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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  First Time TL Owner - 2009 Acura TL
  By Randy S - December 5 - 9:36 pm

  Ive owned Hondas in the past and upgraded to the TL. Love the car. Lot of tech w/voice controls, XM radio, etc. Holds the road well, good acceleration and getting 27 mpg on the highway commute with about 600 miles on the car. My only complaint is the seat is very stiff and will probably prove tiring on a long trip.

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  Great Car - 2006 Acura TL
  By great car - December 5 - 6:47 pm

  Have been a loyal Honda owner for over 7 years but wanted to move to something with some luxury and went to test drive a Acura TL. Found it to be a well-engineered vehicle will continue to purchase acura cars.

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  TL is an Excellent Car - 2006 Acura TL
  By Joe R. - December 5 - 1:22 pm

  Hands down the most car for the money in this range. Fun to drive, fantastic design and terrific quality. Better than most more expensive cars in its class. My only complaint is that the door lock button doesnt go all the way into the door and is uncomfortable when I want to rest my arm on the door (such as with windows down, etc.). Sound system is excellent with HD surround sound, Bluetooth for phone is handy, and sportronic shifting makes driving fun again.

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  Best I have Ever Owned!!! - 2006 Acura TL
  By Jeff Rooster - December 4 - 10:20 pm

  This car is great. Very quick, great handling. Very comfortable drivers seat. Great looking and great quality. I feel special when I drive it. I wish I knew that they were going to put the RL 3.5 in it. I would have waited 2 more months.

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  My acura - 2006 Acura RL
  By yol - December 4 - 8:19 pm

  Great car to drive,does require learning manual with dvd provided to learn extras. Not as easy as manual settings which is a downfall for more senior citizens. Runs very smooth and comfortable. Owned previous 3.5RL. Loved it and hated to part with my 2000 model. Trust the acura technology.

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  This SUV may be "just right" - 2007 Acura MDX
  By RWM - December 4 - 12:40 am

  My land cruiser was too big, my FX45 was a lot of fun but too small for family trips, hopefully this is just right. Plan to spend a night in the garage learning the new toys. There is room for my wifes luggage, the kids and dads luggage and the golf clubs. Not as fast as my FX45 but performace is as advertised and does not disapoint. Sport and Ent. package provide the technology and ride quality you want, toys for the kids, room and comfort for the wife and family. The styling is better and more masculine than last year. It looks like a SUV rather than a minivan. Looks better with side step running boards and roof rack.

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  Sweet Ride - 2002 Acura RSX
  By zandrewh - December 3 - 8:13 pm

  Ive had my car RSX Type S for about 2 weeks now, it handles very nice. Traded in 2000 Celica GT-S, too many little problems with it. The engine has a nice quiet sound to it at slower paces, but if you want to hear it scream just floor it. Handles really nice around turns. Very pleased with purchase.

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  great car! - 2005 Acura TL
  By sandi - December 3 - 2:56 am

  Was disappointed with gas mileage, but was told that it "adjusts" to my driving style. As a result, highway mileage is very good, local mileage just so-so. Requires super gas, so cost of running is high. Love the car except for the mileage situation!

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  Salesmans TSX - 2006 Acura TSX
  By george - December 2 - 10:28 am

  As a sales rep with a fairly large territory, I will put approximately 25,000 miles on the TSX this year. I would like a little more pep from the engine, but Im very satisfied with the fuel economy. Handling is superb, and the automatic transmission in manual mode delivers very satisfying performance on winding roads. The interior is very comfortable (although Id like a little more drama), and the stereo is simply incredible. The exterior styling is a little too BMW-like, but its still very easy on the eyes. With nearly 25,000 miles on the car already, Ive had no problems - none. And now with the posted highest resale value for a sedan, I know that I made an excellent choice.

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  TL - Go for it - 2005 Acura TL
  By Theresa MR - December 2 - 8:02 am

  Sound system is the best. The car is not too big or small very roomy rear seats. Very reliable and great lines. My first more expensive car and I feel is well worth the extra money.