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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  Great Car - 2004 Acura RSX
  By J.D.P. - May 25 - 2:00 am

  I just bought this car and love it. The design of this car is very nice. The short throw manual is easy. This car is fun to rev up and has plenty of power. The handling is good but not the best for its size. It accelerates great but the torque output is really low. I love the gauges and the red glow at night. The bose stereo is also a great standard feature with a sub woofer. The Acura also has an automatic climate control which is a rare find for a car at $23,000.

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  A car thats "Fast & Furious" - 2002 Acura RSX
  By coconuts - May 24 - 10:00 am

  This car rocks! What more can u ask for! 200hp 6 speed tight manual tranny, great looks! 100% worth the money (and u wont break the bank!)

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  Just what I was looking for - 2002 Acura RSX
  By Canuck - May 24 - 10:00 am

  Ive got a long commute but want to drive something more fun than an econobox Civic. The RSX fits the bill perfectly. Good gas mileage (13km/litre) , good acceleration, comfortable, fun to drive and with a decent stereo. And Ive just got a base model! Not tops in any category but above average in all respects. Highly recommended. Considered Celica, Integra, Prelude, Corolla, Civic Si and Sunfire before buying.

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  Bigmoses Toy - 2003 Acura TL
  By casjak - May 24 - 10:00 am

  My all-time favorite! This one has just the right amount of everything, without being a overkill.

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  Great Car - 1997 Acura Integra
  By Sox Fan - May 24 - 2:00 am

  This car is has been a great car with. The car has been increadibly reliable overall. It is a comfortable car with a nice enginer.

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  still going - 1995 Acura Integra
  By dcdcoc - May 24 - 2:00 am

  I have had this car for over three years and I have driven the daylights out of it. It keeps coming back for more. With just basic maintainence and a timing belt change, it still purrs like new. Absolutely bulletproof in reliablilty! I wish my Mustangs were as hardy as this...

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  Acura for life - 1999 Acura TL
  By Javier Sola - May 24 - 2:00 am

  I bought this car with a 160k miles and now the car has 207k miles!! I just wrecked it and there is no question about it, Im buying another but probably a 2000 b/c of the 5speed tiptronic system. Great car which will last forever.

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  I Love My TL - 2000 Acura TL
  By SC924 - May 24 - 2:00 am

  The TL was eventhing I wanted in a sport seden. The ride & power was great. It has been problem free for the last 5 yrs. The only time its been in the repair shop was for brakes!!!! Im looking foward to getting the same service from my new o4 TL!!!!!!

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  Fun ride! - 2007 Acura RDX
  By Mark - May 23 - 1:03 pm

  I have just taken an RDX for a test drive. The engine is very peppy once it gets into turbo zone. On the downside, the gas mileage is negatively affected by the AWD that cannot be switched off. Another necessary improvement deals with the cargo space (my current TL has a larger trunk). Also, the back seats do not fold down, so there is no way in which you can expand the cargo space (why call it an SUV then?). Overall, the new RDX is a fine car!

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  RSX Type S - 2004 Acura RSX
  By RSXacing - May 23 - 2:00 am

  What can I say about a sports coupe that has it all: speed, fun, looks, technology, quality, reliability, and that scrrrrreaming VTEC??? I was going to buy a 350Z...but Im glad I settled for the RSX Type S. Soon...my RSX will have as much or even more horses than the Z.