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:

• 

  LEGEND - 1991 Acura Legend
  By dizyblonde2k3 - August 29 - 2:00 am

  When i bought my Acura, i didnt know how good of a car that it was. I had it for like a week and everyone was telling me that i had a great car. Everything was awsome in my car,the sun foor,the sterio,the gas,everything. Well eveything exept it didnt last through its first accident. I had it for 5 months, and my boyfriend got into an accident with it and totaled it.

• 

  Finally, a good car decision! - 2001 Acura CL
  By Victor in CA - August 29 - 2:00 am

  After my 96 Corvette bit the dust with only 60,000 miles I went car shopping. Considered the Nissan Z and the Infiniti G35 coupe but kept coming back to the CL-S. I bought a 01 with 35k miles and its perfect. The performance isnt what the Corvette was but I no longer need a kidney belt after long road trips. The CL-S is the perfect compromise between luxury and sport with Honda reliability. After having gone from a Prelude to a Corvette, the GM design was really disappointing.

• 

  Dont get Black - 2001 Acura MDX
  By aylien - August 28 - 2:00 am

  Our car is great it has been on many road trips. It seems to be holding up well. The only complaint I have it the exterior dents very easily and the black paint scratches easily. Some scratches are unavoidable with black, but Honda black never seems to keep its luster for very long. I was hoping they would use a better paint on the Acura but it is the same as our Honda. I have a black BMW and it does not look as bad as the MDX. It seems to be holding up in every other way. Great vehicle!

• 

  hot cars - 2003 Acura CL
  By JESUS - August 28 - 2:00 am

  rides good roomy and fast GOOD ON GAS I HAVE HAD A VERY WONDERFUL EXSPERIENCE.

• 

  Excellent - 2003 Acura RSX
  By Debbbie - August 28 - 2:00 am

  Its a great car. It has a beautiful shape. Its extremely comfortable and convenient inside. I love the Dashboard glow, its red. I feel like Im driving a spaceship.

• 

  First 1000 miles - 2004 Acura TSX
  By DSPSocal - August 27 - 10:00 am

  You cant go wrong with the TSX, the first 1000 miles have been excellent, very few complaints. Avg 25 MPG in mixed driving with a lead foot. Handling is very predictable and acceleration is smooth powerful for a 4 cylinder. Sequential gearshift is easy to get used to and upshifts are precise as downshifts. I get lots of compliments on the styling (i have a red one other colors were too muted for my taste). I compared to Maxima, Solara, Accord, and Altima. Then saw the TSX and realized for less money than an Altima I had a car in the class with BMW, Mercedes, and Audi. It was a no brainer from there.

• 

  The Perfect Car - 1996 Acura TL
  By BB - August 27 - 2:00 am

  I love this car! When I decide to trade this car in or sell it, it will be a sad day. I will looking at replacing it with a newer Acura TL version. This is my third Honda product and I am a loyal customer. I recommend the TL to anyone wanting a sports sedan with luxury elements at an economic value!

• 

  Legendary - 1994 Acura Legend
  By Legendary - August 27 - 2:00 am

  Timeless looks, good from any angle. A smooth ride combined with good noise dampening takes your mind off of whatever traffic conditions you are in. Add to that an 8 speaker Bose sound system with an excellant climate control system and you are in drivers bliss.

• 

  Best Mid-Size Luxury SUV on the Market - 2001 Acura MDX
  By MDX Lover - August 27 - 2:00 am

  I have owned my MDX for just over two years now logging 39,000 miles. Before I purchased it, I looked at all the mid-size luxury SUVs available, including BMW, Mercedes Benz, and Lexus--I have not been disappointed in my selection. Its been a teriffic vehicle--comfortable, powerful, efficient, reliable, versatile and stylish (conservatively so). I have owned Acura/Honda vehicles for more than twenty years now and will continue to own them as long as they continue to offer the same performance and reliability.

• 

  Smooth Ride - 1998 Acura TL
  By M J M - August 24 - 2:00 am

  Bought the car used and have never had a problem. The car is sleek and classy. Rides smooth and quietly. The interior is well designed and comfortable. I would recomend this vehicle over a Lexus any day. If you get one you will not be dissapointed.