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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  As good as it gets - 2004 Acura MDX
  By Laura Mae - September 19 - 2:00 am

  I have put 1200 miles on this car, including a 550 mile trip. Highway mileage was 23, in town about 16-17. Solid, good ride, excellent nav system. Seat bottom is firmer than I like but not bad. The ride and handling are very good. The engine is very strong and quiet. Rear camera is great when backing up. Sufficient storage for odds and ends. Dash lights are very nice but interior could be a bit more luxurious for the money. Dont need running boards to get in/out easily. This is my first SUV. I was seriously considering a Lincoln Aviator because of the huge discounts but decided on the Acura because of the better mileage excellent quality and resale value.

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  2004 MDX - 2004 Acura MDX
  By wine4et - September 19 - 2:00 am

  We love the car. We looked at the RX 330 - too small, Tahoe - too big, Infiniti FX too small, and highlander too small. The Pilot is comparable in many ways but too plain inside and no sunroof. This car has great power, and comfort. We have had for 4 months and have 7000 miles. No regrets.

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  Great car - 2003 Acura RSX
  By Superdog - September 18 - 2:00 am

  Its too bad the fun to drive scale only goes to 10. This car is a blast.

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  Too Much Fun - 2003 Acura RSX
  By tmed - September 18 - 2:00 am

  This is a great car. Very powerful and fun to drive. Has a beautiful design that turns heads.

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  Get the most for your money - 2003 Acura TL
  By loves 2 drive - September 18 - 2:00 am

  An excellent car overall. Brisk acceleration & great handling for a front wheel drive car. Lavish interior but becoming a bit dated. Build quality is top notch.

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  Acura TL Type S - 2003 Acura TL
  By Steeler1224 - September 17 - 3:10 pm

  I never thought I would own an Acura. I planned on buying a BMW, an Audi, or a stripped down Mercedes. But the test drive is what won me over. That plus it has so many more features I wouldnt have been able to afford in the other manufactures. Doesnt drive like a front wheel drive car. Only advice, get the nav system if you have the dough and wait for the new 6-speed manual to come out.

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  Midlife madness - 2016 Acura ILX
  By Fernando Rios - September 17 - 12:20 pm

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  Still going strong after all these years - 1991 Acura Integra
  By C. Michael - September 17 - 2:00 am

  This is the first and only car I have ever owned and it still runs great, even after 13 years and 246,300 miles... on the original engine and transmission! It keeps going and going and going. Routine maintenance is a snap, parts are easy to find and cheap, and gas mileage is still great (about 25 to 30 mpg city & 30 to 35 mpg highway). With routine maintenance, this car still runs like the day I bought it. Handling is fantastic... this car will turn on a dime and get you out of some sticky situations. I can only hope that my next car will be this good.

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  WOW! This isnt a BMW or Mercedes-Benz? - 2006 Acura TL
  By witness4ever - September 16 - 11:30 am

  JUST...ONE...WORD...WOW! Ive only had one type of car my whole life GERMAN! 7 Mercedes-Benz and 2 BMW 5-Series within my immediate family. This car has been the best car Ive ever owned. Not driven, but owned. The whole package I got fully loaded for under $34,000! I test drove the 2006 BMW 530i and Mercedes-Benz E500 and didnt think twice before buying this Acura TL. The BMW and Mercedes cost nearly or more than twice as much for the same features the my Acura TL came with. Besides the fact that its 3 times as reliable and much lower cost maintain. It drives very good too.

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  Acura Integra 2000 - 2000 Acura Integra
  By Ani K - September 15 - 2:00 am

  The best car that I have driven to date. Smooth ride, solid handling. No complaints whatsoever. I could keep this car forever!!