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 TL
  By frank477 - February 19 - 10:00 am

  Great car at good price. My wife likes my TL better than her car. That means I sometimes emd up with her BMW 325

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  Overall very good - 2004 Acura TL
  By mestocker - February 19 - 10:00 am

  As many have said before, this is the best car out there for the money right now, and most of the negatives are relatively minor.

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  93 Vigor - 1993 Acura Vigor
  By yankeedan - February 19 - 2:00 am

  I purchased a Vigor in June of 2003 and I love it. It has been very reliable and is fun to drive. I would buy another one if I needed another car.

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  Sweet car - 2001 Acura CL
  By Best car out there - February 19 - 2:00 am

  Since purchasing the CL Type-s I have thouroughly exploited the traction control and VSA and V-tec appropriatly. Being only 24 and owning this car is truly an experience. Not driving this car the way that its meant to be driven is like having 1000 watt speakers hooked up to a 250 watt amp.

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  Perfect Car - 1995 Acura Integra
  By jwn311 - February 18 - 2:00 am

  Wow. Ive always had a love for the design of the Acura Integra, and thus far it has been magnificent. Bought my 95 LS from a private seller and havent had any problems, except for the right rear caliper wasnt releasing all the way right when i got it. Since then, it has been a great/easy car to mod. I recommend the non-VTEC (B18B) for more low end torque.

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  great car - 2004 Acura NSX
  By adam dinan - February 17 - 2:00 am

  this is with out a doubt the most exciting car i have ever had. the power is relentless! driving this car truely lets you feel in touch with the road.

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  Excellent - 2001 Acura MDX
  By Lino - February 16 - 2:00 am

  I purchased this vehicle from Carmax and it has been a workhorse. I also purchased the extended warranty and have had to use it once (engine mount & AC system). I may never purchase another brand again!

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  Fun, Fast, and Earth Friendly - 2002 Acura RSX
  By Si - February 16 - 2:00 am

  Fun, Fast way to get to work. Travel over 25 miles (one way) and average 27 to 30 MPG, and thats 65 to 80 mph. On trips average 33 to 35 MPG traveling 75 to 80 mph. Not bad when you consider the performance of 200 HP. 2.0 liter engine and its still a LEV vehicle. Acura reliability. No service issues with 31,000 miles.

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  I rate this 2.2 an 8.5. - 1997 Acura CL
  By jmac360 - February 15 - 2:00 am

  Buying this car was a smart decision. Think of the CL as a dressed-up Accord. I love the distinctive styling. The back end is especially slick. Ive experienced very few problems. Average MPG is 23. The 4cyl is enough pull for most if you go with the 5-speed manual. The brakes are kinda weak when compared to other luxury models. The turning radius is too wide. The ride is fairly sporty but not harsh. The interior is typical Honda – everything is in the right place. Not a cheap, but not luxurious. The front seats are nice and theres a lot of leg room. The back seat is fine for 2 people under 5’ 10’’.

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  Awesome Ride! - 2002 Acura RSX
  By dendron - February 15 - 2:00 am

  The RSX Type S just rocks! Comfortable (and Im 64"), smooth, dead reliable, fast, quasi-luxurious, and waaay fun to drive. Ive driven this car for 2 yrs and its just as fun now as the day I bought it. Nits (?)...its undertired. She needs 17- 18" wheels and 225ZR40 skinz to bring out her best. Other than that, a very hard car to beat at its price point.