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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  Top Notch All The Way - 2006 Acura TSX
  By tag4705 - January 10 - 12:45 pm

  In the past three years Ive owned a 1998 BMW 3-series, a 2003 Audi A4 and a 2005 Volvo S40 T5. This car is so far beyond all of these cars, it leaves nothing to be considered. The best car Ive ever owned in every way. Smooth, quiet, handling, features and (maybe best of all) PRICE! Would recommend to anyone.

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  Exceeds expectations - 2006 Acura TL
  By Bob - January 9 - 4:56 am

  The TL is a superbe combination of quality, performance, design and value. Ride and handling are top notch and with front wheel drive, dreaded oversteer in spirited driving is not a concern. In addition to the high dynamic performance the TLs voice controlled navigation, entertainment and climate control systems are a joy to use. High quality materials abound in the comfortable cabin.

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  Still a stylish sports coupe - 1994 Acura Legend
  By Stephen Williams - January 8 - 4:08 pm

  Well, I bought this vehicle on eBay 2 years ago from a gentleman in TX. I previously had a 1994 Legend L sedan bought new. But I always wanted an LS Coupe. I admit Im biased, but I still think its one of the nicest looking sports coupes every made. Mine has 185,000 miles on it, and the engine shows no real sign of dying anytime some. Ive had to replace the normal things - driveshaft boots etc, but thats to be expected. Its reliable, fast and stylish - I love it.

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  a happy owner - 1992 Acura Legend
  By Sea fan - January 7 - 9:03 pm

  Ive owned this car since 92 and have only had to change the battery and the tires. It is an amazing car and Ive been extremely satisfied.

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  Overall A good Vehicle - 2005 Acura TL
  By AcuraTL55 - January 7 - 12:40 pm

  I love the Navi system and the gas mileage is better than my previous vehicle. My previous car was an Audi S4 and these are two totally different vehicles. The Acura has much better electronics and more interior room plus better gas mileage. The Audi drove better and was faster. I miss Quattro.

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  Get SUV - 2007 Acura RDX
  By RDX_75 - January 7 - 12:01 pm

  Purchased this vehicle about one week ago and couldnt be more pleased. The voice activated navigation and bluetooth with the technology package is awesome. The fit and finish on this vehicle is some of the bese I have ever seen having owned Audis and Mercedes in the past.

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  Acura TL 2004 model - 2004 Acura TL
  By Drake1953 - January 7 - 2:00 am

  I am highly frustrated about the Bridgestone Turanza EL-42 tires that come stock on this car. They flat spot when the car sits, especially in cold weather. Then its "thump, thump thump.....lots of vibration all the time, even after they warm-up. Ive made four trips to my dealer, and all four tires have been carefully balanced twice. Acura of Dayton has given up on this and refuses to do anything about the problem. Acura corporate acknowledges there is a problem and says the complaints are coming from all over.

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  BAD BAD CAR !!!!!!!!! :) - 2004 Acura TL
  By tm25964e - January 7 - 2:00 am

  This is the most fun to drive car that I have ever own or driven. Of cource I have yet to drive a ferrari. But I can tell you that this car has that thing. You know that thing that makes your head go back and your heart go out of control. I love it !!!! Its like when your a child and get that really kool bike and you cant wait to get home from school to ride it. The first week That I owned it I could not decide if I wanted to call out sick for the day to drive it around or if I should just call out all week. Well I hope you have as much fun with yours as I do with mine.

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  420,000 miles and Still a Beast! - 1994 Acura Integra
  By AcuRate - January 6 - 7:33 pm

  Ive had this car now for 12 years and 420,000 miles later and can safely say its been a rock. Other than routine maintenance and replacing a clutch one time (@ 270,000 mi), it just keeps running and the performance is the same as the day I got it. I one upped the tire size to 205/55r-15s (looks and rides better and you get far better tread-life (I get an avg of 60k miles on ea set).

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  Reliable, fun to drive - 1996 Acura Integra
  By Chris - January 6 - 6:18 pm

  I bought my teg new in 96 and have driven it hard for most its 10 years. Its held up very well. It does OK in Denver snow and gets 31 mpg. As small 4 cylinders go, its pretty peppy. Repairs have included a timing belt, clutch, radiator, CV joints, distributor, and a bearing in the transmission.