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:

• 

  The Zen Master - 2006 Acura RL
  By Rich D. - February 21 - 4:40 am

  Having owned about every brand of car on the market and currently owning a 2004 BMW 545i, which was $15,000 more than the Acura, I have to say this is the best car I have ever owned. If you are looking for exceptional balance in design, ergonomics, luxury, comfort, performance and, oh yeah, if you care about the environment and global warming (300 hp engine that is ultra low emissions) there is no better choice on the market. Bimmer is faster, but Acura has plenty of power and kills the Bimmer in every other measure of performance. Awesome car, built in Japan - truly the Zen Master!

• 

  After 8 months - 2005 Acura TL
  By Barry - February 20 - 11:56 pm

  After 8 months, I still very much enjoy this vehicle. The ride is much stiffer than the Accords I have owned but the handling is great. The tires are very soft to offset the stiffness and consequently will not last as long as one would like. Mileage is 21/29. Those who have a lead foot will get much less. Overall, a quality car and Im glad I made the move from Honda (owner for 28 years).

• 

  Very, very GOOD Acura... - 2005 Acura TSX
  By JGN - February 20 - 7:51 pm

  I used to drive a MAXIMA for 10 years. I really liked the car. However, the new model comes with a steep price tag so I decided for an up-scale model such as the TSX. Ive never looked back since. For only 25.855.00, Ive got a car that really loves to rev and the engine sounds so effortlessly in doing so...The TSX comes with all high-end features found in the entry luxury class...The performance in top notch and most important, ACURA is known for its reliability...If you want the prestige of german cars, it will cost you dearly. If you want performance, good quality and reliability for a reasonable price, go for the TSX. You wont regret it...!!!

• 

  Sad that had non fault accident - 1993 Acura Integra
  By DM - February 20 - 6:22 pm

  I bought my car new. Ive had no real problems w/my car. Its great to ride around in w/my three kids. It has great gas milage. I believe it had the nicest body style of all the integras. I am going to have it fixed even though its a older car, its worth it. Milage is only 142000 and running great with front damage. If I had a chance to buy another 1993 I will buy it immediatly.

• 

  RSX equals great car! - 2005 Acura RSX
  By Ryan - February 19 - 11:18 pm

  One of the most fun cars ive driven. Just about everything is perfect on this car. Suspension holds very well, transmission is great but keeps you shifting unless your on the highway. Interior is perfect although the seats could use some more bolstering for the corners. and the seats can prove unfomfrtable on long trips such as one from LA to San Diego. Acceleration is decent for a sports car. A very great value and a fun car to drive

• 

  New TL owner - 2009 Acura TL
  By Zman - February 19 - 8:10 pm

  My last three cars now have been Acuras, an 04TL and a 06RL. Ive been waiting for the 09 all summer. The wait was well worth it. Having driven the SHAWD RL, I wish I didnt have to sacrifice that option for the tech package but I wanted the audio upgrade more. I am very happy. The car handles great with a nice feel for the road. Plenty of power with a luxury interior. The audio and nav system is great. Big improvement over the 06RL.This car is really a cross between the TL and RL. I realize there are many choices out there for $40K. But for my money the 09 TL Tech fills my needs quite well. One more thing, just get in it and drive. Dont worry about all the tech stuff, settings, etc., figure out later.

• 

  Love my TL - 2006 Acura TL
  By Hien485 - February 18 - 11:10 pm

  I bought my TL/Navi in Pearl white with ebony leather a month ago and cant stop driving it. I have gotten more compliments from everyone I know. It drives beautifully, awesome voice recognition, love the interior and exterior design :).

• 

  94 Legend - 1994 Acura Legend
  By ParallaX49 - February 18 - 7:12 pm

  An exceptional car. "Precision crafted performance" was completely acurate. This is a car that has lasted my family 12 years and still runs flawlessly. It has seen the garage next to it filled by four different cars over the years, but the Legend outlasted them all.

• 

  type S is the best!!! - 2003 Acura RSX
  By superman8998 - February 18 - 2:00 am

  great car to drive on the weekends or for everyday use. it works with you when you want to drive easy and the i- vtec hits hard when you want to smoke the rest. for those people out there complaining about how bad it is on gas, go by a civic!!! you cant expect to get all that power and not give up on a little bit of gas. by the way, i think it gets great gas mileage.

• 

  MDX: Most Bang for the Buck - 2003 Acura MDX
  By mkingco - February 18 - 2:00 am

  The 2003 Acura MDX is by far the most bang for the buck in the import sport utility class. I looked at the Infiniti FX35, Mercedes Benz ML320, Lexus GX, BMW X5, and Volvo XC. For features and benifits the MDX blew them all away. Not only did it have the most features for the least amount of money, but it also has the best resale value of all in the bunch. Some of the models compaired didnt even offer 7 passenger seating (FX35, X5, XC) and were still priced thousands more. Oh and as a footnote the Acura MDX is the only one with a NHTSA 5 star crash rating.