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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  Thought I was downsizing! - 2003 Acura TL
  By EeeBee - February 20 - 10:00 am

  I recently traded my 1999 Acura 3.5 RL for a 2003 3.2TL. Since Im retiring shortly, thought Id get something more economical. I actually thought Id be sacrificing comfort and quality by getting the TL....was I ever wrong!! I love the TL as much as, if not more than, the RL...Its fun to drive, has a lot of power, and almost every amenity that my RL had. I made the right choice and Im very happy with the car. Ill always own an Acura. You cant beat the price and the service is unbelievable.......

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  Love/Hate relationship - 2016 Acura TLX
  By Mark - February 20 - 1:56 am

  Let me start by saying I have mixed feelings about this car. When I first began the lease, I was in love with this car. Great highway fuel mileage, very comfortable, love the safety tech, great night visibility with LED headlights, good amount of power, and with the SH-AWD this car is a unstoppable in snow. Seriously, I have never owned a vehicle that performs so well in snow. I leased my TLX due to the Acuras reputation for outstanding reliability. Unfortunately, I have learned that reliability is not one of the TLXs strong suits. The car has been back to the dealerships 3 times within under a year of owning it. Each time with a list of problems. The fuel pump has been replaced already, entire dashboard of car removed to replace the fan blower motor that screeched every time climate control was turned on. The car is pretty quiet going down the road, just making the many rattles within the car even more noticeable. The blind spot monitoring system on the passenger side acts up, and the adaptive cruise control will turn off randomly, not working again until the car is turned off and started again. At random times the heated seats refuse to work until again, the car has been turned off and started again. I was planning to purchase this car after the lease was done, but that is the last thing I would like to do at this point. I am extremely disappointed as this is not the reliability I was expecting from a $45k car, especially an Acura. I am currently working with the dealership to have this car taken back early.

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  Awesome Acceleration and Combined Fuel Economy - 2016 Acura TLX
  By Mike K. - February 19 - 5:22 pm

  The 3.5 V6 has awesome acceleration in Sport and Sport+ mode, 0-60 in 5.7 seconds. Not surprising given the 290 HP 3.5L V6, what is surprising is the 31MPG combined city/Hwy fuel economy that I am now getting even with car in Sport mode all the time. This car has an extremely quiet cabin and an awesome 10 speaker surround sound system that sounds like a concert hall in your car. I recommend anybody in the market for a midsize luxury sport sedan give this car a drive and compare to any in its class. It is many thousands less for more and 5 star safety and the Honda/Acura reliability and resale value I can confirm thru years of resales and trade ins with Acura is among the best of any make. It simply cannot be beat for a luxury sport sedan of this caliber and all that you get especially with the Technology package. Transmission issues reported on the 2015 are non existent on the 2016 and 2017 TLX, Acura upgraded the software and the issues from 2015 are gone, which is why I waited a model year before buying this new TLX vehicle. This is the best luxury sport sedan I have ever owned. The styling is conservative but sharp, the luxury is just what you would want without being over the top, and with Sport+ or Sport mode the 3.5L V6 FWD performance is awesome with documented 0-60 in 5.7 seconds (see zero to sixty website for TLX V6 FWD), it turns on a dime with excellent handling, and with the quietest cabin and smoothest ride you will find. With 5 star NHTSB crash ratings, and IIHS Top Safety Pick+ it is one of the safest vehicles on the road, and with the Tech package collision avoidance warning technology I personally avoided several very close call lane change accidents on my commute to and from work. If you are in the market for a luxury sport sedan and are looking to keep the price at or below 40$K, you will not find a better car in this class as the competitors will charge at least 11- 20 $K more for similar trim levels/options. I am a very pleased happy Acura TLX owner.

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  MDX has major problem, Please read before buying - 2016 Acura MDX
  By CaryRaleigh - February 19 - 7:48 am

  I have bought a brand new Acura MDX in February, 2016. My experience with my new Acura MDX is pretty bad so far. On June 20th, I had the first experience of the problem with dashboard showing that there is Transmission, Emission, and all other system problem. The car stopped on the road. Later it started but continue to flash the warnings. This same problem occurred second time on September 6th and at the time, I was starting the car and it wont even start. Later it started but continue to flash the warnings. I took the car to Acura dealership on these both occasions and it shows up later. Again, Third time it happened on October 30th. Checkout the https://community.cartalk.com/t/dashboard-showing-that-there-is-transmission-emission-and-all-other-system-problem/96331 for multiple people reporting the issue. Please think hard before you sink in 50K for this car.

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  Quality at a Reasonable Price - 2009 Acura TL
  By Bill - February 18 - 9:39 pm

  Between my wife & me we have owned 4 Acura cars (starting with a 1992 Legend) over the past 17 years. We traded a 1999 TL for the 2009 TL. What really sets off the new TL is its sculpted looks and flowing lines however, I must admit that the front grille is a bit overdone. Although the dash controls look complicated, they are well marked and do not take long to figure out. Seats are comfortable (but not pillow like), with great support for the back. The brakes on this TL are much better than any Acura I have ever owned and the drive is smooth and quite with very precise steering.

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  So far - loving it! - 2009 Acura TL
  By Nick - February 17 - 10:58 am

  Ive only had this car for a few days but I absolutely love it so far. The looks were iffy at first but have really grown on me for the models with black exterior/black interior. The handling is superb - it doesnt roll much but has a soft highway ride at the same time. The brakes are awesome and I love the electric steering - absolutely no play = precision. So far there isnt anything I dont like about this. This is a great value for the money.

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  99 TL - 1999 Acura TL
  By marfay2` - February 16 - 5:24 pm

  Bought this car in 2002 w/32000 miles. Now has 98500 & is still going strong. No tranny issues (those were mostly the later model 5sp AT). Other than normal maint have replaced ignition switch twice and egr once. Other than that great car & runs like new.

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  ILX Tech pack. - 2016 Acura ILX
  By 6thman - February 16 - 12:20 pm

  Got the ILX like 3 weeks ago, so far no problems, fast, corners nicely, good on gas, I like better than the A3, felt cramped inside, handles as well as IS250, anyone feels differently about you are subject to your own opinion, I am not a critic just a regular guy typing my own views...

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  Decent Car for the Price - 2004 Acura TSX
  By DB Queen - February 16 - 10:00 am

  My previous car was a Volvo C70 so in some ways its not fair to compare the two. The C70 had an awesome sound system and drove like a charm when it did run. Previously owned a 1989 Honda Preludi Si and loved it!! To me, the TSX is the same car with four doors and more backseat space. The acceleration is decent. The look is beautiful. The instrumentation panel and navigational system are great!

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  Worth buying used if cared for - 1994 Acura Legend
  By Jon - February 16 - 5:02 am

  The car drives very well. Handling and steering are nice and responsive. The brakes are probably the most undesirable on the car, but they are efficient. The interior and exterior designs and features are excellent. The car is very comfortable and luxurious. I bought mine used, and decided to spend 7k repainting it and putting new suspension components in the car. It looks and handles like new, but for a fraction of the cost of a new car with the amenities this has. If you buy a Legend, you will love it.