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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  EXPENSIVE HONDA - 2002 Acura RL
  By RLK - July 25 - 1:57 pm

  Vehicle has many impressive points but sitting position still reminds me of my Honda. Lexus has better driver visibility. Its time for Honda to give these cars their own chassis. Lexus designs their cars for American size drivers but Honda/Acura designs their cars for Japanese size drivers. A lot of car for the money.

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  Fantastic! - 2000 Acura Integra
  By Curtis - July 25 - 1:50 pm

  I bought this car 5 years ago, performed all recommended service, and have not had any problem. It is great looking, a lot of fun to drive, and, with the folddown seats and hatchback, I have been able to transport furniture, etc that could never have fit in any larger traditional sedan. I highly recommend this car.

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  My second but hardly final MDX - 2005 Acura MDX
  By M.Dennis McCarron - July 25 - 1:49 pm

  The 05 MDX is a world above the 01 I had first and THAT was a great vehicle! This may not be the splashiest SUV on the lot, but it is much more quiet and nimble than any other I have owned. I think the gas mileage is fair at 20-21 mpg but sustainable for now. The turning radius still amazes me!

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  Love the TL - 2005 Acura TL
  By cliff - July 23 - 10:23 pm

  I love the acura TL. Interior, quality are excellent. The only worry i have is when starting cold, it idles roughly. When warm it idles nice. Dont like to put premium fuel in it either. Get the navigation, its worth the extra. Buy the Type S if you can afford it.

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  Unreliable dressed up Honda - 2002 Acura TL
  By Hate TL-S - July 23 - 3:01 am

  I bought this car for its power and handling - was I in for a let down. I have a vibration from the front end - I use only Michelin Sport A/S - had this issue with OEs too. Well major issue is the transmission. I am on my 3rd. Seems to go out every 30k on me. I have 70k miles on it. Since the last transmission - car does not have the kick / pick-up. Revs like a rocket before I get any good speed. Not sure what they have done since the last transmission repair. Ive lost lot of power and handling in this car. Acura TL-S has a known tranmission problem - would stay away from it. All they do is replace it with a remanufactured transmission and hope it last.

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  Best car I ever owned - 2004 Acura TSX
  By ssweet - July 22 - 10:00 am

  It has been a pleasure to drive this car, all around

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  Hard to improve on - 2004 Acura TSX
  By TSXaholic - July 22 - 10:00 am

  i went from a 2003 Accord EX 4cyl. The performance is similar but the TSX just handles like a dream. They need to graft some of this on the Accord. My only suggestion would be to consider a taller 5th gear for high speed cruise control modulated highway commutes; I have averaged 30 MPG vs 34 in the Accord.

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  I LOVE THIS CAR - 2004 Acura TL
  By JoJoRocks - July 22 - 10:00 am

  I BOUGHT MY 2004 ACURA TL IN OCTOBER 2003, 2 WEEKS AFTER IT CAME OUT TO BUY, I HAD BEEN LOOKING AT THE 2003 TL WAS GOING TO BUY IT AND WHEN I SEEN THE ADVERTISEMENT FOR THE 2004 I SAID "THATS IT, THATS THE ONE IM GOING TO BUY" SO I WENT TO THE DEALER THEY HAD ONE IN THE SHOW ROOM WITH ALL THE OPTIONS,SO I BOUGHT MINE AND PUT ALL THE OPTIONS ON MINE. I LOVE MY CAR BEST DECISION I EVER MADE.I GET COMPLIMENTS ALL DAY LONG. ITS AN AWESOME CAR THANKS

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  Best Car Out of Last 10 I Owned - 2004 Acura TL
  By Spensky - July 22 - 10:00 am

  Best Car Out of Last 10 I Owned.. I drive 25000 miles a year and for the money this is the best car I have ever had. Plus I am looking forward to the higher than most trade in value Acure is known for.

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  Rick - 2004 Acura TL
  By RixToy - July 22 - 10:00 am

  Great car. Fun to drive. Great blend of performance, luxury and comfort. Looks great, very quick and agile. A great value. Super sound system.