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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  Simply Superb!! - 2006 Acura TL
  By Luckyguy - May 9 - 8:41 am

  Great car with great value for money. Car is loaded with awesome standard features but most important thing is reliability and performance and TL is best in both. During an emergency I have to drive it to Canada in world record 6 feet snow and snowstorm and I must thank TL for reliably taking to my destination. Just take it up for routine maintenance and you will be fine. Very silent car....in the same price range and same power, BMW 328i does not provides even half the features. but then BMW is BMW but anyways...always remember...its great great value for your money. Dont forget...its features are so user friendly that you dont even need to read User Manual even once! A must test drive!

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  Best of the Luxury Sedans - 2008 Acura RL
  By Andy Acura - May 8 - 8:29 pm

  I have had them all. Audi, BMW 535, Infinity, Lincoln, MB E350. I couldnt believe the RL when I drove it somewhat reluctantly. Incredible road hugging and plenty of power with 300 hp for a v6. You can punish this car and it keeps coming back for more. I almost went for the Lexus GS 350 but felt it was rough riding and a little noisy compared to the RL. The GS 460 would have been more fun but much more expensive. Great technology and maybe the best GPS and Bose stereo with noise abatement. Cabin is whisper quiet. I got 26 mpg on 160 mile highway trip. Not bad. Fit and finish among the best. I will enjoy this car for 36 month lease, I know.

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  Worth the money - 2008 Acura TL
  By D1Money - May 8 - 12:42 pm

  I had obsessed about the TLsince October 2007. Went back and forth for months. Glad I waited (dealer incentives sealed the deal). Strong pull from the engine in all gears. The TL gets a little aggressive when I Punch it around 40 mph, dropping down one gear too many I think. The last road trip I took saw the tl break the triple digit mph barrier with little trouble, very smooth at 100. Fuel efficency is pretty good for a big v6, it will get close to 30 mpg on the highway. Even though it is the most expensive car I have owned, it is worth money and makes the 45-60 minute commute not that bad.

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  Cant believe its 4600 lbs. - 2008 Acura MDX
  By gtfranklin - May 8 - 11:23 am

  My previous 4 cars were 3 BMWs and a G35, and I finally found a crossover that didnt disappoint in the handling dept. This is actually fun to drive! My G35 and previous M3 were quicker, but didnt handle significantly better in most driving situations. Solid, comfortable, tons of space, and WAY less expensive that comp. X-5, Audi, etc. Mileage 19.4 in 1st 2000 miles.

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  A good as them all - 2008 Acura RL
  By dado - May 7 - 10:02 pm

  I have had all the luxury sedans. You name it and I have had it including BMW, MB, Jag and Infiniti. I leased the RL with a few doubts but it is a drivers machine. The 4 wheel drive is really amazing and you can push this car hard on the curves and it comes back for more. Fit and finish is superb. I look forward to the office commute every day.

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  Great Ride - 2006 Acura MDX
  By Realtor - May 7 - 8:59 pm

  The fuel economy is really not bad when compared with other SUVs. I average 19 mpg (more city than hwy). The ride is smooth and quiet. I am a realtor and my clients always comment on how comfortable this vehicle is. I enjoy the ride myself and only regret that I did not upgrade to the touring. The base stereo is really lacking and no passenger power seat is embarrasing in a vehicle of this caliber.

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  Learn about it first - 2008 Acura RDX
  By RW - May 7 - 1:23 pm

  Just bought my RDX and love to drive it. Make sure you know what you are getting with the RDX - it is a sports car with stiff suspension and a firm ride so if you want a soft, "never feel a bump" ride then look elsewhere. Went without the tech package - the $4k was too steep for me. If you want the suv where sport meets luxury (and dont need that much cargo room), check it out.

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  Excellent value by comparison - 2008 Acura MDX
  By Billboy - May 6 - 3:48 pm

  We traded our 2005 BMW X5 for this 2008 Acura MDX. The BMW was good, but the Acura is surprisingly better in many ways. Actually handles better, has a quieter ride and more power than the BMW. The interior is well-designed and matches up with our previous best in class, an Audi we owned a few years ago. The cost of ownership will be only slightly higher ($39 for an oil change where the BMW was covered while under warranty), but the eventual cost should be lower. The styling is what really caught my eye. More muscular stance and presence, but more interior space.

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  If Only Gas Was Free! - 2008 Acura RDX
  By Nancy - May 6 - 3:29 pm

  I absolutely love this car. It is sporty, fast, handles well, comfortable, super fun to drive. Unfortunately, I live in a busy city and this is not the car for city driving. Gas mileage is awful. I average 16 miles/gallon city driving. Havent taken it on the open road yet. This car is perfect for less populated areas.

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  still lovin this car - 2005 Acura TL
  By Dale Morris - May 6 - 1:02 pm

  42k miles on this and am still enjoying it. Best car I ever owned -- a great blend of sporty-lux-value. The car is fast and quiet, well- behaved on the road, roomy enough for family of 4, fun enough to drive alone on twisties. 6 speed manual tranny is great. No manufacturing or other problems, just normal oil changes and services.