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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  04 Acura TL - 2004 Acura TL
  By fcerauli - March 15 - 2:33 pm

  Great car... fun to drive... great design and comfort... plenty of power... rattles like crazy... taking it to the dealer one rattle at a time! (Still love the car).

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  Beware of the name - 2004 Acura TL
  By Lucas31 - March 14 - 10:00 am

  First week was a blast. I drove it everywhere I could. After that, things started to happen. Rattles from the glovebox, rattles from the headliner, vibrations from the sunroof. the dealer, of course did not hear the problem. My TL was in the shop more than in my garage. I must say I will be trading it in for a BMW. You might pay a bit more but it is well worth the price!

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  Much Better than the G35 - 2004 Acura TL
  By JBHunter - March 14 - 10:00 am

  I really enjoy the actual AL trim inside the vehicle. The manual trans. is one of the best I have ever driven. The Brembo brakes provide great performance but I have experianced some brake "glazing" causing brake squeaking... You usually find this with high performance brake pads... The seats and cabin is neatly appointed with a fit in finish that is beyond what I expected...

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  Japanese, but still best overall - 1996 Acura RL
  By BostonMatt - March 13 - 2:00 am

  Well Folks. Have driven prety much every vehicle under the sun. Owned Jaguar, Saab, BMW, Mercedes, Nissan, and Mitsu...While the Rl may not excel in any one area, not a 740il in overall elegance and performance, nor have a ridiculously solid build, like the XJ6, for most car buyers, by far one of thebest vehicles on the road today. Just bought a 1996 with VERY low miles, and couldnt be happier. Plush, quiet, just right...try one for a couple weeks, youll see, trust me.

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  nsx - 1999 Acura NSX
  By hk4site - March 12 - 2:00 am

  I love the car it is everything I though it would be. The build quality is excellent maybe the best cat I have owned

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  Transmission problems - 2002 Acura RSX
  By tt73 - March 10 - 2:00 am

  Besides the 3 times Ive had to take my RSX-S into the dealer for the same transmission problem, its a great car. Niello Acura in Sacramento couldnt fix the excessive rattling that occured in 1st and 2nd gear (primarily). They just refilled the fluid. 4000 miles later... same issue. This time I took it Acura of Serramonte. They ended up replacing 1st and 2nd gear, yet 3000 miles later... same problem. Disappointed in Acuras service record so far. 10,000 miles, 2 repairs and problem appears to be getting worse... I wouldnt buy another one.

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  Love the MDX - 2001 Acura MDX
  By Gillian - March 9 - 2:00 am

  I waited 4 months for my dream MDX and Im pleased with it. Minor issues-- the steering wheel radio controls have been repaired/replaced twice and still dont work right. Not keen on the sheer amount of bass coming out of the sound system either. Car handles well in all weather and road conditions. Its a heavy vehicle so its not as nimble as some similar size SUVs but its solid, stable, and dependable. Vehicle holds 7 people easily although the third row is not comfy for anyone over 5 foot. Overall, one of the best vehicles Ive ever owned.

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  Honda/Acura has come a long way! - 2002 Acura MDX
  By cachupin25 - March 6 - 2:00 am

  In my opinion best SUV for the price if compared to many European, American, and other Asian SUVs. Performance is great, has great trailering ability, all though, if at the limit of the trailering weight, the rear suspension lacks strength. Maintenance is good if compared to any European vehicle. Honda/Acura has re-engineered all their vehicles to add a european flavor to them and has also strengthened the body strucutre if compared Honda/Acuras built in the 80s.

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  Tranny problems knock it out for 2 weeks - 2002 Acura TL
  By masterjps - March 5 - 2:00 am

  While I love my type S, Acura has a known issue with a bearing in the transmission that wears out far too fast and leaves the car stranded. I encountered this problem during a 1200 mile road trip. Fortunately, I was only 40 miles away from an Acura dealership. While they gave me a decent rental car, I miss my Acura. Not only that, now I have to go pick it up 600 miles from home. I love the car, and hopefully, this is the only issue Ill have. When buying or leasing, make sure your Acura does not have the faulty transmission bearing installed, or get it replaced immediately.

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  Took A Chance On High Mileage - 1996 Acura RL
  By Bongotoo - March 4 - 2:00 am

  I took a serious chance on a 1996 RL with 89,000 miles. I had planned to buy a 1999 RL but the prices were too much. The only problems so far include 1. The AC compressor went out while I was 200 miles from home. I cut the belt off and drove home without a problem. The dealer replaced it. 2. My ABS goes out intermittently. I havenÂ’t had it checked yet but it has me scared. This could be a big one. 3. The Bose CD player didnÂ’t work. IÂ’ve been waiting since December for the dealer to have it repaired. I hope they arenÂ’t jerking me around. In summary, the jury is still out on this car.