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 Better - 2004 Acura MDX
  By Michael Norwich - February 22 - 10:00 am

  The MDX has very good gas mileage for the type of SUV.Its very practical and nice. Its as comfortable as any other car. I love it. The car could use a better bumper for door dings, though.

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  Fun to drive again - 2004 Acura TL
  By Aslab - February 22 - 10:00 am

  Drive a lot for work. Its actually fun driving again, even sitting in traffic.

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  great car but... - 2004 Acura TL
  By boomerpaul - February 22 - 10:00 am

  terrible tires and was delivered with a loose headliner - other wise a realy fun car to drive - had a 2000 TL and this one handles so much better

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  212,000 miles and counting! - 2004 Acura TL
  By testsbyseth - February 22 - 1:40 am

  As a Police Officer, I expect my equipment to perform to the extreme and this was no different when I set out to purchase a personal vehicle. Since buying this TL, I have put close to 84,000 miles on it in 2 years. I have replaced the timing belt twice and just recently installed a newer transmission (208,000 mls). This vehicle out performs my 2009 Crown Vic. I am still getting between 28-31 MPG depending on how I need to drive. Amazing vehicle!

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  Floor Mat - 2007 Acura RDX
  By Mark - February 21 - 10:17 pm

  This is my first and last Acura. At 5K the drivers floor mat was worn through. After some argument, the dealer agreed to replace it under warranty. The replacement lasted about the same. While the overall interior quality appears acceptable, the carpeting and floor mats are very cheap. Mileage is fair, but you must use premium fuel. For the money, the vehicle is not worth the price.

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  Go with the 04 and newer!! - 2003 Acura TL
  By Jennie - February 21 - 4:10 pm

  I bought my 03 TL new. The good: under my ownership, I loved the car. The navigation is still among the best and the seats were very comfortable, even during my OK to CA road trip. The traction control kept me safe in the snow (people from San Diego do not belong on snowy roads!) and saved me from possibly killing myself on the highway. The bad: TRANSMISSION!! Acura will only replace the transmissions for specific failure codes which means many of them are no longer being covered under warranty. If you cant afford the expense, stay away! Stay away! Stay away!

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  Dont buy it - 2007 Acura TL
  By JAY - February 20 - 12:30 pm

  I had high regards for acura but after owning one for almost 2 years, it is going down. Brakes were gone after only 15000 miles, Timing belt Idler pulley needs to be changed after only 20000 miles. Passenger side mirror clicks and every time it needs to be lubricated. My used car for years was not giving me any of these troubles. Rattles a lot. I only use car for fun, I dont drive it to work. I do no consider it as a luxury car and will not buy any Acuras in future and will recommend the same to family and friends.

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  Good car for Good money - 2003 Acura RSX
  By l_Yao - February 20 - 10:00 am

  If you looking for a car that can compete with those ppls on the street, and also need to fit into a fixed budget, this RSX-S would be your first choice. Compare RSX-S to Celica GT-S and others ( same level), I did my choice on this one, how about you? ( try them all and get a conclusion) . Have fun to search!!

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  MDX: SUV You Can Really Count On - 2003 Acura MDX
  By Richard Alexander - February 20 - 10:00 am

  The MDX provides great handling with style. The seating is very comfortable and adjustable. Driving the vehicle is effortless as it provides excellent stability on and off the pavement with good acceleration. Because it drives like a sedan, I was surprised to discover that it is a highly capable off-road vehicle. For me, the MDX provides a perfect balance of luxury features, comfort and the performance youd expect from an SUV. When I let my friends drive the MDX, it can be difficult to get keys back. Even if you dont like the idea of driving an SUV, you will find that driving the MDX is the coolest. Price-wise, it is an amazing value.

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  2003 MDX - 2003 Acura MDX
  By Boston Guy - February 20 - 10:00 am

  Excellent engine, I think its the best in its class. The torque band is very wide for a VTEC small 3.5L engine. The ride is quite and the handling is sporty. I have test drove about 10 SUV before I brought this Acura. I pay little more than I would like but I am very satify.