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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  I miss my baby. .. ( - 1996 Acura SLX
  By Welsher - September 25 - 1:44 pm

  I bought my 96 SLX in August of 07 before leaving for college in Cali (Washington is home). I loved this car, my plan was to drive it til it died, and then drop a V8 in it , slightly lower it, and black it out (it was the green/beige 2 tone). :) Long story short I got hit by a drunk 18 days ago and its totaled, and the insurance company just offered me $3,462.35 for it. It was great for hanging out w/ my friends at college, driving to the beach, driving to the mountains, driving around town, on the HWY, wherever. It had a very solid, strong, tank-like feel, although sluggish (3.2L V6 in 2 ton vehicle), and in spite of having failed the 30 mph swerve test, it took the corners surprisingly well.

• 

  owner - 2004 Acura TL
  By NaMrgnMorgan - September 23 - 10:00 am

  enjoy driving and power that it has, and stereo

• 

  Love this car... - 2004 Acura TL
  By bodaswo - September 23 - 10:00 am

  I had a 2 year old (bought new) Camry XLE v6. Great car, BUT, not fun to drive. It was as the magazines said, safely boring. Saw the TL when it came out and tried to stay away from it. I lost. I drove one and was hooked. Great looks, performance, handling...etc. etc. What else does one need in a car!

• 

  Best Buy for the Buck - 2005 Acura TSX
  By Markus Heinrich - September 23 - 12:33 am

  My 97 CL has 200,000 miles without incident so it was natural for me to buy another Acura. I wasnot dissapointed. With the 6M it accelerates quickly, handles well and is a joy to drive. Only complaint is the the black leather gets extremely hot in summer. OUCH.

• 

  Better than my 2006 - 2010 Acura RL
  By Doug G - September 22 - 4:58 pm

  The RL is way better than before! I sold my 2006 got a good amount for it too, but the 2010 is way better. The handling is incredibly tight, the interior is much richer and though it is not as quick as the TL, it is faster and smoother. It is not for everyone, but if you like a supremely quiet smooth ride and ultra tight handling, the new RL is for you. I really like the new grill and the I Pod hook up too.

• 

  LOVE It! - 2010 Acura TSX
  By antoniokelley - September 22 - 12:54 pm

  When I first test drove this vehicle I knew there was something very unique about this vehicle. It handles a lot like its German counterparts...but without the extra cost. Ive heard 2010 models improved on this from the 2009 models. Ive test driven other entry level luxury brands and none had all the features that the tsx had as low of a price as the tsx. Acuras are known for having the highest resale value among luxury brands and this one will be no exception! Trust me, the pictures do not do this car justice. Go to an acura dealer and test drive one and you will also fall in love.

• 

  Great, responsive car. Terrible interface. - 2016 Acura MDX
  By G. Adams - September 22 - 12:49 am

  Before buying, I test drove a 2016 Pilot EX-L and a 2015 MDX. In my opinion, the MDX felt more agile and responsive than the Pilot, and I preferred the MDXs interior and exterior styling over the Pilot. The Good: Car handles incredibly well. Accelerates, turns, and brakes superbly. If youre looking for a three-row SUV, I cant think of anything that would come even close to the same level of performance and value, except perhaps a Pilot. The only other option I considered was the Volvo XC90, but it would cost around 25-30% more, and although I greatly prefer the Volvos interior and user interface, my friends with Volvos have had issues with reliability. Audi Q7 also looks great, but again price and reliability issues steered me away. So, from a price-performance-reliability standard, the MDX is very hard to beat. I took the MDX on a curvy, secluded mountain highway, and it was truly the most thrilling drive Ive ever had. Im happy with the car. The Bad: The user interface is disgraceful. Acuras worst yet, and thats saying something. Even though the dealer set up the car for my wife and me, my wifes first solo drive in the car had her near tears because of the maddening user interface. For instance, getting the car to accept her phones bluetooth connection instead of mine was crazy complex, and you have to go through two entirely separate menus if you want to transfer both the phone operations and the phones media (e.g., Pandora) from one source to another. Even everyday tasks like turning on the seats heaters, adjusting the A/C, or tinkering with the audio settings (e.g., fade/balance) all take multiple levels of menus, requiring too much of the drivers focus and attention. I sorely miss when I could do any of those things with a single gesture (flip a switch! turn a dial!) without having to take my eyes off the road. Now, I have to find the 1 cm square on the display panel that takes me to the menu to adjust the fan. Then the menu changes, and I have to navigate my hand to the "+" and "-" icons. Even when I know what to do -- which isnt often the case, because the menu system is poorly laid out -- my eyes leave the road for whatd I guess to be about three seconds... just to adjust the fan! Speaking of user interfaces, the displays in the car are terrible. Just plain old washed out and "fuzzy." Im wondering if Acura got a deal on surplus parts from circa 2001. Backup camera quality feels like its made from Soviet-era parts, and the touchpad was probably made from leftover Microsoft Zune panels. Resolution and clarity are shameful. Other annoyances: The glove compartment light apparently only comes on if the headlights are on. I, personally, tend to open the glove compartment when the engine is off, and even if its light outside, the back of my glove compartment is still pretty dark. The chrome trim used all over the center stack reflects the sun like a mirror, creating an annoying and blinding distraction. My wife and I each experienced this independently, so I dont think Im being nit-picky. Look for a recall on this in future months, where your dealer installs non-reflective stickers over the chrome trim to solve this safety issue. ;-) With Acuras button-based transmission system, it seems impossible to park the car, turn off the engine, and keep the radio on. Theres a ridiculous "car wash" mode that lets you turn off the car and keep it in neutral, but good luck remembering the proper sequence of brake, button, and transmission to put it in this mode, and Im still not sure how practical this mode is anyway. Suspension is... bumpy if not jarring. Too much hard plastic. Acura dealer mentioned crazy expensive parts when trying to upsell on warranty. Do headlights really cost $1,100!? Notes on AcuraWatch Plus: AcuraWatch plus is a suite of features like adaptive cruise control and lane keep assist. Unfortunately, it does not include blind spot monitoring. I had great hopes for both adaptive cruise and lane keep assist, but neither seem quite ready for prime time. Adaptive cruise is a little too slow to react, especially when speeding back up either when the car in front accelerates or when you change lanes to go around a slower car. Lane keep assist is at times too aggressive while at other times too oblivious of the cars drifting across lanes. It also seems to continually "test" if the driver is actively steering by subtly turning the wheel slightly back and forth. After a couple of hours of driving, my arms and shoulders were sore from subconsciously fighting these small, constant tugs on the steering wheel. On the other hand, I have had at least one successful driving experience where I let the car do most of the steering while I barely assisted. That was kind of fun, but I dont foresee those opportunities arising often, due to typical traffic and road conditions. Overall: Great car, terrible tech.

• 

  Love My Car. Never want to give it up. - 1993 Acura Vigor
  By elizabeth - September 21 - 1:48 pm

  I purchased this vigor as a used car in 1997. Till this day I own it. It is an exceptional automobile. Yes, they only made it from 1992 to 1994, but the cost of repairs, minimal. Love it, it is my collectible. Would not trade it in, no doubt about it. Acura should clone this and put it back on market for 2010. It is a great car, love it , love it. Yeah as it gets older more loving tender care, but if you ask me she sure is worth it. I see newer cars in the shop more than my 1993 vigor. So that goes to show you, this car was made like a gem.

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  An Exhilarating Luxury Sedan - 2009 Acura TL
  By JP2000 - September 20 - 11:34 pm

  I have had this car for three months now. I applaud Acura for finally taking the lead with a fresh bold design for the TL. The carÂ’s styling is simply brilliant--- inside and out. The superbly integrated Tech. package brings the carÂ’s substance on par with its stunning looks. For the last 15 years, IÂ’ve only driven German cars. Before buying the TL, I also considered Audi A4, BMW 535x, VW CC VR6, Infiniti G37x, and the Lexus ES350. All things considered, my final analysis led me straight to the TL.

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  Awesome beginner car - 1998 Acura CL
  By happy Acura owner - September 20 - 1:07 pm

  I bought this car six months ago, glad I did. Didnt really know what I was looking for in a car but got this one cheap, because it had been wrecked. No internal damage though. Runs great and reliably, good acceleration. Wonderful handling, I had the tendency to take corners at high speeds and this machine took my abuse with grace and function, on multiple occasions, and I love the leather interior and effective air conditioning and power moonroof. I will never own a car that doesnt have a black leather interior or faux leather (at the least). Very comfortable.