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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  A Great Ride - 2006 Acura RL
  By Broker - May 28 - 1:25 am

  This car has everything I need. Sure it only has a v-6 but the power delivery is smooth and the ride is solid.

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  Best Car Ever - 2003 Acura RSX
  By adamco44 - May 26 - 9:48 am

  This is my first of many Acura purchases. I love this car. I moved down from a GMC Yukon, and this car is so sharp in the turns with no body roll.

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  Cl-S Type - 2003 Acura CL
  By Joseph - May 25 - 2:16 pm

  This is a very nice vehicle. I wanted a nice blend of performance and luxury, and this car definetly fit the bill. I put 162,000mi on my Honda Accord and I knew the build quality on the CL would be good, since Acura and Honda are related. I really enjoy knowing I have 260hp under the hood available at a moments notice. The acceleration is great! Also, the car is very smooth and handles well with the sports tuned suspension. I do wish the steering was a little tighter though. It feels too much like my Accord. Overall its a great car.

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  Subtle Performance - 2006 Acura RSX
  By DrummerJim50 - May 25 - 1:31 pm

  Good performance with good gas mileage. The styling is very subtle which I like because it doesnt draw too much unwanted attention. Slick shifting manual. The ride is a little harsh at times when going over defects in the road. The car sounds awesome with the windows down at 7000+ rpm. This is truly a drivers car. Another added bonus...for a few thousand a turbocharger can put it in the 300+ HP range.

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  sweet - 2006 Acura RSX
  By ALEX - May 24 - 3:37 pm

  When my father had purchased the 2004 rsx base model, i didnt like it. But once i drove it, my mind completely changed. The handling and agility impresed me right away. Its short length is deceptive for its roomy front seats. There is little back seat room, but im never back there anyway for me to care. Im proud to own my 2006 Rsx.

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  Save fuel and have fun - 2006 Acura RSX
  By Roger - May 24 - 12:35 pm

  The RSX is a great fuel efficent car with hatch back utility. My wife uses the car for commuting to work and shopping.the handling is quick and responsive. The engine and transmission are well mated with quick acceleration and a refined feel.A terrific car for the money. The only negative would be the road noise on bumpy roads

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  2004 TL Manual - 6 month review - 2005 Acura TL
  By JKG - May 23 - 1:40 pm

  For 2004 TL owners and potential 2005 TL owners, I encourage purchasing the Manual TL if comparing to Infinity or Lexus. I have been extremely pleased for 6 months of ownership. Handling is great with the Bridgestone tires I have switched to. Power is wonderful and is as exciting as my other car, a V-8. A few interior noises have been corrected. The local dealer, Harper Acura, is outstanding for service. The only 2 improvements will be to add 1-2 cubic feet of trunk space or one folding rear seat, and add the SH-AWD system from RL to the 2006 TL. If Acura does that, I will be purchasing a second TL for my wife.

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  JDC - 2004 Acura TSX
  By JDC 52 - May 23 - 10:00 am

  WONDERFUL CAR . 20K MILES IN 14 MONTHS .DRIVEN 100 MILES A DAY AND NO PROBLEMS AT ALL. I ATTRIBUTE THIS TI JAPANESE MANUFACTURE.

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  all around athlete - 2004 Acura TL
  By ravens - May 23 - 10:00 am

  This car performs so well in so many areas--speed, braking, handling, comfort plus has all amenities of cars 20k more. The gearing is quick and smooth; above 4k rpm car gets a mean personality. There are gripes though: mileage (21mpg) is disappointing; minimal low end torque; xm satellite instead of sirius. But overall best car that I have owned.

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  2nd MDX - 2006 Acura MDX
  By m2 - May 22 - 8:02 pm

  This car fit our needs and the opportunity came up to trade in a 2003 MDX (touring with RES) for the 2006 MDX (Touring with Nav&RES). I took the opportunity to upgrade to Navigation & RES and am so happy I did. The car is fun to drive and meets our families need. Obviously I am happy with the MDX or I would not have been a return customer. The Navigation makes trips really stress free and although I dont have a bluetooth phone at the moment, I cant wait until I start using this feature.