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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  Best sports sedan - 2007 Acura TL
  By Hexkraut - May 6 - 11:40 am

  As a German Ive driven BMW, Mercedes and Audis. When I was looking for a sports sedan again I felt I get a lot of value for my $ with this Acura TL-S. I had it for about 1 month now and it fits like a glove, drives smooth, put the pedal to the metal and it will push you in the drivers seat. Very roomy and excellent design. Plus Hondas long reliability seems to surpass BMW and Mercedes. Also if repairs are needed Honda / Acura is cheaper than BMW.

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  97 GS replaces 90 LS - 1997 Acura Integra
  By PWsFinest - May 6 - 2:00 am

  I used to drive a 1990 Integra LS. I replaced it with this 97 GS after 212,000 miles on my 90. The 90 still had the original clutch and ran great. The 97 is not too much different. Same 4 cyl engine... could use a little more power, but not bad overall. It looks a little faster than it really is. If you really want the power, there are several aftermarket parts to add. Mine is stock however.

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  awsome car - 1995 Acura Integra
  By bigpoppa - May 4 - 2:00 am

  This car is the most funnest car to drive. It has great speed and performance. The design is wonderfull. this car is really the best sports car in the market. It has great pick up say ure racing someone on the highway and u drop it down a gear you are gone u can tell that sucker bye bye. again this car is the best.

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  1992 NXS - 1992 Acura Legend
  By sean - May 4 - 2:00 am

  In 10 years it has never broken down. You can drive it at speed all day long.

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  I Love my RL - 2000 Acura RL
  By KevinF - May 4 - 2:00 am

  This vehicle is truely a pleasure to drive and comfortable to ride. The cruisew control is a must as you could easily be driving over 100 mph without noticing any difference in the ride.

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  Best Luxury SUV! - 2001 Acura MDX
  By willyiam - May 4 - 2:00 am

  We have owned our MDX for about 14 months now and driven it in all kinds of weather & conditions. It is a superior piece of engineering and drives beautifully. It was rated as the top luxury SUV by Motor Trend, Road & Track and Car & Driver and well deserved. With the large cargo area and the fold up rear seats, it is the perfect family vehicle. Seating configuration changes in a matter of seconds. All other options are well thought out. We had a DVD system with an 8" wide screen added which is great for trips.... Couldnt be happier with a vehicle!

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  First Impressions 2009 TSX - 2009 Acura TSX
  By John Duval - May 3 - 2:16 pm

  My wife and I drove the 2009 model, then the 2008 for comparison. We thought we might get a deal on the 2008 model, but the new model was well worth the higher price! The ride is much more refined and less floaty, the steering lighter and more connected. It feels very nimble, just the way I want an urban commuter. The steering may be too light for sport sedan enthusiasts. The ride is still a little busy and noisy, which is typical of this makers products, but very acceptable, and lightyears ahead of my RDX. The finish and feature set are by far the best we saw any where near this price.

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  Too reliable - 1992 Acura Vigor
  By Katarina - May 3 - 2:00 am

  My car has 174,000 miles on it and still runs great. The ride is still better than most new cars and no suspension or any other major parts have needed replacement, it still has the original clutch. Unfortunately I have no ligit excuse to get a new car.

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  1993 NSX - 1993 Acura NSX
  By MichaelJohnson - May 3 - 2:00 am

  The only thing that I wish I had done differently was purchase the NSX-T (with he T tops)

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  Two thumbs up for Legnd Coupe!!! - 1991 Acura Legend
  By Jazzzy! - May 3 - 2:00 am

  What else can I say? The cars title speaks for itself... Legend!!! A twele year old design that still turns heads even among new Acura owners and Dealers. If you cn find one that has been well maintained, go for it! Car still purrslke a kitten and has fooled me a couple of times being on when thinkin it was off (most new cars arent that quite! Love it! Love it! Love it!