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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  RDX is Rockin! - 2007 Acura RDX
  By Michael - August 19 - 2:43 pm

  Just purchased an RDX w/ tech - definitely worth the additional $3k. Handles well, navigation, voice, gadgets are awesome. First tank of gas was 21 mpg. Turbo definitely works! As long as youre not looking to haul anything or carry 10 people, definitely look at the RDX as an alternative to any SUV on the market.

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  Great Sports Car - 2006 Acura RSX
  By David - August 19 - 2:11 pm

  This car is great, pretty fast for a 2.0L inline four. Quick on the acceleration and grabs corners like a magnet, rides smooth even over very deep pot holes and high speed bumps. At top speed is pretty smooth and stable along with shifting the whole way, pretty good for a 5M base but theres always aftermarket for those days when you wanna get up and go. Did lack a couple of interior options and design for an Acura but still being a sports car, its awesome. I would recommend for any driver, guess thats why after I bought mine, I now know 5 people who recently bought one as well. Cant go wrong with a Honda.

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  2003 TL is a great drive. - 2003 Acura TL
  By FEVER - August 19 - 9:51 am

  I have owned my TL for 2 years and I have nothing but praise for it. The comfortable ride is most impressive as is its get up and go. This is a quality vehicle that gives you the comfort of a heavier vehicle but the ride of a sports car.

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  Sporty - 2008 Acura MDX
  By Tyler - August 18 - 4:29 pm

  This is a great SUV with superior handling, comfort, and overall appearance. Fuel economy is edging toward the v8 area, but considering the size of the mdx, it gets pretty good mileage. Ride is very smooth and the 300 hp gets it up and going quickly. Recommend the mdx to anyone looking into an SUV with the performance and luxury you get with Acura, and the reliability you can expect from Honda.

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  Great car, great value - 2017 Acura TLX
  By Mike - August 18 - 5:12 am

  An ex-girlfriend has this car. I drove it for several weeks including an out of town trip/vacation. When she told me how much she paid for it, I thought she was confused and made her show me the purchase contract. She paid a little over 30 for the base model. You cannot get a car like this for the money. People that complain about the acceleration need to learn how to drive. The 4 cylinder has more horse power than a Toyota Camry. When you are passing or merging you floor it to make it down shift to use all 204hp. My normal car is an infiniti G37 (330hp). I floor the infiniti about once a week and floored the acura two or three times a day. I paid about 45 for my infiniti with all the bells and whistles. My car has some features that the acura doesnt have but it has some that mine doesnt. The acura has no gas cap and shows the tire pressure for each individual tire just to name a few. You can find better cars than the tlx and cheaper cars than the tlx but you cant find one thats better and cheaper.

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  I LOVE THIS CAR - 2009 Acura RL
  By Phil Mirenda - August 17 - 2:23 am

  Acura finally got this thing right. I put 13000 miles on my 08 RL and had a love hate relationship with it. The car had terrific build quality and extraordinary features that really spoil a driver. That being said there are significant faults: poor suspension (a weird combination of too harsh and too soft), no adjustable passenger seat, wimpy steering wheel, AWD system with too much front wheel bias. Biggest fault... no EQ (excitement quotient) when driving the RL. Enter 2009 RL. Love or hate the looks thats your decision. I love this car. The suspension is perfect, great Super handling AWD calibration, adjustable passenger seat, a whole bunch of "EQ". Did i say I LOVE THIS CAR ?

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  Best of the Best - 2005 Acura RL
  By Robert Durso - August 17 - 1:23 am

  Went from a BMW 760LI to the 2005 Acura RL. The Acura although smaller (didnt get it for the people in the back anyway) is just as comfortable. Its also quicker and you cant beat the all wheel drive. The nav computer and bose sound system is better in the Acura.

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  Almost Perfect - 2008 Acura RL
  By Scott Davis - August 16 - 1:29 pm

  This car is so good, I wouldnt want to know the person dissatisfied with it. Too spoiled. Excellent reliability. Excellent safety. Excellent road holding in bad weather. The quietest car Ive ever experienced. Excellent stereo. Comfortable seats for me. Pleasant styling. Like most Acuras, will probably look fine in 10 years. Cadillacs and BMWs will probably look silly/dated. The only thing you get in 2009 is an ugly restyling, 10 more hp and a significant loss in economy. 2008 is a optimal year. It doesnt feel like a toss around car. Too heavy. Reasonable back seat. Everything about it inspires confidence: quality, road manners, rubber on the road, balance. It does everything well

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  2007 Acura TL - 2007 Acura TL
  By Chixon - August 16 - 5:33 am

  I have had 2 Lexus GS 300s - very nice & reliable but BORING and overpriced. Had a 2004 Infiniti G35, loved it, but had a few quirks that the dealership couldnt get fixed. G35 got totalled and bought the Acura TL one week ago. I love this car, it comes w/everything, drives and feels better than the last cars I have had, even the Lexus. Love the Bluetooth. This car came with the extras that I had to pay extra for on the other cars. Couldnt have made a better decision and the price couldnt be beat. Why pay $40K for a car with fewer options and poorer styling?

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  80,000 Miles and Still a Great SUV - 2003 Acura MDX
  By Keith - August 15 - 2:48 pm

  Bought it new in July 2003 for a young family of 5. Road trips, in town, on the beach, in the mountains, deep snow, icy roads, high elevations. It has performed great through all of it. Drove it on NCs beaches on the outer banks and went right past Toyotas stuck in the sand. We now live at 8600 elev. in the Rockies and drive up and down 3000 of elevation change daily, often on unplowed roads. This car is perfectly balanced and always stays in control. We have had no mechanical problems. Only issue has been the seat heater, which quit working a year ago (and very expensive to repair). If I had to do it over again, I definitely would!