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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  Purrfect - even while being totaled.... - 2005 Acura TL
  By Fiddler - November 16 - 1:34 am

  Loved this car - so much fun. The only problems were rear visibility - I scraped the rear bumper more than once and road noise. A few days ago the car was hit in the front side by a guy in an 87 Lincoln Town Car (89,000 lbs of metal) going through a red light about 30 MPH. It took off the whole front 2 feet of the car. Air bags deployed properly, the cockpit was completely protected and my sweetie, the sole occupant and driver, walked away without serious injuries. I spent a week thinking I might want a different car, just for something fun, but eventually decided (happily so) that a new 2007 Acura TL would be great. So thats what I have now.

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  I love my car - 2004 Acura RSX
  By peekaboop - November 15 - 2:00 am

  Great pickup off the line Very responsive steering and brakes

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  Fun car - 2004 Acura TL
  By R Dey - November 15 - 2:00 am

  Just bought it, excellent car. Looks a lot like BMW 745i from the side. Feels completely in control.

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  Best 30 thousand dollar sudan-out-there - 2004 Acura TL
  By customer-bri - November 15 - 2:00 am

  I love the car had test-drove Lexus 300is, and infinity, but the TL with all the features and horsepower it was the winner.

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  Fun to Drive - 2004 Acura TL
  By Jewels Rubin - November 15 - 2:00 am

  Comfort and fit and finish are exceptional. And,its fun to drive.

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  Awesome - 2004 Acura TL
  By JPinTustinCA - November 15 - 2:00 am

  I looked at the 530, the G35 and the C230 Kompressor... the new TL beats them all hands down. So much more car for the money, there is simply no comparison.

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  Im in love.... - 2007 Acura RDX
  By FTNSS1 - November 14 - 10:04 pm

  I traded an 05 TSX for the RDX - needed more room for gear. Not only is the RDX just the right size, its actually MORE fun to drive!! The SH-AWD system produces such grip and control that it almost feels like youre driving a sports car. Ive had no problems/repairs, the mileage is acceptable for an SUV (about 21 mpg), and the fun factor is a 10! The ride is firm, but comfortable. The interior is great (and versatile), the technology package is great.

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  Great Car but Fix the Tire Problem - 2004 Acura TL
  By Leafs Fan - November 13 - 12:30 pm

  Loved the car the moment I saw it! Test drove many competitor cars and came back to the Acura despite the lack of all wheel drive. However, flat spot from tires is a problem that wont go away and Im on my 4th set. First five minutes of drive on highway with cold tires feels like they might fall off. Dealer provided me first replacement set. Others were principally due to use (short life span), but still have the same issue no matter what brand I get. Other issues: chrome near seat belts gets dinged, paint finish not great once you get some nicks on bumper, leather looks a bit worn, cant see KPH at night.

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  So far,so good! - 2003 Acura CL
  By coachpan - November 12 - 2:00 am

  So far, so good. What a joy to drive. After driving a Chrysler product for 2 and a half years, this is a dream!

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  sexy TL-S - 2002 Acura TL
  By Hector - November 12 - 2:00 am

  This is by far the best buy for your money. Its powerful, smooth, reliable, very elegant. What more could you ask for. It offers a luxurious feel, and at the same time it feels like youre driving a sports car. I would definitely pick this car over any BMW, Infinity or Audi in a heartbeat. Its the most powerful car in its class and about 10 thousand dollars cheaper. It doesnt take a genius to fugure out that this car is a steal.