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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  Real World Car - 2002 Acura RL
  By Joe W. - February 28 - 12:05 pm

  Sure, reviewers like a V8. But real people prefer reliability, value, comfort in traffic, low cost of ownership, dignified style, and performance that lasts for years past warranty. My RL has it all and gets compliments, too!

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  REVIEW - 2002 Acura CL
  By WILLIAM JACOBS - February 28 - 10:24 am

  Great car for the price

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  acura - 1998 Acura RL
  By biz - February 28 - 12:30 am

  I like an automatic transmission/it is smooth driving/roomy/

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  Great, American made car - 2000 Acura TL
  By Neighborhood - February 27 - 4:10 pm

  This has been an outstanding vehicle. So much so, that I am now searching for a 2nd Acura for our household.

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  Bullet Proof - 1993 Acura Legend
  By Iam3rd - February 27 - 3:59 pm

  These engines are bullet proof. With normal maintenance this car is only half through its life at 180,000 miles

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  fanstastic for the price - 2002 Acura CL
  By David R - February 27 - 2:37 pm

  After weeks of test driving, I decided on the CL type S. There are other very good cars out there (such as Lexus IS300 and BMW 3 series). Howerver the CL is lots faster, and comes very well equiped. The seats were the most comfortable. It didnt handle as well as the BMW, and has a bit large turning circle. However, the lexus and BMW would cost at least $15,000 more to equip them similarly to the CL. The interior of the CL looks classier than that in the BMW or Lexus.

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  You Cannot Go Wrong - 1990 Acura Legend
  By Acura Kurosawa - February 27 - 1:23 pm

  In 1999, I bought a 90 coupe and it is my daily driver. It is luxurious, powerful, classy, and incredibly reliable. Of course, Ive had to replace the alternator and a hose or two, but thats to be expected from a car that just broke 200,000 miles! The original alternator lasted until 195,000! See if THAT ever happens with a Ford or Chevy! But these are great cars and you will not be disappointed.

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  Rocket Pocket - 2000 Acura Integra
  By Frank Jask - February 27 - 1:22 pm

  You get your money worth.

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  Upgrading to a CL 3.0 - 1998 Acura CL
  By Dee - February 27 - 4:52 am

  The proud owner of an Accord Ex 4cyl with a strong hunger for more power. I like the look of the V6 Accord Coupe, however the much smoother transmission of the CL 3.0. Like my 1991 integra with 207K miles, the CL 3.0 will also be in the family for some years to come.

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  1st time acura buyer - 2004 Acura TL
  By maddie2 - February 27 - 3:46 am

  Acuras reputation sold me on this car. However, I have been disappointed with several items but been pleased with other features. I think it is true that you should wait a year after a model change so they can revise all the defects. Ive had so many problems with the trunk seal leaking. If water is on the trunk lid and you open the seal does not prevent the water from entering into the trunk. Ive taken the car in 4 times for this problem and its still not repaired. The tires are awful on this car. I noticed the vibration within the first few weeks of ownership. I spoke to the dealer and they said they could not do anything about it. Its worse when the weather is cold.