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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  Not your typical Honda product at all - 2005 Acura MDX
  By berto - January 12 - 4:13 am

  Exterior is much sportier than the older body style with the new head/tail lights and dual outlet exhaust but still looks somewhat minivan-ish. Interior build quality is outstanding, not extravagant and everything is logically placed. Very minimal body roll and understeer for what it is. Stereo sounds great especially for a base model. Sound deadening is better than any Honda/Acura Ive ever owned. Seats are comfortable--I had to drive 12 hours stopping only for gas and felt fine. Motor is exceptionally torquey for a Honda, but you pay for it at the pump. Acts like an Audi sometimes though--pulsing from rear when turning from a stop, and transmission shifting is somewhat sluggish.

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  Great Car, Could Be Better!! - 2004 Acura TL
  By Matthew Moen - January 9 - 10:00 am

  I bought my 2004 Anthracite TL A-SPEC with navigation system about three weeks ago. It handles very well and is a blast to drive! The interior is a quality seen more in higher end vehicles, excellent layout! Wish the MP3 player option available in the TSX came standard in the TL, after-all, this almost 2005 and lets get rid off the obsolete Tape Deck. I agree with Mr. Milliner though, I think as TL owners we should have more exterior options such as chrome door handle protectors that would really give the car a little more flash and the car should have indicator lights in the mirrors on the doors. I love the A-SPEC kit, the 18" Sparkle Silver High Performance Wheels! WoW!!!

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  50% shop 50% road - 2000 Acura TL
  By tom - January 2 - 10:20 pm

  I bought this car after trading in my Subaru, as fast as I could. The car is a great car when it works. I have had to replace all four tires for belt shift - factory originals, new brakes all around, front rods, and the auto rear mirror. The side air bag light goes on with no one in the seat and the seat belt buckles have been done in the front. This is my 2nd Acura and the dealer has been good about repairs. Once out of warantee get a good mechanic and use original parts, they are expensive but will make a difference. Dont bother with the high end gas it is only expensive.

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  One Year+ Update - 2004 Acura TL
  By Brewster - January 2 - 10:54 am

  We now have 21,000 miles on our TL. After solving the OEM Bridgestone tire problems by installing Michelins, all seems well. As long time Accord V6 owners, though, we have never become satisfied with the overly harsh ride. Our dealer is excellent but is aware of the ride problems for former Honda owners. While we love the car, especially the interior features, the ride really detracts from our overall pleasure. When Acura dropped the older TL and incorporated all the S model features into the new 2004 model, we lost our chance to have the smoother ride. All systems are functioning well and we have not had any excessive warranty items.

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  Diamond in the Rough - 2005 Acura TSX
  By GDK - December 29 - 11:07 am

  The TSX is the best value for the money and is better looking than most cars in the same class, including the BMW 3. The interior is much more up to date than the 3, and the dash is much sharper. Fuel economy is great, particullary with high gas prices today. It is equally as fun to drive as the 3 series and without the BMW sticker price. You get much more for your money with this overall package and reliabilty will be much better than a German made car.

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  acura cl s-type - 2001 Acura CL
  By acuraowner - December 28 - 2:50 am

  purchased a certified preowned CL, Acura stands by their warranty BUT too many trips to the service dept. car rides smoothly, great on gas but constant engine light problems transmission had to be replaced soon after i purchased but dealer covered costs - car was in dealership for 3 weeks!!! tire rims do scratch easily paint job is poor side airbag lights keep coming on, dealership says its nothing maintenance cost not too bad rear passenger seats only for 2 bose system is weak cds get stuck in changer DEFINITELY KEEP YOUR RADIO CODE unless you want your radio replaced if car batttery dies and you need a jumpstart! hope it will trade-in fairly.

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  Upscale Honda is a winner - 2001 Acura CL
  By Bill - December 23 - 11:47 pm

  Ive been a huge fan of Hondas for years, so my review is biased, but few if any automaker builds a better engine. This Acura is just as reliable as any of the five Hondas Ive owned, but it has a true luxury car feel. The handling is a bit heavy the car loves to plow into corners but that was fixed with thicker aftermarket sway bars. Aside from a few nagging interior rattles, the build quality is excellent. The car is both a luxury cruiser and a flat out fun car to drive.

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  Still getting compliments! - 2002 Acura TL
  By michaelrt - December 20 - 9:55 pm

  Have mostly highway miles on my car (90k) and it has yet to fail on me. Got a new transmission at 65k miles, but only because the dealer notices something that I wouldnt have (Im pretty anal about noises and drive changes). Mine is Blue Pearl and people still compliment me on the car when they see it. And everyone who sits in it loves the all-black design. Id like if the paint were a little tougher, but it still shines in most light. The original tires were crap (Michelin), but the handling and drive GREATLY improved with Falkens and Yokohamas. The gas mileage has been great. I got 32mpg highway at 75-80mph numerous times. Usually I get 25mpg mixed.

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  Very satisfied - 2003 Acura MDX
  By JimDee - December 17 - 1:15 pm

  Has been an excellent vehicle. No problems in three years. Excellent highway vehicle. Mileage 22 to 24 mpg. City 16 mpg. Some road noise. Excellent service by two dealers, one in Ga and one in FL.

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  A lot of car, harsh ride - 2005 Acura TSX
  By Tom F - December 17 - 10:02 am

  Nice alternate to other cars in its class for the price. I expected better milaege frm a 4 cylinder ... I have been ranging 22 city 28 highway. The ride in this car is harsh on the highway. With highly recommend the care for city driving and short trips, its not a comfortable care to take a 2-3 trip in. All the options and ammedities ar worthy of the Acura nameplate. The trunk is huge, and despite what some reviews have stated, the styling is clean.