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 SUV Ive ever owned - 2003 Acura MDX
  By LuvMyAcura - April 29 - 10:00 am

  If youre considering an SUV in this class, dont even consider anything else. Ive owned Lexus, Ford and Jeep SUVs and this tops them all. Very comfortable, quick acceleration, and stylish. This MDX turns heads!

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  Best Car in it class - 2006 Acura TL
  By Mohan - April 29 - 12:20 am

  This is my first luxury sedan. I had 2001 Camry and wanted to go for German car either Bimmer or Audi. I did lot of ground work by comparing all the cars in the 30+ category. I was always going back to Acura 3.2 TL because of its new look and field more over it comes with so many features (XM satellite radio, blue tooth, and voice enabled navigation) with lesser price than Bimmer and Audi. I had test drive and I felt the car is so stable and good. The sales person was very nice and explained every thing. The buying experience was hassle free. I am driving this car for the almost one month. It is fun to drive. The Surround sound system and navigation is really awesome. Good luck!

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  Bad Brakes - 2009 Acura TSX
  By Cedric - April 28 - 7:52 pm

  I purchased this car brand new. After about 3 weeks I started to notice the brakes squealing. After seven months and numerous trips to the dealership, the problem has not been corrected. Acura doesnt seem to know how to fix the problem and the dealerships are not willing to try any more repairs. For 30K the brakes should not constantly squeal. What an embarrassment for a vehicle considered luxury. Stay away from this car. For the money buy a Lexus IS. If I go back I would leave this car on the lot. Oh and there is a rattling noise from underneath the car anytime you accelerate. Sounds like something is loose. What a disappointment.

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  Better than expected gas mileage - 2009 Acura MDX
  By schooldoc - April 28 - 3:41 pm

  I read these review before I buy so thats why Im doing this. My first SUV, typically German sports cars. 11,000 miles no problems, gas mileage computer at 65 mph freeway 25-26 mpg, if I were to drive at 80 it would drop to 20-21, so Im happy. Love sport suspension, in an emergency quick manuever suspension tightened up and I avoided an accident, fun too. Sequoia mtns. Snow was fun an safe handling, lots of power, remember im used to BMWs and Porsches, no longer trust Mercedes. Surprised I enjoy the elec. Tail gate, love the taupe interior, nav screen big, blu tooth wonderful, computer info good, x-lights great cockpit comfort, luv the front grill etc. Looking to buy another in 2 years.

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  Excellent car, excellent value - 2006 Acura TSX
  By Spencer - April 28 - 3:24 pm

  Have owned 3 years now, so I feel like I can give an accurate review of the TSX. This car is very well designed, and is a great value. I dont think there are any cars that offer the same value at this price point. Sporty, upscale, and reliable, all in one. I love that all the features are standard. The design of the cabin is great, and the dash looks awesome. I have had 0 issues with my car. I get fabulous gas mileage. Was expecting to get 21/25. That is what I get if I drive the car hard. If I take it easy, I can get about 26/32. Recommend this car strongly.

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  Sad to see it go - 1996 Acura Integra
  By SDSurfer - April 27 - 4:46 pm

  This truly was a wonderful car to own and I will miss it. Theres something special about popping it into 3rd to blast the revs and merge onto the freeway. After this vehicle I will always need a good amount of performance, Ive been spoiled.

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  Correction to My Previous Review.... - 2006 Acura TL
  By AmyB - April 27 - 2:24 pm

  Under my "Suggested Improvements" Mystery solved on the seat that kept sliding back when I got in, making me have to reset to my auto-setting. Dealer had only given me one set of keys..keys are marked "Driver 1& 2"..I had Driver 2 key and my seat setting is for Driver 1. Got both sets now..so when you open car, or start it with key 1 or 2, corresponding seat setting applies automatically. So there is no problem with the seat backing up automatically, as I originally thought...only had to do with the key & driver settings matching up!

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  Best car ever - 2009 Acura MDX
  By sunsky - April 27 - 2:19 pm

  This is the best car ever.

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  Amazing long term car! - 1998 Acura TL
  By sfgiants22 - April 26 - 6:26 pm

  This was the second car that Ive ever bought and it is awesome. I bought it at 110,000(I know), but following some dealer tricks I was sold on it. I felt a bit taken later because of the miles it had but it still drive like new and its at 165000 now. I couldnt ask for a more reliable vehicle and the only thing that Ive had to do is replace the battery and headlight bulbs...unbelievably reliable. Acura is simply an all around good company and Im glad I bought my TL.

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  Good blend performance + value - 2009 Acura TSX
  By 3pedals4me - April 25 - 5:01 pm

  Have 2500 miles on new TSX. Its a very nice well rounded car...very good at everything though maybe not best-in- class at anything, except price/value. Drives very well, taut but not too stiff, nor mushy like Camry. Manual tranny is super though still getting used to that 6th gear. The engine, while not stout, performs superbly...you hardly notice when running at high revs...and MPG compares to my old VW Passat turbo despite being a heavier car (though the MPG reading calculated by the TSX is inflated about 10% vs actual). The interior comfort, esp the seats, are great...and the features (Ipod XM homelink bluetooth) are amazing for the price. Definitely worth a close look!