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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  210,000 miles on 04 Acura TL - 2004 Acura TL
  By Seth - January 31 - 9:32 pm

  Hi All! Im back to share updates with you on my 2004 Acura TL. I now have 210,000 miles on it and this is how its fared! I have had two timing belts put on (one at 100k miles and another at the 200k mark). Along with the timing belts at each 100k mark I had the spark plugs replaced, water pump and serpentine belt. I just replaced the transmission at 209k miles. I also had to have the o-ring seals replaced in the power steering pump. At every 50k mark I had the transmission and engine coolant flushed. The car is working great! I am still getting between 28 and 31 mpg depending on how I drive. (I am a cop and sometimes drive it like my squad car.) Fit and finish are still good.

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  I am smiling again - 2005 Acura RSX
  By PACA - January 29 - 12:01 am

  I have been driving Acura’s for the past 25 years. I had a 91 & 99 Integra GSRs and must say these cars for the money were the best all around. Stepped up to a couple of TLs and was quite disappointed with the Acura Brand as I questioned build quality. Decided to give the brand one more chance by purchasing used 05 RSX Type-s. This car as I recalled from the past has a solid build quality with lots of fun factor. Mechanically sound with no problems, excellent gas mileage and a NATURALLY aspirated 210 hp engine. Six speed gear shift is remarkable even with 161K miles.

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  Great Car For The Price - 1998 Acura Integra
  By Zeron18 - January 28 - 9:20 pm

  Ive had this car for 2 years now and its just like the day I got it. It performs nicely. It has the initial torque I was looking for. Handles real smoothly in the highways. Im not a big fan of full leather interior but its more luxurious. Havent had any engine problems besides the stock radiator that gave up on me, which was about the right time it should wear down 120k. Clutch still grabs hard and flywheel revs up faster than most other sport cars Ive driven. Comes with 15 in wheels and larger brake rotors than the 94-97 models which is another bonus. Looking back at it, Ive got no regrets buying this car.

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  Best car I have owned - 2004 Acura TSX
  By Love it - January 28 - 6:23 pm

  I just bought this car and I have never been so satisfied. I love the features. The only complaint I have is that on a rare occasion the navigation would be a street off some times, otherwise its great!!

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  2009 Acura - 2009 Acura RDX
  By Dave - January 28 - 12:42 pm

  I have had my Acura for 2 months now and have close to 1,800 miles. I have had a rattle on the left hand side of the car since 65 miles. I am bringing it back to the dealer again next week. The cars mpg has never gotten over 16. It is the winter in WI. It handles well in the snow but not any better than my BMW 525XI was. The interior parts are very cheap. It is very bumpy in the city and drives like a jeep wrangler. I had better expectations from this car. It is not of a near luxury type of car. I lease it and have to drive it for another 34 months. I was recently in a Ford Escape that did not rattle like mine and had a quieter ride. Dealer apologizes but tells me I shouldnt expect much.

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  I cant wait to get a new car - 2005 Acura TL
  By Omajacks - January 27 - 11:16 pm

  I bought an Acura TL in Jan of 04. I thought the car was great when I first got it. Now after owning it for about a year I have noticed some issues with the car one is torque stear. and one big thing for me is the backend has a tendancy to be soft around corners its so lite back there that it kind of flops around in quick turns. One other complaint I have is a constant vibration under the driver floorboard. Good things about the car are sound system is great and its ergonomically pleasing. Over all this car would be good in the south and california but if you live in the north like me find something with a little more ground clearance. Oh one last complant the front end scrapes everything.

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  Problems, problems! - 2009 Acura TL
  By Mark - January 27 - 2:22 am

  I think that this car is really overrated. Sorry that I bought it and I am done with Acura. Have had electrical problems and I am not happy. This is now the second Acura that has had problems. I dont know why this car company has a good rep.

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  The RDX offers the best overall value for money. - 2016 Acura RDX
  By Gene - January 27 - 12:03 am

  It may not be the best vehicle in each and every category in its class, but when you weigh the pros and cons of the competition, it comes out on top. The factors that I look at in an SUV, are ride, performance, styling, interior room, resale and reliability. Sure, if money wasnt a factor, I would have chosen an Audi 6 cylinder Q5, or a BMW twin turbo X3. I just dont see $10,000 to $12,000 worth of difference. Keep in mind most of the competition comes standard with 4 cylinder engines. The RDX has surpassed my expectations in my early ownership, and I suffer no buyers remorse. My only issue is that I had to pay $468 to the service department for a "spare tire kit", as it comes with only an inflator and sealant pump. Other then that, all is well with my RDX.

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  Nimble Family-first car - 2009 Acura RDX
  By Disloquitor - January 26 - 2:23 pm

  Came off of an A6 4.2 lease, wanted to downsize and have more fun, while allowing my middle-aged body to lift the children into the rear car seats without back break. High center of gravity concerns moot at anything up to 7/10ths driving (i.e. public roads) because of flat cornering and absorbing suspension. (Absorbing as in GTI, not Buick.) Also useful in deeper snow. Its not a sports car or sedan, but its a a brilliant urban/suburban commuter, actually fun on a twisty parkway. Seats are surprisingly good. Tighter body structure on rough roads than an X3, no Audi suspension crash. No Audi interior, leather or BMW brakes or steering either, but not enough difference to justify $15K

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  Graduating through the Honda line - 2008 Acura TL
  By john - January 26 - 9:06 am

  I bought my first civic in 85 and have owned a prelude, odessey and had been driving a 98 Accord with 172K miles. I thought it was time to continue with my Honda loyalty until they give me a reason not to, so I stepped up in class and bought the 08 TL in October. After 4 months, I have been very happy with this car. It looks plain from the outside, but is loaded with features. I would recommend it to anyone who wants high- performance, luxury and value.