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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  No words to describe it - 2004 Acura TL
  By nooneimportant - December 13 - 10:00 am

  It was just unbelievable, the car ran corners without hesitation, you can feel the engine accelerating

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  only a week ..... but - 2004 Acura TL
  By fdsavoy - December 13 - 10:00 am

  ive only had it a week, but so far i just enjoy being in it. i had a 2000 tl which was the best car ive ever owned (pevious cars bmw 528, volvo 960)never had a single problem with 2000 tl in 45000 miles.the 2004 has a stiffer body more solid,vault like feel,better handling, and much quicker.sound system is scary good.the total package is just subperb.if i get the same reliability as my 2000 t.l. i could be an acura poster boy.

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  Outstanding Quality - 1999 Acura CL
  By cgrindahl - December 12 - 2:00 am

  I bought a pre-owned CL 2.3 two years after it first left the dealership. Ive been delighted in every way by the experience of owning and driving this well designed and carefully crafted vehicle. Despite the four cylinder engine, my Acura has all the power I need both on the highway and negotiating the curving mountain roads near where I live. The interior is quiet and comfortable, with a sound system this audiophile appreciates greatly. And best of all, my only investment beyond the purchase price has been for gas and oil changes. I look forward to many more years of pleasure driving this fine automobile

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  Very good value - 2001 Acura MDX
  By flpaindoc - December 12 - 2:00 am

  almost 20,000 miles an no problems at all. I have enjoy this car.

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  Legend Forever...and ever - 1994 Acura Legend
  By dwinston - December 11 - 2:00 am

  My Legend has 145,000 miles now and I still cant justify selling it in spite of temptations such as the new 2004 Acura TL with 270 hp. The new car doesnt feel faster or better than my old Legend in spite of more cup holders. Darn it. Im having to resort to looking at high $ cars with 350+ hp to even consider selling.

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  Great car for the money - 1999 Acura TL
  By Mike Gardner - December 11 - 2:00 am

  This car provided all the luxury features as standard equipment and came in at $3000 to $5000 cheaper than the BMW, Mercedes, and Lexus. Its been a solid performer for almost 5 years. No mechanical problems.

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  No Regrets - 2000 Acura TL
  By mcc - December 11 - 2:00 am

  The car is great to drive. The engine and tranny work well together. I use the sport shift a lot especially in city drivig. Could handle a little better. Will get better tires when they need replacing. Good stereo and leather seats are comfortable.

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  My Integra toy! - 1995 Acura Integra
  By Toycar - December 10 - 2:00 am

  I bought my 95 Integra new & its been a very good choice. There is now 161,000 miles on it & I have only had regular maintenance performed. The gas mileage is over 30 miles to the gallon on the highway & what a fun car to drive! I love the service department at Weir Canyon Acura, they are the best. My next car will be an Acura also, probably the TL.

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  Snazzy and fun - 2005 Acura TL
  By Linda - December 10 - 1:50 am

  This car is pretty to look at, not stodgy like the old model, and very pappy and responsive. Its fun to drive, comfortable, and very reliable. I have just one complaint, and that is that the back seat headrests are too high, obscuring vision when reversing, so back up slowly and carefullly. This is a minor complaint. Aside from this, I am very happy with the car.

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  Rl 2004 - 2004 Acura RL
  By Diego Flores - December 9 - 2:00 am

  Excellent quality sedan with outstanding features. Smoth ride with the Acura reliability. Overall top value compared to the Mercedes E 300 and BMW 5 series.