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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  Exactly What we were looking for - 2002 Acura MDX
  By oc mom - July 27 - 10:00 am

  My husband and I looked for over a year for a new vehicle that would accomadate an expanding family but not burden our limited garage space with a removeable 3rd seat. We have very specific requirments; COMFORTABLE 3rd seat that folded into the body, enough cargo space for possible mid-size furniture purchases, great safety rating, good gas milage, and it had to feel like we werent driving a school bus. THE MDX FIT ALL OF OUR REQUIRMNET AND THEN SOME! Pick-up is great, getting on the freeway in Southern California is not longer scary. Visual is great - I can see my kids in the back seat as well as all the cars around me.

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  worth your $ - 2002 Acura TL
  By JZ - July 27 - 10:00 am

  I have driven the car for alomost 1 year, and I feel very happy about everything. Go get one!!

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  Excellent car!! - 2003 Acura TL
  By Owner95051 - July 27 - 10:00 am

  If you are looking for a car with almost all features but dont want to pay too much - this is car for you. Excellent engine 225HP, power everything, excellent navigation system, six disk in dash CD player etc. You name a feature and most likely the acura 2002 3.2 TL has it.

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  costs money to play - 2006 Acura TL
  By Jay Waseem - July 26 - 2:38 pm

  I purchased this 2006 base model TL after I sold my 04 545i. I wanted something reliable, yet sporty so I purchased this TL. I bought it with 97k miles. It had an extensive service record, 50+ times serviced at a local acura dealer. One day check engine light popped up, and maybe 3 miles after that, my transmission was GONEE. Rebuild cost 4800 at a local mechanic shop. IT ALSO EATS THROUGH TIRES AND BRAKES. I put Michelin Primacy MXM4, and after just 15k miles, my tires are halfway gone. ( Alignment is within specs, as well as other suspension components). Its definitely the best bang for your buck, but I certainly dont see the infamous Acura reliability anywhere close to this model. Rattles and squeaks only when going over speed bumps, weird!! A lot of road noise as well. Accelerates & corners well, but torque steer is there. Make sure to use leather wipes on your seats, or theyll crack up in no time. No height adjustment for the passenger seat either. No aux, but who needs that when you have a cassette player (sarcasm). Dont spend anymore than 5k for this car & dont buy it from a dealer.

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  Still fun after 3+ years - 2005 Acura TSX
  By coolbeap - July 26 - 9:18 am

  Bought the car new 3 years ago. I still love driving it! Still has great "curb appeal." My wife is tired of driving our minivan - always asking to drive the TSX to work. Black exterior looks brand new. TSX gives th appearance of a luxuray car but cost less than $26K (in 2005). Never been in for repair.

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  Love this car! Sold my ipod, though. - 2008 Acura MDX
  By David - July 26 - 8:20 am

  We absolutely have loved owning and driving the MDX. We traded in a Tahoe Z71 and thought we wouldnt have enough room (two toddlers, stroller, large dog), but we think we have much more usable room with the lower doors and fold-away third row seat. The rear-seat DVD controls are all in the center console - fabulous for parents of toddlers they also have a remote control that older kids can use. The navigation system is easy to use and loaded with restaurant and hotel info. The acceleration is brisk and driving is very enjoyable. I hate saying it, but it does drive like a (powerful) car.

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  Great luxury SUV - 2008 Acura MDX
  By bruno - July 25 - 10:07 am

  I bought this car after researching many. It has the best of everything. Most room, most comfortable, great sound, and very spacious. The Lexus and Mercedes were too small, the BMW too rough of a ride, and the Porsche too expensive. Perfect for the price. The only thing I can complain about is a slight tire noise it has, but so did all the other SUVs

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  Rock solid car. - 2006 Acura RSX
  By Farage - July 24 - 2:22 pm

  I live in New York City and as an everyday commuter sitting in heavy traffic, the automatic makes perfect sense. It is a great looking car and very comfortable for 2 people. The handling is excellent and the sequential sportshift 5 speed is tons of fun. It is a little underpowered but that is why there is a Type-S. I upgraded to the 17 inch wheels from the type-s for better handling. The stock 16s lack style in my opinion.

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  Great car - 2008 Acura TL
  By Tim - July 24 - 1:18 pm

  Great car, handles well, good acceleration and fun to drive. Very sporty and comfortable. Has all the bell and whistles one could want.

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  Great entry-level luxury car - 2008 Acura TSX
  By Drew - July 23 - 1:42 pm

  This is a great car, with excellent features for its price. I have been driving it for about a week and I love it. Nice handling and great gas mileage. Sure, some people would want a little more HP, but its works fine for me and I have no problems passing other cars. I have the parchment interior with wood trim, it just looks magnificent. Dealer gave an offer that we couldnt refuse. About the same size as my old 2005 Infiniti G35 so it works out great. Been looking to switch to Acura after buying an Accord last year and now my wife drives the Accord and I have the Acura.