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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  The Best SUV Period! - 2010 Acura MDX
  By tp12string - July 29 - 9:51 pm

  After much research and test drives I selected the MDX. I test drove the X5, Q7, and Grand Cherokee as well as the Mazda CX9 and others. The MDX was overall the better choice....and less expensive than many of the others. After owning it for almost a year and 30K miles I can say that it has met and exceeded my expectations. It is very comfortable the technology is easy to use and intuitive the navigation is the best Ive seen anywhere. If you are considering an SUV, do yourself a big favor and test drive the MDX. Best vehicle Ive ever owned, and Ive owned many new cars over the years.

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  One of the All-time Greats - 1991 Acura NSX
  By phomat - July 29 - 12:00 am

  Best irrational decision I ever made. Does very well as a car (fast, handles great, quiet when it should be and sounds incredible above 5000 rpm. But its not really a car--its a big trophy. It gets stares and attention wherever I go, particularly from 20-somethings. The other day I parked it at the Porsche dealer, where it was surrounded by cars costing 5 times as much. A couple arrived and made a beeline to the NSX, ogling it and ignoring all the expensive toys nearby. The only problem with it is that its too nice to drive in traffic or park in parking lots.

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  RL Rules!! - 2000 Acura RL
  By chanceme - July 27 - 4:07 am

  Great car best I have ever owned,take care of the car,it will take care of you! All the features you would ever want and need,great leather,love the sunroof.

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  Age is only a number. - 1993 Acura Legend
  By lilmswrenchit - July 15 - 9:01 pm

  Ive had 2 Acura Legends and have absolutely loved them both. Age has not deteriorated the beauty of an incredible car and even at almost 30 years old it holds that sophisticated beauty. Sharp looking and magnificient to drive there is nothing like it. They need to make a new one that will stand the test of time like these ones have.

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  Not to be underestimated - 2011 Acura TL
  By cgervais - July 13 - 8:27 pm

  I bought my 2011 TL SH-AWD in March and absolutely love it. I waffled between the 11, an A6 and a Lexus and Acura won me back on value and previous experience. You just cant beat the overall value of this car -- the features, quality and price. I find it odd that many folks decided to buy a TL based on the updated 2012 styling. Granted, the 2011s styling isnt for everyone but it is distinctive, daring and unique. In black, my car looks stunning. The 2012s styling has completed gutted the car of any distinctive quality. It looks like an RL with a bit of Camry -- boring, no visual "growl" or sex at all.

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  Ill drive it till it dies - 2003 Acura RSX
  By angz415 - July 12 - 12:57 pm

  I am the third owner of my 2003 RSX Type-S and I cant say enough postivie feedback about it. Im currently at 170,000 miles and the only major repair that Ive had to do is replace the clutch (which was more expensive because of the clutchs location and the man hours required to get to it). This car drives so well. Not only is it fast and fun, but the front wheel drive make it easy to contol in rain and snow (just so long as your have some ground clearance). I also love the hatchback feature. The seats in the back fold down and you can store a lot in there.

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  Flawless - 2000 Acura RL
  By beancounternc - July 5 - 9:02 pm

  I bought my RL new with 6 miles on it. It now has over 205,000. This rascal has never let me down and while components have failed they have been silly things (trim across back glass, and cup holder gets stuck now and again). The EGR system and driver/passenger seat belt buckles were repaired/replaced under warranty. Ive had to pay to have a passenger window regulator replaced ($450), front chin spoiler two times ($125ea) and the rear window trip three times ($125ea). Other than that...everything works as it should. Others complain about power but I dont have any complaints at all. This car moves when I want it to. My "older" car is a 1988 Legend L 5sp coupe with close to 380,000 miles.

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  compares to other luxury vehicles - 2009 Acura RDX
  By ronispeech - July 4 - 2:13 pm

  We have driven Lexus, BMW, Jeep and Infinity SUVS and have been most impressed with our Acura RDX!! This SUV handles beautifully and we have only required scheduled maintenance for oil changes. We plan on purchasing/leasing a second RDX this spring.

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  Excellent Value and Perfect Size - 2011 Acura TSX
  By kimard8 - June 28 - 8:54 pm

  The TSX is an excellent overall value in the entry level luxury sedan category. For background, previous cars were 03 328ci, 07 328, 11 M3, 08 4 Runner. The smoothest shifting manual transmission that makes it so easy to drive, even in So Cal traffic. Shifts are short and the clutch is light and soft - could use a little more feel. 2.4L engine is silky smooth with adequate power (not as torquey as the Germans) but fuel economy is awesome (450 miles to tank in mixed driving). I love the fact that the only option was Navigation. Xenon, bluetooth, sunroof, leather are all standard vs. options on Germans. Negatives: understeer (FWD), steering lacks go-kart feel of CRV.

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  Precision Crafted Performance - 1991 Acura Integra
  By golfdino - June 23 - 2:26 am

  If all cars could have Acura quality - then it would be a perfect world. I drove this car new - 120K miles. Never any major issues. Great gas mileage, perfomance, handling, utility with the hatchback. AC might stink with mold issues - so you need to keep it on all the time. Added a Dinan chip for more power and installed a Sony Headunit with CD changer. Timing belt needs to be changed at 60K miles to ensure nothing breaksdown. Great manual transmission - great car.