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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  Best SUV - 2003 Acura MDX
  By jph0025 - August 9 - 12:19 am

  If you are looking for a very-well rounded SUV, look no further than the Acura MDX! Its a great looking SUV with available seating for up to 7 passengers. I usually get about 22 mpg overall but recently have been getting about 26/27!!! The touring/navi package is awesome.

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  Good entry level luxury sedan - 2008 Acura TSX
  By William - August 8 - 10:39 pm

  Starting off with the negative. The TSX is underpowered for this segment. It also has pretty bland exterior styling. I would also expect better mileage for a 4 cyl engine. Radio is just awful. That said, it is fun to drive and no other car comes close to standard features for the price. Interior of the car is well designed and well made. Everything is well placed and comfortable except the station knob for XM radio. Steering wheel controls only scroll through the presets and if one wanted to simply change stations to something not set as a preset, the reach is a little far while driving. Seats are comfortable, but in a sporty way and they hold the driver in place. Very satisfied overall.

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  Great but............... - 2002 Acura RSX
  By The Car Doctor - August 8 - 10:00 am

  The praises of this car can easily be seen in the other reviews and magazines. All in all its a tremendous car. My focus is on how to improve the car. 1-The passenger side leg room is awkward. Its difficult to relax your feet in a comfortable position. 2- Odometer/tripometer need separate displays instead of having to press the button. 3-Alloy wheels could use a little thicker (if any) clear coat finish. 4-Rear seats are pretty flat, unlike front seat. 5-Rear window wash dispenser just trickles water instead a spraying nicely. 6-One touch buttons for roof and passenger window would be very helpful.

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  Very impressed overall.. - 2007 Acura RDX
  By Matt - August 6 - 6:40 pm

  Obviously I bought the RDX, so I must like it. I needed a smaller SUV than the MDX, but didnt want to sacrifice on features, performance, materials, and quality. Nothing else provided this mix for the money. I initially looked at the CRV, but was very disappointed in the materials and options. I was very impressed with the interior of the RDX. Excellent materials, a mind-blowing stereo, and very comfortable seats. The navigation is top notch, and some German car makers should take notes. So many techie toys too! And this thing handles like a dream. The SH-AWD from the RL is used, and whoa its amazing. A bit of tire noise, and a bit of turbo lag are my only small gripes.

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  Best sedan ever - 1994 Acura Legend
  By acuralegend94 - August 6 - 4:05 pm

  Purchased this car in summer of 2005 with 100K miles, have not spent a penny on repair work! It is rock solid, the best looking and the most comfortable Honda and Acura ever built. People are surprised to find out that it is a 14 year old car, the design is flawless and ageless, so if you keep your car in excellent condition, it will still stand out in the parking lot. I cant believe how many ugly new cars are out there! Mileage is pretty decent I have averaged 30 mpg at 40-50 mph, at 60-70 mph its 25 mph, and 80-90 mph is 21 mpg. It makes no difference putting 89 octane vs 91 octane, with 87 octane it seems a little slow, but engine doesnt knock at all. I use 89 octane most of the time.

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  TL Review - 2004 Acura TL
  By Bearsbar - August 5 - 6:13 pm

  Best ride I have owned so far. The car is rock solid. I have had the car for 6 months now. My 6 spd manual has excellent response and sings like a muscle car. I would buy another manual TL in a heartbeat. Pros: handling and performance. Ubiquitous Honda quality. Comes with almost every option needed. Bluetooth phone system never ceases to amaze passengers. Cons: has a bit of torque steer if you play hardball with the throttle. Seats are aerated leather and reasonably comfortable but not up to the feel of the “grab you and hold you“ laterally supported buckets found in the German entries. It doesnt hold its value like the Audi which makes a used 2004 TL an absolute steal.

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  Great car - 2005 Acura TL
  By Bob - August 5 - 4:26 am

  Great car . I like that all the toy features come standard . The handling in the mountains is incredible . Hard on speeding tickets ( thank God for Cruise control )

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  You need to get the 6-Speed Manual - 2005 Acura TSX
  By Michael - August 5 - 12:30 am

  I compared with cars that considerabley more HP and/or Torque: Mazda 6 V6, Legacy GT Turbo, and Maxima. I do not have V6 remorse what so ever. This is a true enthusiasts car; it is not always about 0 - 60... The exterior is a little bland; however, the interior has great functionality and design. Both the physical engine response and sound are perfection. I am getting low gas mileage so far (on the low EPA rated, city side), while I am actually doing a mixture of city/highway Maybe due to low miles, here is hoping?

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  Happy New Owner! - 2005 Acura RL
  By solcalrl - August 4 - 11:30 pm

  ...just crossed the one week mark of ownership on a 2005 RL. I am extremely happy with it. I am a bit surprised at the gas mileage but in speaking to other RL owners, gas mileage should improve steadily and level off at about 4,000 - 5,000 miles. The NAV system features are incredible. The voice command system works flawlessly although there are a lot of commands to memorize if you want to control everything by voice. The sound system is AWESOME.

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  Excellent car - 2004 Acura TL
  By RareBear - August 4 - 10:00 am

  For the money, this is the best deal going. Fun to drive, economical, and the quality thoughout is evident. Traded in my 2001 TL for 2004 and its a whole new car- different feel and the improvements are noticable. This car is easy to drive long distances and loves the curving, winding roads as well. All-in-all, a fine choice for the near-luxury sedan driver. I dont regret my choice one bit.