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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  Cant Beat It - 1999 Acura CL
  By ExecMom - September 14 - 2:00 am

  This car is a great combination of styling, performance and economy. It loves high speeds and never lacks power in any situation. Ive had no problems with it at all, and the only annoyances are a drivers side seat belt that sometimes catches on the seat lever and a turning circle that seems wider than it ought to be. This is my tird Acura, and Im not likely to buy anything else!

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  Jays TSX - 2004 Acura TSX
  By Jason Tressler - September 13 - 10:00 am

  I almost want to keep this jewel of a deal a secret because I look like Im driving 50K car!!!! I have so many heads turn at this car, but most dont know they may be able to afford one. I did not even plan on buying a new car, but when isaw this and drove it I had to have it... Best car I have ever owned. If you get into one of these cars you wont want to get back out.

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  Excellent auto - 2002 Acura MDX
  By bobarags - September 13 - 2:00 am

  The car is very quiet although road noise could be lessen. The interior is well laid out and very comfortable. I like the idea that the 6 CD player is part of the radio in the dash rather than the glove compartment or trunk.

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  Best Crossover available - 2002 Acura MDX
  By PhotoMan - September 13 - 2:00 am

  15,000 fantastic mile so far, drove it from Massachusetts to Florida and back, 20 MPG average and easily cruises at 90+ MPH all day long. Air conditioning is excellent, handling, comfort first rate. It is very quite even at 90 MPH. Id recommend it to anyone

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  Great Car - 2005 Acura TL
  By Bob Carlson - September 12 - 5:36 pm

  This car has a lot of pick up from any speed. Nice handling and a nice ride. It is a sports car, so not a soft ride, but it is quiet. The sound system is awesome! Fun and lively car with the manual shifter, it can also be driven hard.

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  Transmission Problems - 2001 Acura TL
  By PatT - September 12 - 2:00 am

  I loved my T.L. up until last month. The transmission would not shift into 4th or 5th gear. I took it to the dealer for transmission replacement. When I picked it up, three weeks later, there was still a problem with it. Mechanics cannot seem to find the problem. Still not shifting properly and making an odd noise. Also windshield and wipers not good. Very dissappointed since I felt Acura was a very reliable car. A

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  A NEW Acura As Good As The Acura Legend - 2002 Acura MDX
  By slkman99 - September 12 - 2:00 am

  This MDX is one of the best craftsmanship found on a new car today for under $40K. I previously owned a Lexus RX300 and let me tell you, the RX300 was a horrible car! Im sorry, but its true. If youre looking for premium luxury at a great price, go for the MDX Premium. Youll love it!! By the way, I also own a 94 Acura Legend, its the best Acura since the Legend.

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  Owner - 2002 Acura MDX
  By miky - September 10 - 2:00 am

  I loved this vehicle. It is fun to drive and cruise.

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  Great Car - 2003 Acura TL
  By NewOwner - September 10 - 2:00 am

  I sold my 96 Camry. At the time, I was trying to decide between Accord V6, Camry, Maxima GLE and Acura 3.2TL. After some research, I decided to purchase 3.2TL. It is only about 1-2k more expensive than the other cars, but it is a much better car. I think it is the best car under 30k.

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  Great Car - 2003 Acura TL
  By newowner - September 10 - 2:00 am

  I sold my 96 Camry. At the time, I was trying to decide between Accord V6, Camry, Maxima GLE and Acura 3.2TL. After some research, I decided to purchase 3.2TL. It is only about 1-2k more expensive than the other cars, but it is a much better car. I think it is the best car under 30k.