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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  6 more ways to enjoy your car - 2003 Acura CL
  By elizabeth - May 4 - 2:00 am

  I purchased a 2002 Acura CLS in November and actually traded it in two weeks ago for the six speed! Not the smartest financial move but I love the 6 speed and have waited two years for something comparable to my previous Prelude. I have had six Preludes through the years and trying to find a replacement has been a challenge.

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  CL Type-S is a great car...realize it - 2003 Acura CL
  By rooktobishop - May 4 - 2:00 am

  Its been almost a year since I bought my red 03 CL-S. It replaced a 99 VW Passat GLS V6 that was simply poorly built and was simply a piece of junk. I try to own my cars for 7 years, but the VW had other ideas. I traded it in for the CL and this car is GREAT. I can own and drive this for 7 years-easy! Its quality all the way around and performs extremely well. I saw another review complain about mileage, for me the fuel economy is great, better than I expected: c19-20 and h32 in most cases...I try not to put my foot into the gas too often, which is easy to do because the car is so eager to get going. I highly recommend this car.

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  LovingIt2Pieces - 1992 Acura Vigor
  By CAR4TEEN - May 3 - 2:00 am

  Just recently purchased this car for our 16 yr old daughter with 134K. It looks good, rides great--couldnt ask for a new car to do any better, Changed out the radio for a more recent model to accomodate a cd changer. Had some mechanics to look it over and was told nothing to worry about especially for the price we bought it for (less than $3000).Now husband and older daughter want one just like it!

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  Quiet, Comfortable, yet Alert and Respon - 2001 Acura TL
  By Avigramke - May 3 - 2:00 am

  I loved it from the first second. It looks and feels like a quiet luxury car (say the Lexus ES300), yet drives like a sports car. I drove the Lexus and its not even close - The Acura is much more fun, quiet and more taut and responsive.

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  Better go for German cars. - 2003 Acura RL
  By Audi.VW,BMW,Mercedes - May 2 - 2:00 am

  Gas mileage isnt great. Steering wheel feel is a little too soft. Put 6 disc changer in dash. Redesign moonroof close button (it takes two separate clicks to close it). Two zone heat/AC.

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  good exp with this car - 2000 Acura TL
  By sbintexas - May 2 - 2:00 am

  Other than one minor problem with the Sunroof this has been a great car. Also it held value well. Transmission is a little sluggish as it as aged.

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  Fun Fun Fun - 2006 Acura TL
  By JAXFLUSA - May 1 - 2:13 pm

  I love it all. The best value for your money. The interior surpasses all others in its class and the drive is just plain fun. The Navi and handfree are easy to use and the XM is just icing on the cake. The Acura TL is in a class all its own.

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  Great Car - 2004 Acura RL
  By FormyDad - May 1 - 2:00 am

  I look at my different full size sedans, and the acura was the one that stood out in style, performance, and most important price. The car is a great value for what it offers.

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  Excellent - 2002 Acura RSX
  By y0sh! - May 1 - 2:00 am

  Nice car overall. Has pretty good power to it for only being a 4 cylinder car. Also, i like the 6 speed. Very Nice!

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  Best Car I Ever Owned - 2004 Acura TL
  By Tonymarsol - May 1 - 2:00 am

  GREAT CAR...wanted this car for awhile, finally got it this Jan. Just took it on a 4 hr road trip at 80 mph very nice ride...and 28 mpg not bad. Was very impressed with the whole package, overall quality, fit, finish, interior materials, smooth and comfortable ride but still sporty. Acura thought of just about eveything when putting this car together. And all for under 35K