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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  My 4th Acura (2nd TL) - 2005 Acura TL
  By Ken in LA - February 3 - 10:33 pm

  Im an Acura guy, no doubt about it. My last car was a 2002 TL Type S. What a car!! I was nervous changing to the 2005 TL, thinking there was no way to match up. Ive been pleasantly surprised. The 2005 is a bit tighter on the road, and the new Blue Tooth, voice activated NAV features are great!! If you want a FUN car to drive, one thats reliable, one that will have people looking your way, and one thats still very practical (trunk space, 4 adult seating, decent mileage), go with the TL.

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  My TL - 2004 Acura TL
  By My TL - February 3 - 9:50 pm

  30+ cars later and 3rd Acura. I forgot how great these cars are. Its a great compromise of wanting a BMW with reliability and a more reasonable price. I picked up my TL with 59K miles for under $15K. Handles very well. Plenty of power for quicker takeoffs. Comfortable, luxurious, and overall fun to drive compared to my last car (Accord, yeah I know, but it was a bargain). When its time to change again, I think I will stick with TLs.

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  Super Handling Yes, Ride Not So Super! - 2009 Acura TL
  By Big Acura Fan - February 3 - 8:57 pm

  There are so many things to love about this super special car. The handling, the power, the looks... all impressive! The leather seats, the audio system and navigation are all standouts and would be expected in card twice the price, so there is some value here. That is the good stuff, what needs work is the harsh ride and engine noise in the cabin. The tires and wheel combination look cool, but when you feel every bump and crease it get to be cumbersome, to say the least.

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  Jerky Transmission + Clunky Shifting = last Acura - 2016 Acura MDX
  By KLance - February 3 - 1:21 pm

  Background: Purchased this 2016 model in May of 2015 - have driven for a year. Thud/clunk noise e-v-e-r-y time I accelerate from around 40 to a higher speed. Head mechanic at dealer acknowledged this shouldnt be happening, had my car for weeks, put in a new drive train. Problem still there so then they told me that all of the MDXs do this. Wait-what?? Engine will shut off when I stop, every single time I stop, unless I deactivate the fuel saving feature. Get in the car in the AM, deactivate, go to grocery, get back in car, deactivate, stop to get gas, get back in car, deactivate. You can see how irritating this becomes on a daily basis. Dealer tells me no way to get around this. Drivers side window rattles when its about 1/3 of the way down. After my first month of driving this car, transmission made a thud noise when in reverse (dealer was able to fix this). Very jerky ride at slow speeds (i.e., pulling slowly out of my driveway or rounding a corner). Lots of "cool" touch screen controls -- until you realize that you cant just turn a knob to change the AC or heat, you have to hit the control screen multiple times. Even my husband, who loves everything tech, complains about what a pain this is. When you shift gears, rolls forward or backward quite a bit so dont you dare park too close to anything. And there are other smaller things that make driving this vehicle every day unpleasant. My car history: every 3-5 yrs, when a typical manuf. warranty runs out, I get a new car (Ive been hit more than once so Im very concerned about safety) and this is the WORST car Ive ever owned. I hate it. What am I comparing it to? Going way back to my Honda Passport, Mercedes ML350, Mazda MPV, Subaru Tribeca, Toyota Highlander Hybrid, Volvo XC60 (all of them high-end models w lots of features). This vehicle may get a great review after being test driven once for a car website, but check online and see how disappointed all of us owners are who have to drive it every day.

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  You will be very happy with this car - 2006 Acura TL
  By Mr Ed - February 3 - 6:13 am

  I recently traded in my 03 TK with 85k for this and what an upgrade! I REALLY liked my 03, but this model and year is a real treat, better performance, better fuel economy and more room on the inside as well. More toys to play with and the Navi system is a must have and worth the cost.

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  Mostly OK with the SUV - terrible transmission! - 2016 Acura MDX
  By Heather - February 3 - 12:11 am

  Mostly this car is OK for the price. But the transmission is terrible and has an odd shift that makes it uncomfortable to drive and for passengers. No matter what "mode" youre in. Its been in the shop twice now for this problem and we just keep hearing - it is what it is. Which is frustrating given how much we are paying for it. The Acura service department we also have been going to is less than stellar at communication and makes us even more frustrated with the car. I loved, loved, loved my first Acura many years ago - but I do not think I will be purchasing / leasing another one anytime soon.

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  Great Luxury/Upscale sports sedan - 2005 Acura TL
  By SD - February 2 - 6:46 pm

  A very impressive car for the money. I looked at the Audi A4 and BMW 3s and the TL won me over with its gorgeous interior, its power and of course its price. I reckon a BMW as loaded as the TL would cost about 8-10K more. The TL is also very roomy inside (unlike the other two). The sound system is fantastic and everything about this car feels solid. No problem so far but I have only had the car for a month. I recently got 32 mpg on the highway at 65 mph average. In fully automatic mode, acceleration often does not meet expectations but switch to the semi-manual mode and it is like driving a different car, with the 270hp right there for you to enjoy!

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  Great ride - 2005 Acura RL
  By mike - February 1 - 10:30 pm

  Like riding on clouds. Very quiet interior with super sound system, esp the DVD audio. Great handling and power, esp with the paddle shifters. Fit and finish are perfect. Navigation is intuitive.

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  09 MDX Tech/Ent Review - 2009 Acura MDX
  By JT - February 1 - 1:05 pm

  Upon owning my MDX for 2 months now, I am in some areas very impressed and in some areas let down a little. 15/20 is the advertised fuel economy. I have managed as much as 28 MPG cruising at 58 MPH on the interstate. I have a combined average of 19.8 since new. On a 2500 mile trip I got 23.0. Very impressive. Downs - black interior trim swirls and scratches like crazy. Leather seating looks like its been sat in for 10 years already. It sags and has permanent indentions. I use Meguiars Leather cleaner/conditioner and it makes them look clean and shiny, but leather still looks worn beyond actual life. Car is strong as heck, does what I want it to, but seats and trim are questions.

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  Great SUV - 2009 Acura RDX
  By Rich - January 31 - 11:03 pm

  Just purchased this vehicle yesterday and just wanted to say that my family and I enjoy every feature. Very quick in response off the line. Can barely feel the gears shift. Interior very well designed. Many fun options even with a base model. Why spend 4,000 more for a nav and a couple extra speakers? Handling is great. Gas mileage is to be expected from having a turbo installed. To anyone else complaining about this you should do your homework first. Besides wouldnt want to give your car the best of the best servicing? Thats what makes cars last longer. Take this for what its worth yet this car is a great small family vehicle.