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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  Finally a LEGEND owner - 1995 Acura Legend
  By DannyBoy - May 24 - 5:39 pm

  I just turned 35 and have loved the Legend coupes since 91. Never got around to owning one until now. I decided to buy and sat and waited for a year until the perfect one found me. I am now a proud owner of a white 95 LS coupe with 67k original miles in spectacular shape, its 2007 and it has 67,000 miles, I am on cloud nine The car looks stunning (to me), interior is immaculate and it drives fantastic. I actually turned in a 2006 Audi A4 I thought about keeping until I purchased this car. It will be pampered until I can no longer drive anymore. And then I will still keep it.

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  Best Deal Going - 2007 Acura TSX
  By Thom - May 24 - 1:12 pm

  Everything is standard on this car except nav (leather, sunroof, VSA, trip computer, 10 way driver seat, 4 year 50,000 mile warranty). Lacks a little in power, especially torque, but is strong once you get above 2750 rpm. Driver seat comfort and adjustments are excellent. Rear seat a little cramped for two full sized adults. Build quality is better than TL as are front seats.

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  Honda Delivers Again! - 2005 Acura TL
  By George - May 23 - 11:13 pm

  I have owned Honda cars all my life I have been extremely satified with their reliability and durability - decided to move up and a get into their luxury line. Read many good reviews but the only way you can truly experience the excitement of owning an Acura TL is by being in the drivers seat, drive it and enjoy all the amenities and the power that has to offer.

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  280K and still going strong! - 1993 Acura Vigor
  By mike31059 - May 23 - 5:18 pm

  I bought my Vigor in 1993 and have loved every moment of owning it! I am finally trading it in on a 2007 Acura TL. I cant wait to have cup holders!

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  Options of a Benz at half the price! - 2005 Acura RL
  By Dr Julian Greco - May 23 - 9:30 am

  Overall this car is an excellent upgrade to the old dog RL. The all wheel drive is spectacular! We just got a foot of snow in NE PA and this car went through drifts like an SUV. The stability control makes winter driving less worrisome! The 300 hp is not the aggressive hp you will find in sports cars, however, it will acceletare you off the stop light well ahead if its competitors. At highway speeds, the 300 hp is at its best. Just push the throttle and you are doing 90 MPH before you know it. The interior has all of the technological equipment needed to keep you ammused. The nav system and audio controls are very easy to use and feel natural.

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  Gret Vehicle - 2002 Acura MDX
  By frodo - May 23 - 8:26 am

  Fun vehicle...enjoying it greatly

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  A definite disappointment!! - 2007 Acura RDX
  By Alex M. - May 23 - 4:34 am

  I traded an 03 MDX for this vehicle because Im single, have no need for a large SUV, and have been very happy with Acura (my 4th Honda product). This vehicle has been a big letdown compared to my MDX. The nimbleness, size and manueverabilty (and handling) are excellent, and what I was looking for, but the 4 cylinder turbo engine is terrible and is really beginning to wear down on me. There is a good amount of turbo lag making it feel sluggish from a start, and the the engine is noisy even when accelerating moderately!! The fuel economy is simply horrendous for a small 4-banger SUV (same as my 7-passenger MDX with a 3.5L V6!!). I will likely end up trading it for something with a decent V6.

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  Love this car - 2004 Acura TL
  By Luke - May 22 - 5:37 pm

  Ive owned my 3.2 TL for nearly 3 years and cant think of a car Id rather have. This is the longest I kept a vehicle in 20 years. It drives great, handles well, is comfortable and has just the right amount of technology. Much better than the BMW 525 and Lexus ES 350 that Ive owned recently. Cant wait to see the next generation, hope its an improvement.

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  Good car, bad people - 2004 Acura RSX
  By IDriveALemon - May 22 - 2:00 am

  I have never been to such horrible dealerships in my life. The people are just horrible, they dont care about the customer, they are willing to say just about anything just to be able to deny (warranty on) your claim on problems and issues with the car. The warranty as far as Im concerned is completely irrevelent, since they dont car to abide by it. If you want a car without a warranty, this is the car. But you might as well buy it used for that matter.

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  Got to get me one of these! - 2004 Acura TL
  By lpdud - May 22 - 2:00 am

  Great car to drive. Awesome radio, Good overall car.