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 Vehicle - 2004 Acura TL
  By Acura Guy - July 16 - 2:00 am

  Ive owned this for just a few weeks, but I am very pleased. It has great acceleration and is very smooth to drive. Great audio system and control layout. Blue lighting on dash is great, and car looks great on the outside. Big improvement over previous TL which looked like a Honda. Very quiet inside even while driving at high speeds. Wonderful car.

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  Awesome Car - 2004 Acura TL
  By peterp - July 16 - 2:00 am

  Best bang for the buck!!!

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  Great for fun and the long run. - 2000 Acura TL
  By HotRodder - July 15 - 3:01 pm

  This has been an extremely reliable car. I have only needed to do routine maintenance. The engine still runs smooth as ever, has plenty of punch, and does not burn any oil. The so-called German luxury car makers should take lessons from Honda on how to make dependable cars.

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  Great Car! - 2009 Acura TSX
  By Poncho - July 14 - 10:22 pm

  This is my first Acura, and I am quite pleased with the car overall. I havent had any problems with the car in the seven months that I have owned it. The new design is striking, and the feel of luxury is evident inside and out. I recommend this car as an entry level luxury sedan.

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  The Best Choice - TL Tech - 2009 Acura TL
  By alabausas - July 14 - 3:59 pm

  My TL handles so well and is one of the most comfortable rides Ive had, especially upgrading from a Honda Prelude. The voice recognition for the Navi, Climate Control, and radio is awesome. Its still a bit of a learning curve though, but one of the best features. The TL has provided me with the best driving experience thus far.

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  08 TL Type S - 2008 Acura TL
  By Happy Type S owner - July 14 - 12:31 pm

  I have owned my TL-S for a year and a half and have 13K miles on it. Overall a great car. I get 19-20 in the city and 30-32 on the highway at 72 MPH. Good suspension and great surround sound. Minor issues: fold down rear seat would be good, the trunk is so well finished there is no point to tie it down. Rain rolls off the roof onto the drivers seat when you open the door. No good CD case holder in the car. Passenger seat height adjustment would be nice. As you can see my issues are minor. I got 86 more HP than my 01 Accord for the price of 91 octane and with no real mileage penalty. Had considered a G35 but did not want RWD in the snow and the MPG was much higher for the Acura.

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  Weigh in the pros and cons - 2009 Acura TL
  By Honest Review - July 13 - 7:07 pm

  Recently purchased a new SH-AWD with Tech package. Pros: 1) Easy to use navigation 2) Inside layouts neat and makes sense. 3) Bigger interior spaces and more room for back seats. 4) Push button engine start. 6) Price is right compared to other competitors. Cons: 1) suspension is too stiff that you can feel every tiny, tiny bump of the road. Any ride longer than 10 minutes in the city is not enjoyable. 2) back trunk is relatively high for putting away heavier objects and its small as well. 3) Some of the interior materials feel cheap: plastic of door pockets bring the car down. 4) seats are not comfortable as the previous two TL models I had driven.

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  Awesome Drive - Love it - 2006 Acura MDX
  By Jacklemind - July 13 - 10:00 am

  I recently brought a certified MDX. I love the drive, its powerful, fun to drive. Gas mileage is not bad, considering its a luxury offering. The dashboard was not hard to figure out, however, the sound system is not that great, although it has BOSE speakers, it does not deliver the punch. No Aux input (newer cars have it) - bummer. Spacious interior, although 3rd row seating is not for adults - its more a 6 seater than 7. All other features are great, independent rare AC - love it. Cargo space is not good with 3rd row seats up. Would recommend buying a cargo net, otherwise, things will be all over the cargo area.

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  Value and Design - 2005 Acura TL
  By Craig - July 13 - 6:56 am

  TL has good all-around design and best value in mid-size sport sedan segment. Engine and transmission smooth. Audio system with DVD is audiophile quality. Seats are really nicely sculpted and supportive like a glove. Initial gas mileage was awful, but after 30 days it improved to 20 mgp city and should get better over the next 2 months. Ride is firm, well damped, but feels very precise, like the name of brand. Dont drive fast enough to feel torque steer, but do feel tugs over rippled pavement. On balance, a wise buy.

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  My New TL - 2006 Acura TL
  By MGySgt - July 13 - 5:20 am

  We just picked up our new TL after months of agonizing research. The car is everything we hoped it would be. I bought it for $100.00 over invoice at Criswell Acura in Annapolis, Maryland. Very professional (and amusing) staff. Car was well prepped and they explained everything to us. So well, we were even able to use the Navigation system on the first try.