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:

• 

  TL N IT - 2000 Acura TL
  By TL N IT - June 16 - 2:00 am

  Absolutley love it... had a CL and a Ledgend. Acura is a reliable, stylish and fun auto maker.

• 

  A True Legend - 1991 Acura Legend
  By DugALug - June 15 - 2:00 am

  This car has been wonderful I love it and I am sad to be finally getting rid of it after 14 years.

• 

  Owner - 2005 Acura TL
  By LS - June 14 - 5:30 pm

  The is an awesome car! I enjoy everything about it, especially the navigation (state of the art), satellite radio systems, exterior and interior style and performance.

• 

  Great Car - 2002 Acura RSX
  By 96preludeboi - June 13 - 6:43 am

  this is a nice car, handles excellently, its fast and i love the auto climate control...a must buy

• 

  I love my RSX! - 2004 Acura RSX
  By peachwax - June 13 - 2:00 am

  Let me tell you, when I first set eyes on my baby I knew I had to have him him. The car was a good size, being that I live in the city and pararell parking can suck if you own a Hummer. I took the car for a test drive and could not believe how smooth the ride was. THe car had incredible control along curves and bends. The interior black cloth with red contrasting lights caught my eye as it was chic and mondern. Not to the mention the rear windshield wipers and side mirror defrost were a bonus! I have had my car for a little over a month now and I absolutely love it..I want to marry it! All my friends love it, and most importantly I DO!!!

• 

  Best value for the money! - 2005 Acura TL
  By ralfo - June 13 - 1:00 am

  Recently upgraded from an 04 TSX to get a larger car with more room. Handles and accelerates excellent. We have no regrets. When compared to other vehicles in its class, you cant beat the value when it comes to standard features and engine size. Comparable vehicles would cost you in high 40K range.

• 

  This car rocks the house - 2004 Acura RSX
  By FreddieJones - June 12 - 2:00 am

  I have had this car for a little over a year now and it simply kicks ass. I have had absolutely no problems and it is so much fun. I recomend it for any one buying a car. Its also somewhat affordable

• 

  Best Acura Yet - 2005 Acura RL
  By kwaidoi - June 9 - 9:06 am

  This is what the flagship of the brand should be like. Great car to ride or drive. Great traffic information and sound system. An A+++. Cannot say enough.

• 

  Best Car Ive owned - 1994 Acura Legend
  By stritt - June 9 - 2:00 am

  I am the 2nd owner of my 94 LS coupe and bought it with 42,000 miles. Almost no repair cost and very little maintenance. Just put gas in it and change the oil every 3-4k miles. This is the best and most reliable car Ive ever owned. Its my 2nd Acura Legend coupe and Ive put more miles on this car than any other car Ive owned.

• 

  Great, Fun Car - 2004 Acura RSX
  By RSX Hawk - June 9 - 2:00 am

  I just purchased my RSX Type-S a little over a month ago, and it is just so fun to drive. I live in an area where you can find some old backcountry hilly and windy roads and i just cannot get enough of it. The suspension is a little stiff so the ride can get a bit bumpy, but it feels great in the turns. It is just a great looking, great sounding, great driving car.