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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  Wonderful Car! - 2007 Acura TSX
  By Princessmac - September 6 - 12:38 pm

  I just bought a brand new 2007 TSX, automatic tranny w/no navigation (so I could save the $1,000). It is much peppier than my previous car, a 2002 Mazda Millenia. The interior is well thought out and the engine purrs along nicely. I really dont get much chance to drive it the way I would like since I am normally stuck in traffic, but I can tell it wants to go. On the highway it is a dream, sportier than my previous car and very smooth.

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  TSX = Honda Accord on crystal meth - 2008 Acura TSX
  By Jimmy Kimmy - September 6 - 2:13 am

  In Japan and Europe, TSX is called Honda Accord. And this Accord is not the same as the one my dad used to drive. Acceleration is good and feels fantastic when you down shift and mash the gas pedal. Just keep the rpm above 5K and it will keep you smiling. If you want to pass someone in a hurry doing 70 in 6th gear, forget about down shifting to 5th or 4th. Just go straight to 3rd gear open it up and feel the rush as the bigger cam kicks in at close to 6000 rpm all the way to the redline. It doesnt sound/feel harsh at high rpm. Handling is best part of TSX. Being 4 cyclinder makes TSX handle better than cars with bigger engines, and Ill take better handling over extra torque anyday.

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  Wonderful car to Own - 2007 Acura TL
  By mustangkay1 - September 5 - 3:04 pm

  This car is an excellent car. They handle well, drive wonderfully and are just great all around. I traded in a 2005 mustang for the Acura and it suprised me with speed, comfort, and looks. I love Acura!!

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  Loved it - 2002 Acura RSX
  By gunmetalalloys - September 5 - 1:52 pm

  Comfortable and well designed interior (except for cupholder placement in front of shifter, though Ive seen a lot worse). Beautiful inside/out. Had problem with shifting into 2nd, and everytime I had the dealer fix it the problem moved up a gear. Gave up when it got to 4th as ratios were tall enough it was rarely a problem anymore. Fairly neutral handling but beefened up rear sway bar made it better. Cold air intake helped power immensely for cheap, and engine torque dampener helped with traction. Good quality of materials and fit/finish except for the vinyl thigh support for seats. Loved the hatch - a very useful and fun car!

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  Solid overall, room for improvement - 2005 Acura MDX
  By txguy - September 4 - 1:38 am

  Got it with the nav and RES options. The RES is a must if you have kids. Ride is still smooth after 2 years and 35K miles. Averaged 24.8 MPG at steady 70 mph on last freeway trip with wife, 2 kids and cargo. Still love the MDX and weve had zero issues with the car. I use the Bluetooth often to talk hands-free and the Bose stereo sounds great. Only things I should have gotten up front were a cargo net for the back and running boards to help boost the little kids (under 4) and great-grandma.

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  Finally traded old MDX and love new one! - 2007 Acura MDX
  By MDX02Then07 - September 2 - 10:51 pm

  I finally traded in my 02 MDX after nearly 6 years of hauling countless kids. I was reluctant to let it go, because it was a great car. When I first drove the new 07 model it seemed too big and I didnt like the grille. I am so happy with that I let that go The ride is fantastic, its easy to park around the city, the back up camera, bluetooth, and navigation are fantastic. The power lift gate is a great convenience. The driver seat is so comfortable. My kids are in heaven with the rear entertainment system, and I can still listen to my sounds up front. How great is that?

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  Wow! What took me so long? - 2008 Acura TSX
  By mrbeds - September 2 - 9:58 pm

  Ive driven over 40000 miles per year for the last 15 years and I used to think "a car is a car". Not any more - the TSX changed that! After 4700 miles in 5 weeks I still cant wait to drive the TSX. I am much more involved in driving the TSX, probably because input and response is excellent. Compared to my last "big 3" vehicle this is a definite step-up at a very similar cost. This car likes to run with the big dogs! It doesnt know it is considered an entry level sport sedan.

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  I Miss My Teg - 1995 Acura Integra
  By greenroom1988 - September 2 - 9:36 am

  Honda is the best car maker in the world with the exception of some outragously expensive european brands. This is by far my favorite car that I have owned. not because its the nicest or whatever, it just happened to be the first car that I ever bought for myself. I put a lot of work and money into it. I did a lot of the work myself. It is quick and has a lot more low end torque than the GSR. The engine has a nice sound to it, even at high rpms. The only reason I do not have it anymore is because I had an accident with it. I put the car back together and I sold it for about 66% what I bought it for, so needless to say, Ive been happy with my experience with the Integra.

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  1st Acura - 2008 Acura TSX
  By TJFHRB - September 2 - 7:14 am

  This is my first upscale sedan - a big step up from Honda Civic. Wanted to stay with the Honda family so Acura is a good fit. The TSX fits my desire for a smaller sedan, I hate driving big cars. It handles well on the highway and is comfortable to drive. Very happy overall especially in this price range. Am a bit disappointed in sound system but it will do. The navi system is a neat feature but not as easy to use or as comprehensive as I had hoped. Maybe the experience will improve in time as it is all new and I just purchased the vehicle. Great fit and finish inside.

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  Fun Commute to Work Car - 2008 Acura TSX
  By kts62 - September 1 - 11:07 am

  I bought this to replace a 98 Volvo S70 as my daily commuter car. Decision keys were reliability, comfort/ride, sporty handling and gas mileage. I have had the TSX only for 700+ miles and its very fun to drive with more creature comforts than any competitor and Im getting 32.6 actual MPG in 80% hwy/20% city Boston commuter traffic. I didnt get nav as I know how to get to/from work and top of the line Garmin is $1300 less than Acura nav. system. Weekends jaunts are smooth fun and it fits the family of 4 just fine. Not as fancy or stylish as IS-250/BMW 3 series, but it looks fine and is also about $7-9k less!