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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  Wow - 2001 Acura MDX
  By anne - August 27 - 11:56 am

  I have been driving this car for a month and I cant believe the comfort, driving control. It feels like a sedan to drive and it is 2001. The touring package is fabulous and everything works perfectly after 7 years. It feels like a new car and road-holds better than the 2008 pathfinder which I also drove.

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  Great 2nd Gen MDX - 2007 Acura MDX
  By mesalum - August 26 - 9:43 am

  I purchased the 2001 MDX Touring when it was first available. Kept it for a couple years and traded it on a Nissan Titan. Now I am back with the 2007 MDX. Wow is all I can say. Its more refined than I remember the 2001. I bought the Tech Package and I love all the gadgets. The leather seems to be better quality. This one seems quieter than the 1st gen. I cannot wait for a long trip, we are planning a trip to Tahoe but there is no snow up there (Feb 1).

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  Awesome Entry Luxury - 2016 Acura ILX
  By Jeremy - August 25 - 8:22 pm

  This is a great car in the sporty entry luxury space. The engine and transmission pairing are strong and energetic. The technology package adds great safety and convenience features.

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  What a fun car! - 2005 Acura TL
  By Leonardo - August 25 - 2:03 pm

  After test driving and researching the Acura TL, Audi A4, Volvo s40 and the Saab 93, The Acura TL was in fact the funnest sedan in this price range. It has great power, a luxurious feel and a solid ride. Its also technologically more advance than any of its counter parts.

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  Amazing ride! - 2007 Acura TL
  By Brian - August 24 - 9:20 pm

  I went with Acura because of their known reliability and my experience with Hondas. I test drove Acuras that were 3-5 years old before this, to see how they hold up, and was very impressed. Im hoping mine will hold up and ride the way the used ones I drove did. After looking at Infiniti, Lexus, and BMW, I went with Acura for their resale value and the fact that you get more for your money. So far, no regrets! I love the way people stare at my car at lights and in parking lots!

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  Best Car for the Money, By Far! - 2007 Acura TL
  By Matty C - August 24 - 6:34 pm

  My only complaint is interior rattles. Cant figure out where theyre coming from or how to make them stop. Not that theyre constant, mostly on the rougher roads, but still unnerving. Other than that, love the car. If you drive it hard your tank will be empty in no time but that is to be expected with this much power.

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  Few details short of perfection - 2005 Acura TSX
  By knoef - August 23 - 12:19 am

  The car is fun to drive, very easy to live with and a great value. Having said that, I could point out a couple of things that annoy me a bit. Only the driver side window is auto down and have to hold the sunroof switch as well. The headrests can be a bit higher (I am 62). Otherwise the car is perfect. Light on center steering, a lot of grip and very predicable at the limit. By the way, I know my complaints are very minor thats what separates this car from being perfect. Of course, it doesnt have the ergonomics or style of A4 but it doesnt fall apart. It doesnt have performance of RWD BMW 3 but you can buy two tsx for the price of one 335.

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  Too Fun To Drive - 2007 Acura RDX
  By MattAZ - August 21 - 6:48 pm

  Beside this being my 3rd Honda product (2000 Accord Coupe and then 2005 Acura TSX), I was looking for a bigger car than the TSX, but still wanted that performance and sportiness found in the TSX. The Lexus and BMW equivalents to the RDX cant even compare and the RDX is even more fun to drive than the TL! There are only a few improvements I would like to see, but overall, I have yet to be displeased by this car. Fast, sporty, good looking and yet extremely safe for the family and it has AWD - for a price of under 35K, you cant beat it. MPG for one year has averaged 19.8 - not bad. The car performs totally different in auto versus manual/paddle shifters.

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  Great value - 2007 Acura TL
  By happygirl - August 21 - 4:55 pm

  Bought the TL for overall value. It has a nice ride but I wish that the shifting were a bit smoother. Love the exterior design. The car has a lot of features and the switches and controls seem to be all in the right places except for the MP3 plug which is inside the armrest console, making it awkward to control. Nice sound system and easy to use navi system. Heard about rattling problem with hondas/acuras but havent noticed it - lucky for a nice stereo system so ill just crank it up!! The low fuel warning is a bit annoying since it comes on with 4 gallons to go. Overall though, Im pretty happy with the car so far!

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  Great Car - 2005 Acura TL
  By Todd - August 21 - 6:06 am

  Bought 05 TL with A-spec package used with 6300 miles. Love everything about this car from the exterior to the killer interior. The A-spec package really makes this car stand out. Love the wheels and the ride the upgrade provides. For me the fuel economy is great. Took a trip to Colorado in May, 565 miles each way, and averaged 32 mpg going there and back. The sound system is the best stock system I have heard. Only wish they had Sirius instead of XM.