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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  Good SUV, crunchy brakes - 2002 Acura MDX
  By ParkerMDX - September 29 - 2:00 am

  Overall, this is a great vehicle. I noticed when it had about 6,000 miles that when I would come to a stop (mostly after it sat idle for a bit) that the brakes make a "crunching" noise. I took it in for its 7500 mile check and it passed. I recently took it back in for the 15K check and verbalized the same concern. They could find nothing wrong and said that even some of the sedans made the same noise and that was typical for Acuras. There have been no safety issues, but that same noise continues.

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  love my new TL - 2006 Acura TL
  By bill - September 28 - 9:43 am

  I finally purchased my TL after test driving the Cadillac CTS and Dodge Charger R/T several times. Neither of these other vehicles could compare to the handling and comfort of the TL. It took me 2 months to finally purchase my white diamond TL and I love it! I find myself doing all the running of errands just to find an excuse to drive her. Shes comfortable, well equipped and the sound system is top notch! I found no other car out there to comparem to the quality and comfort of the TL. Way to go Honda, great job!

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  Best car in its class - 2001 Acura CL
  By JLW1212 - September 28 - 2:00 am

  This was my second car, I went from an Acura Integra and although I paid twice as much, its 10 times the Integra will ever be. I was in my market for a BMW 330Ci and to me the 3.2CL beat it out in every catergory. This is a fantastic buy and the 225 HP is a big improvement from 140 HP.

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  One of the top Honda products - 2000 Acura TL
  By Deity42 - September 28 - 2:00 am

  Solid, solid car. I drove nothing but GM products before this, and let me tell you there is a difference. I found my copy used with 43K miles and it feels brand new. Fantastic value. I drove the vehicle off the lot for less than the sticker price on a top- of-the-line Civic. Dealer took care of all of my worries. The performance is also surprising. It blows the ES300 off the road and is one of the better handling sedans Ive driven. You have to really ease into the throttle in order not to just launch the car. And this is just the base car, not the Type-S!

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  More than enough. - 1997 Acura RL
  By Glove - September 26 - 2:00 am

  After washing, the shine off the pearl white is priceless. this is truly a sexy automobile. Although the RL is a dog at the line, its acceleration while already moving is terrific. the 3.5 v6 is great for highway driving but lack a little from 0 mph+. The interior is durable and classy, enough wood enough leather. I do hear a clunking noise whenever i go over a bump but my mechanic doesnt seem to think its anything to worry about (he has no clue what it is). The sunroof has a problem with the electronic STOP mechanism adn the left fog light is out. i think for a car thats 6 yrs old this is a smart choice if you want luxury you can use!

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  AWSOME!!!!!!!!!!! - 1998 Acura Integra
  By Eraze - September 26 - 2:00 am

  this car is awsome, if you want wny of the above, this cars got it

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  Great SUV - 2003 Acura MDX
  By Kevin G. - September 26 - 2:00 am

  Great SUV - would purchase again. Some minor initial items were fixed by the dealer, no problem. Roomy, confortable, decent styling - I think the reviewers who pan the styling are a bit off since Ive checked out all the competition in the same league. This is my third Honda vehicl (first Acura) and Im a devoted fan. All you need to do is put gas and regular maintenance and it will go forever. Great resale value as well. Love it, love it, love it !!!!

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  The Legend of the Legends - 1991 Acura Legend
  By Phredd - September 25 - 2:00 am

  Picked up the car 8 months ago after my Hyundai got totalled. The Acura had 154,000 when I got it.. and with a little TLC to get the heat working, and fix some cooling system issues, the car is very nice. Its now got 167,000, and is going strong. About the two worst things are the gas mileage and the missing cup holder... But hey, its not an economy car, and Ive learned to live without the cup holder.

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  LOVE THIS CAR!!! - 2002 Acura CL
  By CLYDE - September 25 - 2:00 am

  22000 THOUSAND GREAT MILES AND STILL LOVE THIS CAR

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  going back to my maxima - 2001 Acura TL
  By robertabear - September 25 - 2:00 am

  After a Camry and a Maxima which were great for over 150,000 miles, we bought our first "luxury" car. Today, after 3 years and 30,000 miles, it is getting a new transmission. As soon as we get it home, well trade it in for something more reliable. Otherwise, why not expect another problem at 60,000 when we are no longer under warranty? What a disappointment!