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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  Toms Acura - 2005 Acura TSX
  By tom Verduin - January 4 - 9:11 pm

  Great balance of comfort, performance and economy. Looks great, sounds great, great value!

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  I love my 1999 Acura 3.0 - 1999 Acura CL
  By dariaesq - January 4 - 12:57 pm

  I bought my used red coupe in Dec. 2002 for $15k. Previously was leased & had 32k miles on it. I have had no issues with my car except that I had to get a new alternator in 2005. My mechanic says he has seen people bring this car in well into the 200k mile range with no major issues. I love the power behind this car. The car is nimble & quick which has saved me from accidents in difficult DC area traffic. The acceleration is great. I used to date a car enthusiast who told me this car has such great guts that many buy these cars and soup them up for racing purposes. I plan to keep this car forever.

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  luxory car forless - 2005 Acura RL
  By Gus - January 4 - 1:27 am

  Drives great, Hard to make this car get out of track. I enjoy it, sporty, and sleek.

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  TSX AUTO/NAVI - 2005 Acura TSX
  By Gwitz - January 3 - 1:07 pm

  While this car may not have the V6 that many desire, I find that the i-vtec 4 provides a perfect balance between performance and economy. I have been very pleased with my ownership experience and will highlight a couple of the top reasons why (not an exhaustive list). 1. Service - I have dealt with multiple dealerships to add accessories and get oil changes. They were all eager to serve and make their cutomers comfortable. Very good post-purchase relations. 2. Price - Multiple thousands of dollars cheaper than a comparably equipped BMW 3 or MB c230. 3. Interior Room - The ONLY car in the entry/ luxury category that can comfortably fit a 65" driver. 4. Features!

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  Best SUV Ive owned - 2004 Acura MDX
  By GMZ - January 3 - 11:34 am

  We purchased our 2004 MDX w/touring new for 41 grand(about $900 under MSRP). It has been a wonderful vehicle, with a powerful engine, a spacious, functional, and quality built interior. It is very family friendly, with a complaint ride and many cupholders and storage areas. The driving dynamics are also impressive, with balanced steering (though not X5 level) and sporty handling. I have just 1 problem with the MDX. Its interior may be high quality, but lacks some of the classy-look of the BMW X5. The AWD will make for a sure friend, and the MDX handles much better on snow than Lexus RX330. Throw in a bargain price, and its easily a better buy than the X5, RX, or Pilot which I test drove.

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  Awesome Car,way better than 3Series etc - 2005 Acura TSX
  By Rocker - January 2 - 9:33 pm

  The TSX happens to be the ultimate combination of pleasure, fun, sporty, reliable and low cost driving machine. This car drives great, feels great, runs great and does everything splendid it is designed to do. Dont have any complaints about my TSX and definitely recommend this one!!!

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  Best SUV Ive owned - 2005 Acura MDX
  By wm stiehm - January 1 - 10:09 pm

  The MDX is superior in all respects for an SUV. Although the total weight didnt push the specs, I towed a 1100 lb boat and 400 lb trailer 1800 miles with ease and with a feeling of control at all times. This included driving the mountains of NC and NY. Its third seat is handy and I love its muscular look (compare to sister vehicle, the Honda Pilot).

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  Nothing Better for that Price - 2003 Acura RSX
  By John Usman - January 1 - 10:00 am

  You can not, and will not find a better vehicle. I have raced this car and spanked everyone. Beyond the auto/manual shifter, sleak design, and great alpine system, there are girls. Every time Im driving girls fall in love with me (MY CAR). Maybe some would call it pothetic that I use my car to get girls, but they are just angry that they are not getting any. Two thumbs way up for this one.

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  Happy VTEC owner - 1996 Acura Integra
  By Happy VTEC owner - December 31 - 2:40 pm

  This four door GSR has been reliable, fun to drive, and fuel effecient. For the first few years used premium gas, stopped when gas $ spiked and have noticed no degredation in performance. Would recommend car to anyone. Still runs great after 108K miles.

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  97 TL, an Excellent Car - 1997 Acura TL
  By Clay - December 31 - 2:14 pm

  Excellent car in every way. At 110,000 miles the dealer replaced the o2 sensor and the spark plugs under the free Acura extended emissions warranty (up to 150,000 miles). Otherwise the car has been extremely reliable with only regular maintenance. Regular maintenance costs were low. The paint and the fit and finish of all interior and exterior parts are still great after eight years of use. And its still comfortable and fun to drive with good acceleration, braking, and handling.