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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  great car...except for the tires - 2004 Acura TL
  By ed b - December 3 - 2:00 am

  i love the car, except for the problem with the tires and the memory setings constant failure

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  Thanks Acura - 2004 Acura TL
  By bsavoy - December 3 - 2:00 am

  I tested the TL against the BMW 330, G35, A4, X-Type, S60, and IS. TL beat them all with its performance, luxury, and technology. The only one that came close was the G35, but I thought the TLs interior and technology advantages were much better. I felt like this was the first time that Acura made a true "Style" statement inside and out. I love this car!

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  Fog Lamps - 2004 Acura TL
  By millyt - December 3 - 2:00 am

  Just to let everyone know.........all 2004 TLs come with integrated fog lamps in the head lights. Take a look if you drive one, there is a fog lamp control on the right of the head lamp control. The front wheel drive does very well in the snow. Yep.

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  TL Rocks - 2004 Acura TL
  By Skin - December 3 - 2:00 am

  Awesome, fun, car to drive. Nearly all "options" come "standard" with the car. Other manufacturers have a lower base price, but once you add on the options, the Acura TL is a "no brainer."

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  Great value, cheap to keep - 2000 Acura TL
  By Bill - December 2 - 8:28 am

  I purchased my 2000 TL new and have owned 8 1/2 yrs as of this writing. Its a terrific car overall. Solidly built, a great value, rock-solid reliability and just plain cheap to keep. I have 54,000 miles on the car and have replaced the tires twice, the front brakes once and have had all maintenance performed at Acura dealerships. Minor service intervals (every 3,500 miles) run less than $100 and majors run less than $200. My only real complaint concerns the rear door interior panels. A gap between the vinyl and the plastic part that contains the window up/down button has appeared at different times on both panels. One panel was replaced free of charge, but not the second one.

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  Great car. Worth every buck - 2008 Acura TL
  By Sid - December 1 - 1:17 pm

  I bought this car in Sep 08 and I love this car. It is worth every buck for all the features that come standard with the car. Gas mileage is great for a 3.2L V6. I get 33 mpg highway and 19-24 mpg city. The sound system is really good. Interiors are well crafted. The only con would be slight rattle at low speeds, but no biggie, I can live with it for everything else it offers.

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  Great Extension!!! - 2001 Acura CL
  By DOL - December 1 - 10:00 am

  The navigation is worth the extra $. Drives great, feels good, good for racing.

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  Irreplaceable - 1999 Acura TL
  By Julia - November 30 - 11:14 pm

  I bought my 99 TL with 99K miles and couldnt have bought a better car. I have had all of the scheduled maintenance done on it at Firestone. No need to go to the dealership for any repairs. This week my catalytic converter is messed up and will have to be replaced. Firestone said that they are seeing a lot of those in a variety of makes and models because of the shift to ethanol. 152000 miles and one trip to the repair shop for something other than maintenance. The only complaint is that the auto day/night mirror is now tinted permanently on the bottom and not at all on the top. A little annoying.

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  An Acura, but not a luxury car. - 2006 Acura RSX
  By schmack - November 30 - 10:28 pm

  Just bought an 06 RSX on a lease return. Great condition and lots of fun to drive on my 8-mile commute on a bendy highway, but it lacks some pretty basic features like a remote hatch release. Ive owned Hondas exclusively since I turned 16 and each one, even my old 83 Accord SE, had a lever to pop the trunk from the drivers seat. The plastic sun visors feel cheap, and theres not as much storage for odds and ends as Id like. Overall, I prefer the interior of my previous 98 Accord EX coupe for features but the leather seats offer great support and comfort in the turns. Engine and performance in the RSX blow the Accord away. Better mileage and acceleration? Well worth the price.

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  Great Car - 2006 Acura TSX
  By A - November 30 - 10:20 pm

  This car is the perfect car for long commutes and short city driving. It is comfortable and handles beautifully. I highly recommend this vehicle.