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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  Love the car - 2009 Acura TSX
  By Ramold - April 17 - 11:50 am

  Bought this a couple months ago. I traded in a 2007 Nissan 350Z roadster for this. I havent regretted it a bit. The comfort, build quality and features far out weigh the lost HP. I highly recommend the 2009 Acura TSX over anything else in its class.

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  Awesome car - 2007 Acura RL
  By Jim Cogan - April 17 - 7:41 am

  This car is just an incredible vehicle, very high tech, but easy to figure out. The stereo is awesome, love the subwoofer. Controls are very accessible. Voice command system works great. Smooth ride, dont even know you are going as fast as you are (yikes). Gas mileage not as good as I hoped, but it is all wheel drive. This car has many options that you would pay 10k more for vehicle. handling is incredible and steering response is nice

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  Almost perfect - 2007 Acura TSX
  By choosiest - April 17 - 3:50 am

  This car would be perfect if had at least a little more low end power (1st and 2nd gear) and also had a more precise feeling shifter/clutch - more like the 97 Integra.

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  Way Better than my Cadillacs!! - 2003 Acura TL
  By koolkat57 - April 16 - 10:00 am

  We had been driving Cadillacs for a while, and had become disgusted with the typical GM assembly quality and reliability. You just couldnt afford them after the warranty ran out!!! We LOVE our 2003 TL type S!! Its eveything we were looking for and MORE. Quiet, Comfortable, And lots of fun to Drive! The gas mileage is also much better than we expected, almost 35 mpg on the highway!!

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  my new TL - 2003 Acura TL
  By bibb - April 16 - 10:00 am

  I LOVE THIS CAR

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  Great Car - 1996 Acura RL
  By goemct - April 15 - 1:51 pm

  This is my first RL. My last Acura was a 97 CL which I was very pleased with. It was going up on 212,000 mile so it was getting close to the time to get another Acura . The RL with 118k is not even broken in yet, its a great car like new in and out.

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  One Hot Car - 2005 Acura TL
  By Morgan - April 14 - 7:20 pm

  After driving a 96 Maxima SE for 8 years, I decided it was time to step up a notch. Considered both the TL and the Infiniti G30 both with manual transmissions. Performance, to me, was quite evenly matched, but the fit and finish of the TL blew the G out of the water. This car is GREAT to drive and begs for you to put your right foot to the floor. Its scary how easy it is to top 100 mph in this car and not realise it. As the engine is so quite, even at 6,000 rpm, the rev limiter is a necessary piece of technology in this car. Passengers love the dual climate control and satellite radio. Dont lease this baby b/c youll hate the restriction of limited miles. She wants to be driven!

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  Change is Good! - 2007 Acura RDX
  By Rob - April 13 - 9:00 pm

  After driving a large SUV for the last four years, I am thrilled to be behind the wheel of a new RDX! I am thoroughly enjoying the superb handling as well as all of the amenities that come standard and those that are part of the tech package. For the extra cost, the navigation and voice command functions are easy to grasp and make the entire driving experience even more exciting. As a father who runs many errands with my son, I am pleased with the size of the RDX as it has plenty of interior room and is comfortable for back seat adults as well. Thus far, there is nothing about the RDX that I do not like. Definitely a welcomed change!

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  Love This Car - 2006 Acura RSX
  By Jess2112 - April 12 - 7:16 pm

  This is a great car to have. I drive it all the time just to drive it. Its quick and very responsive. Nothing in the car is less appealing now than it was when I bought it, i.e., leather is still in great condition, etc. This is by far my favorite car.

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  Acura TL - 2003 Acura TL
  By Pete1111 - April 11 - 3:03 pm

  This is a great car I have ever own.