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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  Glad to Be Back in an Acura - 2010 Acura TL
  By louisvillefounder - May 19 - 10:10 pm

  In 1986, I jumped on board and bought the first ever Acura Integra. Three years later and 110,000 miles, I replaced it for a "family car" Honda Accord. The last 15 years I have owned three Toyota Camrys - all six cylinder. All performed flawlessly, but were vanilla and boring. I couldnt be happier to be back in an Acura TL. My 2010 handles incredibly. The paddle shifters operate in two different modes and add fun to the driving experience. When the 2009 body style was introduced, I hated. Now, I could not love it more. It truly has an aggressive dont mess with me look, which fits its driving personality. It is a unique design that I hope Acura continues to build on. I love this car!

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  Great overall but bouncy handling - 2004 Acura TL
  By rsud - May 19 - 4:50 pm

  My 3rd Acura and pleased overall. Great gas mileage for 270 hp car (25 mpg mixed). My only gripe is the suspension that bounces you all over the place when you hit a rough patch or leans when taking a hard corner. Approaching a toll booth on a rough road (poor pothole fills) I couldnt let go of the steering wheel to reach for change. Not a car that compells you to drive hard. Good smooth road cruiser.

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  Worth every dime! - 2009 Acura TSX
  By Benopp - May 19 - 3:04 pm

  Smoothest ride I have ever driven. I drove a rental car for a week and when i got back in my TSX I quickly felt the difference. Audio system is amazing, IPOD interface lacks a bit but works all in all. I have driven over 23,000 miles in my TSX and have enjoyed it every mile. Fuel mileage is good for this class car. I reviewed and test drove many others in this class and others offered far less for equal or more money. Reliability after 20,000+ miles - Vehicle shows no noticeable wear. Brakes ok, Interior ok, Exterior solid.

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  Great car for the money - 2010 Acura TL
  By Karl - May 18 - 11:55 pm

  Acura has done its homework on the new Acura TL SH-AWD! This car is very solid and a blast to drive. It hugs the road and curves like a great fitting glove. Its 3.7 engine is very fast and really easy on gas. I am already getting 26 on the highway at 75 mpg! The tech package is a must if you travel a lot. The sound system sounds very nice and I can store all of my CDs on the hard drive so I no longer have to keep my CDs in my car! It is just plain fun to drive!

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  Everything broke - 1994 Acura Vigor
  By icon27 - May 18 - 7:10 pm

  We have owned this car for 7 years and I have had to replace almost every major part except the motor. Trany 128,000 miles, starter, alternator, axles, 02 sensors, seats are torn etc. This is the worst car that I have ever owned. if Acura is one of the best car lines in the world I would hate to see the worst. would never buy an Acura because this was such a lemon.

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  WOW! - 2007 Acura MDX
  By George - May 18 - 3:31 pm

  One word, Wow! This vehicle does everything right. It is fun to drive, can haul 7 people, and can even tow my 3600 lb boat with absolutely no trouble. I replaced an Explorer with this vehicle and so far have been extremely pleased with how this vehicle performs daily as well as SUV duties. If youre looking for a CUV that performs like an SUV, look at the MDX.

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  Good car - 2010 Acura MDX
  By Archie - May 17 - 11:42 pm

  This is my first MDX although I was buying Honda\Acura for the last 15 years. SUV drives like sedan, quiet in comparison with average Honda..Nice interior.

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  What a surprise! - 2010 Acura TL
  By themarc29 - May 17 - 1:31 pm

  Leased my 2010 TL SH-AWD last week. Great combination of comfort, style and performance. Love the interior. Has ample backseat room for two as I entertain clients frequently. Incredible handling for large sedan. Quiet and compliant ride for a car with a relatively stiff suspension. Busy dash and steering wheel, but easy to get used to. And what a great value! The car mags usually compare to BMW 3 or Audi A4 type cars should compare to BMW 5 Series, Audi A6 and Infiniti M. TL is thousands less expensive for purchase and hundreds per month less for lease. Best value out there for mid - large luxury sedan.

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  Very nice but not without headaches - 2006 Acura MDX
  By IgnatiusReilly - May 17 - 11:53 am

  I bought my CPO MDX about a year ago. I drive mostly city/highway mix with a few long road trips here and there. The gas mileage in city driving is weak averaging around 14mpg, nowhere near the 17 mpg it claims. Pure highway driving has produced better results though getting 23.5 and 25 on two long highway trips. The interior is what sold me on the car. Im 64 and this is one of the few cars that afforded me adequate seating room while still enabling an adult to sit behind me. It comfortably fits 5 full size adults. The all weather performance has exceeded my expectations. I was able to drive through 1.5 feet of snow without issue.

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  Excellent Value - 2010 Acura RDX
  By Renaki - May 16 - 9:21 pm

  Finally we decided on the Acura RDX. After test driving and debating over 13 different suvs this was the winner in the end. The choice came down to a balance of value, creature comforts, and performance. With the deal we received on the RDX its hard to find another vehicle in the same class that offered up the comfort of the seating, the rear cargo room (61 cubic ft), the technology niceties etc for the price. I was shocked at how comfortable the seats were after riding in the vehicle all weekend and the audio features are excellent. Fuel economy is my biggest gripe and it would be nice to have some reclining seats in the back like other competitors. All in all this is an excellent car