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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  TL#1 - 2004 Acura TL
  By JSJTL - July 26 - 2:00 am

  I have driven the car a month and have enjoyed every minute of it. For the critics the car would be #1 if it had rear wheel drive. Handles great, even in the snow. Its fast, great sound system, impresive interior, lots of good gadgets. Great Value.

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  I like the car, not the insurance - 1999 Acura Integra
  By DoubleDtox - July 25 - 2:00 am

  Nothing but pure bliss. I hate paying insurance.

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  show me a better compact sedan - 1997 Acura Integra
  By pbs - July 25 - 2:00 am

  Ive owned an integra GSR for 3 years now and have had no mechanical problems at all. With the reliability issue established, i can say this is an exciting performance car. If youre looking for a practical, yet exciting sedan with a 5speed, look no further.

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  Mmmm reliability. - 1991 Acura Legend
  By petexii - July 25 - 2:00 am

  I have been researching used cars for around 10 months now, and a few days ago I finally got a Legend.Beautifully styled, loads of features, power, space, unbelievable reliability, it has everything I could ask for in a used car.The ONLY problem I have with the car is the gas mileage.I was an idiot and hadnt checked to see which grade to use so I filled it up with regular, while it takes premium.It isnt the end of the world, but from here out premium gas at around 20 MPG may not be too fun...just motivation to not drive as much and keep the car in better condition!I really believe there is no better car for the money.

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  my acura - 1998 Acura Integra
  By bobby j - July 25 - 2:00 am

  very dependable with no maintenance except oil changes and tires. best car ive ever owned and im 51 yrs old.

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  Great car - 1999 Acura CL
  By MROSSER - July 25 - 2:00 am

  I picked up the CL 2.3 at a new car sale from my credit union. I had american sports cars befor this car, Z-28s. This car runs great, I just paid it off and Ive had no problems (80,000)miles. I just replaed the org tires, and it has the org wiper blades...

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  Great Car, Great Service - 1999 Acura CL
  By santa rosa steve - July 25 - 2:00 am

  With the exception of a couple of trim items, (replaced under warranty) the car has been perfect. No problems whatsoever. Great gas mileage for a 3.0 V-6 (24-26 MPG). Fit & finish are excellent... the car still rides and appears as new after almost 5 years and 60K miles.

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  Great little car - 2002 Acura TL
  By Irish One - July 25 - 2:00 am

  After researching many cars and test driving twenty four cars. I felt this was the best deal for the money. It is a great little car.

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  What a deal - 2002 Acura RSX
  By MSC8 - July 24 - 10:00 am

  WOW! I have had my Type-S now for several months and am still loving every minute behind the wheel. The 200HP is really quick, quick enough to give a S2000 a run for the money this morning on the drive into work. The Arctic Blue is very unique, having seen only one other Arctic Blue in the over 100 miles I drive to work each day. Also, I get 30 mpg in this car which I find amazing. I am not easy on the gas at all either. I upgraded from a 99 Civic Si (electron blue) and this car is much more put together. I do think the Si color is slightly better, but the Arctic Blue is sweet. Despite a few gripes, this car is a steal for the money!

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  Great Car - 2005 Acura RL
  By justWayne - July 24 - 7:36 am

  I choose the RL over a 5 series BMW because of value & reliabilty. I priced a 530 BMW w/ the same options and its over $5k more. I love all the electronic gagets. The AWD allows to to drive the RL like a sports car with out all the road noise and bumps. Acura did a great job.