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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  Would buy another one in a heartbeat... - 2001 Acura CL
  By Trepond - December 7 - 2:00 am

  The beauty of this car is that it spacious, luxurious, and sporty at the same time. The wood grain on the inside could use some work, its the only thing that disappoints me on the car. The nice thing about Acura is every Type S comes with a sunroof, 6 disc changer, heated seats, and more. Would recommend this car to anyone looking for a dependable, fun car to drive.

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  2003 TL Type S - 2003 Acura TL
  By paeimay - December 7 - 2:00 am

  Very reliable. Plenty of power. Handles well - great suspension. Stylish with a nice mix of class and sport.

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  Super Great Integra - 1995 Acura Integra
  By integra85 - December 6 - 2:00 am

  Even with the stock 140hp engine, this car is loads and loads of fun to drive, a few aftermarket installs can get you the amount of power or more than the vtec motor. This is my second car, my first was a maxima, and this is easily my favorite, it handles nimbly, accelerates pretty decently, has a timeless design and even the redline on the stock motor is higher than ones found in other cars in this segment at 6900rpm. Great, great car!

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  Exotic thrill ride - 2004 Acura NSX
  By Pipster - December 6 - 2:00 am

  If you enjoy drving a Indy type race car on the street, which grabs more attention then a naked lady riding a horse. Then Acura has just the car for you, the NSX will cause severe neck injury to fellow motorist and pedestrians, while giving you the ultimate diriving experience for under 100K.

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  Sluggo says - 2003 Acura MDX
  By sluggo - December 6 - 2:00 am

  I traded from my 2002 TL sport to the 2003 MDX touring package. I love the car so far and I am especially enjoying the AWD since this is my first snow storm, two weeks after getting the car talk about timing! I expect the quality and relaibility to be similar to the TL. I did purchase a floor model leftover from the dealer and one disapointment is that the handel to the gas release did already come off, but thats a minor repair. Love the sound of the Bose stero system and especially like the way it handels the potholes of NYC.

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  The Best and Affordable Sport Car - 2002 Acura RSX
  By angusregina - December 5 - 10:00 am

  no comment

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  Lifesaver! - 2002 Acura MDX
  By JackieCar - December 5 - 10:00 am

  We bought this vehicle Saturday, May 25, Monday May 27th, a lady driving a 2002 PT CRuiser rammed into us. We had very small damage on our bumper, the PT Cruiser had to be towed (which gives you an idea of what happened to it). Nobody was hurt, our two small kids were in the 3rd row, and everybody was fine. This may be a pricey vehicle but well worth its price since our most prized possessions (our kids) were safe!

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  Best 7-passenger SUV - 2002 Acura MDX
  By Indiana Xmom - December 5 - 10:00 am

  The MDX is the perfect combination of reliability, versatility, and fuel economy, with seven-passenger seating. This vehicle has all the advantages of an SUV, all the features of a minivan, and a smooth, comfortable ride. Its fun to drive with great acceleration, and handles very well in all weather situations. We love it!

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  Review of 2002 TL - 2002 Acura TL
  By dancetammy - December 5 - 10:00 am

  This car is a luxury to drive.

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  1997 Acura Integra GSR - 1997 Acura Integra
  By KWW - December 5 - 2:00 am

  Overall, this is a good car. A very RELIABLE car!! While it is no longer in production, there are a few things that could have been better. Comfort is lacking as the seats feel like you are sitting on cardboard. This is a real problem as we do alot of long distance driving 250+ miles at any given time. Only had two repairs during the warranty period...the CD player and the radiator. Finally, I think the factory tire choice could also have been better, the Michellin tires were a bit hard, loud and horrible in the wet.