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:

• 

  MDX is Great!!!!!! - 2004 Acura MDX
  By Mommys Ride - September 15 - 2:00 am

  My MDX is great! I upgraded from an Acura TL which was also fabulous. The only complaint I have with this vehicle is the braking system. The brakes always seem worn out. I have had them adjusted and tightened several times but still no better. I was told by Acura that this is an ongoing problem for this vehicle and that they are aware of it and trying to come up with a solution. (They dont tell you this at the dealership when shopping for a vehicle) Besides that I love the car. Gas mileage could be a little better only getting 22 highway 16 city. Definately a good buy for the money. Will never switch from Acura!

• 

  Very Nice - 2004 Acura RSX
  By Diment Singh - September 13 - 2:00 am

  Ive had my baby for 6 months and so have nothing but praise for it. The only problem Ive had was with the engine light coming on but this was due to me not securing the gas cap tightly. remember it has to click three times...

• 

  Best Auto I have ever owned - 2004 Acura MDX
  By Carla M - September 13 - 2:00 am

  I enjoy not only the ride and comfort but I love the navigation system and the back up camera. I feel safe and comfortable. I sell real estate and even my customers comment on how nice it looks and feels. The back seats sit up or recline for more comfort. therefore, comfort is enjoyed by all my passengers, not just the front seat one. The visibility is very good as well making it safer to drive. I drove from California to Washington with four adults and everyone enjoyed the car. The Navigation system is awesome. Thank you Acura. Good Job

• 

  Nothing Better - 2003 Acura RSX
  By Matty RSX - September 12 - 10:00 am

  The most gorgeous car in creation, period.

• 

  tbone - 2003 Acura RSX
  By tpfanne - September 12 - 10:00 am

  Great handling, fun to drive

• 

  Nice Ride - 2009 Acura TSX
  By Mike - September 12 - 4:00 am

  I just got the car and so far I am very pleased. I turned in a Volvo S60 2.5T and got the TSX. The TSX is so much more fun to drive, the 6 speed gearbox is smooth and the clutch is fantastic. I read many semi negative reviews on the new TSX, I guess I am not a sport sedan enthusiast because the pick up and handling of this car IMO are great. Overall I feel its a lot of car for the price.

• 

  97 CL 3.0 - 1997 Acura CL
  By d00g - September 12 - 2:00 am

  never had any problems, I love My CL

• 

  Almost perfect - 2004 Acura RSX
  By Super E - September 11 - 2:00 am

  Fun to drive, great on gas, and able to hold my luggage too. This is a great car to travel in. We love the interior layout of the car. Although the torque could be better the over all driving is great. This price is right.

• 

  Best bang for you buck - 2002 Acura RSX
  By Scrappy125 - September 10 - 4:20 am

  Not only is this car the most fun car to drive, but it is a great value. For just about $20K you get every option available. The automatic has a sportshift standard that gives you the option of driving in regular mode, or switching to auto-stick. Overall a great car.

• 

  Outstanding - 1991 Acura Integra
  By MoMoney - September 8 - 2:00 am

  This is the best car we have, or ever owned. Our Other cars are 98 Volvo S70 GLT (Junk), and 00 ML 320 (Ok). At 140M miles, this car is on the original clutch, suspension and just about everything else. Only major replacement was, timimng belt & H2O pump (@80M) and timing mechanism. Inexpensive to maintain. Drives and handles great. Styling still respectable, inspite of age.