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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  AcuraRSX1 - 2004 Acura RSX
  By Deacon - December 31 - 2:00 am

  The best value in its class by far. The car is a solidly built car regardless of . I believe the car is a steal and recommend it to anyone.

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  Feel good about 03 TL - 2003 Acura TL
  By Stardom2k2 - December 30 - 10:00 am

  Just got a blk/blk 03TL plain for ~$28.2k/5.99%/60Mo, after taxes 30k exactly. IT IS A GLORIFIED ACCORD but thats good! I like it. I get decent pickup. Handling is firm. 1st and 2nd in autostick is useless, so save it to change lanes. I just leave it in fullauto. Fit is tight, no excessive noise. Exterior is decent but the 16" needs an upgrade. (I think the S has 17s) Many do-dads. I bought it because I think its reliable, a good ride, good resale, decent service, and decent looks. I somewhat regret not getting the TypeS but I still like the base TL. Its near-luxury!

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  1 year later...still pleased - 2001 Acura CL
  By Ryan - December 29 - 1:15 pm

  Bought used with about 42K miles on it. Couldnt be happier with the vehicle for the price I paid. Runs great, good speed, love the heated seats, navigation system rules. Being the first experience with a foreign car, I am very pleased. We hope to upgrade to a MDX in a few years. For the money and options included, this is a steal compared to a Lexus.

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  Love the car but Acura is good at hiding - 2005 Acura RSX
  By huntersdl - December 27 - 2:12 pm

  The 2005 has Tranny issues just like the last ones... They didnt redesign the 5th and 6th syncro to be smoother... the truth is they had and still have poorly designed syncros.. my 2002 had a 2nd gear grind... they replaced it with 2005 carbon syncros... it eliminated the grind in 2nd now 3rd and 4th have a grind.... 3rd will not go into gear sometimes... and you think it is but then it pops out and grind! I have talked to Hendrick mechanics and all the 2005s have the same problem with 3.... they all tell you to wait and push the clutch in all the way.. but that shouldnt be the way it is... its a great car otherwise . no other problems... Acura needs to step up to the plate!

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  Horrible Paint Quailty - 2005 Acura TL
  By Unhappy - December 25 - 6:33 am

  I drove a Blk 93 5spd Vigor GS 4 8 yrs 225k mls, That car was an absolute DREAM. I then got a Blk 97 TL 2.5 auto (was OK, but no Vigor),I was extremely board with the Auto, so I test drove the 05 TL 5speed n fell in love (So expensive though)But I got it anyway. I have 3700 miles on the 05 TL, the majority are highway. I have no rattle trouble or any other issues 2 complain about OTHER than the paint job. I have so many chips on the front of the car for such a short period of time (Hood and Bumper)already Its disgusting. Im lost at this point and I think Im going 2 bite the bullet and take loss(4 to 5k)on the vehicle before it gets any worse for me. THE paint JOB is simply horrible.

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  Cooling Problems - 1998 Acura SLX
  By apgaines - December 23 - 5:33 pm

  Just bought this car and while driving it home from the dealer it overheated. I replaced the t-stat, and radiator due to dealer putting stop leak in motor to cover up bad head gasket or cracked head. It has been towed further than driven so far. I am taking it back to the dealer under the lemon law, and conditions not discovered during test drive. The engine is also an oil consumer I recently researched and found out on the web. Isuzu is not willing to repair this issue on models made prior to 2000, so drive with a few cases of motor oil when you go on road trips. I may be in for a long haul of repairs on this one.

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  I love my TSX - 2004 Acura TSX
  By Kona_resident - December 22 - 5:29 am

  First one out of the Santa Monica Acura dealership!!! I opted for the TSX after owning 3 Integras and after my 92 GSR was stolen... I was looking for more comfort, less noise, automatic tranny because I wanted to cnange my driving style from agressive to relaxed... well the 5A TSX did it but without loosing that sporty feel... I love the hi-revving big 4, the sportshift, the handling, the nice style... Even after almost 2 years, I frequently witness other driver stalk me trying to figure out what this nice car is!!!

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  after 175,000 miles - 1999 Acura TL
  By John J - December 20 - 4:09 pm

  After 175,000 miles there have been some problems:- Auto dim review mirror died early on.- EGR system cost $300 to fix a valve that was later redesigned- Plenty of rattles behind dash & sunroof.- Nav computer needs further refinements.- HID light died. Major $$$ to fix- Alarm system goes off often when starting.On the plus side,- The car has not yet left me on the side of the road. Original sparkplugs and timing belt.

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  Laughing all the way to the bank - 2004 Acura TL
  By seattle_maslow - December 19 - 10:46 am

  OK, so its front wheel drive. Thats the worst thing. Other than that, this car is awesome. The drive train makes it tough to squeeze all 270 horses out coming off the line, but it makes up for it in second and at higher speeds.And truth be told, it excels on the freeway, which is the bulk of my driving. The interior blows away anything in the price range and the sound system is unparalleled. Too bad DVD-A discs are so limited. In Seattle 3-series are a dime a dozen. This car stands out and is an awesome value. Tally up the features and youre looking at a 325 (not even a 330) for about $10k more.

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  battery problem - 2000 Acura TL
  By tonyg - December 10 - 9:06 pm

  I purchased this vehicle used with 33000 miles. I am pleased with the performance of the engine and transmisson. The engine has very good pick up and the tranny is exceptionally smooth. The bose radio system is a good fit for this car. I like the radio controls on the steering wheel. My only complaint with this car is the battery. I have had to replace the battery every 12 months. I use Sears die hard so the second battery was free. I think that a circuit is open and draining the battery.