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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  Great car but needs minor improvements - 2005 Acura RSX
  By Gerard - July 10 - 3:52 pm

  I had an 04 that creaked and groaned with body flex and some other problems as well so the dealer bought it back from me and sold me this one. Much improved structure, smoother ride (with bigger wheels), infinitely more comfortable seats, the boy racer rear wing is finally gone, and the exhaust note is better. This is one fun car to drive and knowing its a Honda, itll last. 0-60 time cut from 6.3 to 6.2? awesome! Build quality has been improved and its look isnt so animated. Still very irked that there is no center armrest, no XM option, cant play MP3s, and no express up/down on passenger side.

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  a quality drive - 2005 Acura MDX
  By George Pado - July 10 - 11:57 am

  This is absolutely the best vehicle I have ever driven. The MDX touring package has all the bells and whistles anyone can want in an SUV. A little pricy compared to some other SUVs but well worth the money. Acceleration is fast and smooth, with a very quiet ride.

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  Acura MDX - 2005 Acura MDX
  By McGinnisRohe - July 10 - 9:33 am

  Love everything about this car except the amount of wind noise on the highway. The navigation system is by far the best in the industry. I have friends with three other systems and they all envy this one for ease of use.

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  Buy It! - 2005 Acura RSX
  By Dee - July 9 - 2:52 pm

  If you are looking at any of the competitors dont even bother. This car rocks! It is fun to drive and has the Acura quality that others cant compete with. This car is practical to drive everyday, but is still fun and kicks it when you need to. I would say that the only negative is the size. Some of my taller guy friends are really crammed when riding in it. I have had Civics, Accords, Eclipse, and none compare to this car. I can honestly say, you will never regret it if you buy and RSX.

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  Great solid affordable luxury vehicle - 2005 Acura TL
  By Don - July 8 - 9:43 pm

  I was going to purchase a C230 Mercedes Sport Sedan and chose the Acura TL instead. Having owned numerous Acuras since 1990 as well as a Mercedes since 2002, I really enjoyed the rear wheel drive of Mercedes. Once I test drove a 2005 TL, the ride and handling of the TL closely matched if not exceeded that of the C230 Sport Sedan Plus, the smooth power of the Acura V6 is quite impressive. Once I priced a MB with all the features standard on the TL, the MB was going to cost right at $40K. Plus, Acura reliability and resale value has been consistent for years.The TL is a fine automobile that has sufficient power and economy to satisfy almost all types of drivers for everyday driving.

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  Good Car, Not So Good Tranny - 1998 Acura CL
  By Tim - July 7 - 11:39 pm

  Bought the car from a local Acura dealer with 66k miles in Feb 2004 (3.0 premium). Car was (then) mechanically perfect and ran flawlessly. Now at 85k, the tranny is slipping and has been periodically for the last 10k miles. Fortunately, I have a warranty that will replace it. Wish I could drop a 5-speed but the cost would be around 8-10k, way too much money. So except for the one huge problem, this car is fantastic. Build quality is typical Honda, interior has held up great, very nice all around. Im actually thinking of getting a 2.3 stick as a 2nd vehicle.

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  Couldnt ask for more. - 2004 Acura MDX
  By minnie - July 7 - 5:23 pm

  Good acceleration, extremely stable handling, slightly less poorer milage than expected, excellent fit and finish. This car has been extremely reliable and has amazing safety statistics.

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  COMPETITION???? NONE!!!!!!! - 2005 Acura MDX
  By sftonykim - July 7 - 4:21 am

  I just bought my 05 MDX w/NAV & DVD Ent. on 4th of July. I had and still do have Lexus 300 for the past 4 years and theres just no comparison. I wanted to buy a 7 passenger seating and was looking at Lexus GX470 and MBZ ML500. Compared all the vehicles by its features, comfort, gadgets/technologies, options, hp, torque, styling, and value.... with two hands WAY DOWN, MDX came out ahead. Theres just no way that MBZ ML500 nor Lexus GX470 could compete. Both MBZ & Lexuss rear/back passenger seats are installed on the side of the trunk space....so inconvenient! If you want the BEST SUV, MDX is way to go. Dont even waste your time shopping around!

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  2nd time around - 2005 Acura MDX
  By bobfir - July 6 - 8:27 pm

  When my lease came up on my 2001 MDX I looked at everything in the Luxury class and just couldnt find another car that I liked any better. As a Real Estate broker I needed a SUV that was confortable in the back as well as the front. The reclining back seats are much better than the straight up and down seating in many other models. The NAV system is the best in fuction of any I have seen. ONSTAR and XM are also a great addition to the older model. The best car I have ever had (my 2001 MDX) got better.

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  Great car, Safe and Stylish - 2002 Acura RSX
  By wtm - July 6 - 1:03 pm

  I unfortunately totaled my RSX-S recently by bouncing it off two trees at almost 70 mph. There was no damage to the interior cabin and thankfully no injuries. Besides being safe, this car is a thrill to drive. The car is really fun at about 6500 rpms and handles beautifully. The leather interior is comfortable and sporty, especially the red guages. This car is great for the consumer that wants excitement in a safe and stylish compact car. The car is an overall great buy and I would recommend it to anyone in the compact market.