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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  Never Got Lost Drove Like a Dream - 1999 Acura TL
  By JJC - February 15 - 5:29 pm

  Best car for the money, bar none. GPS navigation system works like a charm .... you cant get lost. Speed shift gives the control and acceleration of manual shifting, without a clutch. 225 hp engine packs enough punch, and still gets 25-27 mpg highway, and 20+ mpg city. Leather heated power seats are cozy. Only drawback is its modest exterior .... but even that is a blessing in disguise, as I never really worry about it getting stolen or vandalized.

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  Great Car - 2009 Acura TSX
  By Bay Area Guy - February 15 - 3:53 pm

  Just bought a 2009 TSX with Technology package and so far am very happy with it. Handles great, automatic transmission is very smooth, has every conceivable bell and whistle, navigation system is great, and sound system is superb. Gas mileage has been very good and engine is pleasantly peppy for a 4 cylinder car. The taut sports-like suspension was my only concern during the test driving, but I have come to appreciate the feel for the road it communicates. Overall am very happy with the car so far, and especially love the stellar sounds system with iPod integrated out of sight in the center console.

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  Acura MDX - 2001 Acura MDX
  By Deb - February 15 - 12:54 pm

  The Acura is the best SUV Ive ever owned (Ive had 3 different ones). It is very spacious and handles extremely well. I owned an Acura Legend several years ago and these are the best two cars Ive ever owned.

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  RSX Type S with every dealer option avl. - 2002 Acura RSX
  By Cuffsuup - February 15 - 2:00 am

  Excellent

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  A good value - 2003 Acura TL
  By wrx_tester - February 15 - 2:00 am

  Car does accelerate well but transmission kickdown in both auto and automanual is not at all smooth. RPM at 75mph is less than 2000 which helps limit engine noise. The stereo is not up to snuff vs. German brands. Build quality esp. around the bumpers was questionable. Give them a push and they might fall off. Could use 7" wheels instead of 6.5".

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  Great Ride - 2002 Acura TL
  By Rob - February 13 - 9:35 pm

  So far, no problems with the car. I love the Type-S features. I have the Blue TL and I upgraded from an Accord. I like the power of the TL, and its responsiveness. Only problems with 65k on it was normal maintenance and the recalls. Otherwise a fun car to drive.

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  Top choice for sporty/luxury coupe - 2002 Acura RSX
  By dawheat - February 13 - 5:16 pm

  Ive had my Type-S for over 6 months now and have not regretted a moment. Plenty of power, silky-smooth engine, tight handling, and the best interior in its class. While not outright the fastest car- it can more than hold its own in a straight line as well as having excellent stock handling. No other coupe matches its combination of sportiness, refinement, and luxury.

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  Outstanding machinery - 1999 Acura CL
  By ns97us - February 13 - 1:47 am

  So far I only added the gas and did the regular maintenance. Has the original Michelin tires (100k)! This baby helps me to take the lead on the fastest lane of the freeway in no time: its the cheetah of the roads.

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  Perfect Car... - 2002 Acura RSX
  By bri1042 - February 12 - 4:36 am

  Traded in a 95 Integra GS-R for the Type S. Its everything the GSR was and more. Drives well in traffic, comfy for long drives, goes fast when I need it to.

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  unbelievable daily commuter!! - 2004 Acura RSX
  By huichan - February 12 - 2:00 am

  I just purchased Rsx type-s. I am very happy that I got this car. I was almost going to buy the new mazda 3. But the horrible manners of people in Mazda dealer, I switched my mind and went to Acura to get this gorgeous looking vehicle. It looks sporty enough, has pretty quick response engine. Very fun to drive ,also, the audio system is decent. I wont regret that I got this car instead of the unstable Mazda cars