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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  Outstanding Sports Sedan! - 2005 Acura TSX
  By Mitch G - October 31 - 3:30 am

  Absolutely one of the best values out there in the true sports (bordering on luxury) sedans. You can pay almost $10K more if you really need the BMW name. If youre okay without it, however, this car wont let you down. Once inside and driving it, youll be sold. I cant help but smile every time I get in my new TSX. Im 100% pleased - no buyers remorse at all.

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  EGR - 1999 Acura TL
  By Lynnerksu - October 29 - 10:37 pm

  I bought the car in 2005 with 32,000 miles on it. I love the car but now it has about 72,000 miles and has been in the shop for the EGR. Other than that its been a perfect inexpensive car.

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  WOW! - 2010 Acura TSX
  By DarkHelmet - October 28 - 12:42 pm

  Ive only had this car for a week and I am in love with it. I cant stop driving it... I already put 1000 miles on it and I live a mile away from work... The car drives smooth, is quick to the touch and is super comfortable. I only have the four cylinder too, and its really fast and quick.

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  Excellent Car - 2003 Acura RSX
  By Bob Gillette - October 28 - 2:00 am

  The 2002 and 2003 Acura RSX and Acura RSX Type-S are top-notch cars. I, myself, own a type-s model and have found no problems at all with it. It performs well, has great acceleration, great fuel economy, and is an outstanding car overall. Number one on my list is maintenance also, and I find this car to be right up there. I have had no problems with the engine or any part of the car at all. I change the oil and Im done! 10/10 Stars

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  Sweet Ride - 2003 Acura RSX
  By hansbuby - October 28 - 2:00 am

  This is a sweet car. Engine at high revs makes a sweet sound. So far, very reliable, no problems.

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  2003 Acura MDX - 2003 Acura MDX
  By Karen Threlkeld - October 28 - 2:00 am

  Great car! Smooth, quiet and very comfortable. Nice acceleration on the highway.

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  Great deal for the Reliability & Luxury - 2006 Acura TSX
  By Kong Lee - October 26 - 3:46 pm

  I got this car used for almost a year now and I must say the TSX has so much to offer. It came with VSA, ABS, a great engine that produces 205 hp, very low insurance rates, 3 garage door openers on the top of the car next to the lights (Dont know what feature its called LOL), Leather seats, very great comfort. I averaged 25 - 27 miles per gallon for the first 3 months because I did not realize the TSX uses Premium unleaded (90) and I have been refueling with Regular Unleaded (87) fuel. It now averages well between 29 - 33 mpg 50/50 city/highway (Phew). I never had any problems with the TSX so far, only had to change oil once 7 months after I got the car. Have not drove in snow yet.

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  Best in Class - 2006 Acura TL
  By Steven D. - October 23 - 1:43 pm

  I checked out all the competition and concluded that the Acura TL offered the best bang for the buck. It is much roomier then the Lexus IS 350 and less expensive for comparative equipment. I enjoy the NAV system and use the blue tooth constantly. Its nice to keep your hands on the wheel and still control all the main features of the car. I would recommend this car to anyone wanting luxury with a sporty feel.

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  Glad I bought it - 2005 Acura TL
  By Ty - October 23 - 12:03 pm

  My choice was between the Infiniti G35 and the TL. I bought the TL because of the extras and it drove better. For the money, there is not a better choice. I looked at the Infiniti, Audi, Maxima and TL. TL just offered more for the money. I dont have many complaints other than the stereo system needs refining (especially CD) and it needs auto headlights.

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  Best not-a-station-wagon car ever made - 1999 Acura NSX
  By Rainbby - October 22 - 9:51 pm

  This silver NSX-T has been our daily driver for ten years. Unless youre hauling goats to a vet, this is the best way for two people to get from here to there weve found in a pretty long life. Weve owned a dozen cars in fifty years together. Over half were sports cars. Getting out can be a challenge at our age. Otherwise weve never had a car so satisfying in every way. I raced Formula Ford and Im an aerospace engineer. This is a superbly designed car in all ways. We only get 21 mpg, but Corvette friends grimace at that. Our first clutch lasted 97K and both have been a pleasure to use. Headrooms fine for a 6 footer and someone has a tall mod.