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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  Acura Lemon - 2003 Acura TL
  By Bruce Wainwright - August 16 - 9:05 am

  I have had to return this car to the dealer 12-15 times. 3 Struts have been replaced, 2 seat frames, numerous rattles and noises. The car has not held its resale value as I had hoped. I would not continue to own it if it had.

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  Dependable Vehicle - 1998 Acura TL
  By Olga - August 16 - 1:29 am

  Ive had this car since 1998 and have never had a problem. I just changed the battery for the first time. I also agree, the cruise control button is not in a convenient location. Other than that my car has been great to me.

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  A great minivan alternative - 2005 Acura MDX
  By Hangdog - August 15 - 1:14 pm

  I love the seating for 7. Driving the MDX feels like driving a car, no heavy truck feel. I think Ill stay with this one for a while!

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  Home run from Acura - 2005 Acura TSX
  By SC Boy - August 15 - 9:08 am

  This car is top notch. No problems. No bugs to work out. A sweet ride at an excellent price. Acura should be proud. Hopefully new models will improve the options like install electric seat adjusters. That is my only complaint. ...And Im picky.

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  Keep it simple - 2005 Acura TSX
  By skshrews - August 14 - 7:39 pm

  My wife just bought this car after 13 years and 250K in an Acura Integra, 92. Smooth, comfortable, and not "overly-teched", the car is simple to operate. Sunroof, leather seats, plenty of storage is standard. Acceleration is excellent, and 6 speed manual keeps you entertained while driving. Pricing is reasonable relative similar cars. Weve been getting over 30-35 MPG. Acura reliability is the best in the business, the first scheduled maintenance (other than oil changes) is 100K.

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  One Outstanding Ride - 1999 Acura RL
  By Mark M - August 14 - 2:11 pm

  I purchased this car 6 months ago and have absolutely loved it. As soon as you get behind the wheel you instantly recognize the quality that was put into this car. The ride is very smooth. I replaced the tires with Bridgestone Turanza LS-Vs which greatly improved the ride and reduced road noise. I have not had to put a penny into the car other than normal maintenance (and the tires). At 79,000 miles there isnt a squeak or rattle, it as tight as it was new. The engine is powerful enough for the car but not as powerful as its competition in this class. Gas mileage is not great. If your looking for a great quality used car I would strongly recommend the Acura RL.

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  Great 1st sports car. - 1998 Acura Integra
  By sneeedle - August 14 - 4:38 am

  Ive been driving my Integra (98 GS 2dr 5-speed) for almost 4 years now. In those 4 years I have put almost 100,000 miles on it. I have never once gone to get in my car and it not start. I have never once had it break down. My stock clutch has 156,xxx miles on it, and has hardly any slipping. By far the easist manual transmission car ive ever owned. As far as performance goes, stock itll handle pretty good, and get up and go pretty good. If you put some money into the car (suspension, engine) Itll be a great handling, great performing daily driven car. My car has 156,000 miles on it, I beat on it daily, and it still runs like brand new and begs to be driven harder.

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  All the major things right but - 2005 Acura TSX
  By stillooking - August 12 - 11:46 pm

  could do much better with build quality on minor but irritating items. First month, discovered high pitch noise from ventilation fan. Third month, discovered creaking noise from the windshield. Currently, have buzzing noise from drivers door. Two of the three were eventually fixed after multiple visits to two dealerships. Other than these minor problems, it has been a great drive.

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  Am I the only one with problems! - 2005 Acura TSX
  By TW - August 12 - 8:35 pm

  I seem to be alone after reading these reviews. I have had many problems with my TSX. It has been back to the dealer more than I can count for multiple problems. The biggest problem of all being the wheels on the car constantly being out of aliment, balance, or bent. Seems the car can not handle normal driving on highways in the east. Other problems encountered: Peeling finish on wheels, rusting sill plates in doors, broken power seat, Light out on heated seated, speedometer whines when driving it all the time, mirror shakes while driving, Recall for wiring. Not sure what to do anymore! What happens when the warranty is over. Seriously thinking about trading it in.

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  RSX TYPE S SUPERCAR - 2002 Acura RSX
  By WILLDI - August 11 - 6:00 am

  SUPERB AUTOMOBILE WITH GREAT SAFETY FEATURES EXCELLENT LOOKS AND THE BACKING OF ACURA. GREAT ACCELERATION SPECIALLY AT HIGH RPMS. THE OVERSIZED DISKS BRAKES STOPS IT ON A DIME. GREAT STABILITY ON CURVES.