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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  A Pretty Good Car - 1990 Acura Integra
  By David - August 23 - 1:27 am

  Its had fewer problems than other cars weve owned. Ive done most of the work on it myself. One major problem was that it wouldnt start when hot. After checking on the Internet for a while, I fixed it at no cost by re-soldering a cracked solder joint in the main relay. Another problem was that one couldnt immediately remove the ignition key after starting the car. Again, the Internet came to the rescue and I had to clean the transmission lever electrical contacts (a lot of screws to remove to get to it). The ignition switch failed but got fixed by cleaning and lubing the contacts. A lot of work getting to it. Other problems were mostly like this, little cost but some work needed.

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  Great car - 2007 Acura TL
  By killerisme - August 21 - 5:42 pm

  Purchased new near end of MY. Our 2nd TL-S, and this one is much better than 1st Gen. It is much sportier, especially handling and brakes, but less comfortable ride and lower fuel economy. Brembo front brakes wear much faster than standard pads and are expensive. Styling and features are at top of class and reliability has been perfect.

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  Great experience with this car. - 2003 Acura TL
  By Bama Jiggs - August 21 - 4:20 pm

  This is my wifes car. We purchased it in July 2003 new. I has given us service far superior to any car we have ever owned. (married 56 years). We returned it to the dealer for a recall on the transmission in 2005. Had the transmission serviced in 2009. The car now has 85,000 miles and still performs like new. On trips we average about 32 MPG. Seldom drive more than 65 MPH. Only problem is premium fuel.

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  Good family car - 2002 Acura TL
  By killerisme - August 21 - 10:36 am

  Our first Acura has been a long distance trooper for the family, and despite three transmissions, overall reliability has been outstanding. Only one of the transmissions actually failed, and it gave plenty of warning. Harper Acura in Knoxville, TN has been great in helping take care of maintenance and the trans issues. 140k miles and it is still a nicer ride than new Accords and Camrys.

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  Im hooked! - 2007 Acura TL
  By cassie22598 - August 20 - 1:50 pm

  I am absolutely hooked on Acuras now! Ive liked them for a while and just thought they were a little too expensive. But I broke down and got one anyway and I am loving it! Acura has spoiled me rotten, with their excellent service and their reliability. Plus all the fun features this car has to offer. I dont think I could ever settle for less.

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  170 K miles and still running great - 2005 Acura RL
  By ejet - August 18 - 12:46 pm

  I have put 170K+ miles on my 05 RL so I can confidently say I know this car. Still looks new and draws attention. Front tie rods replaced twice, once under warranty. Two sets of brakes and on third set of tires. Front head light adjusting warning light has been on for the last 100K, cant be turned off and I am not paying to replace the head lights. A few minor electrical problems but that has been it. I runs like new. I have driven 12 hours staight, great seats, quite, comfortable and reliable. Not good in snow even with AWD. Buy four Blizzak snows if you drive in the white stuff. Dealership service has been A+. The BEST GPS system made on earth. Waiting for the 2011. Best car ever.

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  2008 MDX tech - 2008 Acura MDX
  By acura08 - August 18 - 10:10 am

  Everything was great. Until I hit 60k miles (warranty expires) the wiper sensors and engine oil sensors got messed up. The wipers turn on and off by themselves and also the engine oil sensor. It was awesome how the engine oil sensor bugged out and I was on the highway during rush hour. The last row seats are a nice add but not for long trips. Honda/Acura is notorious for their window problem on the driver side. Driving the MDX is fun the handling is awesome I can whip turns better then a lot of sedans. Even the Lexus cant beat it not sure about the X5.

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  Crisp, Modern Luxury Experience - 2010 Acura TL
  By JLGOLDEN - August 18 - 6:44 am

  After comparing several vehicles at the $39K price cap, I determined the TL was the best pick for me. I see too many identical Infiniti G37s around town, strike. Lincoln MKZ & MKS still feel a half-step behind in their luxury effort, strike. Lexus ES feels too mature and the IS is too cute, strike. Not only is the Acura car stunning to look at, but the interior craftsmanship, powertain performance, and tech features give me the impression of solid modern luxury. Interior ergonomics are a near perfect fit for my 55" self.

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  Omg welllll oiled machine! - 2003 Acura TL
  By Honest Abe - August 17 - 10:29 pm

  Wow wow wow! What a car! I never had a problem with this car ever ever e-v-e-r! Flawless, the best car I have ever owned. I bought the car used in 06. I looked for 3 months to find what looked the best and with no crappy paint work-Pearl White, tan, and spoiler the hottest tl type s enough said. The transmission has never been replaced and it is now 8 years old and has 100,000 mi on it and is rock solid, and I have never been afraid to get on it. I always do my normal maintenance incl synthetic oil, trans fluid change, kn air cleaner cleaning, and umm there has not been a drop of maintenance but a set of tires and brakes. I have never seen a car get so many compliments.

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  A Ton for the Money - 2010 Acura TL
  By Mike - August 16 - 7:26 pm

  Live in CT and drive to NY daily totaling 33,000 miles a year. As such I buy a new car every three years and I limit it to AWD. Ive had a BMW 3, Mercedes c and most recently a Cadillac cts. All nice cars. Just bought the tl w sh awd, tech, under body spoilers and sport grill all less than $40k. 5k less than the cts was 3 years ago. Tl looks great standing still and at speed. Drives like its on rails and the tech inside is awesome!