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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  Growing Out of My RSX - 2003 Acura RSX
  By luotodm - September 27 - 3:20 pm

  I found a brand new 2003 still in the showroom in July 2004. Dealer took $4k off, and I couldnt pass it up. Absolute blast to drive on curvey roads and highways alike. Suspension is tight (but bumpy at times), and enough power to pass anyone. Hatchback with folding seats has been life-saver. The clutch requires extra leg-work and can give you a cramp after awhile. Also you have to get the clutch all the way to the floor, no room for mistakes, or youll grind gears. Get the auto if doing a lot of stop-and-go. Had trouble with my starter, and was replaced after 4th visit. Perfect car for recent grad. But I need more cargo space, and 4 doors would be nice.

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  Third time is a charm ... - 2006 Acura TL
  By texbuck - September 27 - 1:56 pm

  This is my third Acura, and is just what I expected ..Quality & Value for the money. It has all the toys that I need and then some. Sticker price not includeing taxes and license fees $35,325.00 and my out the door price was $34,395.16. This included mud guards, body side molding, tinted windows and the Navi.

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  Very disappointed - 2005 Acura MDX
  By Driving a Cayenne S - September 27 - 10:33 am

  Extremely disappointed in the product. Expected more pickup and much better gasoline economy due to 6 cylinders.

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  MDX is Great! - 2005 Acura MDX
  By HappyTourer - September 27 - 2:14 am

  Looked at Lexus RX330 and Toyota 4- Runner but Acura won out with best design and ease of use. Mileage has been as expected about 19 mixed use so far, but better than the old 4-Runner with 150HP. Power is excellent. We added rear body-colored wing which makes it look even better. Hard to believe the MDX is still somewhat hard to come by after 5 years on the market. I still own a 91 Legend Coupe and cannot bear the thought of parting with it. Had no problem trading off the 4-Runner, though.

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  Newest Car I Ever Owned - 2003 Acura TL
  By Ronnie - September 27 - 1:26 am

  Bought the car for $17,500 with 78,000 miles on it. Most of those miles are highway miles to NY and Pennsylvania from Newport News, VA. Car is great, has never let us down. Acura performs all the maintenance on this vehicle. Dealer performed the 3rd gear oil mod recall. No problems with the transmission ever. Car is stock as it came off the lot TL-S w/nav, silver.

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  Excellent Family Vehicle - 2005 Acura MDX
  By Gills Family - September 26 - 9:33 pm

  This is my 4th owned Acura and this MDX doesnt disappoint. It has a car-like ride which we like and the engineering and technology is well worth the price which we found reasonable for a Luxury vehicle. Acura service is outstanding and we are looking forward to enjoying our retirement vehicle. The MDX is not just a vehicle but a solution to our transportation problems.

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  TypeS Excellent value for the price - 2004 Acura RSX
  By ran - September 26 - 10:00 am

  While the exterior and interior leave much to the imagination the performance is undeniable. For a car at this price it is excellent and you know you have Hondas reputation of reliability behind you.

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  Freewayjims Review - 2003 Acura TL
  By Freewayjim - September 26 - 10:00 am

  Ive owned two of these and they are dollar-for-dollar the best all-around cars available in my opinion. This car drives wonderfully if you like a "sporty" suspension. A true joy to drive on the interstate and if you really want to have a blast take it on the West Virginia Turnpike at about 10 MPH over the speed limit! My car is still "tight" after 36,000 miles and Im pleased as can be with it.

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  best auto out of last three - 2003 Acura TL
  By john h. dohring - September 26 - 10:00 am

  it has everything a normal person would want; excellent workmanship, good power, good gas mileage. classy looking, and the handling straightaway or cornering is superb. i loved thatall options--except navsystem--were standard.

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  Acura TL is a dream come true! - 2003 Acura TL
  By jpbritto - September 26 - 10:00 am

  As a lifelong domestic driver, and still big Ford fan, I found myself converted to the Acura line. Love the TL Type-S, its speed, crisp acceleration, fantastic styling, and unmatched performance makes it the best car Ive ever owned. The 03 styling is still the best, the 04 is too Accord-like!