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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  Very competent, lacks zip - 2003 Acura RSX
  By Heliotar - June 23 - 10:00 am

  The Acura RSX is a well-built and well- designed car, yet it lacks the frisky spirit of the Integra. The engine has more torque and is easier to manage than the old Integra, but is not as fun to dip into high-rev territory, despite the higher horsepower. I cannot put my finger on why, but the sheeps clothing ultimately dominates the wolf within. Maybe it is because the steering is a little remote and the brakes feel a bit spongy. This is a fast and capable car, that manages to be one of the greenest pure gasoline engine vehicles on the road.

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  love it - 2003 Acura MDX
  By samioliver - June 23 - 10:00 am

  Love it, love it, love it, and would buy it again! If you are in the market for a mini van (as I was), then this is another option for you that leaves you with a sporty vehicle - also with 7 seats (the two in the back are GREAT, but for kids only), and with an easy to drive vehicle (that turn radius is simply amazing). I only wished that the entertainment system had been available when I purchsed my MDX, but Im not sure I would have had the extra money to purchase it...

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  Great Car, Great Buy - 2003 Acura TL
  By GreatSmile - June 23 - 10:00 am

  After test driving the TL type S, I just have to get one. I was looking into GS300 and almost took delivery on one. The handling and horsepower on the type S is awsome. Sure the brand new 2004 are coming but the 03 TL type S is still a great performance car and should not be overlooked.

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  Fine Daily Driver - 2009 Acura TSX
  By Frank - June 21 - 7:53 am

  I’ve been driving my 2009 TSX for a little over 4 weeks and have had an opportunity to compare in detail to my 2005 TSX, which I still own. The 2009 TSX is a far superior vehicle in terms of driving comfort, acceleration, handling, cabin noise, low speed maneuverability, turning radius, fuel economy, and overall refinement. I have read the professional reviews and my conclusion is that these people drive the car for a few hours on a test track in situations that are not representative of daily driving conditions for the average buyer of this vehicle. Having said that, I do agree, that 2009 TSX is not a “sports” sedan and probably should not be marketed as one by Acura.

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  Awesome new RL - 2005 Acura RL
  By Exum - June 19 - 5:53 pm

  The new RL is significantly beyond expectation, and the expectations were quite high. Handling is awesome, exceleration outstanding, and the interior features....banging!

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  high country - 2003 Acura MDX
  By hiker - June 18 - 10:00 am

  have driven suvs in the past forget it this is the ticket i do limited off road but plenty of bad curvy mountain roads and this vehicle eats them up i have found it does great in rainy conditios and dirt roads i get about 16mpg in mountains and 13mpg in city

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  wonderful - 2003 Acura MDX
  By eric is cool - June 18 - 10:00 am

  its a great car for the price!!

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  Buy it Now! No comparison for its comps - 2005 Acura TL
  By Jaison - June 18 - 7:03 am

  Nothing bad to say really about this vehicle. I have several kinds of cars/trucks and this one is definitely up there for its price, look, relability, etc. It handles awesome, accessible features are at your finger tips. All the way around.... It is a well made car. PLUS it has great longevity and Great resale!

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  Great car!! - 2005 Acura TSX
  By gotong - June 18 - 6:40 am

  The car does seem to use a lot of gas for its size; good acceleration from stop; fun to drive you dont even notice the engine straining at high speeds (this is how I got my first speeding ticket); I got one foggy headlight (inside) that I had to have the dealer fixed but its no big deal; the radio control on the steering wheel is kind of squeaky; spacious trunk compartment. Overall this is a great car!

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  Great Car! - 2005 Acura TL
  By syslog - June 15 - 7:56 pm

  I used to own a 99 TL and it was a good car. Decent performance, lots of amenities, excellent navi. Interior quality was sub-par, styling was bland. I then moved to a 00 328i. Great performance, good looks, almost no amenities, tiny cabin. This new TL combines the best qualities of both cars and adds a panache all its own. Great performance, gorgeous to look at, both inside & out. Interior quality is excellent. The voice control has been integrated extermely well with the navi (you can say find nearest ATM, and the car takes you there). The only problem is lack of torque at low speed.