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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  Simply the Best - 1991 Acura Integra
  By DM Dowd - February 3 - 5:53 pm

  This is by far the best car I have ever owned. Because of its age (and lack of multiple air bags), I keep thinking I should replace it, but I keep looking, and test driving others, and nothing else is even in the ballpark. This car is sooo much fun to drive, handles extremely well, lots of acceleration. Nothing has ever gone wrong with it, so reliable, solid quality. The hatchback is great. Interior is perfect despite the age. Everyone marvels at what a great car it is. A truly great car. I love it.

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  Crash tested with flying colors - 2004 Acura MDX
  By dscott - February 3 - 3:33 am

  I love my MDX - it makes me feel really safe when I drive it. Id had it 3 months with 4K miles when another driver crossed the median and hit me head on (he was uninsured, but thats another story). All the airbags deployed - front, side curtain, passenger. Other than a slightly burned hand from the deploying airbags, and the accompanying muscle aches and pains, I walked away in one piece. All the safety features, including the airbags, did their thing, absorbing the impact. My next vehicle will definitely be another MDX.

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  A Great Car! - 2004 Acura TSX
  By James Walsh - February 1 - 10:00 am

  I bought my TSX a month ago, and am very happy with it. It is such a pleasure to drive. It handles well, and rides like a mini limo. The interior is so nice and quiet. The car has GPS navigation and voice activated commands that are easy to use. The Navigator is fantastic! I love this car and will probably drive it for at least ten years. It is solid as a rock at high speeds and very very stable. The engine purrs and never seems to strain even though it is only fours cylinders.

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  I definitely recommend test driving - 2004 Acura TL
  By DCH - February 1 - 10:00 am

  The moment I test drove this car, I knew that it was coming home with me that day, it is probably one of the best things that I own. I love it. At first I wasnt sure of the Manumatic Transmission, but it sure does make the driving much better in the rain. I cant believe how many people say how great my new car looks. THANK YOU ACURA FOR SUCH A GREAT CAR!!!!!!

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  RSX-S Quality for the Money - 2003 Acura RSX
  By James F. Tent - January 29 - 2:00 am

  The RSX-S is a fine sporty car for under 25k. It looks right; it also performs beautifully. The 200-hp engine and six-speed transmission perform flawlessly. Acceleration and braking are excellent. It hugs curves, and the suspension handles rough surfaces well. Controls are sophisticated and well placed. For its class and price, the RSX is a real winner.

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  Fun Car - 2002 Acura MDX
  By Gerald - January 28 - 5:45 am

  Just bought pre-owned. Very pleased with ride and Engine response. Very comfortable and love the 3rd row seat. Navagation very easy to read. Gas mileage is good for a suv. Overall no complaints.

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  2009 TL-tech - 2009 Acura TL
  By JeffXP - January 27 - 8:20 pm

  As soon as you start to initiate a corner the suspension grabs the road feeling even more secure; I dont know how they accomplished this and I wish I had a picture to show you the linkage near the rear tires. Theres days I like to slumber home and the new TL coddles you home. Put the gear shifter into sport mode using the paddle shifters and the suspension seems to tighten up (I wonder if it has to do with the transmission either advancing the vehicle or slowing the car down when you let off the accelerator) when you want to race around, nice. Ipod, flash and hard drive integration are easy to use and once you get used to them you wonder how you lived without them.

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  Acura MDX - 2005 Acura MDX
  By Jack Wall - January 27 - 6:13 pm

  Shop and compare you wont beat this SUV when it comes to style, quality, reliability, and value. Ive test driven nearly all the mid size luxury SUVs and you cant beat this car. The ride is solid on wet and dry pavement, on back roads or cruising at 80 mph down the freeway. Going skiing driving on ice and snow there is no slips going up or down. There is room for all the gear and four people in the car! Who needs a rack. Going golfing same thing.

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  unbelievable!!! - 2004 Acura TSX
  By war eagle - January 27 - 3:31 pm

  A great, reliable, and simple luxury sports sedan. This car is very capable, but is also very tame. It is also a great value. Not too good for city driving, however - small windows, poor bumper bash ratings, and low mpg in city. A lot of safety features. Not as common as the BMW 3-series. It is absolutely a pleasure to drive or to ride in. The trunk is bigger than what one would imagine. Combines luxury and utility. Conservative exterior design.

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  Best Bang for Your Buck - 2004 Acura TSX
  By rko - January 27 - 1:58 pm

  Awesome vehicle. I have the 6sp manual with no navigation (didnt want a $2000 map). This is by far the best combination of quality, performance, and creature comforts at thousands less than anything comparable. The shifting is butter smooth and predictable. The engine has plenty of power to accelerate from under 3k RPM in 6th gear. Stereo is very good...some radio stations will actually sound fuzzy. Leather and heated seats are very comfortable on longer rides. The VSA works fantastic on wet or snowy roads without limiting performance too much on dry roads. Plenty on leg room for rear passengers, more than any other car in its class it seems. No wonder it is a "10 Best".