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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  Thunder - 2017 Acura MDX
  By Rajeev Kalsi - May 9 - 6:23 am

  "Thunder" thats what we named our MDX. Thats based on the black on black combo we got. Bought it after selling our pilot (you will be missed). Anyway , the Pilots big bro MDX is a great vehicle. I have never seen my wife more happy with a car we ever owned, than with this. On the road its calm , serene and commands a presence of its own. If the diamond grill and 22" wheels dont turn much heads, then the jewel eyes sure do it. It has a mind of its own even if you are feeling sleepy and it will tell you that by beeping every time you get too close to another car. Be it changing lanes or head on. Automatic braking is the most understated feature. Come to think of it, there have been times when I was driving another car and wished they had this one feature. Ample space for a family of 4 and spare seats for those once in 6 months or a year need for extra. Yes it comes with 2 memory sets of mirror and seating paired with 2 sets of keys. So when wife drives it mirror automatically set to her taste and when I do , it welcomes me with open arms and pre-adjusted seats and mirrors. Automatic liftgate, keyless car access and ambient lights give a feeling of luxury so does filling the gas tank with premium, only pinching , while drinking. Thats about the only pinch though. For buyers, with remorse, who would get a touring or elite younger brother, this gives a justified peace to its owner with the fact that its just couple of thousand more than the younger sibling. It also displays authority, with the body styling, shows seriousness, with 9 speed auto and means business when compared to the touring or elites, of which it claims none but possesses both. Meanwhile I keep finding reasons to get it out of garage for every little errand. For once, no errand is small.

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  Acura TL - 2005 Acura TL
  By Big John - May 8 - 11:37 am

  Wonderful car. Seats extremely comfortable, supportive. Navigation system is easiest one yet to use. Reliable as expected.

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  So Far, So Good - 2002 Acura TL
  By Mdblimited - May 8 - 9:41 am

  I bought my TL with 38k pre-certified from a dealership. It has been reliable, comfortable, and economical, plus good performance. The original Michelin tires are junk (bought Bridgestone Turanzas) and the foglights are an invitation for rocks. My vehicle is black and has a little chipping on the roof that the dealership alledges is from sap. There are no other paint defects. The transmission has been fine, but it does shift with force into second gear when driving slowly. I dont know if this is because the car has so much torque or a tranny problem. Either way, it is covered to 100k... and it will be traded in before then. The seats could be deeper. But it is fast and reliable.

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  Wish they still made the CLs - 1998 Acura CL
  By mlp211 - May 6 - 5:51 pm

  Fun to drive, great comfort, put Yokohama AVID V4s it handles great in every weather condition, on dry roads its a blast. Love the 5 speed tranny.

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  Type S is back and better! - 2007 Acura TL
  By TJ - May 6 - 4:50 am

  Decided to buy a 07 Acura TL type S instead of Lexus IS350 and BMW 330i and love it. Nav is by far better than Lexus and you can fully use it while driving. Over 600 voice commands on nav, Zagat restaurant ratings, real time traffic, standard HID lights, turn signals in mirrors, super bright LED taillights, red interior dash lights, High performance Brembo brakes, Real sport suspension with tight handling, Two-tone interior seating, dual front cupholders and a back seat that can actually fit two adults. Plus fully loaded w/ nav for $5k less than Lexus or BMW with navi and has great (honda) build quality.

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  exceptional value - 2006 Acura RSX
  By tompanone - May 5 - 9:35 pm

  i have owned a honda civic for 10 years. this car surpasses my expectations: it is fun to drive, it handles like a high-performance race car, and it is very reasonably priced. the value for price paid is outstanding. i am thrilled with this car! i wish i had bought it years ago instead of the honda civic - which was also an outstanding buy.

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  Fun Car - 2005 Acura TL
  By Joel - May 5 - 9:15 pm

  I bought this car used for right at $30000. At this price, it is a GREAT car, wounderful sound system and alot of great creature conforts. No regrets

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  The Perfect Car (toy)! - 2002 Acura RSX
  By Brian - May 5 - 6:13 pm

  I was originally looking at an Eclipse GT-S, but after test driving it, it was as boring as a Buick. The Celica GTS and Prelude just didnt do it for me either. But the moment you sit in an RSX Type S, it fits like a perfect glove. It moves forward effortlessly, and is a ton of fun to drive. I like the cockpit, the seats, the styling, the firepepper red exterior - its all good! You can tell it was meant to be a unique experience by design. It feels like everyone on the road is just too slow when you are behind the wheel of that bad boy. The "new car novelty" never wears off. I want to be buried in this car.

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  The Ack - 2006 Acura MDX
  By The Ack - May 5 - 2:45 pm

  After owning a 1994 Acura Legend Coupe, this new addition to the family was no surprise of its greatness. I have been exstremely pleased and the expectations continued to be met each time I start the MDX up.

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  Love the RL - 2000 Acura RL
  By NC Acura Owner - May 5 - 7:19 am

  Just purchased this car with 100,000 miles on it. Love this body style and this car was extremely hard to find. I plan on driving it for several years. For those who have an RL with less miles, let me put your mind at ease that with 100,000 miles, the car is still top of the line.