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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  nice suprise - 2000 Acura TL
  By jalan - August 30 - 2:00 am

  I had a 1995 BMW 740IL when I bought this in 2000... so I thought it would be a big adjustment... I was very pleasantly suprised by the TL. Nice drive !

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  LEGEND - 1991 Acura Legend
  By dizyblonde2k3 - August 29 - 2:00 am

  When i bought my Acura, i didnt know how good of a car that it was. I had it for like a week and everyone was telling me that i had a great car. Everything was awsome in my car,the sun foor,the sterio,the gas,everything. Well eveything exept it didnt last through its first accident. I had it for 5 months, and my boyfriend got into an accident with it and totaled it.

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  Finally, a good car decision! - 2001 Acura CL
  By Victor in CA - August 29 - 2:00 am

  After my 96 Corvette bit the dust with only 60,000 miles I went car shopping. Considered the Nissan Z and the Infiniti G35 coupe but kept coming back to the CL-S. I bought a 01 with 35k miles and its perfect. The performance isnt what the Corvette was but I no longer need a kidney belt after long road trips. The CL-S is the perfect compromise between luxury and sport with Honda reliability. After having gone from a Prelude to a Corvette, the GM design was really disappointing.

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  Dont get Black - 2001 Acura MDX
  By aylien - August 28 - 2:00 am

  Our car is great it has been on many road trips. It seems to be holding up well. The only complaint I have it the exterior dents very easily and the black paint scratches easily. Some scratches are unavoidable with black, but Honda black never seems to keep its luster for very long. I was hoping they would use a better paint on the Acura but it is the same as our Honda. I have a black BMW and it does not look as bad as the MDX. It seems to be holding up in every other way. Great vehicle!

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  hot cars - 2003 Acura CL
  By JESUS - August 28 - 2:00 am

  rides good roomy and fast GOOD ON GAS I HAVE HAD A VERY WONDERFUL EXSPERIENCE.

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  Excellent - 2003 Acura RSX
  By Debbbie - August 28 - 2:00 am

  Its a great car. It has a beautiful shape. Its extremely comfortable and convenient inside. I love the Dashboard glow, its red. I feel like Im driving a spaceship.

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  2004 TSX Automatic non Nav - 2004 Acura TSX
  By Miko1970 - August 27 - 10:00 am

  I had been shopping to update my 2000 3.2 TL to a 2003 Type S, but since premium gas is priced what it is, the 2004 TSX really made more sense. My expectation was clearly too high on the performance, gas mileage and fit and finish. I was completely spoiled with the TL. I feel that between the automatic transmission and low torque a manual transmission is the best way to experience this car. I also wish I had known what kind of people I was dealing with a Duval Acura in Jacksonville, FL... Buyer beware and ask for a CAR FAX!

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  First 1000 miles - 2004 Acura TSX
  By DSPSocal - August 27 - 10:00 am

  You cant go wrong with the TSX, the first 1000 miles have been excellent, very few complaints. Avg 25 MPG in mixed driving with a lead foot. Handling is very predictable and acceleration is smooth powerful for a 4 cylinder. Sequential gearshift is easy to get used to and upshifts are precise as downshifts. I get lots of compliments on the styling (i have a red one other colors were too muted for my taste). I compared to Maxima, Solara, Accord, and Altima. Then saw the TSX and realized for less money than an Altima I had a car in the class with BMW, Mercedes, and Audi. It was a no brainer from there.

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  Miss my BMW2, but still a great car - 2004 Acura TL
  By BMWfan2 - August 27 - 10:00 am

  I have to agree with others that have owned german cars, the japanese just cant compete for performance and safety. I have owned 7 Acuras and although they are awesome cars with excellent reliability, I miss the performance and road manners of a BMW or Mercedes, in defense of Acura, I dont miss those frequent trips to the shop for those expensive repairs and maintenance. The new TL has alot going for it, especially the styling, the bluetooth, the sound system and the well appointed interiors, However, the front wheel drive sucks! With this much horsepower it ruins the performance, so much torque steer! This car is a tremendous value 35K!

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  The Perfect Car - 1996 Acura TL
  By BB - August 27 - 2:00 am

  I love this car! When I decide to trade this car in or sell it, it will be a sad day. I will looking at replacing it with a newer Acura TL version. This is my third Honda product and I am a loyal customer. I recommend the TL to anyone wanting a sports sedan with luxury elements at an economic value!