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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  Plush vs Performance - 2006 Acura TL
  By Matthew Everett - April 30 - 10:01 am

  I recently purchased an 07 TSX and traded in my 06 TL. I like the handling of the TSX much better, but I missed the power, fit, and finish of my 06 TL so I went back and traded back the new TSX for my 06 TL which was still on the property. $ouch but worth it.

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  Cant get any better for the money - 2006 Acura TSX
  By Matt - April 29 - 1:16 am

  Very good car for $27k; loads of standards and an engine that loves to rev up! Granted BMWs are awesome cars...I wont deny that, I love them! But I will guarantee that you cant find a fully loaded brand new BMW 3 series for about $28k; I "built" my own 3 Series with the features available in the TSX...it came close to $33k.

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  Best car for the money - 2006 Acura TSX
  By acura06 - April 28 - 10:06 pm

  Acura TSX is a great car for the money! Already put 30k miles on car in 1 year with no complaints! Consistent high gas mileage of 31+ highway. No problems.

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  My 1st Acura - 2005 Acura TSX
  By Wendy - April 28 - 8:06 am

  This is my first Acura and I know that I will be an Acura owner for life. My car is over a year old and I still love it as much today as I did the day I drove it off the lot. It is sleek & sporty, comfortable and not to mention, fast! I get so many compliments on the exterior, but once youll gone for a ride, you just cant stop talking about it. Everyones impressed and so am I!

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  My favorite car so far - 2006 Acura RSX
  By Benjamin - April 27 - 2:52 pm

  I absolutely love this car. I love the handling, I love the suspension, I love the looks, but one thing this car lacks is power - the base models measly 155 hp just isnt cutting it. Otherwise the car is great. Better gas mileage and more comfortable seats could help (my backside hurts after long road trips).

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  Fun but needs something - 2004 Acura RSX
  By GD - April 26 - 2:14 am

  Forgetting the fact that this car is no longer being made (poor Integra) It is a fun car day to day. The only thing is that for the money you can get a LOT more bang for your buck. If you are a die hard Honda fan you will forget the fact that the car has no torque and gets tiring to drive when revving to 8100 to stay in vtec after every shift. I bought the car on a whim but wish I would have looked at a WRX. Good reliable car but really overpriced and underpowered. Honda needs to step it up with a boosted car or they will be left behind. Also dont plan on carrying anyone in the car, the extra weight and lack of torque kills any hope of accelerating.

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  This car will spoil you - 2006 Acura TL
  By nene - April 25 - 10:10 pm

  The Acura TL is the kind of car that makes driving much more enjoyable than previously thought possible.The sound system, navigation, driving position, and performance are top notch. Brakes are generally good. XM radio is fantastic. Fuel economy for me is 32 MPG @ 73 MPH on cruise. You will feel the road, so dont buy if you like a "floating" feeling. The car feels strong and well built. The performance is very good. My dad actually bought one after driving mine!

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  Best for the budget! - 2001 Acura CL
  By Dan - April 25 - 3:20 pm

  I purchased my CL-S over a year ago with 76K miles on it and so far it has performed very well. Excellent build quality and premium feel to interior. Most people think the car is less than one year old! The 260HP engine was ahead of its time and can still keep up with recent models like the Infiniti G35 coupe. Although the mileage was high, it was an excellent value for under $13K. I just replaced the front rotors and pads at around 88K miles ($400), and the only other expense I incurred were the four new tires ($650). The car has been pulling slightly to the left since I bought it and after two alignments the problem has not been corrected. Its been an overall pleasure to drive.

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  Fun, Performance, Great Looking - 2006 Acura TL
  By Mark - April 24 - 9:56 pm

  I purchased the 2006 Acura TL and it is an amazing car! I did quite a bit of research and bang for the buck, this car has it. I just came back from a few long trips and I cant wait to go out again. I actually got 34 MPG on the highway and I avg about 26 MPG around town. The hands free bluetooth works great! The acceleration, the comfort, the stereo/CD/XM radio are all fantastic. If you are thinking about a Lexus, or a BMW I urge you to drive a TL or an RL. These cars are great and the prices are reasonable for all of the options you get. Normally my wife gets to drive the new car and I take the older of the two we have. Shes not getting this one! Its all mine!!

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  Amazing - 1995 Acura Integra
  By tmcd - April 24 - 1:50 am

  This car is about as much fun as a 4 cylinder can be. Plenty of punch between 3 and 5000 rpm. I recently drove the 710 miles between LA and Medford OR and got 33 mpg going 80 w/AC on! Amazing for a car with 133k. Drives tight, 5 speed is a must have if you want the fun. Excellent aftermarket support as well. If you get a chance go for the GSR, or, if youre really lucky, the type r (97+). I drove a comparable 95 bmw and chose the integra for reliability, gas mileage, etc., and it is just as much fun to drive with the manual. Overall a fantastic car and you can get a good one for around 4k with lower mileage if your careful.