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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  satisfied - 2004 Acura MDX
  By MDX Challenge - December 1 - 2:00 am

  Test drove a good number of SUVs. This Acura SUV got my attention because of all its safety features, good looking body style, very good gas mileage, good Bose audio sound, and nicely powered 265 HP engine which makes it fun to drive with some pep. Interior audio controls as well as somewhat complicated NAV system the only knock

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  1st Oil Change - 2004 Acura TL
  By roma9595 - December 1 - 2:00 am

  I just took the car in for its first oil change and everything so far has been wonderful. This is an extremely solid car rounded out by a great engine and "slick" amenities and interior styling.

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  So far so good - 2004 Acura TL
  By tommy g - December 1 - 2:00 am

  So far the car is a lot of fun to drive. Its acceleration is wonderful and handles better than any car I have ever owned. My only issue 4 months into owning the car are a bunch of dash rattles.

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  something to think about - 2003 Acura TL
  By Jay133333333 - November 30 - 10:00 am

  This car is a kick ass ride! Fun, Powerful, and sleek. The only down side is the this sucker is a gas guzzler. But if you like to go to B from point A in the shortest amount of time then definately get this car!

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  Simply amazed! - 2003 Acura TL
  By Goldenboyz - November 30 - 10:00 am

  I purchased my Acura TL-S only 2 weeks ago and I had signed the paper work even before I test drove this fantastic machine! For value, it cannot be beaten. Its a great looking vehicle with every conceivable extra you would want, from the power outlet to hook up your cell phone to the drivers auto up and down window. Power. It simply revels in it! I clocked 0-60 in about 6.3 seconds and it will pass the average car on the street with ease. The leather interior is nicely appointed as is the general instrument layout. The white facia with the black background is particularly smart. For all round value , this car is a winner.

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  Bought, certified, to replace rusty CRX - 2000 Acura Integra
  By panta - November 30 - 2:00 am

  Lively performance for 1800cc Vtech engine. Acceleration to cruising speed takes little time and only 3 gears.I got 34mpg without taking it easy. Car is very quiet and solid. Turning radius is very large compared to my 84 CRX, Steering wheel too close, pedals and shift knob a bit too far away. As a certified car with 42,000 miles on it when I got it, it looked very close to a brand new very elegant black/black car, stunning appearance. Dont think Ill dare to throw it around like a go cart as I did with the CRX all the time. I did all the work on the "X" but all the computers in the GSR have me baffled

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  My first Honda/Acura product - 2003 Acura CL
  By R. Moramarco - November 30 - 2:00 am

  I am very pleased with my purchse,so far, after my first year of ownership. I wanted a vehicle that did not second guess me when I stepped on the gas peddle. When I said go , I wanted my vehicle to go! And boy, does it perform. Alot of people are surprised that my style car has the power it does. I also wanted a luxury car and it is that too. It has plush leather seats and wood laminate trim.

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  Yawner... - 1997 Acura TL
  By mtalinm - November 29 - 2:00 am

  Picked this up in a hurry when my BMW died. As others have said, Im sure I can drive this car for 10 more years with minimal maintenance...the question is whether I would WANT to. From the outside, it looks like a Honda Accord with an Acura badge slapped on it. (The Honda stamps on the glass dont help.) The controls (wiper, cruise, even horn) are identical to the Accord my family drove in 1978. No evolution. None. Even worse is the engine. This thing can only break 10s 0-60 if I manually shift, and its a yawner for passing anyone.

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  Another good one - 2003 Acura RL
  By wgreen - November 29 - 2:00 am

  This is our 4th Acura. Reliability has always been our experience. Keep up with recommended maintainence and experience few if any problems. Price of 04 RL was terrific, comes standard with Navigation system and satillite radio-we would not have purchased them seperately. There is not $15-20K difference in the Lexis, BMW and Mercedes models.

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  Best car ever owned - 1999 Acura TL
  By lmamo - November 29 - 2:00 am

  The car is fun to drive, quiet with excellent performance.