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:

• 

  Acura 04 TL 5AT - 2004 Acura TL
  By gregory28 - July 6 - 2:00 am

  The car handles very well; it has good road feel and corners turns "sports car like". It is very attractive inside and out. The interior has some luxury refinements that cars costing much more have only had in the past. At 33k it is a terrific value. The reliabilty of Acuras are among the best in the world. The BMW 5 series was the bench mark apparently and it doesnt fall very short on the handling capabilities and luxury these German cars afford. This car is priced $10+k less and is expected to not spend much time getting service like its German counterpart.

• 

  New Owner Loving it - 2004 Acura TL
  By Garbs92629 - July 6 - 2:00 am

  Car is all that I imagined and more. I am a previous TL owner and the only thing lacking from the older model was a more Euro Style. I think they achieved it. Plus the interior is much better looking and the seats are incredible.

• 

  188 MDX - 2002 Acura MDX
  By megabuck2 - July 5 - 10:00 am

  Had a chance for a long drive from the SF area to L.A and comfort and driveability was excellent. Engine was strong in passing as well as climbing the "Grapevine". The seats were comfortable during the 6+ hours of driving. HVAC was set and forgotten and kept the cabin nice a cool, navigation system helped to find my hotel. Bose system, I enjoyed it immensely during the trip. However, it seems the radio was weak in getting and holding onto radio signals. The road noise was kept to minimum but the wind noise was annoying. It was not "LOUD" but loud enough force me to turn the volume up on the stereo to enjoy Eric Clapton.

• 

  acura 3.2 tl type-s - 2003 Acura TL
  By Dennis Cutrer - July 5 - 10:00 am

  This automobile is alot of bang for the buck. I considered the BMW 330i, but theyre a little pricey. The Acura 3.2tl type-s has everything to offer at a very reasonable price. I recommend this car for the family that appreciates perfomrance and comfort all rolled into one vehicle.

• 

  Great car - 2005 Acura TSX
  By cliff - July 5 - 4:03 am

  I love the car. I traded in a sports car for it and thought I would miss it. I was wrong. I travel a lot and the navigation system is well worth the money. The audio system rocks! Handles great on the freeway. The interior is very comfortable.

• 

  Phatty Car - 1991 Acura Integra
  By Slik - July 5 - 2:00 am

  ok first car ive ever had, got it when i got my liscense, was really hard on it, redlined it every chance i got, and have had no problems. its a fun car to drive and is really reliable.

• 

  Still lovin it after 6 years - 1994 Acura Legend
  By cstien - July 4 - 2:00 am

  We purchased our car as a 2-year old and still love everything about it, 6 years later. There have been no major mechanical problems. We chose the tone on tone trim package which was a great choice. Ive notice that other 94 models with the black trim look tired compared to my color combo. The paint still looks great and with 123,000 miles on it, it still runs like a top. This is a keeper til the wheels fall off!

• 

  I like it! - 2003 Acura CL
  By MOTU - July 4 - 2:00 am

  This is an excellent car considering fit, finish and value for the dollar.

• 

  Acura review - 2003 Acura CL
  By Chris6868 - July 4 - 2:00 am

  Soid vehicle, powerful, easy cruises at 80 MPH, so watch your speed! Headroom a little tight, headlights have a dark band right in front of the car which takes a little getting used to. Smooth drive and very quite. Suspension a little stiff when going over sharp bumps (such as speed bumps). Headroom in back a little on the small side.

• 

  Acrua TL Type S is a HIT - 2002 Acura TL
  By Kareem - July 4 - 2:00 am

  The best car Ive owned. Its packed with standard features and I love the navativagion system. Great stereo too.