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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  The best value for money - 2010 Acura TSX
  By Mac - July 6 - 10:56 pm

  After driving G37, BMW3, A4 and thorough research I have bought TSX, and never regret it. It is fast enough, comfortable, economical for the class and fun.

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  Rampant Electrical Problems - 2006 Acura TL
  By KC - July 5 - 11:14 am

  This is my second Acura after an exceptional 1998 Integra. Sadly, the TL has not met expectations. The cruise control broke in 2009 the battery has died twice for no apparent reason (remote entry doesnt work w/o battery) and the hands free link broke. Of course, these issues all occurred after the warranty expired. The turning radius is atrocious. After waiting three years, we finally purchased an "update" to the Nav system for $150 only to have Acura come out with a new version 3 months later. (A little notice would have been nice.)

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  Best in class but - 2010 Acura MDX
  By luvCARZ - July 4 - 1:35 pm

  We bought it b/c MB gl450 lease ends in 4 months and my wife doesnt want to keep paying 2 car loans (leasing MB amg e63). Before gl, had 07 ml, 05 rx, and 01 mdx. Test drive all usual suspects. Mdx has best quality (as good as MB) and tech for price range. But I have 3 complaints. 1. Feel under power for 300 hp feel less power than 07 ml (263 hp) and hwy wind noise. 2. Questionable fuel economy. 19 mpg combined in mdx. 18 mpg for my gl450 only 1 mile diff. Hmm? 3. Quality of back-up camera is worst than my Prius. Whats up with that !

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  Never again - 2009 Acura TSX
  By Fred - July 1 - 8:12 pm

  Owned the TSX for a year and its been the very worst experience Ive ever had with a car. Within 5000 mile the car was in the shop for over a week with engine computer, sound system and break issues. Break issues never resolved and Acura refuses to solve the problem. Buyer beware!

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  Good Value - 2005 Acura TSX
  By mplssetter - July 1 - 4:07 pm

  I bought this car with 68K miles on it for a very good price. I love it so far. I had a Jetta before and the TSX is much more powerful and rides very smooth. I have owned it for 6 months and the only issue so far is with the door locks failing to work with the remote. I see that has been a problem in other reviews as well. I hope its not expensive to fix. I plan on keeping this car for another few years.

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  Just Perfect For Us - 2010 Acura RDX
  By tom w - July 1 - 11:48 am

  Cant tell you how much we like this car. We looked and drove many others before making our choice. It is the wifes car but I find myself making excuses all the time to drive it. Very fun to drive. Just like a go kart on take off. A lot of bang for your buck. Ours is black and we get a lot of people looking and asking about the car. It looks great. The people a Acura were very nice to deal with also. We leased and found the $0 down lease deal to be one of the best offered anywhere. My wife only puts about 10k a year which is whats offered in the lease. You can pre-buy extra miles which is smart if you drive a lot. If you put more than 12k a year you should purchase the car not lease.

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  A Precision Driving Machine - 2008 Acura TSX
  By Have Car Will Travel - June 30 - 3:35 pm

  This is my 4th Acura, and 2nd tsx. The tsx is a real drivers car. You have the feeling that you have a precision instrument in your hands. A feeling of tactile feedback from the steering wheel. The sound of the engine has a pleasant resonance. Acceleration off the line is decent, and top end acceleration is excellent. The front seats are exceptionally comfortable, and the car is very reliable. It gets about 25 mpg. It is fun to drive, and it runs like a Swiss watch.

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  Worth every penny - 2007 Acura TSX
  By Lone Star - June 30 - 1:32 pm

  Bought my TSX from the dealer where it was a courtesy loaner for its first 10k miles. Fuel economy is excellent IMO, reliability is excellent, car has never let me down or had any trouble besides a slightly loose drivers seat, but the dealer replaced the track and all good. After putting 40k miles on it myself I have some gripes, head rests should tilt towards you, voice recognition is poor, door sill is too high to comfortably rest your elbow and turning radius is worse than my Ford Truck. Overall, I love this car and plan on upgrading to a TL or MDX due to the excellent quality and reliability of my first Acura.

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  Comes with everything, good first car - 2010 Acura TSX
  By AJNYC - June 29 - 11:42 pm

  It was between leasing this car brand new and buying a used 08 Audi A4. For the price, this car comes with everything. I didnt order the tech package, which I regret but this car comes with everything - bluetooth, satellite radio, heated seats, sunroof, nice hid lights, leather, etc. The seats are so damn comfortable! They literally wrap around you and you dont feel like crap after a long road trip. Driving this car people always stare at it at lights. This car is pretty fun to drive and the MPG is amazing. Expect to get 25 mpg cruising down the GSP or NJ turnpike at 80-85 mph. In NYC traffic I get about 20-22 mpg which is amazing. The torque is a little on the low side though!

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  "Shaken and Stirred Up" - 2010 Acura TL
  By Brewster - June 28 - 8:32 pm

  Two rules you should always follow! 1) Always test drive The Exact car you are going to buy and 2) Dont believe the salesman when he tells you that they are all the same. My 2010 Acura TL has experienced severe vibration since new which is felt at highway speeds throughout the entire cabin and through the steering wheel. Initially dismissed and finally admitted to, they are calling in an engineer since their mechanic(s) cant figure it out. The car has allegedly been through rotors, tire/rim changes and half- shafts. I couldnt be any more disappointed than I am with the vehicle and Acuras response.I would not recommend this car to anyone without test driving at highway speeds at length...