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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  Stuck on a Hwy.. Engine Check - 2002 Acura MDX
  By Mr Singapore - December 24 - 10:00 am

  How can a new MDX like my just stuck on a Hwy.. The engine just let go while I am driving around 130km/hr.. The engine check light is on and I just got enough time to direct my car to the ramp.. This is not fun and a major safty issue.. I WONT buy ANY ACURA anymore ! The roadside assistance and dealership services is nothing compare to Infinit provide..

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  I Love This Car! - 2009 Acura TSX
  By Face - December 23 - 6:56 pm

  If you look outside of Edmunds there are so many negative reviews on this car, but honestly I have no idea what these people are talking about. You get so much technology and bells in whistles for the price compared to VW, Audi, BMW or even Lexus. I looked at them all and even though all those cars were good in their own right I felt the Acura was the one to get. I am 62, 250 and find the seats very comfortable and the car a pleasure to drive. This car has the perfect blend of great gas mileage without having the usual sacrifice of an under powered engine.

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  Cooling Problems - 1998 Acura SLX
  By apgaines - December 23 - 5:33 pm

  Just bought this car and while driving it home from the dealer it overheated. I replaced the t-stat, and radiator due to dealer putting stop leak in motor to cover up bad head gasket or cracked head. It has been towed further than driven so far. I am taking it back to the dealer under the lemon law, and conditions not discovered during test drive. The engine is also an oil consumer I recently researched and found out on the web. Isuzu is not willing to repair this issue on models made prior to 2000, so drive with a few cases of motor oil when you go on road trips. I may be in for a long haul of repairs on this one.

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  My first car - 2005 Acura RSX
  By aaron - December 22 - 6:17 pm

  This is the first car ive bought with my own dinero, and as such u could imagine that a lot of thought went in to it. I was looking at the 2005 Ford Mustang first of all but when I went to the Acura dealership and sat down in the type-s, well i knew then and there that this was the car i wanted. drove it out of the park the same day.

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  I love my TSX - 2004 Acura TSX
  By Kona_resident - December 22 - 5:29 am

  First one out of the Santa Monica Acura dealership!!! I opted for the TSX after owning 3 Integras and after my 92 GSR was stolen... I was looking for more comfort, less noise, automatic tranny because I wanted to cnange my driving style from agressive to relaxed... well the 5A TSX did it but without loosing that sporty feel... I love the hi-revving big 4, the sportshift, the handling, the nice style... Even after almost 2 years, I frequently witness other driver stalk me trying to figure out what this nice car is!!!

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  My 2nd NSX - 2002 Acura NSX
  By Easygo711 - December 22 - 2:06 am

  The thrill and performance of a Ferrari and the reliability of a Honda. This car can be a daily driver and it wont break the bank. This is my 2nd. NSX. My previous one was a green 1996. I sold it with 62,000 miles and the car was tight with no problems. I bought my 2002 with 11,000 miles. I wanted a red one and wanted the 3.2 and 6 speed. My buddy has a Porsche and he said it costs him more than his ex- wife. I drove Vipers, Corvettes and Porsches. I feel the NSX out did them all. In overall driveability, quality and fun factor. My wife loves to drive it. And you dont see one on every corner. ITS A TRUE EXOTIC.

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  Interesting piece of work - 2004 Acura TSX
  By Black Jedi Knight - December 21 - 10:00 am

  Owned an 03 Accord V-6 prior to the TSX. The TSX looks better and out handles the Accord. I have taken corners in the TSX that I would normally back off of in the Accord. When compared to the BMW 3 series (which always happens) the TSX is a better value. It comes with more standard features and if you pay attention the BMW has a six cylinder engine that puts out 186hp. Definately not worth the extra $5-$7k. For a four cylinder the engine has provided excellent power when going uphill than expected. The manual is the way to go. The power spectrum is very broad from 3000 RPMs to redline. Step on it once in awhile, youll enjoy it.

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  TL - Luxury on a Budget - 2004 Acura TL
  By Webman - December 21 - 10:00 am

  Traded in Mazda RX-8 I bought last summer, because I missed that Acura luxury. This car is great. It rides like dream, has some get up and go, and the DVD audio sound system is fantastic. I usually trade cars in every 1 - 2 years, but cant imagine doing that with this one. It has it all, and I can still afford to send my kids to college. Also, I look forward to having front wheel drive again this winter. With the RX-8 I found myself borrowing my wifes and sons cars last winter.

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  after 175,000 miles - 1999 Acura TL
  By John J - December 20 - 4:09 pm

  After 175,000 miles there have been some problems:- Auto dim review mirror died early on.- EGR system cost $300 to fix a valve that was later redesigned- Plenty of rattles behind dash & sunroof.- Nav computer needs further refinements.- HID light died. Major $$$ to fix- Alarm system goes off often when starting.On the plus side,- The car has not yet left me on the side of the road. Original sparkplugs and timing belt.

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  Laughing all the way to the bank - 2004 Acura TL
  By seattle_maslow - December 19 - 10:46 am

  OK, so its front wheel drive. Thats the worst thing. Other than that, this car is awesome. The drive train makes it tough to squeeze all 270 horses out coming off the line, but it makes up for it in second and at higher speeds.And truth be told, it excels on the freeway, which is the bulk of my driving. The interior blows away anything in the price range and the sound system is unparalleled. Too bad DVD-A discs are so limited. In Seattle 3-series are a dime a dozen. This car stands out and is an awesome value. Tally up the features and youre looking at a 325 (not even a 330) for about $10k more.