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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  Great Car - 2009 Acura RDX
  By Leonid - April 22 - 8:19 pm

  I have been driving this car for about a month and I have really enjoyed every moment in it while at the wheel. It accelerates and runs great. The turbo engine is amazing. My wife and I like the RDX exterior and interior. The ergonomics is virtually perfect. I think the RDX is one of the best buys on the SUV market.

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  Happy customer - 2015 Acura TLX
  By Markus - April 22 - 3:07 pm

  Don’t go by reviews! Well just consider people complain much much more often than they praise. Just like all my ACURA cars, this one has been equally fabulous! Not a single problem 3years and 68k mi later..Flawless and I have found an honest dealership which never happens. I trade every 3-4 yrs. I may not. I think this thing cruises to 100k without a whimper.. dang good car.

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  1997 Acura TL - 1997 Acura TL
  By todd - April 22 - 11:44 am

  This is the best vehicle I have owned yet. It currently has 285,000 kms and going strong. I just replaced my cv axle. It drives smooth, quiet and peppy as ever. I do find my fan (blower) isnt working as well as it used to but if thats my only problem... then I really dont have any. Still keeps up with the best of them.

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  Good for me - 2007 Acura TL
  By bigmac - April 21 - 8:29 pm

  I purchased an 07 TL after owning 2 accords. Notable step up. Fit and finish is superb. Comfort is fine for a 6 footer. Performance is generally very good. Low speed torque / gearing can sometimes be annoying. Brakes are as smooth and quiet as any Ive experienced. It does not handle like a race car, but it is not a race car. For its purpose and market, handling is fun and responsive. Mechanics and reliability after 22,000 miles is perfect. I do not share other writers experiences with rattles. This car is well insulated. Not the first rattle in my experience. BTW, the sound system is great, but I do agree that the ipod jack is poorly located.

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  Brakes are bad - 2009 Acura TSX
  By BRANDON - April 21 - 12:52 pm

  The car looks great! Smooth ride on the highway. Seats are comfy! Love the chrome finishes on door handles & front grill.

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  05 Acura TSX - 2005 Acura TSX
  By gw - April 20 - 9:40 pm

  Gives outstanding gas mileage (30+ highway). Major problem with rear camber. (had kit installed) and door lock actuators. Otherwise fit and finish as well as performance had been what I expected. Wish Acura would put a four in the TL (more room). Would recommend for an average size or below average sized person.

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  This car delivers - 1999 Acura CL
  By gabi76 - April 20 - 8:38 pm

  Bought this car with 110k on it for 4k. I put on it 70k miles in 3 years and the only "big" investment has been a set of tires and brakes. Still drives like the day I bought it. Dont intend to sell it. Ill never regret the purchase.

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  Dont want to trade it in! - 2002 Acura TL
  By sm - April 20 - 5:58 pm

  I bought my 2002 Acura TL certified pre-owned in 2004 and its going on 5 years now. It still looks new inside and out. I was thinking about upgrading to the new Acura but was very disappointed in the look of the new models. Tacky interior trim and bulky looking exterior. My blue 02 is SO much better looking. I guess Ill be keeping it for a while. Zero issues with maintenance, no transmission problems.

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  US built, what you pay is what you get - 2005 Acura TL
  By Stephen - April 20 - 1:33 pm

  I love the fact that the TL comes with a lot of toys that you would have to pay extra if it were Lexus, Audi or BMW. The Nav system is very easy to use except you have to pay almost $200 if you want to get a updated DVD. The 5.1 sound systems is terrific except the interior integrity of the vehicle is not built to handle such great sound, after months of driving, rattle, rattle, rattle can drive you nuts! I had a 02 TL-S and they share the same problem, my friend has an 02 Japan- built GS300 and that car is still as quiet as if it were brand new. US quality is taking a dump, I aint buying another US built Acura no more.

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  Transmission problem at 400 miles - 2009 Acura MDX
  By rams - April 20 - 1:20 pm

  Bought my MDX 4 months back. After 2 months transmission fluid started leaking, noticed oil marks on my garage floor. Took to dealer - they had to open the whole transmission and check inside. The problem was a faulty "O" ring which was causing the leak. If a $20 part is faulty after 400 miles not sure what to expect from this SUV. The dealer had to remove the whole transmission, unlink it with the engine, opened up everything connected to the engine to get to the faulty O ring. Dont buy this car, for this price there are much better options in the market. I have Lexus SUV as well and it far exceeds Acura from performance and reliability.