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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  Not sorry I made the choice - 2009 Acura TL
  By Zoot - June 13 - 7:00 am

  Upgraded from a Volvo S80 that was 8 years old. The car is a great ride, very responsive. Glued to the road on turns. Love all the technology. And while I know that previous TL owners by and large hate the styling...Im good with it. From the side I think its awesome. Ive waited 5 months to put this review up...I have no real complaints except the ride is a bit firm for my tastes after the Volvo and Id expect better than 22mpg these days...

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  Acura RL on Steroid - 2007 Acura MDX
  By SWANN - June 12 - 8:53 am

  Just picked up mine last week, black on black with Technology and Entertainment. So far I have put in five hundred miles. All heads turn. Drove during Thanksgiving trip, loving the bluetooth and live traffic info. State of the art GPS system.

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  Best bang for your buck! - 2006 Acura TSX
  By KAM - June 11 - 11:15 am

  Car comes standard with many bells and whistles. Convenient seat memory buttons for two different settings. Bought car new in 2006 and paint seems to be cheap...deeply pitted on front bumper and hood, as well as chipped on back of car. Seems to get decent gas mileage and comfortable drive. Not great in the snow. Very poor voice recognition with the hands free. People Ive tried to talk to using hands free say it sounds like someones banging cans in the background. More aggravation than its worth and may as well not even have the function.

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  Great Vehicle, great price - 2003 Acura TL
  By dacougr - June 11 - 10:00 am

  Purchased new 2003 Acura in October 2003 after looking at many cars. This car by far blew away any other vehicles I looked at. Great aceleration and handling. I looked at Volvo, BMW, Toyota Avalon + many others. Previously owned a Honda Accord which was also outstanding.

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  Entry level sports sedan - 2005 Acura TSX
  By TJ - June 11 - 8:36 am

  The 6-spd manual is a blast to drive. The throws are sweet and short. The 2.4L I-4 has good low end torque and can boogie at the upper rpms. The interior is beautiful with just about every luxury feature one would want. The factory stereo with in dash 6 disc changer is very powerful and crisp with great imaging. Fuel economy is as good as 30 mpg on highway. The ride is sporty without being too harsh or jarring. Good size backseat can actually accommodate 2-3 adults.

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  Acura TSX - Muy Bueno.... - 2009 Acura TSX
  By iggster - June 10 - 9:09 pm

  This car offers a great balance between luxury, technology, and practicality. Inside and out it shows Acuras attention to luxury details. It comes with more technology than many other more expensive brands. And this machine gives you a higher then average fuel economy for cars of this size, weight and costs.

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  Best Value For The Money - 2009 Acura TL
  By msaltzer - June 10 - 6:09 pm

  I have owned my new TL w/ Tech for almost 3 weeks and I have to say that I am really enjoying this car. I was leasing a 2006 Infiniti G35x and was contemplating a new one. After driving the new TL I was no longer interested in the G. The TL has a new exterior design that turns heads. The interior of the TL blows the Infiniti away. Everything feels solid and of very high quality. I have also been getting better gas mileage than I got in my old G35x. There is no other car in this price range that gives you the quality and the amenities found in the TL.

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  Excellent after 200000 - 1996 Acura TL
  By kalz - June 10 - 4:24 pm

  I bought my acura in 2007 from a private party with about 160,000 miles on it. Since then its been extremely reliable, the only thing I have spent money on is brake calipers for rear left wheel. Other than that I have had no issues. My car has now 216000 miles on it and it still feels the same. I would highly recommend acura to anybody who wants to buy a used car.

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  Reliable - 1999 Acura TL
  By bsprings - June 9 - 6:11 pm

  Bought my 99 used via eBay for $11,000. Had about 80k miles. Ive put nearly 50k miles on it. On highway, I routinely get 25 mpg. Other than routine maintenance (timing belt, oil, brakes, etc.) have had no significant problems. One ignition switch issue was covered under warranty. I am planning to run it til it hits 200k. Only complaints: radio reception is mediocre. Seats could be a bit firmer. I rode in a 2002 TL-S and liked those much better. Great car for the money -- particularly used.

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  75% Perfect - 2007 Acura TL
  By AlmostPerfect - June 9 - 1:36 pm

  Oh, our beloved TL. Your misgivings are few, but substantial. Weve owned the car for 28mos/24k now. Designed and destined for success in a "North America-Only" market, I feel its a moderate success. Unlike some competitors, the cup holders really work The seats and driving position are magnificent for those of larger proportions The stereo is phenomenal Fuel economy is above average the value equation is substantial. The shortfalls, however, drive us insane. The 45-series tires seem to have temper tantrums with the suspension tuning. The steering is incredibly vague and twitchy off-center. The transmission is clunky and crude. Low-end power is absent. Wouldnt buy another.