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:

• 

  Zoom Zoom! - 1999 Acura Integra
  By GSR Mike - June 27 - 2:00 am

  Wow! This car is just plain fun to drive! A true reasonably priced sports car. The car handles well, has great acceleration - its a Honda. The AC is ice cold, heat is also great. The leather seats are soft, but give you the support you need while driving. The engine revs and begs to be pushed.

• 

  My 4th Acura, and by far the best - 2005 Acura RL
  By Bill - June 26 - 3:43 am

  I bought the RL one month ago after doing some research on the new GS300 AWD, the M35 AWD, and having test driven for extended times the A8, E500 4-matic, etc. I must say that the performance times in the Edmunds review could be misleading. In a month, Ive noticed the engine start to "free up." Owned 7 Acura/Hondas, and every one starts out really tight. My acceleration seems to improve every day. The handling-cornering is incredible. The SH-AWD system actually allows the car to overstear slightly right a RWD car, although not nearly as pronounced when you get on the gas. I could not imagine considering any other luxury AWD car. I traded by 04 TL for this car-and the RL is far superior

• 

  Hidden Beauty - 1992 Acura Vigor
  By No Way Inc - June 26 - 2:00 am

  Vigors are rare and I like it. They look stylish and rich. You have everything in one car. Plus, 5 speed manual, period. I have always liked these cars when I saw them on the road, but I could never imagine that I would own one. I could not expect the perfection of the Vigors.

• 

  excellent in all areas - 2003 Acura RSX
  By Marwin - June 26 - 2:00 am

  I was not prepared to feel the power of the IVtech engine. The long distance drives are more fun with the BOSE stereo system. My last car was a Camaro.

• 

  2003 TL-S - 2003 Acura TL
  By SammyJ - June 25 - 10:00 am

  Since I purchased this car, the only problem I had with it was the CD player, CDs were getting stuck and at times will not eject. But the dealer replaced it. This car is fun to drive, and it will outrun a lot of mid-sized sedans, including BMWs.

• 

  Midnight Maraurder - 2003 Acura RSX
  By CJ Majesty - June 25 - 2:00 am

  This car takes corners effortlessly, it has decent amount of power on tap, silky smooth transmission the seats are comfortable & supportive. The ride is comfortable .........until you hit a bump, Steering is firm & direct. The car feels very stable at high speeds. The Bose sound system is not as bad as people say it is depending on the quality of the CD & the signal strenth of the radio. I find that visablity in the rear is blocked by the C-Pillar. But overall best car i ever had.

• 

  Acura Produces Great Autos - 1996 Acura TL
  By Jbrown500 - June 24 - 2:00 am

  I bought this one used but it feels, smells, and acts like new. Very reliable and handles like a charm. As a medium size luxury car it is a great value and is probably one of the more underappreciated cars in this class. My TL2.5 is as reliable as the day I purchased it, even with 117,000.

• 

  I LIKE MY ACURA - 2003 Acura CL
  By M400305 - June 24 - 2:00 am

  HAVING HAD A HAND OPERATION MY MILES ARE LOW BUT THAT IS ABOUT TO CHANGE ALL SYSTEMS GO HAND DOING FINE THE CAR ITSELF IS FUN AND GOOD LOOKING

• 

  Love It - 2001 Acura MDX
  By Rorytug - June 22 - 2:00 am

  Honda has long been known for quality and 2001 filled my dreams when they entered the SUV market in a big way. I was set to purchase a Lexus 300 and am soo glas I had waited the estra year. MDX is dollar for dollar a much better product! The MDX is luxurious, comfortable, powerful and drives like a car with the benefits of the SUV. Its disign is solid with small things like where the Homelink buttons are located set it above.

• 

  Excellent X - 2001 Acura MDX
  By hopper2g - June 22 - 2:00 am

  Purchased new in 2000. Nothing but praise for Acura and this vehicle ever since. Our family has really enjoyed the MDX. There is plenty of room for all passengers and their gear while keeping them comfortable and safe. Still amazed by the sheer volume of interior room compared to the outside size. We get 25 MPG on the highway and its ULEV.