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. Not much like it on the road - 2004 Acura RSX
  By jeff2417 - December 14 - 5:24 pm

  I love this car. Its made by Honda, so expect Honda reliability. The 200hp TypeS engine is a hoot! If you havent ever driven one, you owe it to yourself to go down and try one out. Take it up to 8100, slam it into second, and hold the hell on!

• 

  Class Value Leader! - 2009 Acura TL
  By TLDeac - December 13 - 9:06 pm

  Having driven many competitive vehicles (bmw, lexus, audi, cadillac, infiniti, etc), the value of the 2009 TL is simply in a class of its own. With excellent power, a very comfortable ride, and an amazing tech package, this car has been a blast to own. Also, after a couple of 600 mile road trips, I am averaging 28 mpg highway and around 20 mpg in the city. Outstanding fuel economy for a car this powerful. I do miss having a RWD powertrain, but Acura has mostly eliminated the torque steer from their previous efforts, and I am sure the fwd helps with fuel economy. A little more body roll than I want, but a comparable 5 series bmw that offers better cornering was 15K+.

• 

  Cynic to believer in 300 miles - 2009 Acura TSX
  By Nate - December 13 - 8:50 pm

  Bought myself a TSX for my birthday, upgrading from a 98 VW that had lost its lust for life (as well as my love of driving), and I am astounded at how much I love to drive this car, and how others react to it. Its powerful, responsive, comfortable, efficient and for the price to what you get, its second to none. I am still getting used to parking it in a small parking lot, but the majority of that is new car jitters. Everything thats important is top-notch, some of the small things, I would have changed. Others have mentioned the screen glare, bluetooth mic is ho-hum and far away, elbow rests take some effort, lower grille is weak plastic and deforms in weeks, and radio "forgets" settings.

• 

  Best Choice I Could Have Made - 2004 Acura TSX
  By Kevin English - December 13 - 8:44 pm

  I was searching for a new vehicle, but had several on my list. For instance the 2004 Nissan Maxima and the Infinit G35. I was very impressed with the Maxima, however, the sale person was not aggressive enough to try and work something out with me seeing how I was planning to make a down payment of half of the cost of the car. However, I went to the Acura dealer and was there 6 hours before I was able to drive off with my new 2004 TSX. The sales person and finance manager made sure that I got what I wanted at the price I wanted. I love the stylishness of the TSX even though it was a lot smaller than the Maxima. I get a lot of compliments and stares while driving this car.

• 

  RSX is a great little car! - 2002 Acura RSX
  By wenjenaz - December 13 - 6:50 pm

  I love this car! Its fun to drive, responsive, nimble. Oh, and did I mention, fun to drive? Buy this car. You wont be disappointed (unless youre a passenger sitting in the back seat. Not much head room back there).

• 

  GOOD COLLEGE KID CAR - 2004 Acura MDX
  By Crystal - December 11 - 12:16 pm

  The car is excellent for a child going off to college and not knowing the area. The navigation system is very handy and the pressure sensitive tires have an icon that idicated when the tire pressure it low. Though, keep in mind just because the pressure is low doesnt mean there is a nail in the tire. The only fault I would have to say is the camera which comes on the navigation screen when you back up. Objects are closer then they appear and ill just leave it at that.

• 

  One Outstanding Car! - 2002 Acura RSX
  By Mike - December 10 - 2:45 pm

  Ive had my 2002 RSX for about 6 months now and I have to say this car never ceases to amaze me.The interior is beyond what I expected the seats are very comfortable, theres tons of leg and head room, all the controls are at close reach, and best of all is how smooth the car is shifting through gears.The car accelerates through 6500 rpms like a knive cutting through butter its smooth, quiet, and continues to deliver power all through the rpms, not once hesitating.I also am impressed with the exterior styling, unlike the celica with those hideous curves and horrible wheels the RSX is well thoughout.The car is suttle but has an aggressive look. Overall the RSX is a stunning vehicle!!

• 

  6 Speeds of Bliss - 2004 Acura TSX
  By cmsj5h - December 9 - 11:12 pm

  Traded in an auto 4 cly Honda Accord for something more fun to drive. This car is unbelivable, while driving through the 6 speeds I have a constant smile on my face. If you are looking for a reliable car that gets pretty good fuel economy and is fun to drive, look no more. Also looked at VW Jetta GLI 1.8T, Subaru WRX, and Honda Accord V6 6 speed, this was my favorite. I was able to have everything in one great looking car.....4 doors, decent fuel economy, 6 speed, great interior and exterior....and fun to drive. If you are looking to buy a TSX, do yourself a favor and test drive the 6 speed, you wont be dissapointed.

• 

  One Sweet Ride! - 2004 Acura RSX
  By RSXdemon - December 9 - 6:21 am

  Great to drive...anywhere. Big trunk space for a coupe, I was able to move furniture and a 24 TV. Great handling on turns, Love that the radio faces more to the driver. Excellent gas milage...LA to Las Vegas in 3/4 of the tank. Looks like a rocket all my friends love my car. I got mine for 20K.

• 

  Glad I got it!!! - 2006 Acura TL
  By Dutch56 - December 8 - 3:06 pm

  I agonized buying a 06 TL verses a 06 MB E350. I know, it sounds crazy. I owned several Mercedes Benz over 9 yrs and my friends say its in my blood. All were shocked when I bought a black TL w/ Nav and 18" chrome wheels. The value is tremendous. Yes, the MB has status but look at the MB reliablity...its bad. My mechanic is now a well-to do man. The TL has much more to offer and the sound system is great. I highly recommend the Nav. It adds a whole new dimension to the car.