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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  Someone has to start a review... - 2004 Acura TL
  By Motavar - November 4 - 2:00 am

  Everyone who purchases or leases a new car thinks their car is the best so Im not going to bore you with "this is the best car ever made". What I will tell you are the early build problems that Acura is currently working on. *Memory Seats lose their settings, a few rattle noises reported, and the 50+ mph vibration issue. More info at www.acura-tl.com If you can live with these early build problems for awhile I believe you will not be disappointed with the car. Its fast,it sucks up gas, XM radio is pretty neat, and the DVD-Audio will blow you away!

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  Bumpy, bumpy, bumpy. - 2009 Acura TSX
  By Moosie - November 3 - 8:56 am

  This is a very good car, but I chose the wrong one. The seats are very comfortable, looks good inside and out, trans is smooth, and braking smooth. But this car has a terrible ride. The suspension is way too stiff, especially the rear suspension. Who ever heard of a car with a rear suspension that is stiffer than the front? This car jiggles everywhere and no my tires are not overinflated. For short trips this is ok, but so uncomfortable and exhausting on any long drive. Also the steering is too hard, with no feel for the road. I will sell it soon and buy a smoother riding car.

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  Souped-Up Honda! - 2003 Acura TL
  By BrentSki - November 2 - 10:00 am

  Car is comfortable to drive, pickup is amazing with Hondas VTEC engine, and that all Hondas and Acuras have. It is an all-around great car, but it came with its minor problems.

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  Great Value - 2004 Acura TL
  By Sami-R - October 29 - 2:00 am

  Superb value .. really no competition when comparing feature content/amenities/performance and price. With rear or all-wheel drive would be a slam dunk.

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  TSX review after 12 months of ownership - 2004 Acura TSX
  By TSX in Redmond,WA - October 19 - 10:00 am

  Highs: - 6 speed shifter and 4 cylinder engine. Honda makes the best 4- cylinder engines I have ever driven. The engine never has the thrashy sound many 4 cyliders have. This is a Civic Si for adults who want a little comfort with their fun! - The front seats are the most comfortable I have sat in, and this really became apparent after the purchase. - Interior quality, design, and features are top-notch, regardless of price. I wanted a BMW 3-series, but it made no sense after driving the TSX. Lows: - Front door panels rattle and squeak, even after a trip to the dealer. - Compared to other cars, it has lots of road noise.

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  2016 acura experience - 2016 Acura TLX
  By Susan Oliva - October 13 - 10:50 am

  Look around at other cars and then go to Acura for a THRILL

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  Fun car, but missing some small things - 2007 Acura RDX
  By dostoyevsky77 - October 12 - 10:33 pm

  I bought this car for my wife. First, this "car" is awesome. It handles like it wants to be a sports sedan, but it has the luxury and utility to make it one of the best crossovers we test drove. The peppy turbocharger makes it jump off the mark, and the "super handling all wheel drive" really improves the cornering. Watch out for the AWD status display on the dash; you should have your eyes on the road whenever you actually need the torque to be redistributed!

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  Needs better rubber - 2002 Acura TL
  By RJ - October 12 - 11:06 am

  Edmunds reviews list a 0-60 6.6s.To get this out of the engine VSA needs to be turned off, so the tires spin.Normal people dont drive like that.Unless you are a person who likes to here the sound of rubber being laid down on pavement and the VSA warning flashing, 6.6 may not be right.My first experience was on a freshly paved road with VSA on, making me loose to an A4 CVT with FrontTrakk (6.9s).The next time I turned VSA off, let the tires spin, and got great acceleartion.

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  Best choice in mid-size luxury SUVs - 2005 Acura MDX
  By outuvtime - October 12 - 2:00 am

  Great ride; rides like a comfy car and handles well also. Gas mileage is lower than expected but that will hopefully get better as the engine break-in period elapses.

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  2002 TL-S in Georgia - 2002 Acura TL
  By Crawdad - October 10 - 2:00 am

  I purchased the car in December 2002. As of March 13, 2003 is has 12400 miles. The car is quick and quiet. Comfort on long trips is very good. The CD changer is nice on long and short trips. The exterior should be made to look more sporty. I think the BMW 3-Series looks better. Gas mileage has been around 22 MPG average for the first year.