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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  Best car ever owned - 2000 Acura RL
  By Erik - June 26 - 9:22 pm

  This car ran so well it is the only one I have named. Gracie is hands down the most comfortable, reliable, and best car I have ever driven. I would fly home and get the best rental I could and still would pine for when I would get back to her. Mileage may not be the best but with my lead foot its as much my fault, and when I sit in her I feel it was made for me. It may be a 10 yr old car, but she drives like shes a newborn.

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  Bad transmission - 2002 Acura TL
  By cp - June 26 - 3:50 pm

  We purchased this acura from a private ownership @ 47,000. It performed beautifully until the transmission went on @ 116,000. I had it serviced at 104,000 and nothing was wrong with it. I have learned that a rebuilt one from the acura dealership would cost $4900. Hello, anyone in there! I paid over $14,000 and still owe $8800. This is truly a LEMON of the technology aged vehicles.I have been told I can build a case with acura that is so far a joke because they told me that I will not get enough credit because I take it to another service provider for the car serviced. If I took it to an acura dealership, I could receive more credit for a new rebuilt transmission. Discrimination?

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  Why did I do it? - 2010 Acura TSX
  By Bob D - June 24 - 4:59 pm

  Have had my TSX for 2 months. Already in the shop twice for noise emanating from right rear. Dealer could not find the first time. Had better luck second time, but not totally cleared up.In general, the car rides choppy and lets considerable road into the cabin. If I had it to do again, I would have opted for the G-37 or just a sporty version of a family sedan(Fusion, Mazda 6). If you want a 6 cylinder--dont settle for the 4 on this car. Its economical-but its still a four. Also, the sheet metal is pretty thin.

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  Transmission vibrates/grinds at 35-40 mph - 2005 Acura MDX
  By kpsmith - June 24 - 1:19 pm

  At approximately 30,000 miles, upon acceleration, the transmission would vibrate/grind until 45 mph. I have found this to be a common problem on many Acura forums and there are 11 reports of this exact same problem on the National Highway Transportation and Safety (NHTSA) website. The problem seems to be the transmission torque converter.

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  Great SUV - 2005 Acura MDX
  By jbgraw - June 22 - 6:41 pm

  Great car. Plenty of room, hard to fit seven passengers and luggage. excellent fuel economy. 15-18 in town, we consistently get 25-26 on the highway. Average tank is always around 21. Super comfortable on the inside. Great in the winter.

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  3rd Aura TL - 2010 Acura TL
  By RFW - June 21 - 9:16 am

  Recently took possession of 2010 Acura TL with tech package. this vehicle replaced 2006 TL. We also had a 2003 TL. Already bullet proof TLs keep getting better. The 2010 is bigger than the 06 and more comfortable. Also bigger trunk. Combined mileage in mis 20s with a bigger engine. Very substantial hard drive for loading CDs. Excellent interface for Ipod. With all this audio power, XM radio is not necessary. key fob is handy for my wife. She can keep it in her purse. I plug it into dash receptacle as I am afraid it will fall out of my pocket. A lot of compliments on the blue pearl color.

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  Not Boring - 2009 Acura TL
  By Mile high - June 20 - 8:00 pm

  I can say that this is the first car I have ever purchased that I love. Great styling (not boring). Very quick, sweet interior with plenty of room, I am 64" and have no problem fitting in the front or back. Decent gas mileage for the power you get. Yes a Honda Accord V6 may be similar but they are a totally different car. Drove the Accord and found it boring (every family has one). Get looks in this car all the time. This car looks like a $50,000.00 vehicle. Great value for the price compared to BMW, Lexus, Nissan Maxium, Audi, Mercedes. If you want a car that will have style and is reliable and a fun drive that not everyone on the block has this is the car for you.

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  Better tham Bimmer - 2010 Acura TL
  By cartalk - June 20 - 10:59 am

  Purchased this manual transmission TL SH-AWD based on the praise it received during editor test drives. Let me just say that it exceeded my expectations. It handles and drives better than my 335xDrive BMW with more room and comfort. Those considering a German car costing you thousands more would be foolish not to try the TL. I rushed to get one because Acura is stopping (or has stopped already) production on the Manual Trans TLs. Get one now before theyre gone! Great balance of power, handling, and technology (best NAV) if you can deal with the polarizing styling.

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  Rides like a truck - in bumby cond. - 2009 Acura TL
  By Fran L - June 18 - 3:33 pm

  Do not try to contact customer service - they just say well thats the way it is or we will note it. Not try to fix a $40,000 car. By the way you have to call California time to a 800# to a six digit ext. To get voice mail. Send them a letter they get it. Send a letter to the pres of Honda they get it. Tell them you own three of them they say sorry not nice

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  Very Nice - 2000 Acura Integra
  By Lhern48 - June 17 - 9:57 pm

  This is the 2nd Integra LS coupe Ive owned and it is what youd expect from Acura/Honda. Very reliable, conservatively styled, and underpowered. If you can find one that has never been molested, then youve found a needle in a hay stack. Although it has been discontinued, the RSX has taken its place with a more liberal approach.