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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  Outstanding - 2010 Acura TSX
  By driver - October 19 - 2:00 am

  Had 06 TSX. Great car but a little small and terrible turning radius. The 10 has the size just about right and they fixed the turning radius. Just finished driving coastal highway (1/101) from SanDiego to Astoria and had a fantastic road trip. Never dreaded getting back into the car. Average 25 city and 35 highway. Who needs a hybrid?

• 

  one of the best.....ever - 1998 Acura Integra
  By tegcollector - October 18 - 2:00 am

  This car is amazing ,even standing still ,your friends stand around it and drool ,i call it my japanese porsche,but its so much more ,great car to have your girl in ,for a date ,my 98 ls is the third one i owned . I had a 91 ls special ,and it was special,going to get the gsr or type r next .

• 

  Great Ride - 2011 Acura RDX
  By Siva - October 16 - 2:00 am

  I love this. I did look at others like BMW, Lexus before going with Acura. I made the right decision.

• 

  Great Car - 2006 Acura TSX
  By nb - October 15 - 2:00 am

  This is a really fun vehicle to drive. It is especially good in the turns and has good power.

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  Acura TL 2007 steering and turn radius - 2007 Acura TL
  By Rita - October 11 - 2:00 am

  I tried this new car at the dealership but didnt try any parking. Big mistake. The steering is so tight that it is a chore to park, and the turn radius is larger than my previous cars, which means if I dont have the entire wide roadway to start my turn, I have to reverse, back up, and then get the car into the parking place. The steering is so tight that I end up sweating while parking on a hot day.

• 

  ACURA TL Delivers...but check steering!! - 2008 Acura TL
  By Mike - October 11 - 2:00 am

  This is a GREAT car, loved it...was fun to drive. great looking exterior, sporty and modest. quick and agile. Overall very happy and will consider buying another TL. However, see issues below, cons....I had to return to shop 3 x for steering adjustments under service warantee..disappointing they did not catch it first two times.

• 

  Still Love it after 20 years - 1991 Acura Integra
  By DRBroundtheworld - October 10 - 2:00 am

  After owning my car for 20 years and 141,000 miles its still going strong and Im still in love with it. Im short (51") and this car fits me well - able to reach the clutch without chewing on the stearing wheel. Forsome reason Ive replaced way too many muflers and brakes but maybe thats because I had the work done at Midas. Other than those expenses Ive barely spent a dime on repairs except for starting this year. And it could be because it was involved in 2 accidents many years ago and the issues are just beginning to show over time. I still get great gas mileage and its still peppy. I may hold onto this for another 20 years!

• 

  Best Acura Ive owned - 2005 Acura TL
  By GK20TH - October 10 - 2:00 am

  I purchased this car in July of 08 with 33000 miles on it. I love this car and all its features. I have owned several Acuras and Hondas in the past and this TL is by far the best. The only issue I have had is the drivers side window seems to rattle but I understand this is a common problem. I recently replaced the tires with some that were highly recommended on a tire website and I think it has made a major difference with the drive ability of this car. Acuras seem to hold up so well, they have qreat fit and finish.

• 

  One happy buyer here - 2010 Acura RDX
  By May 2010 Buyer - October 8 - 2:00 am

  Having used these reviews in my decision, Im repaying my debt to the forum. Great car, would buy it again. I would recommend to anybody looking for something fully loaded for base price, V6 power in a V4, and luxury without the price. Five months and 8,000 miles later, I can appreciate the quality and workmanship even more.

• 

  Great Car-SUV - 2011 Acura RDX
  By Siva - October 8 - 2:00 am

  I love this one - I have been dring Honda Civic, Accord, Odyssey, Ford and others Tried Pilot, New Odyssey, Sienna, Routan, BMW X3, MDX and finally went with RDX Unbelievable feeling Drove - 600 miles around houston - local + highway - avg 21mpg