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:

• 

  Great Car for Right Person - 2009 Acura TSX
  By cyberbro - May 17 - 3:20 am

  This is a great car with very good gas mileage. The handling is very good (think front wheel drive Bimmer). This is not a fast car but can still be fun. Steering: everyone seems to knock it, If you only drive German cars you might be disappointed but for an Asian car it is on par and does not bother me. Maybe Acura will do a software update and make it a bit more firm and on center.

• 

  Pearl Type S - 2002 Acura RSX
  By Joel Patterson - May 16 - 3:23 pm

  Fantastic value! Overall, a great car. It looks fantastic with the optional fog lamps.

• 

  integra - 1991 Acura Integra
  By jclark - May 16 - 1:24 pm

  I love the car, mine has about 158,000 miles on it now. I had a few problems such as the radiator, alternator, exhaust, tires, and the most expensive the transmisson. Even though ive spent all this money I figure it is a honda engine and itll last forever. I am actually thinking about selling it not sure yet though.

• 

  2006 TL vs 2007 TL Comparison - 2007 Acura TL
  By JR - May 16 - 7:23 am

  After driving a 2006 TL for several months and purchasing a 2007 base model, here is my take on the differences. The 2007 is a little better overall. Its suspension absorbs bumps better than before while still maintaining its sportiness and handling. Its quieter on the highway and its seats are more comfortable (softer) - especially on longer rides. From the front, the separate fog lights, chrome-like strip along the bottom and integrated blikers in the side mirrors, give the car a more elegant look. The sporty body style, sporty handling and very comfortable ride made it a good choice for me. Notes: No squeaks or rattles, the new transmission is now derived from the RLs tranny.

• 

  2005 Acura RSX Type-S - 2005 Acura RSX
  By Eddie Strzalkowski - May 15 - 2:43 pm

  The Acura RSX Type-S is a great ride if you can drive a 6 speed manual. This car not only has 210 HP it has a V-Tec engine which really gives it a boost. Everytime you shift you feel like you have control of the car and it is so efficient you can even make the ride smoother than automatic. The ride is great, it sticks to the ground. With my Pearl Blue 2005 Acura RSX-S I ran a 14.8 second quarter mile at the track, stock. The car is completely reliable so far, has an awesome 6 disc CD player right in the front(not in the trunk). My brother also has a Pearl Black 2005 Acura RSX-S and it looks sharp also. Many people underestimate this vehicle. Test it out for yourself. Its worth every penny.

• 

  Great car - 1996 Acura TL
  By John - May 14 - 11:02 pm

  Major maintenance service completed at 95,000 miles . Runs perfectly. I would recommend highly . Have a 2001 Mercedes E-320 wish I had the same realiability.

• 

  Great new model. - 2004 Acura TL
  By reiseman - May 14 - 2:00 am

  Forced out of an older 3.2 TL (1996) due to an accident. Never wanted a new model but had excellent results with my old car. This car has no surprises and is running well. Most of my friends feel it is very similar in looks to the BMW 500 series. Great features for city driving with quick temperature control of cabin to memory drivers seat and mirrors. Should be great on the road with XM radio, 6- disc changer and fun accessories. The drive is easy to get use to. I would recommend to those wanting a luxury car with a sporty ride.

• 

  Worth the wait. - 2004 Acura TL
  By Energy Man - May 14 - 2:00 am

  Glad I went with automatic. City traffic can be a leg killer. Handling is great, acceleration is fantastic, fit and finidh well above average. Trunk packs well and is efficient so dont let the absolute nukbers fool you. Road mileage is 28-31 and the car is a dream on trips. My combined mile is about 23-24. The options were exactly what I priced on all the competition (BMW 3, Infinity G35, Lexus ES330) so value for the dollar is very high on this car. I was considering the 2004 BMW 5 but the new looks, low power, and outrageous price soon knocked this one out of contention.

• 

  Just took delivery - 2004 Acura TL
  By bob b. - May 14 - 2:00 am

  Took delivery Wed before Thanksgiving. Drove to Southern California resort for golf. Car is very responsive and fast. Computer indicates well over 30MPG at 80 MPH cruise. Couldnt program Bluetooth phone myself. Back to dealer this week. Bought DVD Audio disks but guess they were wrong format as CD player couldnt play them.

• 

  A Great Purchase - 2006 Acura TSX
  By PL - May 13 - 8:20 pm

  This has been a great car to drive. Not only does it have typical Acura handling, luxury, safety, and reliability--all of which are great--but it also has a few extras I hadnt considered while researching my purchase, such as XM satellite radio, an air filtration system, and heated leather seats. This car is just plain fun to drive. Nice grip on the leather-wrapped steering wheel, quick acceleration, and comfortable ride.