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 vehicle weve ever owned - 2007 Acura MDX
  By Pleased - June 22 - 2:05 pm

  Im two years into a three year lease and I love this car. The only thing I would change would be the shape of the grill...THATS IT. Everything else is perfect. Great performance, plenty of power and AWD when skiing, plenty of room for baggage, great MPG for an SUV, navi system is far superior to GMs Suburban (dont have to put in park to change your destination, etc). Zero problems...just gas and oil changes. One beautiful car...except for the sho-gun shield looking grill.

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  I love my TL-S! - 2003 Acura TL
  By saige - June 22 - 12:23 am

  I bought my TL used with 37K miles on it after my 9 yr old Prelude bit the dust. I had never purchased a used car and was cautious. I wanted something that was family friendly and reliable, but still had that v-tech since I just LOVED my Prelude. Four years later I have never had any major problems (except the transmission that was recalled and replaced for free by the dealer - it never died completely just was sounding funny, RPMs were strange,etc....) but I could not be more pleased. It pays off next year and I plan to drive it as long as possible. Best purchase ever.

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  Nothing else comes close. - 2006 Acura TL
  By ParallaX49 - June 20 - 6:53 pm

  After looking at every other car in this class, (Audi A4, BMW 3, Infiniti G35, Saab 9-3, Lexus ES and IS) nothing even came close to the feature content and performance of the TL. Everything either costs thousands more (the BMW and the Lexus cost over $50k for an entry-level car!) or didnt have good buld quality (Saab may have been ruined by GM.) The TL has attractive styling, plenty of electronic toys, excellent acceleration, and a firm but comfortabl ride. The TL is the best all-rounder on the market. I should know, I actually work for an Infiniti dealership.

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  This car is awsome! - 2009 Acura TSX
  By Martin, IL - June 20 - 2:47 pm

  I love my TSX! Since I got it back in February I put 9K miles on it and I average 27.3 MPG. I also clocked it at 7.1 0-60 and 15.2 1/4 mile. Edmunds times are way off to everybody elses for some reason (car&driver, road and track, motor trend etc) by about 1 full sec. for 0-60 an 1/4 mile! I love the handling .084 and the road feel. You cant beat that value for the money! Try to get a A4 or 3 series for $30K! Thats not going to happen! If youre looking for something fun, reliable, with the best resale value in its class - you found it! Im very happy with my car.

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  Best deal - 2009 Acura TSX
  By pete in ny - June 18 - 8:44 am

  This is my second Acura. The first was a 2.3CL which had 180,00 when I sold it. This car is even better. Not only does it have the same look as the much more expensive vehicles but it is economical. I get almost 34 mpg on the highway. A great, fun car.

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  Perfect out of the box!! - 2009 Acura TL
  By neilman - June 17 - 4:28 pm

  Awesome style, fun to drive - especially the AWD. Ride is firm but not rough at all. Interior is super quiet while on freeway etc. Awesome build quality, drives perfect...and may be the first vehicle I have purchased which will not require a re-visit to the dealer for any mechanical, balancing, alignment, etc. Every other car I have purchased in the last 20 years had to be taken back...Toyota, Lexus, Nissan, GM. Love it, love it, love it. Awesome in black!!

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  355,000 Miles And Still Going - 1995 Acura Legend
  By Loren - June 17 - 2:40 pm

  OK. So what if the air conditioning, the heat and the music no longer work. After 14 years and 355,000 miles this has been the best vehicle ever. It still looks pretty good and is still reliable.

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  The Best - 2007 Acura TL
  By oldacuralover - June 15 - 8:09 pm

  This has been the best car overall that I have driven. It looks good, is screaming fast (faster than similar Lexus, BMW, and Infiniti Ive driven). BMW 330xi was a close second to purchase, but a little plain on the interior and definitely overpriced. No problem with rattles except center speaker, and only on extremely rough roads (read eastern Washingtons I-90). The sound of exhaust sealed deal for me. Sweet music to the ears. I often turn off the amazing DVD-A surround just to listen to the car. Beautiful. I have yet to find a smoother V6. Great looks. Solid build. Well thought out. No problems at all. Brakes are fantastic. Kids get creamy leather dirty, but cleans up nicely.

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  40,000 mile follow-up post - 2007 Acura TL
  By ah7771 - June 15 - 4:24 pm

  40k miles and no problems except for battery dying, but Acura replaced it free. This car runs as well as it did when it was brand new. Im reading a lot of posts complaining about squeaks/rattles but on mine, its minimal. Since buying this car, I did drive a friends G35 which definitely has better acceleration off the line. However, the interior trim and lower cost of the TL still makes it the right choice in my book. One negative think I agree with is the ipod connector. I honestly didnt even know it existed until reading these posts because its in such obscure location.

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  Love It! - 2009 Acura RDX
  By Lynne - June 15 - 10:37 am

  I just picked up my new RDX & I LOVE IT! I traded in my 10 yr old Saturn which I loved (low maint. & great reliability) but wanted an upgrade in quality (interior, features, etc). I do a lot of driving & the RDX has NOT disappointed so far. I read a LOT of reviews before buying & I have to say that the ride is a little rough but was expecting the "sporty drive" so I dont mind it. I have to respectfully disagree w/ complaints about the fuel economy. My 4-cyl Saturn ave. 30mpg, so I was prepared for a big bite into my fuel budget. Have put about 200miles on the RDX so far and Im ave. 25mpg (60% hwy). Not bad! I dont dog it on the Turbo but its a comfort knowing its there if I need it.