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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  Acura TLTech with SH-AWD Rocks! - 2009 Acura TL
  By 2AcuraFamily - July 1 - 11:16 am

  This car is one fun vehicle. Great technology, great handling, fast (well fast enough for me) and fun to drive. This is high praise coming from a BMW owner for the past 20 years. I test drove a new and a used BMW 535i back to back with the Acura, and the Acura won my heart, mind and pocket book.

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  TLs getting better - 2004 Acura TL
  By jiminmd - June 30 - 10:00 am

  Traded a 2000 TL for this 2004 and am very pleased with the improvements Acura made to the performance and comfort features. The car definitely handles much better than the 2000 and has much better power. Although my wife thinks the 2000 was more comfortable (in that the 2004 is a bit more bumpy), but that is what you get with sportiness. However, I like it--alot.

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  Not too shabby! - 2009 Acura MDX
  By JW - June 29 - 10:43 pm

  Owned it for only a few days and really enjoy driving it. Panel controls are complicated but not impossible. Will see about reliability later...

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  Best Car For The Money - 2009 Acura TL
  By splitice1223 - June 29 - 9:54 pm

  Just leased a TL w/Tech about 4 days ago and all I can say is WOW! I love this car so much, it is powerful, roomy, and has very nice styling. I get head turns everywhere I go. I got the WDP/Taupe and I just love it. The NAV and Bluetooth are so easy to use and the NAV screen is really clear. This is definitely the best car for the money. I have owned Acuras before and they did a really good job on this new TL. I love every minute Im driving in it.

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  Lives up to reputation - 2005 Acura TL
  By cazman - June 29 - 4:20 pm

  great car, widh it had more low end torque!

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  Awesome car! - 2009 Acura TSX
  By Will - June 29 - 3:24 pm

  I kept going back & forth b/t the TSX and Honda Accord. Glad I went w/ the TSX. Very good pick up for a 4 cyl car (compared to 4 cyl Accord) & great gas mileage. If youre in the market, recommend taking it for a test drive. Also drove an older model RL....such a nice car if you have $. This is my 2nd Acura and Ive had a great experience w/ both. HIGHLY recommend!

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  WOW... - 2005 Acura TSX
  By Mac_Powah - June 29 - 11:03 am

  This is my 2nd Acura (Integra GSR coupe previous), and my 3rd Honda product. I was jealous of anyone that had a TSX because I just knew what a great car it was by previous experience and awesome press raves. I didnt think I could afford one, but I was wrong. Being the enthusiast I am, I of course have the 6 speed model which is absolutely terriffic! Honda is known for their manual trannys, but this is 10 steps ahead...seriously. The exterior is understated, but classy and will look great in 10 years. I am very picky about my cars, and dont want something everyone else has. The TSX is a great jewel of a car that should be a definite consideration for people wanting it all.

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  Good car - 2009 Acura TSX
  By person - June 28 - 3:12 am

  I like the car and you can see whats good about it reading the other reviews. But, I did find a number of problems with my TSX. 1. The sunroof seems to make noises at times. 2. The glove compartment makes rattling noises. 3. The audio display (where the navigation should be for TSXs with the tech package) has a glare at certain times of the day. Sometimes, its to the point you cannot read whats on the display. I have heard that you can get a matte material to place beneath the display to rid of the glare. 4. The front two speakers crackle at certain frequencies. It is, overall, a good vehicle and I am happy that I have purchased it, but there are some problems that should be rectified.

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  Sooo Fun to Drive - 2007 Acura RDX
  By wendy - June 28 - 2:46 am

  I have had the RDX for two months and think it is a blast to drive. I had an A4 1.8T and suffered through turbo lag. There is no lag whatsoever. This car (its not really an SUV) really goes! The trade-off is fuel economy. Based on the computer, it seems like a 1/2 gallon is used each time I accelerate rapidly. I am getting 22-23 highway and 11-13 in city. Very comfortable seats. Audio, navigation, XM and traffic is fun but there is so much functionality it can be distracting while driving at first. Read the manual! I am disappointed in the wind noise from the driver side door at highway speeds. Hard to detect this on test drives in urban areas. It overshadows the stereo.

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  Its got everything you can ask for... - 2006 Acura RL
  By song - June 28 - 1:33 am

  This is a great car that everyone can appreciate because its got everything standard which includes SH-AWD, DVD-audio 5.1 surround sound, navigation, smart key, and on an on... I get around 19 mpg on city, thats pretty decent for a car that almost weights 4000 pounds. As far as the exterior goes, I would describe it "inoffensive", its a good looking car but not spectacular. Interior is among the best in class, I dont think there are other cars that can match acuras interior style and quality (maybe a Lexus or Audi).