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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  Jakes Ride - 2004 Acura TL
  By jons04tl - June 10 - 2:00 am

  If you are looking for a sedan that is fun to drive, has great looks, and can keep up with the best of them, then this is the car you are looking for. This is the most fun I have had driving in a long time. There is no comparison between my wifes 2002 325xi and the TL. My kids love the car and are already fighting over who is going to get it as their first car. I am constantly getting compliments about the car. The 5 speed automatic is awesome. I will put it up against the the 6-spede any day. You have plenty of engine control with the automatic in the auto manual mode.

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  Fabulous Car - 2004 Acura TL
  By bolivar - June 10 - 2:00 am

  This is far and away the best car ever made...by any company, anywhere!

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  Love this car but... - 2008 Acura MDX
  By Edmund - June 9 - 11:52 pm

  This is my 2nd vehicle from Honda first being an Odyssey, which was great except for the run flat tire issues. I sold my 07 X5 3.0 & leased this car and saving a lot of money on the monthly payment. Compared to the X5, the MDX is roomier, more high tech, better acceleration & breaking and priced well below the X5. However, there is no comparison when it comes to build quality and attention to details as the X5 wins hands down.

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  Great first sports car - 2006 Acura RSX
  By Keith - June 9 - 2:43 pm

  This car is great for a first sports car. It has plenty of power and handling. This thing takes turns beautifully. Shifting is smooth. There is also a lot of aftermarket parts for it.

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  Love this Car - 2006 Acura TL
  By Jeanna - June 9 - 10:52 am

  I love driving this car. I get to 80 MPH in no time. This car is so smooth and the drive is awesome. The brakes are great! I may be an Acura buyer for life. The car is the best of both worlds - luxury yet sporty. Great car for a young adult.

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  Its my third... - 2006 Acura TL
  By JHusa - June 9 - 10:26 am

  Love it! Now had the last 3 generations of TLs... 1998, 2002, 2006. Looking forward to a 4WD for 2010!

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  LOVE my MDX - 2006 Acura MDX
  By jennifer - June 8 - 10:53 pm

  I love my car. I am consistently getting between 18-20 MPG, which is great for a 7 passenger vehicle. Quality of finish is great. Has everything I would ever want in a car. Navigation easy to maneuver. Heated seats work well. XM and Bluetooth both work well also. My 6 teenage son is a little cramped in the back seat--mostly because he slouches. Wish there was sunglasses holder, but center console works fine. Automatic closing hatch would have been a nice feature, but all in all, this is the best car Ive owned. I have been looking around for something with same features and 25 mpg in the city... cant find anything that compares!!!

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  2008 Acura TL Type-S - 2008 Acura TL
  By Spend a little more! - June 8 - 8:34 pm

  Ive liked the TL since the re-design in 2004 but I never liked the fog lights integrated with the headlights. Good when they separated them in 07. I looked at the BMW 328i, Lexus IS350 and Audi Quad S-line, the TL-S beat them all. With the list of standard features on the TL-S vs. paying a lot more money for it, with the others, it just made more since. Quad exhaust, power, hid lights, red interior lights & rims set this car apart from your standard TL. Its worth spending a little more to stand out. This car is a blast to drive & gets plenty of looks. Im getting 22 mpg city, not that great, but I didnt buy it to save gas. Cant tell a diff with the HPT tires.

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  Good quality built in North America??? - 2002 Acura MDX
  By Puma - June 8 - 10:00 am

  The car is well biult but a few inches too high. Sunroof too small for this size of a car (much smaller than competiotion). Lumbar support very primitive, not effective.

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  acura 3.2 TL - 2003 Acura TL
  By jmreiss - June 8 - 10:00 am

  this vehicle has everything the sedan driver could want. Power, confort and convience. If price is an issue there is no better sedan than the TL. It leases at unbelievable numbers and the American Honda Lease has many advantages with no disposition fee and the $1500 damage waiver. All in all, Acura has put together an unbeatable package.