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:

• 

  acura integra 1990 hatchback - 1990 Acura Integra
  By jim beam - December 5 - 2:00 am

  this car has been unbelievably reliable and worry frre engine and transmission have no problems thus far for 100,000+ miles! handles well, convenient interior, nice looking exterior. the hatchback is great for all loading/ working needs however it would be nice not to have the lip to lift thgings over and instead have a flat slide out for stuff when taking stuff out of the hatch. over all this isd a GREAT car for the money-- i hope to have it for another 200,000 miles, as it has beern touted in consumer reports...

• 

  No import imitation here, the real deal - 2005 Acura TSX
  By bullet - December 4 - 2:53 am

  I cross-shopped the TSX with a Lexus IS 300. I felt the TSX has a more sophisticated interior, and that it would have better Snow Belt traction. Ive driven my fathers 2001 Camry XLE V6 which has 16" wheels and it felt very bouncy and jittery. I was shocked to find the TSX was very composed with larger 17" rims, except for the occassional road bumps, which feels like soft jolts. The TSX feels glued to the road at all times and it is quiet. The 4 cylinder engine is audible in the cabin at idle and there are tire noise on rough pavement. Acceleration in the 35mph-60mph range is smooth, very fast & responsive.

• 

  Would never buy it again - 2002 Acura CL
  By B. Greenfield - December 4 - 2:00 am

  It is glubby when in the drivers seat. It is uncomfortable to drive in. Just trying to turn the steering wheel can give you a hernia. It is as if the power steering fluid is empty. The seat backs are so high you cannot see behind you when you back up. Trying to move the front seat up when getting in the back seat is next to impossible. I bought it about 2 weeks ago and I am very unhappy. I cant believe I traded my wonderful 1988 Acura Legen Coupe for this monster.

• 

  watch the tranny its a KILLER!!!!!!!!!! - 2001 Acura MDX
  By killer tranny!!!!!!! - December 4 - 2:00 am

  Driving home today, my Acura MDX down shifted from 70 MPH to second gear causing the car to decellerate to 55 mph rapidly and almost cost me my life. I quit!!!! I have read there is Chrysler like Tranny probs with this and other Acura models. I have 100,000 miles on mine. Theres danger in your future. Dealer in VA tells me its common! Acura, does someone have to die before you recall this?????????

• 

  Fun to drive! - 2003 Acura CL
  By kkvasnicka - December 4 - 2:00 am

  Ive found the CL-Type S a joy to drive. I test drove the G35 also. The CL is a smoother ride. Even though is doesnt have as much horsepower, it has plenty. Bang for the buck, the CL is a much better buy.

• 

  transmission problem - 2002 Acura TL
  By steve bar - December 4 - 2:00 am

  In my case the transmission died every 20,000 miles, the dealler has the car now they are changing the transmission the second time. There are lots of posting on the net about this, somehow consumer report and yourself ignor it. I wonder why???

• 

  Great used car - 1994 Acura Integra
  By cgh20 - December 3 - 2:00 am

  I bought this car a year ago looking for a nice, reliable, yet sporty car. I found a gem! This car is quick, handles great, and still gets nearly 30mpg on the highway! I havent had any mechanical problems with it and being an Acura/Honda, it should last me another 150,000 miles or so! I recommend this car to anyone.

• 

  Very satisfied salesmans car - 1997 Acura RL
  By Masjae - December 3 - 2:00 am

  Bought this, my third Acura, as a sales car. Car is stately, professional in appearance and speaks of good taste and appreciation of quality & value. This car has only let me down once when the battery went after three years, (I bought is used). Very smooth ride and quiet cabin on long road trips. My wife loves to drive it, especially after I installed the cd- changer in the trunk. At 149,000 miles, I would absolutely recommend this car to anyone looking to buy a solid dependable car capable of high mileage, and low long term cost to maintain.

• 

  Fun to Drive - 1991 Acura NSX
  By Davidinvermont - December 3 - 2:00 am

  Since I bought my 91 Acura NSX (it had 36k on it) I have begun to enjoy driving again. So many of the new cars just float over the road, kind of unconnected. The NSX kind of fits around you and you become part of the car. The car has great acceleration, cornering and handling in general. I always get asked what kind of car it is. It is a real eye catcher. The sight lines are excellent. The vision at night is great due to the excellent headlights. All in all, a very fun car. Also, so far I have had little or no expenses from the car.

• 

  Unexpected pleasure - 2004 Acura TL
  By northeast - December 2 - 10:00 am

  Just finished my BMW lease. Tested the G35, 3 and 5 series and C series. For me - quality, powertrain, interior finish, stereo etc there was no contest, especially with cost considerations. The "purists" who scoff at front drive cars should live in the real world of snow and slippery roads in a RWD car, even with traction control.I did go for the Nav, new for me, and it is terrific. The Bluetooth compatibility and 5.1 stereo sound like trivia, but in everyday use transform daily driving.I am astonished to read the rave reviews of the G35. It drove well, but engine note, luxury level interior layout didnt cut it for me.