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:

• 

  3 Months, No Regrets - 2004 Acura TL
  By Mattlock26 - January 10 - 10:00 am

  The TL has been an absolute blast to own and drive for the last 3 months. This car is extremely strong from a standstill and also at speed on the highway. Ive beaten a WRX off the line. Power even at 75 mph comes on in buckets. Yes, there is torque steer on hard acceleration, but unless youre particularly atrophied, it shouldnt be much of a concern. I remain convinced this car (and the G35) is by far the best value in its price point. In addition, it is as comfortable a car Ive ever been in and extremely fun to drive. Throw in good gas mileage, nearly every option known to man, and reliability, and what else could you ask for?

• 

  Really Satisfied! - 2008 Acura MDX
  By Farid - January 10 - 3:08 am

  Im a car enthusiast and then for buying this car I searched and test drove many cars during a 3 months period. Between all SUVs that I tested - such as BMW X5, BMW X3, Mercedes ML 350 & 500, Lexus RX, Mazda SUVs and many others - I am 100% certain that you can not find such a combination of handling, comfort, space, reliability and design with a very competitive price in another car. Also I love the technology package and I think that it has one of the best navigation systems. I have driven the car for near 15 months and 18000 miles and Ive never had any problem with it. I think the seats are very comfortable with a good design. Handling is awesome and drivers position and view is perfect.

• 

  2009 Acura - 2009 Acura RDX
  By Mrgoody - January 9 - 9:52 am

  Just got my Acura RDX, overall I like the truck. 0-60 is great and mileage is decent. Build quality is excellent and the cabin is very quiet. However I am disappointed in the way it handles in snow - the car tends to lose rear end during turns in snow, especially if you take the turn fast. I was expecting esp would help but it does not. However in a straight line the truck is solid.

• 

  Love the TL - 2008 Acura TL
  By Daniel - January 7 - 2:54 pm

  I drove a 2005 Honda Accord V6 before the TL and was so happy with the performance and reliability that I had to stay in the Honda family. There was a little buyers remorse b/c I didnt feel comfortable spending this amount of money on a car but I can honestly say I am very happy with the 08 TL. This car rides smooth and I love the interior. The navigation is wonderful with all its capabilities and voice recognition works pretty well. And, best of all the resell value is great for these cars. If I have one complaint it would be the rattles from the interior... they come and go as they please. But, I can deal with it if this is all I am unhappy about.

• 

  I love my MDX! - 2007 Acura MDX
  By Debce - January 7 - 8:27 am

  I have owned my MDX for about 1 1/2 yrs & have loved every minute of driving the 24k problem free miles on it! It is so much fun to drive looks & feels luxurious so no problem pulling up to upscale places! I didnt want to give up space to pop things in the back and go so I keep the third seat down & purchased the rubber mat for the back. I have plenty of room while at the same time I am "zippy" easily pulling into parking spaces and getting around town. I love the navigation system, although it does need updating and the bluetooth is wonderful, although for some reason it keeps unhooking my Treo phone which the Acura people say is the phones fault. LOVE IT & would buy it again.

• 

  Exceptional Used Car Value - 2000 Acura TL
  By lake for work - January 7 - 12:02 am

  Been buying cars for years. Had this Acura for longer then any. Best car Ive ever had. Performed even better and quieter after I put a set of toyo tires on it. Now drives actually better than new. Corners like on a rail. Plenty of power. Gas mileage? An unbelievable 30.5 mpg over cross country trips with my foot into it a little bit. Better to verify all servicing is done before you buy used. Make sure the dealer or private party has all records. Timing belts, water pumps, etc only need replacing every 110K miles or so, but when they do they are spendy. Otherwise, these cars are so inexpensive to maintain, you wont believe the quality of a car with over a 100K miles on it!

• 

  Best Bang for the Buck - 2009 Acura RDX
  By Triple - January 5 - 3:40 pm

  Originally we were set on a wagon to replace both a Pathfinder and a Saab sedan. However, when you look at whats out there in similar trim levels (new - Saab, Audi, BMW, Volvo) they get comparable gas mileage, with just a bit more room, but for 10K+ more. That made the RDX a no-brainer. Yes, it has a firm ride - its on the sport side of SUV. Its much better than a truck-based SUV (such as my PF), and by giving up a Caddy-like ride, youre rewarded with actual road feedback and sharp handling. Yes, gas mpg isnt the best - but it also has a turbo that has zero lag with effortless acceleration, and is no worse than other crossovers. This cars not for someone wanting a boring town runabout.

• 

  Love my TSX - 2004 Acura TSX
  By jeffb1q - January 5 - 10:00 am

  Upgraded from a 1991 Civic Si. That car was like a fun go kart, this car is much more refined and still very fun to drive. The MT is great! Look forward to driving it every time!

• 

  TL Great - 2004 Acura TL
  By TL-Great - January 5 - 10:00 am

  Second TL. My 1st was 1999. My first impression was it shrunk. But after driving one its wasnt small at all. Trunk space smaller but it will still hold 3 golf bags. Performance is outstanding and the interior is comfortable, functional, and all the controls at your finger tips. Navigation system a MUST! Once I get my bluetooth phone Im set to go. I dont think any car can beat the ELS sound system. One problem: my controls on the steering wheel gets hot. Do I need to have the dealship look into this? Otherwise, Im very happy with my Anthracite metallic, 5A, with Nav system. Gas mileage better than my 99.

• 

  Liked it so much I bought two! - 2004 Acura TL
  By kenbalentine - January 5 - 10:00 am

  My wife and I were both looking for new cars, she narrowed picks down to the TL or S60 (I was against anything turbo so TL was obvious choice)... but I was all over the place - looking at G35 coupes, Corvettes, etc. and hadnt really considered another 4 door car - but the comfort / features / styling / price / and ratings won me over (+ negotiating 2 cars = good deal). Got the first one (w/o Nav) this weekend and pick up mine (w/Nav) tomorrow. Looks great, drives & rides great and performs better than a 530i... my sole complaint: trunk lid feels a little flimsy (anyone else think this?)