

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  Nice car to have - 2008 Acura RDX
  By czechmate - December 10 - 4:58 pm

  I only have a few hundred miles on it. It is well made with nice internals and a few bugs. Complicated not-so-friendly navigation system. One must learn the exact commands (over 100 of them) to handle it safely and efficiently while driving. There is information missing on streets that have been in existence for many (7) years. If that is to be programmed one needs to look up MAP-IT beforehand and find the major intersection.. The engine require synthetic MOBIL-1 oil, and a higher octane gasoline. Trunk is large enough but be prepared to purchase the cargo net.

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  Tight and nimble - 2007 Acura TL
  By Rick - December 10 - 2:00 pm

  This car has about as much fun as you do. It corners nimble and stays on line in the direction it is pointed. The suspension gets into front and rear tires when tight cornering and launches the car out of the turns into the straights with positive acceleration pushing you back into the seat.

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  Wow! - 2008 Acura RDX
  By VB - December 10 - 12:09 pm

  Never did a review before, but had to comment on my new ride. Overall this car is terrific. I find a new feature I love every day. I am on my 5th tank of gas and am getting 21.8 mpg. Traded an 03 Aviator that never got better than 16, so Im thrilled. Looks good, feels good, drives good. Never owned a 4 cyl. before. Cant believe the pick up. Plenty of power when you need it. Love it! Love it!