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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  Dream Car - 2005 Acura TL
  By Iris Segal - March 16 - 10:01 am

  My Acura TL comes equiped with everything a person needs: Navigation system, high performance tires, great passing capability and wonderful reliability, and last but not least, an XM satellite radio. I love my car.

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  Acura MDX - 2006 Acura MDX
  By Laura Petit - March 16 - 9:20 am

  I owned a 2002 MDX, and traded it for a Toyota 4-Runner. Within 6 months I was trading the Toyota for another Acura MDX. I love this car, the ride, comfort and the look.

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  this car is great! - 2006 Acura RSX
  By typesnukka - March 16 - 12:38 am

  i got this car about a month ago and i absolutely love it. its great to drive, nice and smooth, the bose is good, i listen to alot of rap and i love bass and although the sub it came with wasnt enough it still sounded great even though i added 2 12in subs in the back. performance wise, INCREDIBLE. this car shifts AMAZING, i love the sound the engine makes, revs high i like it. very VERY fast, 120 EASY. extremely enjoyable to drive. this car is very HOT, the ladies love it, and it stands out where ever you drive. i couldnt ask for a better car. i love my 06 rsx type-s and i wouldnt give it up for anything (maybe a ferrari but i would sell it and buy another rsx and keep the extra money 8-))

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  Luxury car that isnt ostentatious - 2006 Acura RL
  By Bobink - March 15 - 11:20 pm

  I drive a lot, so I treated myself to the RL. For a little less than I paid I could have gotten a comparably equipped 325, but not a 330. But this car is definitely in the 5-series, or E-class field and, comparably equipped, either one would have been $15,000 more than the price I paid for the RL. Plus, I genuinely liked the RL better. I also drove the M35 which in the sport version has a comfortable seat but a harsh ride, and in the non-sport version the seat was mushy soft and uncomfortable. My RL car is very satisfying to drive. Plenty of acceleration. Great headlights. Fantastic stereo. Intuitive electronics. The real-time taffic is useful. And I think it is gorgeous.

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  Happy owner of 2006 RL - 2006 Acura RL
  By CWD - March 15 - 2:57 pm

  I picked the 2006 RL after driving Audis (1998 A4 2.8, 2002 A6 4.2) for the past 8 years. Performance is comparable to my A6 4.2 with better gas mileage. SH-AWD does offer superior handling compared to my A6 4.2. Car corners flatter with a quicker and more solid turn-in feel. Suspension is firm, but not harsh. This car is a real value in its class. Loaded with features and technology for the price when compared to other 6-cyl. cars in its class (A6 3.2, 530i, GS300, etc.). Interior design is very nice. I like it better than the new A6 and the GS. Exterior is sleek and clean. I hate what BMW did to the 5-series. Seats are very comfortable. Back seat big enough for adults.

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  King of the hill. - 2004 Acura MDX
  By mchen007 - March 15 - 2:00 am

  The best SUV on the market. This is our second MDX in the family. We laso have a 2002 MDX Tour & Nav and was extremely happy. Thats why we went out and got another one. We purchased the 2004 MDX tour, nav, and dvd ent in aspen pearl white. Amazingly, honda/acura managed to improve on previous models with more power, smoother ride, better handling, and sportier design. And the numerous toys to play with inside amaze me. Great suv!! They managed to squeeze four disc players into the suv (Nav DVD player, 6 disc cd changer, single disc in dash cd player, and DVD movie player... Awesome. Oh yeah, rear view camera is cool too.

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  Acura TL Rocks - 2004 Acura TL
  By MIMB027 - March 15 - 2:00 am

  If you are considering an Audi A4, BMW 3 or 5 series or Infiniti G35, this car beats them all! The fit and finish are incredible for a car under $35K. The performance is head snapping with 270HP and smoooth 6 speed shifter. I got the automatic with tiptronic style electronic shifter. Nice exhaust note. Brakes are very smooth. shifter is awesome. This a real head turner! I believe its a category-killer. Run, dont walk to your Acura dealer.

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  Wonderful - 2004 Acura TL
  By shaw - March 15 - 2:00 am

  Have owned for a little over a week and I cant stop humming Springstein "...I went out for a ride and I never came back." The manual is a blast to drive. The interior is exceptionally comfortable --spacious (Im 62")with lots of creature comforts. The sound system is the best Ive heard. The 270 hp is great. All in all, I simply dont understand BMW; the equivalent 5 series is over 10K more. How much more athletic can it be with other motorists on the road?

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  This car is fun to drive - 2006 Acura TL
  By Bob Martino - March 14 - 4:10 am

  Bought this car in December as a company car and let me tell you I have not been disappointed. The navigation is great I have in my MDX and the upgrades are nice. My fuel economy is about 22 MPG and highway has been 26. This car is more sporty than I realized. This car rides firmly and handles better than many sports car on the market and for the price I dont see why you should buy a BMW, Lexus, or Infiniti. This car has everything to offer at a great price.

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  Surprising value & fun - 2004 Acura TL
  By RobG - March 12 - 7:33 pm

  Loaded with great features, its been just about everything Ive expected. 6M is sporty, (dont expect BMW responsiveness, but still surprisingly nimble yet very comfy --nice blend of sport and luxury. Quiet, authoritative. Xenon lamps, Bluetooth, excellent Navi, quite impressive audio (5.1 DVD audio surround, XM, & more) & voice recog. Great back seat, OK trunk. Wonderful power: punch it & 0-60 <6.0 secs, almost NO TORQUE steer (controlled by VSA computer. With snow tires, it climbs steep driveways in fresh snow! Climate control excellent and well- balanced. Memory system excellent - settings for seat, outer mirrors, temp & radio, etc.