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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  fun little car - 1997 Acura Integra
  By .......... - November 6 - 2:00 am

  This is a very fun to drive car. Power is decent but could use some more torque especially at lower rpms. You allways have to downshift two gears just to pass somebody. Handling is awesome, once the road starts to turn there arent many cars that can keep up with an integra.

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  Acura Customer Support Is A Myth - 2004 Acura RL
  By Jack Watney - November 6 - 2:00 am

  The automobile, itself, is average in ride and comfort. Fit and finish are good but noise level, for this niche, and its gas mileage are poor. It can be jittery in ride and will sidestep at certain speeds and improved road conditions that it should handle well. Its distinctive attraction lies in its integrated cabin systems. The navigation system and XM radio work well but OnStar was delivered inoperative and continues to be partially so over a month later. GM and now Acura tell me that there is nothing to be done. There will be no operating telephone in this car. Its absurd.

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  fun, fun, fun - 1999 Acura TL
  By and - November 6 - 2:00 am

  Perfect combination of style, power, fuel economy, and most importantly - reliability.

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  MY RSX! - 2003 Acura RSX
  By LINN - November 5 - 2:00 am

  What could i ask more form 21K sport coupe? ITs perfect.

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  NOW...Read This!! The 3.2CL-S is AWESOME - 2001 Acura CL
  By Acura4Ashlee - November 5 - 2:00 am

  After wreaking my 99 Prelude in April I didnt know what to buy! After doing a little research, I found a blue 01 CL-S at a Chevy dealership...(yep, Chevy)...and for a great price too!! The car only had 8800 miles on it. The test drive was awesome. I fell in love with the car as soon as I sat in it! The dealership said some guy traded it in for a Corvette (feel sorry for him). All I can say is that Im glad that he did! Im not crazy about Corvettes....but my Acura.....now thats a different story!!

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  Amazing Legend - 1991 Acura Legend
  By CrazyDave - November 4 - 2:00 am

  I have the 5 speed l, It has been amazing.I have only replaced brakes,and radiator top.( Normal Servicing only) everything original, and working perfectly.The clutch was replaced due to throw out bearing loosing its lube.That was at 100,000 miles! I am looking forward to purchasing the 2004TL, and putting 200,000 on it too!

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  Too many unexplained noises - 2002 Acura MDX
  By JYMDX - November 4 - 2:00 am

  I like the MDX, like the way it looks, like the gas mileage (but not the required premium gas). The only complaint I have so far is the noise the brakes make (which were told is normal) and little rattles that appear out of no where. It sounds like its metal hitting metal somewhere in the second row seats. The slighest bump in the road brings on the rattle. The dealership was unable to find anything. Currently I have an old towel rolled up between the seat the metal piece that it locks onto. So far this week, I havent heard the noise again. If I dont get rid of this noise, the car will have to go because it drives me nuts!

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  Acura has All - 2004 Acura RL
  By chriscrab - November 3 - 2:00 am

  The one thing that I like about the Acura RL is that it has no options. You get everything. That makes it less likely that you get ripped on price. It has the navigational system ,disk player, satellite radio and on-star system. The upside everything comes included. The downside is less performance than I would like. The car is great.

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  2 Years and Going Strong - 2002 Acura RSX
  By laksivrak - November 3 - 2:00 am

  I bought it the month it came out and its been my pride and joy ever since. Performance is stunning at over 6k rpm. The shifter/transmission is the best Ive ever driven, short/crisp/quick and well-tuned to the engine. Fuel economy is stunning when driving at 3k rpm and lower. The depth of the engine sound is nice when idle, and the scream above 6k rpm is musical.

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  Great Car for the Money - 2006 Acura TSX
  By Fred in Phoenix - November 2 - 9:03 am

  I chose the TSX over, among others, Lexus I-250 and Infiniti G-35. Price was a concern, but not deciding. I eliminated CTS because of size. I wouldnt go back to a 6 after driving this 4. Great performance and fuel economy for this typr of vehicle. Great stereo and interior; not really a family car--can seat 4 easily, but 5 would be a stretch for any distance. I also favor low-front, low profile Acura styling. Lexus was a great vehicle also, but probably over $6,000 more expensive comparably equipped. The deal was quick and painless and I was treated fairly on the trade. If you just want a great car without the cachet and patina of a Lexus (at a much better price), this is the car