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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  Wish I could return it - 2010 Acura RDX
  By amit batt - October 5 - 5:07 pm

  We bought this car to downsize from our Volvo XC90 - and be more "green". What a mistake! The mileage is no better despite the miserably small cabin and trunk (looks big but doesnt hold much). This car should never be bought by a family - if you are a young couple who doesnt drive far or carry much (or mind the 90+ dB road noise) , then, I have a vehicle for you.

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  Awesome Car - 2009 Acura TL
  By ericcc - October 5 - 10:42 am

  I drove a G37x, A4, and 3 series. This car was by far the most technologically advanced car and had the best price. We are thrilled with it. Drives like a dream and the tech package makes the car extremely entertaining. The sound system is incredible. I dont think I have ever heard music sound as good. Very smooth ride, yet feels sporty when you want to push it hard.

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  Quarter of a million and counting - 1991 Acura Legend
  By Gobyknows - October 5 - 2:50 am

  My Legend sat for 2 years before I bought it for $1800. Its previous owner had stopped loving it. A victim of being a divorce asset. With 164k already on the odometer, the 2 year side lining did its damage. However after some detailed cleaning of engine components, and a complete tuneup, it has been the best running, most reliable car I have EVER owned. Mine came with 16 inch Vigor wheels along with new, tall profile touring radials that deliver a superior ride. I like it that small performance tweaks make significant differences with this car. I rolled 250K while cruising at just under 100mph. No amount of money could buy my Legend. It is my Legendary Street Machine.

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  A great car!!! - 2003 Acura TL
  By chet67 - October 4 - 2:00 am

  This is my second Acura, my first was an Integra and I loved it. So when it was time to buy a new car I went back to Acura dealer. This car is almost perfect. It has style, is quiet and fun to drive. My only negative is the back seat, it is hard to strap in a booster seat for an older child. The seatbelt locks are hard to locate when locking them in. Maybe it would be better if they were located on the outside rather then the center.

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  American Made Road Rocket - 2009 Acura TL
  By RI Car Guy - October 3 - 9:33 pm

  Having had great experience with our two other Hondas, we chose the TL over the Accord EXL-V6 for a nicer interior and quieter ride. So far this car has not disappointed, providing a proven drive-train in an upscale fun to drive car. Power and handling are great but the ride is a little stiff. It does absorb potholes better the the Accord and is much quieter. Tech Package is easy to learn (without reading the 2" thick manual) and the sound system is excellent. This car is currently a bargain, costing thousands less than foreign assembled competitors.

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  A great car, I love it !! - 2016 Acura RDX
  By L Wang - October 2 - 10:13 pm

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  All around winner - 2006 Acura TL
  By Roy - October 2 - 5:30 pm

  I have the 2006 TL as a company car and have over 30k miles on it so far, so I think I can give a pretty fair assessment. First, it has a lot more interior room than it looks. Plenty of room for 6 footers in the rear sets. Power and handling are great, as is the overall styling of the car. My one complaint is that the bluetooth phone interface picks up so much ambient noise that its almost unuseable. I think the mic needs to be closer to the driver. That would fix the problem. The seats are great, but the interior is not as quiet as a Lexus ES 330. The ride is a tad on the harsh side, but still quite good. And the NAV system is the best out there.

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  MDX - 2002 Acura MDX
  By Mark Morrison - October 2 - 10:00 am

  Absolutely excellent in every manner possible.

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  Problems with my 2003 Acura 3.2 TL - 2004 Acura TL
  By Sundar - September 30 - 10:00 am

  The car is nice and gives much more bang for the buck compared to Lexus and Infiniti. I had some problems. The license plate is fixed by a peculiar plastic bracket. This got broken off and I ahve to get it fixed. Also, there is a crack on the bottom of the bumper below the license plate. The car is, however, fine and gives me around 25 miles for the gallon (mostly highway driving). I do not know why Acura does not provide MPG DVD players, only WAV players.

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  great car - 2004 Acura TL
  By steve seminole - September 30 - 10:00 am

  This is a great ride. I have 15,000 mile on it now, and I still love it. No problems at it still rides as new. I have had a Lexus, Lincoln LS and a 2003 within the past 5 years, and this car is far superior in every way.