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:

• 

  Great Vehicle - 1998 Acura TL
  By craigch8 - February 7 - 2:00 am

  I bought my 2.5 TL used with 50K miles on it. I now have over 100Kmiles on it and it still drives like new. I originally bought it with a warranty, never needed it. Extremely reliable, just as quick as the 3.2TL, better gas mileage. I would suggest this model to anyone. Youll love it.

• 

  Im in love with my car - 1999 Acura TL
  By im a believer - February 7 - 2:00 am

  I totally love this car! It has been a fantastic value. It looks great and I look great in it. After 14 years of driving "mom" cars, I feel like Ive reclaimed my youth. The engine is powerful, the handling is great, the interior is sleek and comfortable.

• 

  Ill buy them again and again - 1997 Acura CL
  By Mike from Buffalo - February 6 - 2:00 am

  When I purchased the CL prem.w/ a stick, three years old with 33k on the odometer. I now have 104k and have had very little trouble with this car. Im still on the orginal front brakes, I replace the back at 97k. I replaced a window lift at 95k for $220, muffler at 60k, alignment at 80k for $60. I am amazed at this vehicle and am buying a new TL this spring only because of the new baby coming in June (back door-babyseat). I will always drive Acura

• 

  What a deal! Germans beware! - 2005 Acura TL
  By CarHappy2day - February 5 - 5:36 am

  Lets keep it short and simple. Budget was $55,000. 1 months test driving 12 different cars including: BMW 530i,Mercedes-Benz E350, and the Audi A6. Ive always had German cars to drive. Would never buy anything else besides German... so I thought. Then I saw the Acura TL. It was on my mind all the time when I finally decided Id check it out online and do some research on it. I took a test drive and was sold. Amazing overall package for an unreal price! I decided to take it through some mountain roads. O.M.G! Im driving a piece of art that drives almost like a BMW! Then again thats what it was designed to do. Top Speed on freeway 150 mph so far. Paid $31,750. Would have paid BMW,Benz,Audi$

• 

  My Acura CL-S - 2003 Acura CL
  By wayne129 - February 5 - 2:00 am

  So far its been the best vehicle ive ever driven. Fun, fast, powerful, sexy, the CL-S coupe has it all. Only downside...get rid of Bose! I will be adding after-market Alpine HU and JL Audio speakers and amps.

• 

  Best Car Made - 2004 Acura RSX
  By Alex Silver - February 5 - 2:00 am

  Great car for everything. Really fast! Great design inside and on the outside. I think its the best car made.

• 

  sweet ride - 2002 Acura RSX
  By ak_rsx-s - February 5 - 2:00 am

  great car, the only thing that i have a problem with is the gas milage, i have a 92 honda prelude si that gets better gass milage..

• 

  MDX - 2004 Acura MDX
  By MDXDriver - February 5 - 2:00 am

  Great, realiable, comfortable car, no problems. Drove an earlier model Acura for 10 years with great results.

• 

  A Trinity of Positives - 2003 Acura TL
  By Joe Gibbs - February 5 - 2:00 am

  This vehicle provides an excellent powertrain with proven reliability, alluring styling, and all for a apectacular value. p.s. the navigation system is worth it if you have the extra $.

• 

  TL for TLisious - 2004 Acura TL
  By TLicious - February 5 - 2:00 am

  This car is one of the most techno advanced cars on the market. Even after 2 months I am amazed every time I get in the car. Acura did it right with the interior and exterior design. The performance and handling is incredible. Driving this car in the snow is a breeze with traction control, electronic vehicle stability, throttle by wire, and antilock brakes. The engine begs you to drive it FAST. Interior and exterior quality is second to no others I have not found one workmanship flaw yet-inside or out. Nothing feels cheap or flimsy.