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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  Silver Rocket!! - 2005 Acura RSX
  By Tom - May 2 - 12:13 pm

  A fantastic car! Amazing performance from a 4 cyclinder engine (and good fuel economy as well). Short-throw 6 speed is perfect. Build quality is exceptional. Feels tighter than a drum. Stock stereo is quite good as well. Perfect car for those who want great performance but dont want the higher fuel costs and "boy racer" looks of some of the others.

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  Biggest Bang for Your Buck - 2002 Acura RSX
  By jer - May 2 - 10:00 am

  The new RSX fixes the few problems the Interga had. The best improvement is the seating. These seats are built for americans. They are large and comfortable, compared to the old integra. Furthermore, the 2 1/2" of additional height helps me from not hitting my head on the ceiling. This car is really complete also. The only options I had added to my fire pepper red Type-S was the rear wing, the upgrade wheels and the fog lights down in front. It is an incredible car; leather, great sound, 100hp per liter with under 3,000 lbs, hot as a pistol and all for under $26K!

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  WOW - 2005 Acura RSX
  By TCraftyL - May 1 - 11:55 am

  Just got my RSX a few weeks ago, and WOW! Its perfect for someone who wants a hot sports car but not something overly flashy. I was worried that the 160 horsepower engine wouldnt give me as much "go-power" as my last, 190 horsepower car, but thats not a problem. This little thing can go! I would have like to get the Type-S instead with 210 horsepower, but unfortunately I didnt like the wheels OR the spoiler that comes factory installed on the Type-S. Acura should consider changing them or making them options. To sum it up - this car is hot!

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  Not As Great As I Had Hoped... - 2015 Acura TLX
  By C. Lang - May 1 - 6:44 am

  Ive driven my 2015 TLX for a little over 2 years and Im really sad that the "redesign" for 2017 didnt fix any of my complaints. First off - the shifting "buttons" in between the seats. So unnecessary and awkward. My dog has turned on my brake assist button way more often than me! Second complaint - weird acceleration. The car has get up and go but it shifts weird and sluggishly in the lower gears, better once it gets going but it clunky that a car like this should be. Moving on - the "Brake" sensor that is supposed to alert you to brake because youre about to run into something has never actually gone off properly. It goes off when Im taking a curve and there are parked cars on the road, or it goes off when Im passing semis but not once has it gone for a real reason. Good golly Acura, could you please just give me a damn twisty knob for the temperature control and fan. 15 screen buttons later I might finally be able to change the fan from floor to defrost! I cant believe I havent hit someone yet while trying to work through the "Infotainment" system! You cant really dial in the windshield wipers. You might think youve got them on intermittent low, but low and behold this smart car "senses" more rain and kicks it into high gear which you cant slow down. The good - sitting in the drivers seat is very comfortable, rear seat, not so much! The car does handle the road very well and it does drive good in the snow and rain. I was so hopeful that the redesign for 2017 would fix some of my major issues, but alas, Acura decided the keep the horrid infotainment system and the shifting buttons. I doubt many of my other cons have been changed either so sadly this Acura will be going back to the dealer soon and I wont be shedding any tears when I see it go! Overall - I should have kept my 2012 Honda Accord, I liked it much better!

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  The Fabulous GSR - 1999 Acura Integra
  By erp - April 30 - 8:13 pm

  Ive had this car for a year now and have had no problems until now. The engine is burning oil at the rate of about a quart a month. Fortunately I had been planning to do an engine rebuild before I realized the motor actually needed it. I bought the car with 72,000 miles on it so there could have been significant abuse to the engine prior to me owning it. Even still, I love my car and I plan to keep it forever. Overall its a great car.

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  TSX 2004 - 2004 Acura TSX
  By ashlim - April 28 - 10:00 am

  Over the past nine months since I bought my new TSX the driving experience has been awesome. Its entirely made in Japan. I guess that sure makes a difference. I have driven the Accord V6 before I bought this car and there is definitely a difference in handling especially the turns. To test it I drove at 65 mph on a circular ramp and car didnt even flinch. That speaks volumes on the design and aerodynamics. Those of you still thinking should I or shouldnt I dont hesitate. Take action: Buy it. This is my honest opinion. This is a keepre for me. I got a white one. Its head turner on the roads.

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  Accura Go too - 2004 Acura TL
  By Richone - April 28 - 10:00 am

  This is the best Auto I have ever owned or driven including a couple of Cadillacs and Mercedes. I am sold on Accura

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  TL-S 2003 vs TL Navi 2004 - 2004 Acura TL
  By Gilles Gue - April 28 - 10:00 am

  More fun , a big difference

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  2017 Acura MDX Improved Looks-Solid Performance - 2017 Acura MDX
  By J.Raia - April 28 - 12:45 am

  Excellent ride and performance. Fit an finish not consistently excellent (lift back alignment not up to luxury standards on my vehicle) but this is nit picking an otherwise very solidly constructed vehicle. Previous Acura product (2000 TLX) lasted more than 15 years and 300k miles. Brand is very reliable and safe choice. Most people will be very happy with the MDX. An great value!

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  Good balance of luxury and price - 2009 Acura TSX
  By RBH - April 27 - 9:53 pm

  Lots of professional reviews say it is underpowered, but coming from a Volvo 850, the TSX is a bit more spirited than that car, it has enough power for me. Engine is smoother than I thought a I4 would be.