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 in Class for $ - 2006 Acura TL
  By Mercedes Salesman - April 30 - 11:16 pm

  I am a salesman at a Mercedes, Lexus, Jaguar, Porsche and Acura dealer. I have plenty of seat time in these cars and can offer some objective opinion on this car. The first thing is, NO CAR IS PERFECT. But, this thing comes pretty darn close. If you want to spend $80K+ on a sedan, you can get some amazing vehicles. But for the mid- $30s range, your in a compromising class. Your at the bottom of the elite or the top of frugile and economical. When you look at the TL in that light, hands down, there is no car close to what it offers. The Mercedes C230 Sport looks pretty cocky but is slower, smaller and less equipped. The IS 250 is the same way but a little more equipment than the MBZ.

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  I love this car! - 1991 Acura Integra
  By The Jamster - April 30 - 7:39 pm

  I love this car! I bought one when I was 16 and ended up trading it for a CRX, but couldnt stay away. Im 23 now and traded that same CRX for another Integra!

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  Great Ride - 1995 Acura Integra
  By Bart - April 30 - 2:52 pm

  I needed a quick car because my 1998 Oldsmobile Intrigue fell apart and I didnt have a lot to spend at that moment. I picked it up for $3000 with 163000 miles on it. I changed the oil and replaced the brake pads (normal wear and tear). I LOVE this car. It drives like its brand new, it handles like a dream, doesnt lose any fluids, has terrific gas mileage, and is peppy. I bought it as a short term solution and it may turn out to be a long love affair. I would recommend one of these cars to anyone. It is my first Acura and it will not be the last.

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  Plush vs Performance - 2006 Acura TL
  By Matthew Everett - April 30 - 10:01 am

  I recently purchased an 07 TSX and traded in my 06 TL. I like the handling of the TSX much better, but I missed the power, fit, and finish of my 06 TL so I went back and traded back the new TSX for my 06 TL which was still on the property. $ouch but worth it.

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  Cant get any better for the money - 2006 Acura TSX
  By Matt - April 29 - 1:16 am

  Very good car for $27k; loads of standards and an engine that loves to rev up! Granted BMWs are awesome cars...I wont deny that, I love them! But I will guarantee that you cant find a fully loaded brand new BMW 3 series for about $28k; I "built" my own 3 Series with the features available in the TSX...it came close to $33k.

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  Best car for the money - 2006 Acura TSX
  By acura06 - April 28 - 10:06 pm

  Acura TSX is a great car for the money! Already put 30k miles on car in 1 year with no complaints! Consistent high gas mileage of 31+ highway. No problems.

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  My 1st Acura - 2005 Acura TSX
  By Wendy - April 28 - 8:06 am

  This is my first Acura and I know that I will be an Acura owner for life. My car is over a year old and I still love it as much today as I did the day I drove it off the lot. It is sleek & sporty, comfortable and not to mention, fast! I get so many compliments on the exterior, but once youll gone for a ride, you just cant stop talking about it. Everyones impressed and so am I!

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  This car will spoil you - 2006 Acura TL
  By nene - April 25 - 10:10 pm

  The Acura TL is the kind of car that makes driving much more enjoyable than previously thought possible.The sound system, navigation, driving position, and performance are top notch. Brakes are generally good. XM radio is fantastic. Fuel economy for me is 32 MPG @ 73 MPH on cruise. You will feel the road, so dont buy if you like a "floating" feeling. The car feels strong and well built. The performance is very good. My dad actually bought one after driving mine!

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  Best for the budget! - 2001 Acura CL
  By Dan - April 25 - 3:20 pm

  I purchased my CL-S over a year ago with 76K miles on it and so far it has performed very well. Excellent build quality and premium feel to interior. Most people think the car is less than one year old! The 260HP engine was ahead of its time and can still keep up with recent models like the Infiniti G35 coupe. Although the mileage was high, it was an excellent value for under $13K. I just replaced the front rotors and pads at around 88K miles ($400), and the only other expense I incurred were the four new tires ($650). The car has been pulling slightly to the left since I bought it and after two alignments the problem has not been corrected. Its been an overall pleasure to drive.

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  Fun, Performance, Great Looking - 2006 Acura TL
  By Mark - April 24 - 9:56 pm

  I purchased the 2006 Acura TL and it is an amazing car! I did quite a bit of research and bang for the buck, this car has it. I just came back from a few long trips and I cant wait to go out again. I actually got 34 MPG on the highway and I avg about 26 MPG around town. The hands free bluetooth works great! The acceleration, the comfort, the stereo/CD/XM radio are all fantastic. If you are thinking about a Lexus, or a BMW I urge you to drive a TL or an RL. These cars are great and the prices are reasonable for all of the options you get. Normally my wife gets to drive the new car and I take the older of the two we have. Shes not getting this one! Its all mine!!