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:

• 

  car - 1997 Acura Integra
  By mEeh - August 4 - 2:00 am

  ive had my integra for a while and it still isnt boring 2 drive

• 

  Fun car to drive - 1995 Acura Integra
  By Vtec - August 4 - 2:00 am

  This is a fun car to drive. great quality and reliability from Acura. I have the car for seven years now and do not have any big problem with it. The only thing broke down was the retracable antenna. I enjoy driving the car, specially it could easily take on any cars in its class.

• 

  Siggy - 2001 Acura TL
  By Siggy Martin - August 4 - 2:00 am

  Wifes car, but steal it whenever shes not looking and make her drive my truck. Wonderful vehicle. Classy, sleak, peppy, stylish. Makes you "feel good" when driving it. Zips down the interstate at 90 with ease. 27 to 28 MPG is great for this fiesty V-6.

• 

  Beautiful car! - 1996 Acura TL
  By chrism - August 3 - 2:00 am

  I love my Acura! Its a pleasure to drive, luxurious, and extremely reliable.

• 

  My VERY FIRST 3.5 RL ACURA - 2002 Acura RL
  By LENG - August 3 - 2:00 am

  Great looking car for a luxurious car. This car was a very reasonable price. Very comfortable to drive and enjoy. My in-law decided to purchase two more of the same vehicles at the unbelievable price.

• 

  Best SUV Available - 2001 Acura MDX
  By Acura enthusiast - August 3 - 2:00 am

  I shopped the RX300 and X5 along with the MDX (excluded the ML320 because of reported reliability horrors). For the price, the other two couldnt compare. Although I heard stories about price- gouging and rude dealer behavior, my experience at Jeffrey Acura in Roseville, Michigan was perfect. Since obtaining it, I have gone on several road trips, endured two winters, and moved to a new state. The MDX performed perfectly in all conditions and can really haul a load of stuff! This is my 7th Acura, but not my last.

• 

  BANG FOR A BUCK!!! - 2004 Acura TSX
  By TSX LOVER - August 2 - 10:00 am

  This car has some of the most amazing features at a price that is absolutly astounding! The navigation system is very easy to use and reliable. The sound system in this car is phenominal, and I just couldnt be happier with this car!

• 

  Best Value for your Dollar by far! - 2004 Acura TL
  By malainafayth - August 2 - 10:00 am

  Prior to purchashing my TL, I drove as many comparable vehicles as I could including the BMW 330 & 525,Infiniti G35,Accord EX,ES 300,& the Mercedes C- Class. Given that I was trading in my 03 Anniversary Edition Corvette for a 4door sedan, I refused to sacrifice performance & styling for practicality. While Im not so fond of the TLs rear end (I actually prefer the TSXs), it bears a stiking resemblance to the 5-series BMW. The problem is that it was going to cost me a minimum of 10k more to get in a comparably equipped BMW. I decided (& I still believe) that the TL is by far the best value for the dollar.

• 

  Parts are expensive! - 1995 Acura Integra
  By Jordon - August 2 - 2:00 am

  im in love with my car... it has over 110k on it though. The stock clutch lasted 110k though thats pretty impressive. THough a clutch is gonna be over 900 bucks to install and everything. Parts are expensive car is aweseom!

• 

  i love my tl - 1996 Acura TL
  By tony95608 - August 2 - 2:00 am

  they should never have changed the body