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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  4dr zoom with class - 2003 Acura TL
  By lefty2 - July 24 - 2:00 am

  Great automobile for the 4dr boy racer. All around very good car with few flaws and excellent value. I just wish the Japanese would provide a 8 way power seat for the passenger considering the class of car. This car is very easy on fuel for such a powerful engine.

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  nsx - 1996 Acura NSX
  By dargos - July 23 - 2:00 am

  this car iz cool, you cant get any thing better for that price.it is like a lamborginie but cheaper.

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  Blows my former Lexus NXt200 Away - 2017 Acura RDX
  By Gary - July 22 - 11:30 am

  I owned a Lexus NXt200 for the last two years and have been a Lexus guy for 20 years. Still love their cars. However, I have been driving the the RDX for the last two months and can definitively say it is far and away a better car than the NXt for my money. In short: the RDX interior feels more luxurious; acceleration is much smoother; car is quieter; and the technology such as adaptive cruise control, lane departure and blind spot monitoring make long trips much less stressful. You almost feel like you are a pilot monitoring a plane on auto pilot versus constantly turning cruise control on and off and fighting your way through traffic. Its more like you glide your way through traffic on the interstate. Of course, no car is perfect and there is still room for tweaks and improvements. For example, if you are on the interstate in the left lane and going around a long curve the car senses the the car ahead of you in the right lane is actually in front of you and slows down unnecessarily. But this is a rare and minor annoyance, especially compared the the raft of positive attributes this car possesses. I highly recommend you check it out during your due diligence period when shopping for a mid-size SUV. I am extremely happy I did.

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  Luxury, Perfomance & Value - 2006 Acura TSX
  By Rybes - July 22 - 6:30 am

  After looking at the 325, A4 and IS250, the TSX was the obvious choice. Comparable 325 was $36k with storage issues and outdated interior. Competitors options are standard on this car plus maintenance is almost non existent. Quicker, quieter and better quality than the S60 I was driving. Much has changed for the better since my 94 Accord EX. Definitely recommend to anyone looking for an entry level luxury and look forward to my next Acura!

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  awesome - 1996 Acura Integra
  By tROY - July 22 - 2:00 am

  this car is awesome! and pretty quick too.

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  A Pleasure to Drive - 1999 Acura CL
  By Brianx - July 22 - 2:00 am

  I was able to purchase my 1999 CL last year with remaining factory warranty and since it was Certified, I got an extra year, for a total of 3.3 years total waranty. Not that I have needed to use the warranty, it is just nice to have it, just in case. The car only had 4500 miles on it and was in excellent condition. I have been extremely impressed with the ride, handling, power, and pick-up with this car. It easily out performs my 1996 Maxima. The Maxima could not even come close to this car in MPG. And, I do not have to use Premium fuel with the CL, like I didwith the Maxima. This model is a bargain, especially if you can get one that is Certified.

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  Love My Vigor - 1993 Acura Vigor
  By Acura Fan in Ohio - July 21 - 2:00 am

  This is my 4th Acura/Honda product and as with the others I love my Acura Vigor. It is beautiful, dependable, quiet, powerful and built to last. It now has 187,000 miles on it and I am dreading trading it in on something newer. If anyone has opportunity to buy a low mileage Vigor, I say go for it!

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  Best New SUV Under $50K - 2007 Acura MDX
  By KC - July 19 - 8:36 pm

  As expected, Acuras attention to detail, outstanding quality and impeccable ergonomics live on. The overall interior quality is terrific. Love the handling prowess. Takes curves like a sports sedan - well, almost. Very good power once over 30 mph. Very smooth suspension compliance but so much that wallowing and pitch/rolls dominate; spot on blend of comfort and handling. Additionally, the navigation system is terrific and easy to use. The upgraded stereo system is awesome, and the rear view camera is great. Leather, sunroof and all the bells and whistles I could want. Comparably equipped X5 was $14K higher - no budging. Bottom line - best SUV available under $50K!

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  Drives itself - 2008 Acura MDX
  By martin Harris - July 19 - 8:04 pm

  Only weakness large blind spots

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  2003 w/ 260HP - Quality & Value - 2003 Acura MDX
  By stcamp - July 19 - 10:00 am

  Traded in Jeep Grand Cherokee for new MDX. One of the few cars dealerships are not giving away by discounting price or 0% financing which erodes resale value of car. Researched and test drove XC90, X5, Aviator, FX35, and though these cars had nicer interiors, the MDX resale value was better & depreciation was less! As a buyer, I had every dealership wanting my business, yet the Acura dealership made me feel "human" instead of feeling like I was lucky to be on their lot. With MDX increasing HP to 260, and avg. MPG around 20...the rest of the pack will have to keep up.