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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  Love it! - 2006 Acura RSX
  By sawjinx - September 30 - 5:27 pm

  Sold the SUV for more fuel efficient car and bought a 2005 RSX. Im averaging 33mpg and not driving in the slow lane, if you know what I mean. Handles tight curves like a champ. A real head turner, too, but not overdone. No complaints. Id buy it again in a heartbeat.

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  Engineered with brains - 1995 Acura NSX
  By TexasAcura - September 30 - 4:00 pm

  People will always love their brand of car. But this Acura NSX surprised me. I wanted a mid engine, reliable car. Difficult to find at any price. My husband checks it out but I drive it!I have never had a problem although I admit this is no longer my everyday car. I hope it becomes a classic. It continues to amaze me that this is a 1995! The technology is still awesome.

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  Do not trust the review, test drive it - 2009 Acura TSX
  By haidongh - September 30 - 10:53 am

  We only considered Lexus IS or ES and TSX. We have owned 2009 TSX for 2 weeks. It is bigger than IS, which is a good thing and a bad thing. We bought TSX, mainly for the interior. My wife does not like the exterior, but I really like it. The car is the right size for us, but maybe too big for people who need to navigate through tight garage. It is the just the best value for entry level luxury sedan, you get a lot for the money. You have to test drive it to know if you like it or not. EPS saves power.

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  Ill never give it up! - 1998 Acura CL
  By Tankerkev - September 30 - 4:30 am

  I bought this car over seven years ago, but it seems like yesterday. It still looks great and is very reliable. It has a luxurious cabin and smooth ride that helps me unwind on the way home from work. It has features that you normally have to pay much more for. Ill never sell this car, keeping it in my family until it quits, and I dont ever see that happening!

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  First New Car - 2005 Acura TSX
  By Need for Speed - September 30 - 2:03 am

  This is my first brand new car and I have no regrets. The 6 speed manual is very responsive to my every move, easy to shift and loads of fun to drive. Even with passangers or cargo, it has enough power not to be weighed down.

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  Best in its class - 2005 Acura RL
  By james - September 29 - 1:45 am

  Amazing! I have driven and owned the German competitors and nothing gives you the bang for your buck like this machine.

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  Low Profile But Reliable - 2003 Acura MDX
  By A. B. Garcia - September 28 - 11:18 pm

  Ive only had my Acura MDX for a month but I have enjoyed driving it. When I was first looking for a vehicle, my choice was a certified 2004 Lexus RX 330. My son, however, encouraged me to look at an Acura MDX. Thus, I first test drove the Lexus, but somehow knew what to expect because I have a 1995 ES 300. I, then humored my son and test drove an Acura. Well, you guess what my choice was. The Acura won hands down. The exterior of the Acura will not catch your attention right away. It has that low profile image. But underneath that is the build quality, excellent appointments of the instruments on the dashboard,and of course, its reliability.

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  Again......Acura gives you value for the money!! - 2016 Acura RDX
  By Randy - September 28 - 7:27 am

  Traded in a 2006 Acura TL that was really a great car and tremendous value. Would have kept but needed an all wheel drive vehicle due to moving north into snow areas. The RDX is a high quality ride and as always with Acura....reliable and great performance. The ride is smooth with tight handling. Mileage around town is 23-24 and on the road 31-33 depending on terrain. Interior fits well with a normal size person and everything is within reach easily to see and operate. You wont be disappointed with this vehicle.

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  Acura MDX - 2005 Acura MDX
  By Jim - September 28 - 1:54 am

  Everything is great but the GAS mileage. Only average 17mpg. Less than I expected.

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  The best of two worlds - 2005 Acura RL
  By Murry Cohen - September 27 - 5:40 pm

  This vehicle is just the best all around vehicle from Acura yet . For its class which is the largest luxury size yet, it gives excellent mileage for this class as compaired to other ex. Mercedes Benz. Workmanship is top of the line, horsepower is 300 hp without sacrificing mileage. Its what one would call in the old days a sleeper that blows the competition away!