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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  More cars should function like this - 1994 Acura Integra
  By ranman - August 10 - 2:00 am

  How many times Ive used this car to pick up furniture and always get the same look as I pull up to load it.. like what does this guy think hes doing??? Yet every time the desk, hutch, or whatever it happens to be (last time it was a baby crib) fits perfectly with the rear seats folded down. Yet, pull the seats up, and take the care for a ride, it is a sweet ride, just make sure you buy the manual transmission - it is better

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  I love this car - 1994 Acura Integra
  By yahoo@hotmail.com - August 9 - 2:00 am

  I bought my GS-R used about 6 years ago and have loved driving it every minute. It is fun, fast and still can comfortably seat 4 people when it needs to. I cannot think of any car I would rather have than this one.

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  Best car ever! - 1998 Acura Integra
  By typer800 - August 9 - 2:00 am

  Ive driven all kinds of cars and nothing even comes close to how great this car is. Its a car with not only unbelivable performance, but also unsurpassed reliability. Just keep up on the maintanence, and it will run forever.

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  Best car Ive ever owned - 1994 Acura Vigor
  By shiela - August 8 - 2:00 am

  Through my driving years Ive owned 2 brand new Ford products, a new Chrysler and a new GM. No car has ever performed as reliably as this one. After 115,000 miles my 16 year old is getting it and Im getting a new one. Acura makes great products that last. Not one single thing has broken or has needed to be replaced outside of normal things ie. brakes etc. This is is more than I can say for my husbands Jaguar.

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  2005 MDX Premium - 2005 Acura MDX
  By RedSox18 - August 7 - 10:26 am

  I have had Hondas for 15 years and have owned two CRVs during that time. This Acura was a bit of a splurge for me, but I felt it was a step above the Honda Pilot, offering a solid, quality vehicle with a little more luxury, comfort and style. I spend a couple of hours per day in my car, so I am pleased with the purchase so far. I have two kids, and the MDX comes standard with side curtain airbags, which the Pilot does not. So far, I am impressed with the MDX and the smooth ride and responsive handling. It handles well in rain and snow, and hugs dry pavement much better than my small SUVs. Highly recommend this quality vehicle. Loads of room, too!

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  Best value on the market - 2004 Acura TL
  By Car-Nut - August 7 - 10:00 am

  Owned a Lexus, Infiniti, Jag, Mercedes in the past few years. This is by far the best overall car of the above. I had heard so much about the new Chrysler 300 and thought sure I would buy one the day they came out. Not only is the Chrysler 3.5 more expensive, it is junk compared to my 3.2 TL

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  Perfect car for young single guy - 2002 Acura RSX
  By AcuraGuy - August 5 - 10:00 am

  I researched several vehicles before looking at the RSX but fell in love with it when I test drove it. Bought it a week later and havent regretted my decision. Ive now had my Acura for a month and put nearly 3,000 miles on the car already. Absolutely no problems other than an alignment issue that the dealership immediately took care of. Great power, superb handling, and fantastic styling are tradmarks of car. I have had several strangers come up and tell me they love my car. Not that I crave attention but being 25 and having girls come up and strike up conversation about my car is a plus. Get a spoiler...its worth the couple hundred dollars.

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  MDXcellant - 2001 Acura MDX
  By dec - August 5 - 2:00 am

  I have owned my MDX for 30,0000 miles and 23 months. I am completely satisfied with my decision to purchase it. I disagree with Pete, above. I think the interior is simple and elegant. There is nothing "cheap" about it. The workmanship is equal the Lexus and better than the German competition.

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  No one close at this price point! - 2006 Acura TL
  By JC - August 4 - 11:06 pm

  Easy to own/maintain Acura/Honda quality product. Drive significant miles (30-40K/yr)and have driven a new vehicle every 18 mos for the last 10 years. This one is by far the best and most fun. Moves past and/or around any situation on the highways, fun in on off ramps. Avg. 28 MPG overall! At $3+/gallon.......thats nice! Perfect blend of Luxury/Sport/Economy. Smart car to buy.

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  Just Awesome - 2008 Acura TL
  By NJ - August 4 - 2:46 am

  The best in its class. Cant be beat in quality, options, ride, and value for price point. Way to go Acura!!