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 Winner - 2003 Acura MDX
  By R. Lyman - February 18 - 2:00 am

  Works well. Only problem is the window squirter has frozen up twice in one month: once on the drivers side, once on the passengers side. Getting about 16 MPG around town, so the mileage is lower than advertised. Great in snow. Like the bun warmers!

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  I Love My 2004 Acura TL!!!! - 2005 Acura TL
  By Maria - February 17 - 11:46 pm

  This vehicle is GREAT! Not only is it gorgeous, but comfortable, classy, and great on fuel. It heats up fast in the winter and cools down just as fast in the summer. I love the XM radio that came with the car. Its great. All my passengers love taking a ride in my TL! I would definitely lease another Acura! I am leasing it for 4 years. The people at Sprinfeild Acura are very curtious, and efficient. THANKS ACURA!!!!

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  power, comfort and reliability - 2003 Acura CL
  By ronald G - February 17 - 5:23 pm

  I bought the S version (autoamtic shift) of this car because it was far sportier than other cars in its class. The standard equipment is extensive. The interior is far more elgant than other cars in its class, unless you buy add-ons to the other cars. Very supportive seats. excellent stereo.

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  Excellent car!! Total Package - 2005 Acura TL
  By Ray - February 16 - 7:33 pm

  This vehicle is amazing. I test drove one and feel in love with all the features this vehicle has to offer. The technology alone is amazing, but the handling and the sound system is precise and clear. The ride comfort is right on point. Very nice car!!!

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  Almost Perfect - 2006 Acura RL
  By RL man - February 14 - 12:34 am

  The Acura is a great car. The SH-AWD is a great addition and makes going fast around turns very easy. The car understeers too much unless truly pushed and if you want any performance over 109 MPH (3rd gear at rev-limiter) then look elsewhere. If the car was geared differently it would be much faster and would actually pull to the 134 MPH governor. Great gas mileage, beautiful interior, and very easy to use. Overall very happy with the car and as long as you do not need something incredibly fast this is a great car for you.

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  Best Integra Ever - 2003 Acura RSX
  By RSXGURU - February 13 - 10:00 am

  Ive had my RSX for more than a week now. Its got leather a 160 hp motor backed by a smooth shifting 5 speed tranny and a curb weight of just under 2 and a half tons. This is a GREAT car to drive. Would have bought the type S but the insurance companies basically asked me to bend over...

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  Sweet 7-seater SUV with premium quality - 2003 Acura MDX
  By dekang - February 13 - 10:00 am

  Five times better than a Ford and better resale value than a BMW. Overall, very satisfying.

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  acura mdx 2002 - 2003 Acura MDX
  By papale - February 13 - 10:00 am

  A very comfortable interior with lots of stretching room. Nice navigation system and stereo. 3rd row is comfortable for adults or kids. lots of cargo room when 3rd row is filded down. Im considering buying another one for the wife.

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  05 Acura RL - 2005 Acura RL
  By al - February 12 - 9:10 pm

  car handles very well, gps and bluetooth are cool features, compared infinity, e class mercedes before buying and for the money they could not compare with all you get included in the rl.

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  No better car in this price range - 2004 Acura TL
  By Mike - February 12 - 3:36 pm

  The Acura TL is by far the best car I have ever owned,Dont believe the BMW "hype".The only reason I can see why anyone would get a BMW over this car or the G35 is you bought the magazines hype.You should at least test drive the TL and be honest with yourself about how your going to use this car..or any car.If your looking for a car that you plan on comuting,trips..etc.This is a great car,If you want to race in the canyons and be stupid with a car this is not the car for you.