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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  Acura SLX - 1999 Acura SLX
  By Brice - March 20 - 2:00 am

  Its a great SUV when you consider the marketplace. Its roomy, drives smooth, and able to go off road with no problem. Its a great value.

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  Best in Class! - 2002 Acura RL
  By gtm - March 20 - 2:00 am

  The 2002 Acura RL is truly a classy vehichle. It has classic sedan styling, a strong, responsive engine mated to a silky smooth transmission and riding on top of an incredibly agile, road-gripping suspension. The interior is immaculate in design and superbly executed in supple soft leather seating, a fabulous Bose CD-stereo system and excellent occupant safety systems. It is the nicest car I have ever ridden in and I truly enjoy every minute of driving time. Buy or lease one, you will not regret it!

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  1994 Integra - 1994 Acura Integra
  By chuck lee - March 19 - 2:00 am

  I have loved this car from the moment that I took my test ride. I bought the VTEC engine to get in and out of Atlanta short ramp interstate traffic. It has done the job exceedingly well. The reason for my high mileage is that it is our car of choice for every weekend activity as well as to/from my place of business during the week. My wifes TL stays home.

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  Acura 3.2 TL - 2000 Acura TL
  By ehartel - March 19 - 2:00 am

  This car has been a joy to own. The engine was so quiet, that before I started to put the car in reverse, a couple of passengers asked if I was going to start the car. I remember driving to Florida from DC - I glanced at the speedometer and realized I was at 95 mph and the car was still smoothly gliding down the road. While the exterior is not as glamorous as other cars in its class, its conservative body is not an eyesore. Compared with the BMW 325 and Audi A-4, you get more features for significantly less money. This is one of the best cars I have ever owned.

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  Never Leave Home Without It - 2001 Acura Integra
  By Mariwhethr - March 18 - 5:19 pm

  Ive had my Integra for over a year, and I can honestly say, Ive never owned a better car. The handling is superb, and I couldnt ask for better gas mileage. I drive a little over 300 miles a week or more, and being in this car is a pleasure. Its small enough to weave with and the engine is more than able to pull you out of tight spots when necessary. Bottom Line: You will get all that youve hoped youve paid for.

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  Very Happy after a full year! - 2001 Acura MDX
  By Matt R. - March 18 - 2:12 pm

  My wife and I had narrowed it down to a MDX, a Pathfinder LE, and a 2002 Explorer Eddie Bauer/Limited. The MDX worked out to about $10k more than the others, and were both very happy we spent the money. The SUV has LOTS of room, the third row seats work very well. Weve had flawless operation since new. All in all, this isnt the best in any one area (others are faster, bigger, smaller etc), but the best combination of featers for those looking for an SUV that wont be visiting the Rubicon Trail too often!

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  HAPPY - 2005 Acura RL
  By WILLIAM VAN ALEN - March 18 - 5:23 am

  This is the best car Ive ever driven. It holds the road better and driving at night is a joy. The navigation system works like a dream and the transmission is like silk in changing gears almost seamlessly.

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  acura overview - 2006 Acura TL
  By bryncerdd - March 17 - 5:46 am

  This is my second Acura, purchased (similar to its predecessor) for the value per dollar spent. IMHO, its handling approaches the best among others in this price class. I have not had the long enough to comment on its reliability, but if past experience is an indicator, it should do very well. Thus far, Im a happy camper.

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  Satisfied - 2003 Acura RSX
  By jpcarvaj - March 17 - 2:00 am

  This is the best car around for less than 22K. The VW GTI is a good contestant but the platform is getting old and boring, the Celica is a girly car and the Tiburon lacks reliability. If you are planning to buy this car youre making the smart choice. A good advice will be to test drive first the 5 speed manual, then the automatic, and finally the Type-S.

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  This is a great car - 2003 Acura RSX
  By flmonkey - March 17 - 2:00 am

  Every thing has been great with this car.