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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  08 TL Type S - 2008 Acura TL
  By Happy Type S owner - July 14 - 12:31 pm

  I have owned my TL-S for a year and a half and have 13K miles on it. Overall a great car. I get 19-20 in the city and 30-32 on the highway at 72 MPH. Good suspension and great surround sound. Minor issues: fold down rear seat would be good, the trunk is so well finished there is no point to tie it down. Rain rolls off the roof onto the drivers seat when you open the door. No good CD case holder in the car. Passenger seat height adjustment would be nice. As you can see my issues are minor. I got 86 more HP than my 01 Accord for the price of 91 octane and with no real mileage penalty. Had considered a G35 but did not want RWD in the snow and the MPG was much higher for the Acura.

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  Awesome Drive - Love it - 2006 Acura MDX
  By Jacklemind - July 13 - 10:00 am

  I recently brought a certified MDX. I love the drive, its powerful, fun to drive. Gas mileage is not bad, considering its a luxury offering. The dashboard was not hard to figure out, however, the sound system is not that great, although it has BOSE speakers, it does not deliver the punch. No Aux input (newer cars have it) - bummer. Spacious interior, although 3rd row seating is not for adults - its more a 6 seater than 7. All other features are great, independent rare AC - love it. Cargo space is not good with 3rd row seats up. Would recommend buying a cargo net, otherwise, things will be all over the cargo area.

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  Value and Design - 2005 Acura TL
  By Craig - July 13 - 6:56 am

  TL has good all-around design and best value in mid-size sport sedan segment. Engine and transmission smooth. Audio system with DVD is audiophile quality. Seats are really nicely sculpted and supportive like a glove. Initial gas mileage was awful, but after 30 days it improved to 20 mgp city and should get better over the next 2 months. Ride is firm, well damped, but feels very precise, like the name of brand. Dont drive fast enough to feel torque steer, but do feel tugs over rippled pavement. On balance, a wise buy.

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  My New TL - 2006 Acura TL
  By MGySgt - July 13 - 5:20 am

  We just picked up our new TL after months of agonizing research. The car is everything we hoped it would be. I bought it for $100.00 over invoice at Criswell Acura in Annapolis, Maryland. Very professional (and amusing) staff. Car was well prepped and they explained everything to us. So well, we were even able to use the Navigation system on the first try.

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  Luxury & Performance at its BEST. - 2005 Acura TL
  By Average Joe - July 12 - 10:54 pm

  My old car was an 2007 Accord Coupe EXL. It was boring. I didnt want to pay for a car I didnt like driving so I traded it for a used Acura TL. Best decision I ever made! I picked up my black TL with 60K miles on it. Yeah thats a lil high but Acuras are known to last a long time. I LOVE this car! Looks clean and sporty on the outside, nice and luxurious on the inside. Performs as good as it looks! Picks up fast off the line. My TL came with the underbody spoiler kit and 18" A-spec wheels! Looks so nice! I couldnt say no at the dealership! It has every single option available. Navi, heated seats, auto dim mirror, everything. I cant say enough about this car! Highly recommend it.

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  Acura TL - 2009 Acura TL
  By joe767 - July 12 - 2:43 pm

  This is my first new car and what a car it is. Fun to drive and the technology can be overwhelming sometimes but still great. I already put 500 miles on my car after just 1 week because I want to drive it everyday. The SH-AWD is great, the car is glued to the road during all types of conditions. Im averaging 28MPG on the highway and Ive seen has high as 40mpg.

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  Excellent - At Any Price - 2008 Acura TL
  By spotty - July 12 - 11:00 am

  I let past reviews guide me, and Im not sorry I did. I wanted a well-made sports sedan at a reasonable price that was fun to drive and that I wasnt having repaired every six months. And that is exactly what I got. I couldnt be happier. Every time I drive this car I feel I made the right decision. Having had German and American cars in the past, I was tired of the German repairs and the lack of American build-quality. While the exterior styling doesnt compare to BMW or Audi, I spend most of the time inside the car - not standing on the street looking at it, and when youre inside driving the car, youre thoroughly impressed. By far the best value for the money in this segment.

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  Wow!! Amazing, Best of All, AWESOME!!! - 2007 Acura MDX
  By Jaya - July 11 - 2:33 pm

  We test drive different SUVs in its class but MDX has outdone themselves with excellent interior and exterior. While we enjoy driving this, peoples heads start turning on the freeway. It was a worth wait to get MDX sh-awd acura advance which has best performance and value. You dont have to think twice before buying MDX because its got the whole nine yards. Go get it.

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  Great Car TL-S - 2003 Acura TL
  By Kiry - July 11 - 2:00 am

  This has been a great car for both me and the wife and little kids. I like how much room is in the back seat for car seats. Big roomy trunk. I love driving this car. It has a lot of get and go!

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  what a buy - 2004 Acura TL
  By dipper - July 11 - 2:00 am

  TRADED IN A 2001BMW 525.THE TL IS MORE RELIABLE BETTER EQUIPED AND A MUCH BETTER VALUE.I NEVER HAD ANY PROBLEMS WITH THE 525 EXCEPT THE USUAL BULB FAILURE.FIT AND FINISH OF THE TL IS SECOND TO NONE.I CANT UNDERSTAND WHY IT IS NOT SELLING SO WELL.EVERY DEALER I HAD GONE TO HAD LARGE INVENTORY.IS IT THE COLD WEATHER IN N.Y.?