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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  Simply Awesome - 1996 Acura NSX
  By pr - April 27 - 2:00 am

  For anyone reading this, I will tell you that this is simply a car enthusiasts dream. This is simply the best sports car I have ever owned. Everything you read and hear about this car is true. It handles better than any car, it is unbelievably reliable, and exceptionally fast. It turns heads at every corner.

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  Best buy for the money - 2001 Acura CL
  By Ampher - April 27 - 2:00 am

  Ive had this car for three years. Overall a great car. The sunroof has a fluttering noise the dealer has never been able to fix. The sunroof doesnt open very far. But the sunroof being my only complaint, must be a great car!

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  Excellent Car - 1997 Acura CL
  By DKB30 - April 25 - 2:00 am

  This is the best car Ive ever owned. Extremely reliable, looks great even after 6 years and 120000 miles, sporty yet roomy.

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  A Beautiful Ride - 1997 Acura CL
  By Melanie Daniels - April 25 - 2:00 am

  I bought my 3.0 Premium CL new in 97, and it still looks stunning in the driveway. Friends (male) have driven it and spontaneously commented on its truly amazing handling. This car has fantastic road feel and a smooth ride. The CL has enough power at 20-40 mph to scoot you safely into your lane change in city traffic with no sweat. The six speaker BOSE audio system is crystal clear with beautiful dymanics, and its more than loud enough to hear above freeway noise on the way to the beach. There is also enough head, shoulder and leg room in the rear seat to comfortably accomodate two adults. Six years and not one problem.

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  2002 TL "S" Type - 2002 Acura TL
  By Paul C. Daily - April 25 - 2:00 am

  The TL S type is the best car I have ever owned (out of 16 new ones). It is very fast, yet gets 22 mpg in town and 30 on the hwy. However, my experience with the dealer service is the worst I have ever experienced. Pure arrogance and extremely poor customer service is not what I expected from Acura. For this reason, the car is for sale and I have just purchased a new BMW.

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  First Acura - 2016 Acura MDX
  By Paul Moyer - April 24 - 12:48 pm

  After owning several BMWs, Mercedes, and lastly a Jeep Grand Cherokee, I decided to look at Acura due to its quality reputation and value. A comparable BMW or Porsche would have cost 20K more. I was immediately impressed with the comfort, quality, and performance. Although not as sporty as BMW products I have owned, it drives and corners smartly. Probably the quietest vehicle I have owned. After many dealership visits with the Jeep, I look forward to years of routine service only with the Acura.

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  Almost perfect RDX - 2017 Acura RDX
  By Robert Nordlie - April 23 - 9:51 am

  Ive had my RDX for a month and already have 2000 miles on it. Overall, I love the car. Very comfortable seats and ride, however, Ive had a little difficulty finding and ideal driving position. I am very tall and with the seat all the way back to accommodate my legs, the steering wheel does not telescope quite far enough to be completely comfortable. Many complain about the two screen technology but I like it very much. I also own a Corvette so I like to go fast, and as a result Im only averaging about 21 mpg around town, but thats fine with me since I had a Ford Explorer Sport before this and only got 17 mpg with that. Overall, I am very satisfied and would highly recommend this vehicle. I really like the styling, with the door handles contoured to the belt line and the LED headlights. I also like the clean back end with no bumper sticking out below the hatch and not visible exhaust tips (and yes I do like the four exhaust trumpets on my Vette).

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  One of the Best - 2009 Acura TSX
  By acuralover4life - April 22 - 10:06 pm

  We absolutely love our TSX. So far we have had no problems out of it. We decided to just get the Base w/auto model. Mainly because we didnt want to spend an extra $3,000 on a navigation system where as you can get a portable one for $200 at many stores. We have had it for a little over 3 months and it already has over 3,000 miles on it. One thing I do wish is that we would have waited and looked at the new TLs. Another thing is that I wish it would have is an inside fuel door release instead of having to have to push it on the outside.

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  comutter dream - 2004 Acura TSX
  By konna - April 20 - 10:00 am

  I really enjoy my tsx,my friends say it looks like a Japanise BMW I say its a great car for the price. first car i have ever had that has it all

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  Relibility and Workmanship - 2004 Acura TSX
  By Japan - April 20 - 10:00 am

  This car is a pure 100% born in Japan production vehicle. No Mix with another country on parts and labor. I can tell the difference from the workmanship and quality of the parts Acura had used in this vehicle. Remember, you get what you pay for!.