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:

• 

  2004 Acura MDX review - 2004 Acura MDX
  By david94134 - June 27 - 2:00 am

  Excellent SUV and best in its class.

• 

  Fun to Drive - 2004 Acura TL
  By Rudolf - June 27 - 2:00 am

  Ive had this car for a month -- 1400 miles -- and its great fun. Not as much fun as a BMW or MB, but who wants to finance six-week vacations for German assemblers? The BMW/MB just arent worth the extra money. My Acura is extremely comfortable, fun to drive on country roads, has a great sound system, and is loaded with features.

• 

  GREAT CAR - 2004 Acura TL
  By CSYRIA - June 27 - 2:00 am

  THIS IS REALY A GREAT CAR TO DRIVE ASIDE FROM THE FACT THAT ITS FRONT WHEEL DRIVE (WHICH STILL HAS ADVANTAGES) THE CAR IS EXCELLENT. PLENTY OF POWER AND A VERY COMFORTABLE RIDE, THE NAVIGATION IS VERY EASY TO USE AND THE BLUETOOTH TECH. REALY COMES IN HANDY....OOH YEAH THAT DVD SUROUND SOUND SYSTEM IS JUST THE BEST

• 

  The New TL - 2004 Acura TL
  By GauchoSB - June 27 - 2:00 am

  I have been driving my 2004 Acura TL since mid November and can report that it is a sweet ride. The handling and straight-line performance is great. The best part, however, is the interior. The layout and ergonomics are impeccable with all of the gadgets you could want. The interior is what really sets the TL apart from the G35, 330, and A4. To get the type of features you get in the TL in those others cars is impossible, you would need to move up one or two models in their respective manufacturerÂ’s lineup. Some features, like the 5.1 surround, arent available in any other vehicle than the TL.

• 

  RSX-S is the way to go! - 2005 Acura RSX
  By pannetron - June 26 - 11:02 am

  The Type S for 2005 comes with better wheels, brakes and suspension turning an already great car into a wonderfully responsive sports coupe.

• 

  My First Acura(Honda)2 - 2002 Acura RSX
  By Hugh27(2) - June 25 - 10:00 am

  So far GREAT!!! Took it on my first trip, get this,.....Filled up, set the cruise at 70. At my destination(127 miles later) topped it off to get a fuel reading. Took 3.25 gallons to fill. 127/3.25= 39mpg!! WAY better than I ever imagined. I hope when it breaks in it is the same or better!

• 

  acura CL Type-S - 2001 Acura CL
  By R.H. - June 25 - 10:00 am

  This is the best value in the entry- luxo market. Exceptional power delivery. Really takes off after 4200 rpms. Nice exhaust note,smooth supple ride,torque steer is controlled with decent road feel through the steering wheel. The car has a solid build quality and interior ergonomics arewell thought out.

• 

  The Perfect Sports Sedan - 2004 Acura TSX
  By pete_427 - June 25 - 5:48 am

  Ive had my TSX for 9 months and its exactly what I expected from Acura. I drove the A4 and 325i and this is by far a more fun-to-drive car and far less ubiquitous on the road. The power band is broad and smooth, the tranny is slick, it handles predictably and precisely, the stereo sounds great and it looks terrific inside and out. While some cars have more horsepower using turbos or V6s (both longevity nightmares), I have plenty of that in my 427 Chevy. What I wanted was silky smooth refinement and athletic fun-to-drive (with a little snob appeal, I admit) and that, my friend, is the Acura TSX.

• 

  Fast Car - 2006 Acura TL
  By Paul - June 25 - 4:16 am

  Nice looking fast car. Shopped BMW 325,Infiniti G35 & M35, Toyota Avalon, Lexus IS 250 & Audi A4 & A6. Acura TL is best bang for the buck. My other car is 97 Infiniti I30 & I can feel the difference in acceleration with the TL. No feeling of understeer or oversteer from FWD. Ride is a little crunchy over bumps but the car launches like a rocket at 3000 rpm & good brakes. Had it for ~ 3 mos & no problems & NO RATTLING WHATSOVER.

• 

  Acura that meets expectations - 2007 Acura MDX
  By steve - June 24 - 11:00 am

  Leased 07 MDX 2 weeks ago, have 800 miles so far. With the exception of fuel economy (16 mpg of suburban driving), MDX is very much what is expected from Acura: comfort and good road handling.