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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  Terrible transmission - 1999 Acura TL
  By Sam - October 6 - 9:30 am

  Wheel bearings have been replaced 3 times, worst is transmission was replaced at 7K, 50K and 100K miles. Reliability of this vehicle is very poor. Honda should be ashamed of this car.

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  Niggling problems spoil a great car - 2002 Acura RSX
  By creweser - October 6 - 9:13 am

  Fun car to drive, but have had a lot of little problems. Had to have power door lock motor replaced (very expensive - out of warranty) and now the hatch will not open - no way to manually override the lock, even from the inside. Side mirrors need to be heated on a car with such poor rear visibility. Ride is rough and noisy. On the other hand, driving is fun, with perky acceleration and good handling.

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  Great car, but... - 2003 Acura TL
  By Dino - October 5 - 7:29 pm

  Overall this has been a fantastic car, enough so that I will probably buy another when this has come to term (currently 120k). Great performance, and other than a warranty covered transmission problem at 45k, this car has had no work done at all other than routine maintenance. However there are several design flaws that have bugged me ever since purchasing it: no auto headlights, the wipers are under the hood (cant raise them to wash the windshield), the top console compartment spills change out the back end when lifted up, the navi maps lack a ton of US city streets, especially in smaller <250,000 pop cities, and more.

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  It wont let me by a new car! - 2000 Acura TL
  By playday rider - October 5 - 7:03 pm

  8 years ago it was time to get serious and buy a car I was going to keep for the next 8 years. Of course, we all say that, but how many of us keep a car that long. This car is the exception, not the rule. I love this car, always have. It drives as smooth and as quiet, and as much power and is as comfortable as when it was new, perhaps even more so. Well designed, perfect size and weight, plenty of power. I didnt get the nav system, but I hear the older ones arent really that great anyway and they were overpriced. So today, it probably would be worthless. Ill probably keep this car another 8 years or until I get tired of it. Only drawback is it calls for premium - but runs good on plus.

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  1st Acura - 2005 Acura TL
  By Dr. Sprocket - October 5 - 10:00 am

  Nice performance and auto transmission. Could use a slightly higher spring and shock rate, though it handles well for a more lux. oriented car. The TL can be slightly floaty feeling at higher speeds.

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  2005 Acura TL with navi - 2005 Acura TL
  By doctored5 - October 5 - 10:00 am

  After researching this vehicle,along with the Maxima, Lexus 330 & Infiniti GS35 I picked this on its overall combination of performance, comfort, quality, and technology.

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  get no better - 2006 Acura TL
  By steven - October 5 - 6:30 am

  the acura tl is the best car for the dollar fun to drive and so smooth with one of the best sound systems stock from factoy

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  Better mpg than advertised - 2008 Acura MDX
  By Cindy - October 5 - 12:06 am

  Shortly after buying our MDX, we went a 2,000 mile trip, mostly freeway miles with lots of mountains, averaged 22.9 mpg. That was a relief as I was fearful it might be even worse. The more we drove it, the more we liked it. Great combination of fun, comfort, and utility. Better visibility than originally thought. Never met a hill we couldnt keep accelerating up. I am almost 62", my husband is 63", we both have plenty of room up front and in the rear outboard seats, but the center second row seat is not for full- sized adults. This is basically a 4 person vehicle. My previous car was a 2006 TL, which sat too low for me, the MDX has a good step out height and is easy to get into and out of.

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  Love this car! - 2008 Acura TL
  By Mike - October 3 - 9:09 pm

  Evaluated vs. the 2009 Audi A4 and G35xs. This car isnt as sporty as the G35 but more than the A4. It isnt as luxurious as the A4 but more than the G35. Perfect for my less than 20 mile commute. Gas mileage better than advertised. Extremely comfortable seats. Plenty of room for 6 plus. GPS easy to use. Voice commands a little hard to get used too. Excellent handling in the rain, up hills. Great acceleration. Plenty of backseat space. IPod plug in fine but no on screen controls not great.

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  Unbelievable Car - 2000 Acura RL
  By Ryan - October 3 - 10:56 am

  I have owned over 20 cars and I can honestly say that my 2000 Acura RL has a much higher level of quality than others I have owned (Lexus, Lincoln, Ford, etc.) I bought the car from a single owner who had all maintenance records, window sticker, about a year ago with 67,000 miles. Still to this day there is not one rattle or anything on the inside. I have always heard that Honda/Acura is a step above the rest. After owning one for about a year I couldnt agree more. I have not had one issue at all. I dont know if I will ever buy anything other than a Honda/Acura.