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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  Best bang for your buck - 2006 Acura MDX
  By Jaybird - March 30 - 2:08 pm

  Best luxury/options package for your money on the market. Great ride and handling. Intuitive control panel. Fun to drive.

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  I love this car - 2004 Acura TSX
  By david - March 29 - 3:17 pm

  This is my fourth Acura - and the best of the lot. Quick, responsive, fun to drive and economical to boot. Every feature I wanted came as standard equipment and absolutely no buying hassle from the dealer. A really good ownership experience.

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  RSX-S, Great commuter - 2002 Acura RSX
  By brian - March 29 - 1:25 am

  I started with a Subaru Impreza AWD, so the transition to the RSX-S was pretty easy. The RSX-S has a nice stiff stock suspension, and great handling it almost feels like it has AWD. With a couple small mods(cold air intake, racing exhaust) the car has a noticeable difference in acceleration. Its a lot of fun to drive, and has a sleek design.A++

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  Second Acura - 2003 Acura TL
  By Megan - March 28 - 9:46 am

  This is my second Acura. I greduated from a 1999 3.0 CL from Acura of Boston. I bought the 03 Acura TL in Silver, Type S with Nav from SunnySide Acura in NH w/47K. I cant say enough about Acuras! The sales process both times is simple & I never felt like they were trying to be shady. The great thing about Acuras are they come fully loaded. This car rides like a dream. The interior is plush (the leather is luxorious and soft. The Navigation and Onstar are great toys to have and I have to say accurate even with our big dig. I drive like a maniac and this car holds the road and never fails to make me feel safe. My last Acura I never spent $ on repairs I expect the same from my new TL!

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  my RSX - 2003 Acura RSX
  By linnhtet - March 27 - 10:00 am

  its been awesome car

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  Road Noise - 2006 Acura RSX
  By Britt - March 27 - 8:53 am

  First off, the car is great, and everything you could ask for the money, HOWEVER, the road noise is horrible. The trunk and glove compartment rattle non-stop and the dashboard creaks when it is cold. I have taken it to the dealership 3 times and nothing has worked. I am thoroughly dissapointed in the overall quality. I was told that "its a commuter car and is noisy". If you dont mind the noise - buy it - if you do, run away fast.

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  Great Car - 2007 Acura TL
  By phillips - March 27 - 6:13 am

  The car is flawless. One warning: there is a technological curve with setting up your phone and using the navigation. Lots to read. Second warning: not all cell phones can be used to import the cell phone address book from phone to car. I had to buy a new phone that would support all the features. Its minor but my relatively new Razor was not able to transfer its information. This is a great value. Compare it to BMW 3 series and see what you get for the money. I think youll be impressed.

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  2006 MDX - 2006 Acura MDX
  By 2XMDX - March 26 - 8:33 am

  In upgrading from a 2003 MDX, it came down to getting an MDX 06 versus a competitor which I found not as powerful or fun to drive as the MDX. This was an upgrade since we did not have the Navigation feature which I highly recommend. The MDX is a joy to drive (suspension). I am very happy with the slight modifications that they have made to the interior layout (although the competitors interior is much more plush). Obviously, being a repeat customer speaks for itself in the level of satisfaction.

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  Lovin my RL - 2005 Acura RL
  By Manuel Marquez - March 26 - 6:06 am

  Overall, I think the car is wonderful. I have been impressed with the combination of technology and creature comforts. The Bose sound system is top- notch. I am enamored of the keyless access remote, the design of the dashboard and steering wheel, and the quality of the exterior finish. Less satisfying have been my experiences linking my new Bluetooth Treo 650 to the HandsFree Link System and the changeover to a new DVD for the Navigation system which "lost" my ability to get real-time traffic reports. My dealer will address the latter as soon as I get the car in for a review. Acura sent me an updated DVD disc, which I loaded. That was when the trouble with the traffic updates began.

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  Stay Away From Used 2003 TL-S - 2003 Acura TL
  By Motley - March 25 - 4:31 pm

  Nearing the end of my lease on an 03 TL-S. Got it because dealer was marking down vehicles to make way for new 04s. Didnt research the vehicle beforehand as much as I usually do. So far, dealer has replaced the decal stripping around all exterior windows, the drivers side window controls replaced, clock light is out, seats squeak when driving over bumps, 6-disc CD has been on the fritz for months. I have been to the dealership 3x for the CD player, and they have had to re-order the unit because replacement doesnt work, or theyve used it to repair the stereos in other cars. The tranny is now frozen in Park, will take it in on Monday. Do not buy 03 or prior year TL.