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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  Its a great little SUV - 2007 Acura RDX
  By Stevie - August 17 - 4:03 pm

  I am very impressed and happy about this little car. Fun to drive and a lot of power for a 4-cylinder car. The Turbo really makes the difference. The fuel economy for the first 2 tanks of gasoline is not good, then as the car breaks-in, the mileage gets better. Nicely made and stylish. Love it.

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  good friend - 2003 Acura CL
  By miguel carneiro - August 17 - 2:00 am

  sobrious, elegant, every day useful car, timeless design with no bells and twistles, good mileage, ticket enemy but police appreciated. a very confiable friend.

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  Nirvana for former Olds owner! - 2003 Acura CL
  By k6tmk6 - August 17 - 2:00 am

  Have been thrilled with the look and handling so far (2 months). Was exactly what I was looking to buy for less than Id expected to pay (especially with end of year discounts). Great deal and nice ride.

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  Beautiful car...Wondeful ride - 1998 Acura CL
  By Dean127 - August 16 - 2:00 am

  This is my 2nd CL 3.0 I have owned. Simply the best car I have driven to date. The car is going on 6 yrs old and still purrrrrs along like a kitten. I have only done preventative maintennace on the car and changed out the tires when they were worn-out. A mechanics dream to work on...the plugs are all right there to pull out and oil changes are a breeze

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  ? paint problem - 2002 Acura MDX
  By WifesSUV - August 16 - 2:00 am

  I love the MDX however have had one disconcerting observation. The paint seems to chip quite easily.I have now noticed a paint bubble on the hood. I have owned nearly every make of auto and am somewhat concerned about the integrity of the finish on this vehicle. Futhermore, I have noticed this on other MDXs in parking lots. I found a newer MDX with a 3-4 mm rusted rock chip on the hood in a parking lot. This seems odd. I would be interested in getting feedback from other owners.

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  A Classic - 1994 Acura Legend
  By JayGee - August 14 - 2:00 am

  I bought this certified used car from the dealer in 1997 with 30,000 miles. I now have over 100,000 miles, with no major problems. The reliability of this car is awesome. My only problem is rust. I have to take it to the body shop every spring to stop the cancer from spreading. As a result, it still looks beautiful, and it runs as well as the day I bought it. I plan to keep it indefinitely, because I just dont see any other car that I like as well for less than $50,000.

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  A Dream Come True - 2003 Acura CL
  By Flong - August 14 - 2:00 am

  My second CL. First was a 99. A great car. My new 03 is a dream come true. I love the styling and comfort. Many standard features make this baby a real "bang for the buck". Looked at other comparable cars and none could match the features and comfort when compared to the purchase price of this gem.

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  Nice Car - 2003 Acura RSX
  By Seans 1st car - August 14 - 2:00 am

  Lets be honest it is a 20,000 dollar car so it is not going to come near something like a porsche or lamborgini. That being said, the rsx destroys almost all its competion, the only thing that comes close (in its price range) is an RX8 and it loses. THis car is extremely responsive fun and to top it out gets great milage. If your looking for a car in this price range look no further

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  Excellent SUV for - 2002 Acura MDX
  By SusanY - August 14 - 2:00 am

  This has been a fantastic vehicle for me and my family. Comfortable for long drives as well as long commutes. Gas mileage is good for a large vehicle and reliability has been perfect. We see the dealer only for scheduled maintenance -- and our dealership offers service well beyond what we expect every time.

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  The Acura TL: A wise investment - 2005 Acura TL
  By Jeffrey Nieman Jr - August 13 - 2:43 pm

  Dollar for dollar, I challenge anyone to find a vehicle that yields a better return on money than the 2004 or 2005 Acura TL, specifically with the navigation system. The "Navi" does not just give drivers a map, it gives the driver the opportunity to also control the climate control, the audio system and of course, the navigational unit via voice command. The fact that it is dvd-based allows owners to update the seven million points of intest, which further allows the car, like the brand, to put a death grip on its long term value. For some prospective owners, it may be nice to know the engine and car is built in the U.S. and has a ULEV-2 rating.