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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  Sporty, Stylish, Fun, and Dependable - 1995 Acura Integra
  By SteveLW - September 4 - 2:00 am

  Great car. Have had ZERO problems out of this car at 115,000 miles. Great acceleration, hatch-back can be used to haul many large items. Car is stylish and fun. Great car for a trip to the beach or commuting to work. One of the best looking cars on the road still after 7 years!

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  Pimp Ride - 1998 Acura CL
  By dpvistaz - September 4 - 2:00 am

  This is a GREAT daily driver! Very comfortable and fast! highly recommend this vehicle over accord/camry

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  Not bad - 2003 Acura TL
  By ninja - September 4 - 2:00 am

  Already 22000mi after 1 year. Overall very happy with the car (chosen over G35), except for a few things. Still like the simple good looks. Finally used to the "harsher" ride of a "sports" car (always check the tire pressure!). Still adjusting to the split-second shifting lag (even in manual shift mode), having had a manual trans just prior. Regret not getting the NAV.

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  Too smallfor over 6 feet tall! - 1996 Acura TL
  By Tidepride824 - September 3 - 2:00 am

  I like my car, but my dad cannot fit in it well, and he is only 61"! The leather feels a little rubbery and not luxurious enough, the Accord feels more luxurious with its velour.The engine is smooth and peppy, but mileage is a litle on the low side for such a small engine.

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  The best - 2008 Acura TL
  By Al - September 2 - 9:50 pm

  I had a budget up to 50 thousand and was looking at lexus and infiniti. Then decided to test drive tl-s and realized that it is the best car for my needs. It was one of the most quiet and comfortable cars, with enough power for daily commutes. The car is built with amazing quality in all the details inside/out. Fuel economy is decent - after 1400 miles computer shows 20 MPG with average speed 29 miles. I anticipate expensive maintenance on this car - tires, brakes, etc.

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  GREAT INSIDE OUT - 1992 Acura Vigor
  By GUY B - September 2 - 2:00 am

  This car has never let me down, its not a new car, but still drives like one. Everything works, I put no $$ into it but gas...

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  96 Acura Integra GS-R - 1996 Acura Integra
  By planetena - September 2 - 2:00 am

  I dont think one thing has gone wrong with this car in 88000 miles. All weve done is change oil every 3000-4000 mi plus factory recommended maintenance. Nothing breaks! Very quick, fun to drive, cheap to maintain,excellent gas mileage...all in all a great little car.

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  The Best Value - 2001 Acura RL
  By GPF - September 2 - 2:00 am

  The vehicle is BEST VALUE BUY for luxury cars. All luxuries are standard, you no have to pay extra charges for more equipment like the Mercedes E 320. All standard features are premiun leather,sound,and others extras.Drive this car is like drive a dove in the road and at the same time you can feel the power of the 3.5 liters motor. The elegance of the Acura 3.5 RL compare with the Lexus LS 430. But the price is much much less. Than you Acura!

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  Its a keeper! - 2002 Acura CL
  By rpb2 - September 2 - 2:00 am

  A fun vehicle to drive in the city and handles well on the open road. As in most coupes the rear seat is for looks only. The trunk is huge and most useful when traveling.

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  comfort and style - 2002 Acura RL
  By chief - September 2 - 2:00 am

  Great vehicle comparible to Lexus luxury sedan or Mercedes E320 at about $20,000 less. Understated styling for those confident enough to drive a good car.