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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  1998 GS-R - 1998 Acura Integra
  By GSR man - December 2 - 2:00 am

  I have owned this car since new. It is fun to drive. Not real fast, but quick. Peppy engine that puts a smile on my face everytime the tach soars above 5,500 rpms. The steering is razor sharp. Considered buying RSX type S, but after driving that car was so glad that I own a GS-R instead. Love the everyday driveability of this car. Great gas mileage and did I mention fun to drive! Great commuter car that is also good in snow. 58K miles and not a single complaint. New tires at 40K were the only money spent on this car other than oil changes, filters, and wiper blades.

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  2007 Acura RDX - 2007 Acura RDX
  By palsons99 - December 1 - 3:56 am

  First off, there is no small SUV out there that is as fun to drive as this car. I tried the mazda and subaru equivalents, and they just dont match the feel of this car. This car is just a blast to drive.

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  Lets Get Real!!! - 2002 Acura NSX
  By jmlnsx - November 30 - 2:00 am

  I had a 1991 NSX.I drove a new NSX and other then some cosmetics, it is the same car. ACURA dropped the ball! There needs to be a serious motor under the hood and all the nice things included for a price that should be about $30,000. lower then where the present model is priced. ACURA has always been know for its great cars at reasonable prices. The NSX over the years has become way too expensive for what it has to offer. Bring on the new car at $60,000. like when it first came out 11 years ago and ACURA will sell them like Corvettes.

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  RL Review - 2000 Acura RL
  By smithwl - November 30 - 2:00 am

  The best car Ive ever owned.

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  HappyOwner - 2001 Acura MDX
  By HappyinNOLA - November 30 - 2:00 am

  I went from an Audi convertible to the MDX and I am so happy that I didnt give up any of the quality and luxury that I was used to. Id heard of the Honda/Acura quality and I am constantly complimented on the style and luxury of the car.

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  GREAT CAR FOR THE MONEY - 2001 Acura TL
  By BRUCE JACOBSON - November 30 - 2:00 am

  I WAS LOOKING FOR AN ENTRY LEVEL LUXURY CAR AND THIS CAR FILLS THE BILL. IT IS EVERY BIT THE CAR THAT THE LEXUS ES350 IS AND $6000 LESS.THE AUTO SHIFT IS GREAT FUN AND THE GPS IS BOTH HELPFUL AND A NICE TOUCH FOR TRAVELING AND WORK. YOU NEVER GET LOST AND FUN AND EASY TO USE.

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  Most "Bang for your Buck!" - 2003 Acura TL
  By randalr1 - November 29 - 10:00 am

  This is the second newer generation Acura TL my wife and I have owned. Both have been excellent cars. The engine is outstanding and very smooth. We have owned several cars at this pricepoint and the Acura blows them all away. You get the features in a 35k - 40k car while paying 30k or less. Plus you get a great warranty 4yrs, 50k.

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  Exterior Quality - 2016 Acura MDX
  By Christopher Trinh - November 29 - 12:22 am

  Overall it rides nice and very comfortable. The downside is that the Acura MDX has built quality issues. The panels either dont lineup or the gap is not even. For instance, the fuel door is off center, both side of the trunk lift gate have uneven gaps and both side of the front top fender panels are off and dont lineup with the front bumper. Very disappointed and I would consider other brand of SUV such as Lexus in the near future. If you are in the market for any Acura vehicle, do check for quality built issues. Chances are the panels dont lineup and the gaps are not even.

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  affordably_asskicker - 2000 Acura Integra
  By niterider - November 27 - 2:00 am

  Amazingly dependent car. Like the vroom and the pickup compared to its comprable brothers on the street. Very stylish and impressive looks.

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  Mercedes quality without the pretense - 2001 Acura RL
  By Creek Car Guy - November 26 - 2:00 am

  This is my daily commuter car, for which purpose it is flawless. I have had absolutely no problems with it, except I have had to replace the special tires I put on it (I put wide rims with wide tires for style). My wifes Mercedes 300e is boring, with vague suspension characteristics and a lousy sound system(Bose, but still lousy) by comparison!