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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  1995 integra RS customized - 1995 Acura Integra
  By andrew K - June 3 - 2:00 am

  I got this car about a year ago.I put about 40,000 miles on it. All I can say its great. It has 137,000 milles but i am not woried about it. I changed the interior with white lether and i also put body kits on it and it looks great and much more..........

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  excellent! - 2004 Acura NSX
  By Cpat - June 3 - 2:00 am

  The car is a very nice looking car. Although i cannot afford such a car like that or any car i would love to just sit in it, i would love to own my on Acura. They are beautiful cars!

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  2003 CL Type S 6-Speed Stick Red/Tan - 2003 Acura CL
  By Red Rocket - June 3 - 2:00 am

  I bought this car for its high reliability (per Consumer Reports), safety (assuming same www.iihs.org crash worthiness as Honda Acord), performance (270 HP, clutch with very narrow sweet spot and 6-speed gear ratios), fun (VTEC sound/growl), styling (classic), winter traction (front wheel drive) and value (under $30k).

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  THE BEST - 2004 Acura RSX
  By Mr Ecko - June 2 - 2:00 am

  I think it is an absolutely elegant car as well as sporty. Nice and quick out the gate and breaktaking once you hit VTEC. The car drives my crazy

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  Great Thrill for cost. - 2004 Acura RSX
  By rudohudson - June 2 - 2:00 am

  This car is great for enthusiasts just wanting to get around with style. I love mine. I find the torque on take off is kinda weak, but if you put a short shifter, it feels a whole lot better. It makes a difference. I cant complain other than that. Heated side view Mirros? Awesome considering those are always frozen during the winter in WI. Seats always a comfort.

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  Luxury and quality at a great vaule - 2006 Acura TL
  By stor_nut - June 1 - 12:56 pm

  After comparing the Infinity G35 and the Acura TL, I had to purchase the 2006 TL. While the G35 is a blast to drive, the TL offers too many features and is too good a value to pass-up. The styling is eye-catching, the performance is good, and the quality/reliability is legendary. The TL has high-end features previously found in cars that cost $40-$50K (navigation, dual-climate control, heated seats, XM radio, Bluetooth phone, tire pressure monitor, etc...). After negotiating, I got the car for exactly the price I wanted and it was one of the best car buying experiences Ive had. Im looking forward to driving this car all year!!

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  The Acura Company - 2004 Acura RSX
  By Chainsaw - June 1 - 2:00 am

  This car is easy to fix up, i got mine up to 600hp and 9200rpm maxed out

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  Promits Review - 2004 Acura RSX
  By P-Chatty - May 31 - 2:00 am

  I have been driving this car for quite sometime now, and all I can say is WOW! This car is amazing. My dad gave me an option on what car to buy between Acura RSX Type S or Hyundai Tiburon. I made the best choice I believe. The only problem I had with this car is the stereo. I dont know about others but I like bass, and this cars bose system doesnt give you that. One 10 inch sub for this car and you will be bumpin. Other than that...car is amazing!

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  Worst car Ive bought - 2004 Acura RSX
  By turboGSRChick - May 31 - 2:00 am

  I bought my RSX Type-S thinking that it would be a newer version of my 92 Acura Integra GS-R. I was sorely dissapointed. Despite having a bigger engine (2.0L vs the 1.7 in my GS-R) this car feels slow and sluggish. Between 3000 and 6000RPM the car falls flat on its @ss. The suspension isnt as tight and the car has a lot of body lean if you push it in corners. The gas mileage is HORRIBLE, 20-25mpg. My moms Mitsu Outlander does better than that. Oh, and my 6-speed manual has been grinding 2nd and 3rd gears since I bought it. I had it rebuilt once already to no avail. DO NOT BUY ONE!!!!!

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  Type-S for Speed! - 2003 Acura TL
  By dondon - May 30 - 10:00 am

  Just purchased 03 Satin Silver Type- S. I love it! Almost purchased Maxima SE over TL-p, then drove the Type-S . . it was a no brainer! If $$$ is an issue, dont even think about a Lexus, Infiniti, Volvo, Audi, or BMW (theyll all be at least $3000 to $10000 more for the same options).