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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  Never owned a better car!!! - 1994 Acura Vigor
  By shapoopie811 - May 30 - 1:44 am

  I absolutely love this car!!! I bought it from my brother who beat the tar out of it and she still runs and moves like a champ after 15 years and 365,000 miles. Back seat is a tad small for the car seat, and cup holder would be a plus... But all things considered, I plan on dropping a new engine sometime within the next year just for the sheer joy of driving it.

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  15 TLX - It is not that "kind of thrill" - 2015 Acura TLX
  By westlx - May 29 - 5:37 pm

  Got a great deal on the TLX end of 2015 and only bought it due to getting thousands off sticker. I did not think the 1,000 off sticker was justified for this car after driving it earlier in the year. It does have a great smooth, quiet ride. The 4cyl has more than enough power with the 8speed DCT. It is nice having the rear cross and blind spot protection and it is a great highway cruiser getting around 35 on premium gas. Do not believe the dealer than you can run 87, well yeah you can but the engine knocks. So pros: Quiet ride, very nice ride over bumps etc, sound system is great and gas mileage is good for a car this size. Cons: 2,000 miles into owning the car noticed a crease in the headliner, not just a wrinkle as I thought. The headliner was broken, how did that pass QA? Dealer had to pull windshield out to put a new one in. Just great having a new car all ripped apart. This warranted 2 trips to the dealer, because it was not assembled 100% like new when I went to pick it up and they had to order more parts. Fit and finish inside is just ok, I would expect better for the luxury brand of Honda. Touch screen for hvac is just dumb, good I have LKAS cause you need it while changing the controls. Granted I knew this and thought I would get use to it, but give me knobs back please. Now my most recent issue is the car when sifting out of drive will not go into reverse, you have to play with the trans to get it to work. 50-75% of the time it wont go in reverse. On day one at the dealer I was told this never happened before. Now on day two being told it has happened before and it is a shift cable that is damaged. I asked what caused the damage and I was told Acura does not know. During this visit also asked to fox the rattle/vibration in the headliner. So much for no rattles after the car was ripped apart. Now to see how the panels are fitting after being ripped apart twice now. After the first time they certainly dont look like my loaner now where it is all neat and tight. And forget calling Acura Client Relations they are a joke. Person today was rude and told me they cannot do anything about these issues and that the dealer needs to address any complaints since they sold the car and each dealership is an independent business from Acura. Based on the call today, I guess Acura doesnt give a crap about the defects they put out from their production lines. I had some initial problems with my Jeep, and I have to say their customer service puts Acura to shame! Overall I want to like the car, but so far the ownership is not what I had expected from an Acura product. Go read consumer reports and check out what they are stating about the Acura brand this year before spending your hard earned money. Update: ending up selling the car. Around 8000 miles my seat seemed to break in, however where the seam is on the back by your lumbar area stayed firm. After driving. Ore than 2+ hrs it was like something was stabbing you in the back. I took some trips in my jeep, and bam my back was no longer sore. I tried to get two dealers to look at it and both said nothing was wrong with it. Ended up ditching it as I could not take it anymore.

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  Fun car to drive - 2009 Acura TL
  By bronzeacura - May 29 - 9:10 am

  I have owned my Acura for three weeks now. I am a little disappointed, because I had to take it back to the dealer for a problem with the rear passenger door. A sensor is not working properly and causing the alarm go off. Otherwise, this car is a lot fun. The technology is second to none. No other car offers the same package of technology. This car is much smoother and better built than the 2006 model which I had owned for three years. My only regret is not getting the AWD.

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  Great purchase choice - 2004 Acura TL
  By Ha-may-mee - May 29 - 2:00 am

  An excellent alternative to the GS300. Car is not as smooth as the GS300, but sportier. BMW 3 & 5 series are much smaller and clostrophobic when compared. The TL gets it done cheeper than both and is head and shoulders above the G35 & Maxmia. Try internet sales. Walking in the dealership, full MSRP and told no discounts. 30 minutes online and got one for $33,750 OUT THE DOOR! Talk to Hiedi at Pasadena Acura to view, but buy it from Nelson (internet sales guy). She knows the car better than most and Nelson knows the numbers!

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  Awesome 04 Acura TL - 2004 Acura TL
  By donrkeen - May 29 - 2:00 am

  After owning a 00 TL, a 02 TL-S, this 04 represents a significant advancement in refinement, better ride and handling and even greater acceleration. Highway gas mileage is much better that the estimate of 28MPG. Fit and finish, including interior materials, are superior to BMW or Infinite. Did not consider Lexus--they just dont have a competitive vehicle.

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  You get everything you desired in a car - 2004 Acura TL
  By danny - May 29 - 2:00 am

  This is a dream car, I have researched many cars like BMW 325, Lexus IS/ES 300 /es330, Volvo S60 and Infinity. But I fall in love with this one. No regret, my friends and neighbor still looking at it in the parking lot, makes me worry a little

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  Bought one, done that! - 2004 Acura TL
  By rosrea - May 29 - 2:00 am

  As advertised. HOT, HOT, HOT! Do not particularly like the low profile tires because of the bumpy ride. Will change to normal tires and wheels when the low profiles wear out. Around town it is acceptable, but on an extended road trip the ride may get tiresome. Second and third gears are phenomenal. Glad it is a front wheel drive, because at 270 horsepower, rear wheel traction would be a problem. Interior appointments look great-great visuals and all buttons are withing easy reach. With all the technological upgrades, would recommend the extended warranty.

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  front wheel shake - 2004 Acura TL
  By jvn - May 29 - 2:00 am

  Great car. Handling first class but could do with a rear wheel drive instead. Very dissapointed with the vibration coming from the front at about 50 to 55 mph.Is this harmonics from the engine?Styling first rate but quality of assembly suspect. Do they have quality control?

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  rmarctl - 2005 Acura TL
  By rmarc - May 28 - 11:40 pm

  I went from a 325 bmw to the TL. Its been the best decision I have made in a vehicle in 15 years. This TL is quick off a stop light. Very quiet. Sound system is the best on the market.

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  Update after 9 months - 2008 Acura MDX
  By update after 9 month - May 28 - 11:38 pm

  MDX performs well and is a safe vehicle if you can start the vehicle! I have had mine in the shop for 20 days and Acura customer service is horrible! I have asked to speak to managers (who were worthless), called client services, and even wrote a letter to headquarters with no resolution. The Acura dealership gives me the run around with what exactly is wrong with the vehicle. First it was the battery (and tried blaming me for leaving lights on when they turn off themselves!), then the entertainment system, and now its the power tail gate! Dont spend good money on a company that doesnt care about satisfying a customer once the sale is made!