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 Bang for the Buck - 2003 Acura TL
  By kcwang007 - February 6 - 10:00 am

  Although it was tempting to get an Audi A4 or BMW 3 Series, with all the added options, it would be $4k-$8k more than a fully equipped TL-S (with navi and underbody kit/spoiler). The new Infiniti G35 is nice, however, I didnt like the interior as much and the rear looks really ugly. Performance is quite similar. Acura really has a great product because its a great value and its not too flashy, but itll burn a lot of cars on the road.

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  So much fun - 2008 Acura RDX
  By Marc - February 4 - 3:10 pm

  Just picked up the RDX 2 weeks ago and love it so far. My fiancée wanted an SUV, I wanted a sports car and we settled on the RDX. It has the body and space of an SUV, the interior of a luxury sedan, and drives like a sports car. I spent months looking at similar rides such as the BMW X3, Infiniti EX, Honda CRV, Rav 4 and this car had the most to offer in terms of features and was priced right in the middle of the pack. I couldnt be happier.

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  Good Value - 2005 Acura TL
  By jbarker007 - February 4 - 12:23 pm

  I decided to go back to the Honda line of cars, felt they were a better value than others. I am coming from a 99 Lexus ES 300, loved the car, but wanted something a little sportier. It took a little while to get used to the stiffer ride, but I have now adjusted and am having a great experience. I test drove the MB E320 before this car, and better sense came over me. Give me the TL and $20K cash any day. The Acura has a tight feel and great get up and go. I feel it is one of the better looking cars on the market, and the upkeep should be more cost effective than the other brands. Looking forward to many years with this car.

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  I bought another one - 2008 Acura MDX
  By Tony V. - February 4 - 12:14 pm

  Had an 06 MDX Touring that was totalled by a drunk driver. Looked around for something different but always came back to the MDX. Bought Sport model with navi and ent. Love it so far. Runs great (400 miles into it). Many compliments on style and looks. Very happy with purchase.

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  Nice Car - Rides like a Honda - 2008 Acura TL
  By John S - February 3 - 2:41 pm

  I downgraded from a 2005 BMW 5-Series sedan because I needed a cheaper ride at this point in my life. This car is handsome, well built, and chock full of extras that cost at least $10K in the BMW 328xi that I was considering.

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  Best car Ive ever owned! - 2004 Acura TL
  By John R - February 2 - 8:08 pm

  This is an excellent car. The performance and handling of this car is awesome. The styling, even 4 years after I bought it is still a head-turner. Two things I would change if I could: 1) move to rear wheel drive to eliminate the torque steer and 2) improve gas mileage in the city - I average 17-18 with careful driving. Highway is awesome - 33-34mpg. I hear the 09 TL may move to RWD. Hopefully that will happen. Any way about it, I would buy this car again without blinking. One additional note - get the nav... you wont regret it!

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  Thought it would be better - 2006 Acura TL
  By seca - February 2 - 2:28 pm

  06 TL, auto, nav, only 13k miles. I expected so much more from this car. Many random noises, rattles. Very annoying. Window creaking - dealer wouldnt fix. Build quality not great. Interior materials / plastics are low end, as is leather. Best part would be engine and nav. I can honestly say that my old Saab is more solid w/higher quality materials, and our CLK is built like a tank and has not had a problem in 5 yrs, unlike multiple problems with the TL. Ill be selling the TL for a GS 350 or 335, which are both much better built. Given build quality issues, I cannot recemmend the TL.

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  Review after 8 months - 2007 Acura MDX
  By dsjunk - February 2 - 8:00 am

  This is a great vehicle but... in the 8 months I have owned it Acura had to replace the windshield (flaw causing distortion), adjust 2 of the door handles (installed wrong), replace the muffler (broken interior baffle), replace a rear strut (failed), replaced the battery (dead cell), fix the dash and trim (installed incorrectly) and other minor items. Mine has had horrible build quality, although my dealer is fantastic. I bought Acura because we have had great cars from Honda, but this isnt built nearly as well as my wifes Odyssey. But, no SUV out there drives this well. If you are considering, buy the SPORT, its worth the money.

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  RSX - 2002 Acura RSX
  By Duke of Fatness - February 1 - 10:00 am

  Cant say enough about the car. Look forward to driving it every day, fast and handles like a dream.

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  Nice Car! - 2002 Acura RSX
  By SpyderMan27 - February 1 - 10:00 am

  I think the RSX Type-S is a nice ride and looks sweet on the road!! Great purchase!