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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  185k and still going strong - 2005 Acura RL
  By Bob - August 18 - 1:36 pm

  Ok so Ive had this car since 2005 and have taken it to hell and back. I drive it hard and floor it at least a couple times a day. I spend a ton of time in it and I dont think the drivers seat could be better. Also the audio system is great as is the whole interior. Issues To date: Both side mirrors wiggling (48k) Rear sunshade rattle (55k) HID Bulbs Replaced (110k) Replaced Bank 1 & 2 o2 sensors (140k) Other then that Ive only done the scheduled maintenance as recommended by the maintenance minder system. I can honestly say I will definitely buy the new RL when it comes out I assume in 2011... I might just take this one to the 300000 mile mark!

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  The Best in the Entry Class - 2004 Acura TL
  By ssoni - August 18 - 10:00 am

  2004 TL is indeed a fun car to drive and own. Better value than BMW and much better interior compared to Infinity G35. One ride and I was hooked to it. Sound system and the navigation are added perks.

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  My second Acura ILX - 2016 Acura ILX
  By ilx2013je - August 17 - 8:40 pm

  Got a great deal to trade my 2013 ILX for a 2016 ILX Premium pkg Granite Luster/Graystone interior. I never had any problems with my 2013 and really like the updates on the new one. Performance is up due to the new engine but the old one was efficient and peppy. Good ride quality and very good value in the entry level luxury class. Compare to A3, CLA feature for feature and youll see what I mean.

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  Engine stop while Im driving - 1999 Acura TL
  By khiet - August 17 - 1:32 pm

  I bought my car almost 5 years ago and never had any problem until now. My car currently had only 65,350 miles on it. The problem with my car is while I am driving on the road it shuts down the engine (on the busy road). The battery is almost brand new. I think ignition switch is bad. Hopefully, they recall ignition switch so I dont have to pay money out of my pocket.

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  Great Car - 1991 Acura Integra
  By John - August 17 - 10:48 am

  I bought my GS used about 2 years ago, and it now has 219K miles on it. Its extremely fun to drive, has plenty of cargo space, and it is probably the best car Ive owned. I did have to replace the clutch last year, but the previous owner Autocrossed it, so that probably contributed to its demise. I also had to replace the harmonic balancer and will be replacing the idle air control valve, but otherwise theres nothing wrong with it. Over time, I plan on upgrading more parts on it, it already has upgraded springs, shocks, exhaust, wheels, and tires for racing.

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  After 4 yrs & 72k miles, still perfect! - 2005 Acura TSX
  By Ralph - August 16 - 9:03 am

  My wife and I bought this car used in 2007 with 32k miles. This is the best car we have ever purchased. Interior is very comfortable. Exterior is very stylish. We have the 6-speed manual and this car gets 26city/34hwy mpg consistently. I commute 45 miles to and from work everyday. This car is very quiet and handles great on the road, rain or shine. I just replaced the original tires at 65k miles. The H.I.D. headlights make it very easy to see at night (they light up the entire road!). The one issue that I had with the car was having to replace the passenger door lock actuator at 44K miles. Other than that, flawless.

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  A lot of value for the $$$ - 2005 Acura RL
  By David - August 15 - 2:40 pm

  This is a wonderful automobile - nice ride, good power, luxurious. Ive driven an Audi A6 for six years and test drove the new 2005 model. The Acura RL has it beat in all but a few features.

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  A wonderful car. - 2002 Acura RSX
  By Lanny - August 15 - 10:00 am

  This vehicle has performed very well. It is great to have a car with climate control, an awesome sound system, good gas mileage, and some real power that can be tapped when necessary.

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  My third one... - 2002 Acura RL
  By Mike - August 14 - 9:19 pm

  I owned a Legend, then a 97 RL, and now the 02 RL which I bought in 06 with about 38000 miles on it. It now has 122,000 miles and has been trouble free except for the alarm actuator. It has been maintained according to the manual, mostly by the dealer, whose prices are competitive but whose service is better. He is not competitive on major expenses like timing belt changes. The car is comfortable to ride in, is quiet, and feels safe. It handles most of Ohios snow and ice as long as the tires are newer. The navigation system is helpful. I use mid-range gas with no problem. (Its what the dealer uses.) I prefer this body style over the 05 and would have replaced this car but for the style.

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  Great Car with some problems - 2005 Acura RL
  By Steve - August 13 - 5:00 pm

  I read up a lot about this car before I bought and have generally been very happy with it. However, about 2 mos after purchase, a rattle developed in the driver side dash. I have taken it to the dealership three times to have this corrected and they have yet to fix it permanently. They freely admit that this is a common problem with this new model and that the factory has no good fix for it. A $50K car should not have a problem like this. I like the way it handles and the overall comfort level. The voice activated system is "over the top" and generally unnecessary (there are more that 4 ways to adjust radio volume alone, why not just turn the knob?). The all wheel drive is great.