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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  This is a great car! - 1994 Acura Integra
  By Stephanie - April 7 - 3:00 am

  I bought this car from my aunt and I love it! It handles well, its sporty, and its extremely reliable. It has 170000 miles on it, and the only thing thats been replaced on it is the timing belt. Not Bad!

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  Acura 3.2TL - 1998 Acura TL
  By Wampum - April 7 - 3:00 am

  WOW! I have had this car for a little over a year now and I have loved every minute of it. Plenty of power for a four door car and comfort equal to none.

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  The Best - 1998 Acura Integra
  By Winson - April 7 - 3:00 am

  The best car.

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  THE greatest sportscar value ever... - 1998 Acura NSX
  By Number 6 - April 6 - 2:00 am

  This is my second NSX-T... The NSX is simply the greatest value EVER in an exotic sportscar. Why it has languished all these years with steadily declining sales and production numbers is a mystery. Of course, stories of things or people who were not appreciated in their own time are legion. Where else can you get the excitement and style of a Ferrari or Lamborghini, performance to match those two great names, but yet pay no more than a Honda Accord to maintain it and insure it? The NSX is truly a niche car, Hondas proof to the world that they can build a real supercar... and still bring it in at half the cost of the competition.

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  LOVE IT - 2004 Acura RSX
  By Joanna70o4 - April 6 - 2:00 am

  I just got this car in May and I love it. Its a good size but I must admit it is tight in the back. I wouldnt recommend it as a family car. This is car is more for 2 people not 4 its way too tight.

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  Just Sweet! - 2004 Acura TL
  By tgbroom - April 6 - 2:00 am

  Great car, was looking at accord, found 6 sp, but only avail in coupe, then, went to Acura and test from 6 sp TL sedan, and never looked back.... Dream Ride!

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  Excellent ride, excellent value - 2004 Acura TL
  By Tobergus - April 6 - 2:00 am

  Acura continues to make fun, performance-based cars at great value. All of the amazing features are standard (the only options are the navi system and summer tires) including DVD- Audio, surround sound, XM Radio, Bluetooth, etc. No detail is overlooked making the car a true joy. The ride is phenomenal--it is a smooth, fast car. All in all, dollar for dollar a truly amazing vehicle. I highly recommend it.

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  This Car is Awesome - 2004 Acura TL
  By Bpaulsrud - April 6 - 2:00 am

  Before purchasing my new Acura TL i drove the audi A4 and the Infiniti G35. Both the Audi and Infinity were great cars, but if you want the most for your money the TL is the way to go. The TL performs as well if not better than both the Audi and the Infiniti, and there are few things that you can upgrade because everything comes stock on the TL. If you purchase a new TL, I promise you wont regret it!

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  Great car as expected. - 2005 Acura TL
  By Tnrealtor - April 5 - 6:10 pm

  I have owned several new BMWs which turned out to be not so reliable. This car has more features, horsepower, and realiabilty than BMW. Way to go Acura, you have gained a loyal follower.

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  love the car - 1999 Acura Integra
  By buzzer - April 5 - 2:00 am

  This car has proven itself to be fun to drive. I love the way it handles back roads. In my situation, single dad with two pre-teen kids, it has plenty of room (the four doors are nice) and the trunk is adequate. Gas mileage is good and no need for premium gas. I have been very happy with this car.