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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  Amazing - 1995 Acura Integra
  By tmcd - April 24 - 1:50 am

  This car is about as much fun as a 4 cylinder can be. Plenty of punch between 3 and 5000 rpm. I recently drove the 710 miles between LA and Medford OR and got 33 mpg going 80 w/AC on! Amazing for a car with 133k. Drives tight, 5 speed is a must have if you want the fun. Excellent aftermarket support as well. If you get a chance go for the GSR, or, if youre really lucky, the type r (97+). I drove a comparable 95 bmw and chose the integra for reliability, gas mileage, etc., and it is just as much fun to drive with the manual. Overall a fantastic car and you can get a good one for around 4k with lower mileage if your careful.

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  2006 Acura RSX - 2006 Acura RSX
  By jules88 - April 23 - 10:55 pm

  Ive had this car for a little more than half a year and I love it. Its fun to drive, it looks hot, and has great acceleration. I wish I got it manual, though, and in black (too hot in miami). It is a bit expensive, but it has great resale value, so Im not complaining. I love that its small and compact. And I love how guys wanna race me but then when they see Im a girl, go away. =P Leather is comfy and remains so even after 5 hours of driving. I changed my rearview mirror ... its a lot wider and I can see EVERYTHING.

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  Best of the Best - 2006 Acura TL
  By Sam and Paula - April 23 - 12:40 am

  This is our second TL and we have a bias for Honda/Acura and the TL in particular. Few other automobiles have the mix of luxury, quality, performance, value and style. The exterior of the car is distinctive with crisp body lines that create interesting shadow and shape covered in a flawless paint finish. Inside the 06 TL you find nothing less than top of the line leather seating, fine carpet and details you would only expect in a much more expensive German sedan. The ergonomics of the interior are excellent and seats are supportive. Power and handling of the car are excellent and above the rest of the class save for the BMW 330 with which the TL competes. The car is Best of the Best.

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  dont believe the bad reviews - 2004 Acura TL
  By care2 - April 22 - 3:43 am

  I have owned this car for 8 months now and love it. Being a previous BMW owner 3xs over, this car far exceeded my expectations. I travel a lot and have 9,000 miles on it now, no rattles what so ever. Interior is excellent, I keep the leather seats conditioned and mine look like new, no wear showing. Ride is smooth. Steering can take some getting use to from fast launches, but I live in the midwest, so Ill live with it since front wheel drive is a must to get around. Exterior is a definite eye catcher.

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  Satisfied Owner - 2005 Acura TL
  By Gary Matlin - April 21 - 6:40 am

  This car has performed flawlessly. I have had zero maintenance problems and it handles like a sports car. Extremely comfortable and very solid on the road. Wind noise is a bit annoying, low end torque could be better and I have had a break squeal on application that the dealer has never been able to correct. I put on almost 1000 miles a week of high speed mileage with no induced driver fatigue. I also own a 3 Series BMW but like the Acura better.

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  Traded a TL for a TSX - 2007 Acura TSX
  By Matthew Everett - April 20 - 2:02 pm

  I traded my 06 TL for the more attractive looking TSX and am happy I did. The TSX has everything I liked about the TL, and more importantly, it doesnt have the things I didnt like about the TL. It is quicker off the mark, handles better, better mileage (not by much though), and it was made in Japan. I really hated the mapholders on the TL, but they are gone (sort of) in the TSX. Also the rear end of the TSX is much more attractive.The TL was of course quieter, but I am always playing something in the audio system, which actually sounds better in the TSX than the TL. All in all I am happier with the TSX than the TL. Be sure to test drive both.

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  Once to get in, you will never get out! - 2007 Acura RDX
  By Sutter A. - April 20 - 1:24 am

  Really, this SUV is just too cool. Buy it with the tech package. Its rival crossovers (I test drove Mazda CX7, BMW X3, Ford Fusion, GMC Arcadia) totally pale in comparison. This SUV is both performance-rich and super techy. Beware! With the sport suspension and handling, it does not drive like an old mans Cadillac. Turbo kicks in real nice. Even the base version is fully loaded - moon roof, leather, etc. For an equivalent version, other luxury brands charge you a fortune. Nobody else offers all these features in one car, and for the price. Overall, its the best "bang for the buck" in its category. Good job Acura!

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  FUN to own - 2007 Acura MDX
  By jighead55 - April 18 - 4:34 pm

  Bought my MDX a few weeks ago. S far Im having a blast with it. The technology is awesome and driving is fun.

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  Acura at its best! - 2006 Acura TL
  By KWayne - April 17 - 3:26 pm

  A Smooth, very quiet, well-controlled ride. Engine muted and only emits a soft growl during hard accelleration. Otherwise....silent. Very, very quick accelleration. The suspension inspires confidence around corners and winding curves. The navigation is sweet.....top notch. The safety and convenience features such as the voice recognition programs are top-of-the- line.

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  Great SUV! - 2007 Acura RDX
  By dfjcu1979 - April 17 - 2:42 pm

  I just bought my RDX a week ago and love it thus far. I originally thought I was going to buy an MDX but after driving both, I prefered the way the RDX handled and I do not need the extra room that the MDX has. Mileage is ok, been getting an overall average of 19 mpg, this should improve after a couple thousand miles. I was concerned about going to a 4 cylinder from my 06 TL. This vehicle has plenty pickup and absolutely no turbo lag. The engine is rather quiet too from the inside, as opposed to how noisy it is on the TSX.