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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  I expected better from Honda - 1998 Acura RL
  By anaizi1 - September 23 - 2:00 am

  Several significant flaws: 1- Even with all widows tightly closed, the car is not quiet enough a great disappointment for me. 2 The car does not move quickly enough nor does it start off with umph. 3- The glove compartment is barely large enough to hold a pair of gloves.

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  Luxury and Performance - 1997 Acura TL
  By AcuraMan - September 22 - 2:00 am

  I bought my Acura used with 40,000 miles. It now has 140,000 miles on it, Driven rough the whole time. Only had two mechanical problems with it. Driver side actuator and starter went out. Total of $400.00 in Repairs, for a seven year old car not bad at all.

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  Keep On Runnin - 2002 Acura TL
  By Northwest Guy - September 22 - 2:00 am

  Have had vehicle for under two years with 18k mi. Ive read reviews about transmission issues, cheap interior, tires, as well as those who love to drive. Traded in a 93 Taurus SHO with a 24 valve Yamaha engine - Type S cant produce that power. The low center of gravity makes it handle exceptionally well on hard curves and turns (much better than the bloaty feeling in a Taurus). Once moving on water-slickened roads here in the NW, I havent had ANY problems. Interior issues for some dont bother me - its cleanly designed. Agree that transmission isnt perfect when running in auto mode v. tiptronic on the fly sliding cover under sun roof rattles.

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  Perfection on 4 Wheels! - 2005 Acura TSX
  By AcuraJohn - September 21 - 4:40 pm

  The TSX is my fifth car - and it may very well be my last! No need for anything else... okay, maybe a new TSX in 6 or 8 or 10 years. A world apart from the Accords Id previously owned - and not much more expensive when you consider all the TSX features that are standard. As close to perfect as a motorcar can be - hardest decision was the color! Ive recommended this car to friends and neighbors without hestitation and will continue to do so!

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  Lovely car - 2004 Acura RL
  By Charles Chesler - September 21 - 2:00 am

  This car is one of the best cars ever made!

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  2004 Acura TL - 2004 Acura TL
  By Rupert - September 20 - 10:00 am

  Excellent car. Very sexy and powerful. Interior design is well thought out and everything is easily accessable.

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  Sure has been fun! - 1992 Acura Integra
  By Aunt B - September 20 - 2:00 am

  I bought my 92 Acura Integra LS in 1994 with 54,000 miles on it - Now 10 years later we have over 352,000 miles...and its still going strong. Yes, the engine is not as great as it once was and neither is the paint job, but I drive 166 miles everyday over the last two years and its been one reliable vehicle. Being a female of average size, the car is very comfortable to drive. Plenty of get up a go (have a manual). Yes, Ive spent some money repairing the car (Timing belt, Ac, Radiator, etc...) - however, it has served me well and has been better for me than another car payment. I do recommend synthetic oil for a long wearing engine!

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  Best Car Period - 1991 Acura NSX
  By NSX2NSX - September 20 - 2:00 am

  I sell highline cars for a living and have driven almost EVERY car out there (except for the Lamborghini Murcialago, spelling might be off). This NSX is the best all around car you can buy. Unlike JohnJohns post of all the girls that look at him, most of my admirers have been men. They have been in the 4yrs- 48yr. range.

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  Affordable and still Luxurious - 2006 Acura TSX
  By Acura Review - September 19 - 4:33 pm

  Cant beat all the bells and whistles you get in this car for 27 gran and change. If you are looking for a beamer go ahead and get it but if you are an accord fan that wants to kick it up a notch this is the car for you!

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  6,800 miles, new transmission required?! - 2016 Acura MDX
  By frustrated - September 19 - 11:22 am

  The transmission on this car is just crap. I bought it brand new and didnt notice shifting problems on the test drive. I obviously should have test driven the same vehicle multiple times before purchasing it because after about three days I noticed the occasional awkward shifting. I just told myself its a brand new car and needs to adjust on its own. I feel like it did get better after a few months - or I just got used to the awkwardness. Sport mode was not even an option as it was super jerky and completely annoying. At 6,800 miles it suddenly started making a high-pitched chirping noise when shifting into second gear, almost like the sound of tires screeching when peeling out. I immediately drove it to the dealership and the technician confirmed the issue. The next day they called and said the transmission needed to be replaced. What!? Ive owned several Hondas over the years and never had major issues. I thought I could trust Acura for their reliability record, but apparently not. The 2016 Touring/Elite models of the Pilot have the same crappy transmission and complaints are well documented. I hope Honda/Acura will take some responsibility for the defect and offer a recall. If not, I will be pursuing a lemon law buy back.