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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  BMW-like for far less - 2005 Acura TL
  By Robert G NYC - April 5 - 9:50 pm

  Sporty, luxurious with all the buzzers, lights and bells. Powerful and fun to drive. Everyone who has ridden in it is amazed and impressed - even BMW owners. Performance is lively, a nice cross between Lexus luxury and BMW nimbleness. If possible, GET THE MANUAL transmission--more fun! Get it with Navigation; the Bluetooth technology is outstanding. The navigation system is far better than OnStar (and no monthly fee!). NEVER GET LOST AGAIN! Youll feel safe and youll drive in confidence and comfort wherever you go. Surround sound system is impressive; voice control is fun and at times, quite useful. Nice sized trunk; surprisingly good highway mileage (6M).

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  Disappointing for a Honda/Acura product - 2005 Acura TL
  By mark - April 5 - 5:36 pm

  I was attracted to TLs sporty exterior, upscale interior, and Honda/Acuras reputation. Overall the engine, transmission, and performance are definitely above average. Like most Honda cars, the TL is fun to drive. The powerful V6 does consume much gasoline with city pattern driving. In contrary to the powertrain, I cant say the same for its fit-and-finish noise problems: windows, suspension, back seat. I had mine taken in multiple times and all the dealership could say was the TL was "built that way". Very disappointing coming from such a large company. Ive even complained to Acura and no definitive fix was available.

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  TSX For Real! - 2008 Acura TSX
  By waabese26 - April 5 - 12:34 am

  I love this vehicle to death! There is no car out there that will come close in value, comfort, stereo system, appearance and last but not least the price! This is a luxury sports sedan that is totally amazing. This car is quick and fast for a 4 cylinder. Get the TSX! Totally awesome car! Cant beat it!

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  Luxury You Love - LS Coupe - 1995 Acura Legend
  By 95 LS Coupe du Monde - April 4 - 11:09 pm

  Ditched my 2001 Mercedes E320 for a much more fun to drive LS Coupe. Love the car, love the cost, and love the inexpensive service. This car is 13 years old and still looks and drives like new.

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  No complaints on gas economy - 2007 Acura TL
  By NIKKIMACH - April 4 - 10:24 pm

  Over the last 4800 miles, the computer tells me Im averaging 28MPG. Nothing wrong with that. Getting a fuel warning at 13 gallons is annoying dealer tells me it cant be fixed. Otherwise, this is a great car - wonderful integration of electronic and mechanical bits, thoughtfully engineered, quick and comfortable. This is my fourth Acura (2 TLs, 2 MDXs) and Ive never been left by the side of the road, something my BMW-owning friends cant say Plus, my TL will suck the doors off a 528, sounds just as good doing it, and costs 10 grand less similarly equipped.

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  Car for age 25 and below - 2005 Acura TL
  By Navaid - April 4 - 8:23 pm

  I just bought a TL 2005 with nav on April 19, just to trade it in within 15 days. Probably because I am not 25 years old but 36. The TLs sporty ride was probably not my kind. I like the ride of the lexus ES and the new Toyota Avalon. No doubt that the TL interior is absolutely gorgeous. I had a black with camel interior. I was so worried to keep it clean that I would tell my 2 daughters to sit tight in the car, which I felt was inappropriate. What fun is a car if you have to put taboos on your kids. The seats are hard and uncomfortable. The gas mileage seemed horrible. I bought a Honda Pilot LX with leather for my wife on April 02. I am very happy to trade in the TL for another Honda Pilot.

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  Dont think Ill ever leave Honda - 2004 Acura TL
  By DexDiamonds - April 4 - 12:01 pm

  I just purchased my TL certified preowned (needed the security) and havent stopped smiling everytime I look at the car. It really moves, blinding acceleration between 30-50 and 70-110. I raced a the other car I was strongly considering (G35 coupe) and it seems there is no difference in performance and speed. And it great to just cruise in (a lil bumpy for the performance trade off). It has everything one could want (performance, reliability, luxury, and looks) at a price easy to appreciate. I want to modified the engine a little but dont want to void my warranty :-(

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  Legend lives up to name - 1990 Acura Legend
  By Acura - April 3 - 9:31 pm

  I bought the car at a steal, $1000.00 So far the only things wrong with it are the cruise control, a loose rear view mirror,and a loose drivers side mirror. It moves great and is fun to drive, buy one if you can find one.

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  A bit expensive overall but worth it - 2003 Acura MDX
  By mantrika - April 3 - 10:00 am

  I like this vehicle because of its features, comfort and reliability

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  love my new TL - 2003 Acura TL
  By jar22 - April 3 - 10:00 am

  Looked at the MB, A4, G35, ES 300. The Acura offered the most for the money. What a comfortable, smooth ride. This car is loaded with every option you could want. I also felt like the Acura would be more reliable in the long run since I keep my cars 6-7 years as well as less expensive to maintain.