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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  Zacura - 2006 Acura MDX
  By LZ - June 17 - 10:04 am

  In 18 months of driving the MDX, not a single item has needed repair - we had a leaking tire once, but the dealer removed the nail, patched the tire, and didnt even charge me (and we only knew of the condition because of the dashboard warning light). Great ride, sporty handling, good acceleration off the line, does everything right.

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  An enjoyable drive. - 2003 Acura CL
  By EdsonDJ - June 17 - 2:24 am

  Purchased brand new on May 2003, with 45 miles on it. It has been babied. Till this day, I enjoy everytime I drive it. It can handle most corners with its stiff suspension, and can get up to freeway speeds with ease. I liked the interior and thought it was the best in class during its time. I also liked the revised exterior styling for 2003, making it look more aggressive. However, there are some drawbacks. My transmission failed at 32K miles, which is a common problem with the automatic. I also started to hear squeaks and rattles after 2 years of owning the car. And the stock rotors warp too quickly causing steering wheel vibration. Still love the car though.

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  The problems are starting - 2003 Acura MDX
  By GitaS - June 17 - 1:52 am

  Bought my MDX brand new 4 years ago. Has the most amazing and easy to use navigation system. Reliable drive. Has every feature you could need. Have had some problems though. From the start, I have had problems with starting my car (I live in sunny So. Cal). Battery has been changed twice but still doesnt always fire on the first or even second try. Now as I near 100,000 miles, things are beginning to fall apart. All the features on my steering wheel dont work (including airbag, horn, volume control, cruise cntrl). Passenger seat warmer is kaput. Vent control plastic knob fell off. SVA (or something) sensor failed. The repairs are now getting expensive. Was hoping to drive this for another 100K.

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  High Marks And FUN To Drive! - 2007 Acura TL
  By AcuraFiend - June 17 - 1:33 am

  Best car Ive had. Makes you wanna drive for the sake of doing it. Good acceleration, can throw you back in the seat. Comfy front seats, rear is a little bit tight. Looks AMAZING clean. Speaker cover in the dash rattles a tiny bit after a year. Had to get the door latch fixed but thats it so far.

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  AC........ On IT!!!!!!!! - 2004 Acura RSX
  By JON_JON - June 16 - 2:00 am

  Driving the car is an experience.

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  RSX type s - 2004 Acura RSX
  By Jeremy T. - June 16 - 2:00 am

  well so far, as this car being my first manual car to drive(and the first car ive ever owned), It has been good to me so far(1500 mi). If you have experience in shifting, the transmission is smooth(except 2nd gear, see below). it also has impressive handling as well. The reliability is, obviously, well-known to be the best out there. the engine was built strong and tough.

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  Best SUV for the $ - 2004 Acura MDX
  By dlewin - June 16 - 2:00 am

  Our 04 has about 1000 miles on it now and its been great. The ride is as quiet and smooth as most luxury sedans and the handling is better than most SUVs Ive driven. Build quality is very high as well. The DVD is great for the kids - we can go for hours without a single tantrum! And the Nav has proven more useful than we expected as we have used it to quickly find restaurants and tourist attractions. I really wouldnt change much anout this SUV!

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  Had it for 1 & 1/2 yrs and still like i - 2003 Acura TL
  By gogre - June 16 - 2:00 am

  Have had TL-S for about 1 & 1/2 years. 30000 miles. Excellent passing speed. 0-30 acceleration just fair. Some shifting delay with manual shifter. Noticeable oversteer with fast cornering. Interior holding-up well. Whole car still looks/runs like new (if I wash it!). Had timing belt (dealer recall) and CD player fixed without a hassle. So far, great service. Have tried using regular and mid-grade and did notice a performance drop. Has huge trunk. Not exactly a head-turner (like BMWs, Audis or G35), but I saved $5000+ on this car.

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  6th Acura...best one yet - 2004 Acura TL
  By Noonrrr - June 16 - 2:00 am

  I traded in my 01 Mercedes E430 which I absolutely loved...had one day of withdrawal and have never looked back. Lets see...old Mercedes worth half the $60K I paid for it after three years & a new one at close to $70K vs a new TL at half the price which, in three years will still be worth $20 to 25K. Ill take the TL and put the money Ill save to much better use. Besides its the smartest car on the planet. It still doesnt quite drive & handle like a Benz...but who cares, its way more fun to drive and the electronics package blows everything else away. Test drive one...you wont be dissapointed.

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  Review - 2005 Acura TL
  By George Merton - June 15 - 5:33 pm

  This car is a fun sports car to drive, it is much better than the previous TL models!