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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  Wow! - 2006 Acura TSX
  By Maz - February 9 - 8:33 am

  Im glad I checked out the Acura web site before I purchased a car. I wanted to stick in my budget and yet get a luxury car with Navigation, Bluetooth, Aux for iPod, Xenon lamps,voice activation, and good looking exterior and interior. I thought, yeah right. I test drove a used Lexus GS300, I wasnt impressed at all. I drove a BMW 325i, excellent car, but way above my budget with what I wanted on it (the options add up quickly). I drove a Honda Accura, which impresed me, but no bluetooth and Navitation system wasnt that impressive. When I saw the TSX I couldnt believe my eyes. I got everything I wanted in a car, with Chrome wheels and tinted windows below $30K. Cant compete with that.

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  yeah - 2004 Acura TL
  By chris45 - February 9 - 2:00 am

  great very fast and compfortable interior, also the voice activated navigation system is a fun little feature

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  Good bye poor Audi A4 reliability - 2004 Acura TL
  By TL Gruven - February 9 - 2:00 am

  After only 650 miles in my new TL, Im not going to miss Audi. Ive owned 3 Audis since 1979 and have mostly loved the car, especially the all wheel drive. By my last 2 Quattros have been expensive repair nightmares.

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  Class Act - 2004 Acura TL
  By gary1981 - February 9 - 2:00 am

  After checking out Volvo, Mercedes, Infinity and BMW I went to Acura and knew immediately that this was the car. What a great job Acura has done on this vehicle. The stereo and navigation are the best.The interior has clean lines and a fabulous design.

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  OK - 2006 Acura TL
  By Hadaelgr - February 8 - 11:53 am

  Have had the TL two weeks. Nothing wrong, no rattles, everything works. Great features for money with excellent styling (interior and exterior) compared to competition.

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  Overall a good buy - 2002 Acura RSX
  By Shaver - February 8 - 10:00 am

  The car is flat out fun to drive. Engine is probably the best part. Overall car has good road feel and is very comfortable. Auto climate control is nice, as is the power up driver?s window. Handling is precise, but not spectacular. The engine: It is absolutely the best thing about this car. The engine loves to rev, and after you hit the 5,500-rpm mark it begins to pull even harder (when the VTEC kicks in). Six-speed manual is incredibly smooth and quick. Negatives: Don?t believe the reviews about the stereo ? it isn?t that good. The big woofer in the trunk is more gimmick than real sound. The stereo lacks power. The back seat is only good for children ? nobody else.

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  Fun ride - 2003 Acura TL
  By Virg - February 8 - 10:00 am

  The drive is better then the destination

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  It works for me. - 2004 Acura TSX
  By D.Owens - February 4 - 10:00 am

  Little slow of the line (shut down AC). Other than that you cant go wrong

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  Satisfied Owner - 2004 Acura TSX
  By Eluria - February 4 - 10:00 am

  The car is very responsive, accelerating, turning and braking. It has a tight suspension, allowing me to feel the road rather than wallow over it. The sound system is very good. Even though it is not a large car, it has a substantial feel. I thought I wanted to buy a TL (or a Lexus, an Audi or a Mercedes Benz), but I preferred the feel of this one.

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  I love this car. - 2004 Acura TL
  By elmo mcnish - February 4 - 10:00 am

  This is not my first new car, nor is it the first car that I have loved...but it is the first new car that I have loved since the moment I bought it! In other words, the fun factor, the features, the power, the economy, the looks -- all add up to a car that one does not need to "learn to love." I want to drive it all the time!