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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  Great import - 1990 Acura Integra
  By nakedchef22 - May 6 - 2:00 am

  I bought this car with 214ks on it. Obviously the car wasnt well maintained towards the end, because it needed some routine work (brakes, alternator, cv shafts), but otherwise the car was extremely reliable, good on gas and had some kick. Over the year and a half that I owned it, I put roughly 30,000ks on the original engine and tranny (tough to tell since the odo was broken for awhile). Im laughing now, because just when the tranny was about to totally pack it in at 245000 clicks, i traded it straight across for a 92 fifth ave with 185,000 ks. Its not the most comfortable car in the world, but it ran great and was a total looker car.

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  1995 Integra RS 5spd - 1995 Acura Integra
  By YJ - May 5 - 2:00 am

  purchased used in May 2001 from a friend with 107,000km. Ive driven it for 3 yrs/88,000km. I do a lot of highways and its not best cruiser but it handles very well. The reliability has been superb. Other than wear & tear and some minor repairs, no major repairs done. The interior design is very outdated. original paint quality is only about average (rust started to build up on the rear wheel fender 3 yrs ago). some people said the fuel efficiency is good, but no. Its worse than more powerful(150hp) honda accord 4 cyl. I think its due to the gearing (does 3,000rpm at 100km/h on 5th)

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  acura HXS - 2004 Acura NSX
  By John zimmermen - May 5 - 2:00 am

  the vehicle was very fun to drive and it sounds really great. you guys built this vehicle really sturdy

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  Best FWD coupe - 2002 Acura CL
  By Jian Sun - May 5 - 2:00 am

  Great power with great gas milage using sportshift (up to 50 miles more than autoshift out of a full tank). Right door does not line up with body. Dealer made some improvement but clearly a building quality issue. Overall, body (not wheel base) is too long and not tall enough. Great value and no complaints for anything else.

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  Fun but expensive - 1990 Acura Legend
  By slindenbaum - May 3 - 2:00 am

  I bought it with 45,000 miles on it. It is fun to drive but have had repeated problems with the ABS system. Replaced rear window regulators (left one twice), steering rack, distributor, and numerous other parts over years. Now paint is shot and leather front seats are severly cracked. Spending $1000+ annually. Am replacing it with a 3.2CL-S 6-speed.

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  What an AWESOME SUV! - 2002 Acura MDX
  By RichGilb - May 3 - 2:00 am

  This is an AWESOME SUV. I HIGHLY recommend this vehicle. It sits high and has wonderful traction. The wide wheel base makes it feel like a panther over bumpy terrain. In fact, it is surprisingly spacious inside. It is sure-footed on any type of road surface or weather condition. The all- wheel drive is one of the most sophisticated in the industry. Try it and youll see why. The VTEC engine is an animal! Very smooth, and sufficiently powerful. Acura reliability and performance. The Navigation system is one of the best on the market. The voice is excellent and pleasant, and it ties into the stereo system seemlessly.

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  Awesome car for 25k! - 2003 Acura RSX
  By flipboiee - May 2 - 10:00 am

  This car is all about the driving experience! The handling of this car is amazing, esp. for a front wheel drive car. The interior is very well designed and is quite comfortable. But the most exciting feature is watching the rpm tach hit vtec! It is a very exciting experience when one hears the fury come out of the little i-4 engine! This is a true driving machine and its priced under 25k! I got mine with the full body kit (incl. wing - makes it look sleeker), fogs, & titn. trim all for 24.5 OTD! I am very satisfied with my purchase, even after 1 & 1/2 yrs. Overall, the Acura RSX is the perfect example of what Honda/Acura racing is all about!

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  Cheap and fast - 2003 Acura TL
  By gfeld - May 2 - 10:00 am

  This has to be the most affordable sports sedan on the planet. Where else can you lease 260hp for a little more than $300/mo? A 2 dr accord is almost the same price. Why buy Honda when you can buy their luxury brand for not much more?

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  Not first choice but LOVE it! - 2002 Acura MDX
  By nbg - May 2 - 2:00 am

  This was not the vehicle that I was going to buy but I decided to test the 2002 Acura MDX Touring and ended up with one.I grow to love this car more each day.This preowned came with a DVD player which is a godsend when taking trips with our two kids. I car pool to two different schools as well and can comfortably carry 5 kids and backpacks with no problems (ages 10-13). All sports gear fits (we play hockey) as well.Mileage: 17 city/21.5 hwy NOTE: Complaint to dealer re: rear brake noise was met with add on trim kit for the rear brakes. Now no noise and covered under warranty.

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  Worth every penny - 2005 Acura TL
  By battrl - April 30 - 7:23 am

  Love driving this car! Wasnt sure about moving to FWD after having a RWD BMW, but the transition was easier than expected. Still, make no mistake - there is a difference. Highway gas mileage is awsome (30-33 mpg), but city could use some improvement (20-22). Interior design is awesome with large, well-placed buttons. The navigation system blows away BMWs, and really adds to the functionality of the radio.