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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  Best value in its class - 2004 Acura TSX
  By JKRTX - November 3 - 10:00 am

  Had this car now for about 2 months now and have to say its an awesome car. I get lots of compliments on it.

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  My Baby - 2005 Acura RSX
  By AshleeM - November 3 - 10:00 am

  I absolutly love my Acura RSX-S. I originally wanted a Ford Mustang GT but I went with the Acura and I am so happy I did. I kind of wish they had the 3 new colors for the 2002 model but they dont so I may be trading mine in for a 2005.

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  Fun to Drive - 2004 Acura TL
  By cyke777 - November 3 - 10:00 am

  This is a great car. It has many features for the price, very good acceleration, quiet interior, and exceptional looks. Im not very satisfied with the build quality though. Rear bumper is misaligned and had to be adjusted by dealer and is still not snug fit after adjustment. Not the kind of quality expected from Acura.

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  love my car - 1994 Acura Integra
  By becca5447 - November 2 - 2:00 am

  Bought it wrecked and fixed it up. It now has 160,000 miles on it and it still drives like a new car. I love it.

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  Great car value - 2004 Acura RSX
  By EdP - November 2 - 2:00 am

  I have had my red 2004 RSX type S for about a year now, and still love this thing. For the daily commute, keep the rpm below 5000 and it is comfortable, refined and very economical, getting me 26-27 mpg (35mpg hwy). On weekends, or when more is needed, press hard and rev into VTEC heaven above 6000rpm and this car will rip out symphonic performance and leave you smiling. You have to work at keeping the rpm high for full effect, and no it wont blow away a Corvette or a Mustang GT, but it will still keep you dipping in for more.

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  Bone Stock 15.6 with junk in the trunk - 2001 Acura CL
  By walt by default - November 2 - 2:00 am

  My brother told me not to test drive it. My wife said "get what you want, the boys have their cars, I have mine, you dont have to get a four door family sedan." What a wonderful wife. This is a great car. It is very very fast and very very comfortable. I am 61" tall and weigh 290# and this car is one of the few that accomodates my height and girth with the standard leather drivers seat. My oldest sons Tiburon is slightly tricked out and he turns 15.9 at Capital Raceway in Crofton. I turned a 15.6 after learning how to master the racing tree lights. I had a full sized spare, two 17" rims and a set of clubs in the trunk when I did it. Not bad.

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  Great Car!!!!! - 2002 Acura RSX
  By lumpulus - November 1 - 5:13 am

  Great Car!!!

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  None Better - 1997 Acura NSX
  By rhdunham - November 1 - 2:00 am

  Youll never do better (new or used) in terms of bang for the buck. This is an incredibly well made car.

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  still great - 2004 Acura MDX
  By stewiel - November 1 - 2:00 am

  Had a 2002 MDX and it was hit by truck while I was in it. Frame and car held up with a 35 mph hit to pasenger side. Walked away, without a problem. So, I naturally bought another. This ones even better. You cant find a better SUV. Ive had Ford, Jeep...cant come close to this.

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  Best Car Ever - Bang for Buck - 1992 Acura Integra
  By GeorgeinMD - October 31 - 1:00 am

  This is my 2nd 1992 GS Hatchback. The 1st. one lasted 200K, with no problems at all. I sold it to a friend who is still driving it today, with 265K+ miles on it. My new one one has only 46K on the clock, and has many, many years ahead. These cars are stylish tanks that keep going & going. They only need routine maint., never any expensive repairs. ACURA outdid themselves with this one. Parents, this is the best used car value for your kids just starting to drive. By far, the best overall car Ive ever owned. Ive owned Nissans, M-Benz, Ford, Toyotas, etc....and none of them compare to this car dollar for dollar value.