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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  Mistake - 2009 Acura TL
  By ArtNob - February 6 - 10:46 pm

  Decent car to drive, unfortunately my daughter owns 08 328i and Acura loses again. I like the car for what it offers in terms of technology and features for the price however, driving experience, interior design (finish) and outside look is far from good. The cheap look and feel of silver plastic trim and wired feeling driving makes me feel like in Honda Accord! After driving for a month I love the electronics, hate the MPG (really bad). Bottom line is, if you are 50+ (like me) and take life carefully, its a great car for you but if you like to feel the car, take corners with engineered perfection and avoid car with vegetable slicer between the lights, get a bmw!

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  Resilient Coupe - 2005 Acura RSX
  By TypeS4real - February 6 - 12:11 pm

  This is my 2nd Type S & still impressed. With the hp bumped up to 210, it performs very well. Turn-ratio & handling are great. For a high torque coupe, it still gets good mpg, but it does require premium unleaded. Like other owners say, the ride can be extremely stiff so watch bumps in the road very carefully, seriously. I like how Acura upgraded the wheels to 17s, but wish they kept the original headlights, since thats what initially caught my eye. Interior hasnt changed, still sleek. The fold-over rear seats are a huge plus, but rear seating is narrow. As long as required maintenance is done (which is HIGHLY recommended), itll be faithful. Definitely reliable, fun, & a great value.

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  2009 TSX - 2009 Acura TSX
  By lennyt - February 5 - 6:31 pm

  Just purchased it. Best value in the entry luxury category. Still babying the car, but absolutely love the ride. Picked it over the IS 250 because of the price and space. If you think this is just a high-end Accord, you really need to test drive it. It outperforms and outclasses Accord V6 by a long stretch. Not to mention a look easier on the eyes.

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  First Time Acura Owner - Best Car Ever - 2004 Acura TL
  By DHJM - February 5 - 4:02 pm

  After owner several other vehicles and test driving Audi, BMW, Lexus, Infiniti, I fell in love with many of the practical features that the TL has to offer. The car is perfect for short and long-haul commutes. Gas mileage could be a little better, I get 21-22 MPG city and 30-31 on the hwy @ 78 MPH. The handling is excellent. The beverage holders could be a little deeper with an optional spacer if you wanted it. A can of soda will fit, but you cannot use the over in the center column. The trunk space is plenty for a long trip with luggage and the rear seats have enough leg room for any discerning passenger.

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  Almost perfect - 2004 Acura RSX
  By Tim - February 5 - 12:54 pm

  Bought it used in 2008 with only 24000 miles. I noticed it gets very good fuel economy at around 35 mpg highway @70mph. The acceleration is moderately quick though the automatic version I have lacks low end punch but I feel a much higher kick above the 3000 RPM range. It handles very well in most situations. Although the inside is more sporty than luxury, thats what is expected. I overall think its better than the majority of its competition and worth a look.

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  Always fun, Never bored! - 2008 Acura MDX
  By mchina - February 5 - 5:36 am

  I test drove some of the other luxury SUVs out there, but none compare with the ride and the handling I get from my MDX. For the price you really get almost more than you can ever ask for. Fully loaded with options, some I didnt even know I wanted, its a great ride around town, out on a twisty back road, or cruising down the interstate. The sound system is exceptional. And the DVD keeps my son very happy with movies and games. And on cold winter days, my back seat passengers loved the heated seats. Navigation and bluetooth are great, especially with the voice activation. The SH-AWD makes me feel secure in any kind of driving environment. Just want to drive fast and push it to the limit!

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  09 TL - 2009 Acura TL
  By Steve - February 4 - 10:53 pm

  Car tech package is the highlight of the car, I dont think there is a car made anywhere in the world that compares with it. The radio and navigation packages are simple to use and the resolution of the navigation screen is almost high definition. The overall quality of the car is also top notch, it is a very well made car. And the ride is that of a luxury car, it does not ride like a sports car. So its fun to drive on the expressway, when you are going 70 mph, but around town it doesnt handle like a sports car. A little boring in the city. I did not get the all wheel drive package, but the front wheel drive worked fine in Chicago winter.

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  Really nice SUV - 2002 Acura MDX
  By oceansix - February 4 - 10:33 pm

  The best vehicle that I have ever owned. Lots of cargo space. Good fuel mileage and range considering how powerful the engine is. Great AWD system for driving on wet or icy asphalt roads. Excellent turning radius. I like the ride and I find the seats to be comfortable. Can tow up to 4,500 pounds (boat) or 3,500 pounds if any other type of trailer towed, but requires the addition of transmission and power steering fluid coolers.

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  2008 Acura TL Type-S - 2008 Acura TL
  By lfloeck87 - February 4 - 6:20 pm

  Came to the dealer looking for a TSX, Ended up going home with the TL type S. Amazing ride for a performance veichle, love the aggressive look. I got the pearl white w/the grey rims, totally bad look. Love the bluetooth and navi, there are so many buttons though, could be more organzied! Great pickup, a real sleeper. Came to this car from a c230 kompressor. HUGE difference, car is much better built and easier to maintain gotta love hondas reliable and user friendly v-tech. Only 110 miles on the car but I feel Ive made a great, reliable purchase. Plenty of room in the back for adults too! The only thing that is kinda crummy is the gas mileage, but hey, its got power!

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  My first, but very reliable car - 1991 Acura Integra
  By Mark - February 4 - 4:03 pm

  I inherited the Acura from family. It did spectacularly for 1.5 years, with problems every couple of months (I got the car with 140K miles). All I can say is that it was a dream. The car handled extremely well, and, as a new driver, it helped me avoid collisions and accidents (I have not had one since driving on it). It felt like it could turn on a dime, quickly, and accelerate in tight corners. It was a really great car, but at 200+K it died of alternator, transmission, and fuel line failure compounded to create an unusable car. In my experience, I had to perform maintenance every few months to keep the car going, but, to me, it was worth it because the car was such a great drive.