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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  2007 RDX Tech deluxe - 2007 Acura RDX
  By Vern from Florida - May 5 - 4:36 am

  I use on line reviews a lot but dont often have time to give back. Id like to here. This is my 5th Acura and first SUV. I traded a 2005 RL which was nice but not nearly as much fun and functional as this. Its fun, cool and for a 56 year old guy, it fits my needs perfectly. Who says it has to go to upwardly mobile 30ish types?

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  Excellent - 2003 Acura TL
  By Paul - May 4 - 9:04 pm

  What a joy to drive. This is a dream car for anyone. If you want to have a car that will be fun to drive and last a lifetime, then this is the car for you.

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  A car that doesnt loose its value easily - 2003 Acura RSX
  By Leo - May 4 - 11:12 am

  I have posessed this vehicle for more than a year now and all I can says that there isnt anyday that I could tell myself that I dont feel like driving. It has the most amazing pickup which I can always feel as I can see the cars left behind when I take off . Fuel efficient and also the feeling to be the top dog of possessing Acura the higest brand car of Honda

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  Dont Be Fooled - 2005 Acura RL
  By tmedman - May 3 - 9:45 pm

  I bought this car a little over a year ago and within a month I started experiencing total electrical failure. This has happened about six times over the last 14 months. I brought it to two dealers and nothing seems to fix it permanently. Acura roadside assistance is a joke unless you liking waiting 3 to 4 hours for help. The car looks great and when it is working (which is rare), it performs well. Gas mileage is dismal.

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  2005 Acura RL - 2005 Acura RL
  By Mary Ellen Gase - May 3 - 7:28 pm

  The RL is a wonderful car to drive as its very smooth riding and is extremely comfortable. It also has a beautiful design. Its a very quiet riding car. The AWD, navigation center, XM radio,and moonroof are all positive features of the RL. I bought it also for the many safety features. Love it!

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  Cruises best at 80mph - 2004 Acura TL
  By Stephen Campbell - May 3 - 6:01 pm

  The TL is an excellent performing vehicle with comfort supported by quick handling. I get 29-30MPG on the highway at about 80mph, which is its optimal cruising speed. Bluetooth hands free phone system is also great, except when calling out utilizing the internal phone pedals. Voice activation is not as good as one would expect from an Acura.

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  Love it! - 2002 Acura MDX
  By Linda - May 2 - 10:26 pm

  Its easy to see why they are being sold as quickly as they arrive on the sales floor.

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  RDX - let er roll - 2007 Acura RDX
  By On the road again - May 2 - 10:06 pm

  Purchased an RDX two weeks ago. Previously owned a Honda CRV and loved it. Wanted to upgrade and stay with a Honda. Getting 22 mpg for normal highway driving. Could easily get less with the peppy turbo if you stand on it. Great handling both on straightaways and curves and a solid built vehicle. A litte stiff ride but quiet interior with awesome stereo system. Love the navigation system but it takes some time to learn the commands. Bluetooth is awesome and great for making/answering calls while traveling. Tilt down right passenger mirror is helpful when backing as well as rear viewing camera. Gauges are well placed and lighted both day and night. Overall pleased so far.

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  CPO Goodness - 2005 Acura TSX
  By ElJefe - May 2 - 12:44 pm

  I have wanted a TSX since I first drove one in 2003. My dream is now reality: I picked up my 05 CPO 6-speed with Nav last night. The TSX is all about the sum of its parts, the way it drives. It may not be the fastest or pull the most Gs, but man o man is it fun to drive. Combine this with jewel-like quality and an impressive standard feature set, and you have a winner in the TSX.

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  Rating of the the RL - 2006 Acura RL
  By Nigel Crooks - May 1 - 3:59 pm

  this car is well built and has a lot of wonderful features to offer. i like the cornering capability and high tech functions. i dislike the seat as it is hard to exit and enter from the vehicle. i hope acura change the for the next year model.