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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  Luxury Sedan Under 35K - 2005 Acura TL
  By Louie - January 15 - 8:56 am

  I purchased my 2005 Acura TL three days ago. It took me a month to do research, comparison and test drive and I came to my final conclusion. This car has all the standard features you wanted in a Luxury sedan. The Acura TL was very stable on high speed an has an endless list of standard features.

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  Close to Excellent - 2002 Acura RSX
  By Scott RSX - January 15 - 2:00 am

  +fuel economy-I really am getting 33mpg on the highways@70mph +fun to drive-excellent pick up for a four cylinder +multi click drivers side window to go all the way up or all the way down-very handy for paying tolls and for parking lots -The turning radius seems large, so getting out a parking spot requires alot of steering wheel movement -bucket seats are not that well padded Minor defects: The drivers side map light was sticking, my dealership replaced it for free, and then noticed that after a month of driving, the bucket seat cloth was being pulled from its seams. They fixed that too without any cost.

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  Great machine - 2005 Acura TL
  By Byron - January 14 - 9:06 am

  This car is competitive against BMW 325 and 525. The car looks better than both of them, is quicker than both of them and at top end faster than both. This car is much more responsive in acceleration than either BMWs and a hell of lot more comfortable. The TL is also a better deal for your money coming in a lot cheaper than the 525. During the summer, I live in WV and the mountain roads I drive on are easily taken on by this car.

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  A Japanese Euro Sedan in America - 2005 Acura TSX
  By Peter - January 13 - 12:06 pm

  Acura has definitely lived up to the hype. A limited production vehicle, the TSX is in definite competition with the BMW 325i, Audi A4, Mercedes Benz C Class, Subaru WRX, and Infiniti G35. The interior is luxurious and tasteful, with a plethora of features and amenities, especially the useful navigation system. The exterior is well designed, with the grill complementing its aggressive stance. The ride is firm but soft, as the suspension withstands bumps nicely. The body is agile and has minimal body roll, giving the TSX a sports sedan attitude. The 200hp VTEC engine is smooth and silky, with plenty of low-end torque for passing and freeway acceleration. At $30,000, a definite best buy.

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  TSX is it !!! - 2006 Acura TSX
  By Jerry M - January 12 - 9:26 am

  Love this car. Manual (6 speed) is a must. Great car to drive, drives excellent and low price (about 27K+tax). Love dual AC temperature control.

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  A good all around car. - 2003 Acura RL
  By jrender - January 12 - 2:00 am

  This is a great Japanese luxury sedan for the price. I was looking at the 5 series Bimmers and the lexus ls 430. This car was much less than both, after the rebates. Extremely reliable and fun to drive.

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  awesome car - 2016 Acura RDX
  By Raj - January 11 - 8:27 pm

  i love my RDX . Best car for that price . So quite and comfort ride

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  My Lexuss Younger brother - 2016 Acura MDX
  By Chuck - January 11 - 5:51 pm

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  Better Than Ever Possible! - 2003 Acura RSX
  By Russcom87 - January 11 - 10:00 am

  Awesome car, awesome at everything. At a great price too.

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  NSX - 2002 Acura NSX
  By Long - January 10 - 2:00 am

  This is a excellent car. I love it, it is fun to drive. Go and buy this car.