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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  TSX ACURA - 2006 Acura TSX
  By sylviaa - May 29 - 9:55 am

  I love my 2006 Acura Tsx. I purchased my car at Mac Churchill Acura in Fort Worth. I have been very happy since my purchase and services rendered at this car dealership. Since then my family and friends now own Acuras , a total of 7 Acuras all to each ones needs. Very grateful and appreciative. Thanks Mac Churchill Acura from all of us!

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  Vast improvement over 04 TL - 2012 Acura TL
  By ad2677 - May 21 - 1:51 pm

  I traded my 06 525i after a very expensive out of warranty repair. Ive owned an 04 TL for 2 years preceeding the 06 525i purchase in 08. I had absolutely no issues with the TL and just the opposite with the 525i (maybe I should listen to the Consumer Reports review, they were spot on with their review). I went back to 12 TL w/Tech Package, what a breath of fresh air that was. I got it in July and have about 11K+ miles on it with no issues whatsoever. I love the entertainment and navigation systems and their ease of use. The TL handles with ease and is quite entertaining to drive and I love the engine sound at wide open throtle. The car is quite fast and a pleasure to drive.

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  2013 RDX FWD With Tech Package - 2013 Acura RDX
  By pdamelio - May 13 - 12:00 am

  My wife and I have been researching the RDX for about 8 weeks once I heard about the new improvements that Acura made. We purchased our 2013 RDX FWD with Tech Package today. MSRP is $38,020 + Destination Fee of $895 = $38,915. The invoice price to the dealer is $36,665. The inventory on these 2013 models has not built up at the dealers yet, so some dealers are not come down on the prices, but if you are persistent you can get it for much cheaper than the MSRP list prices. I have been in contact with 8 different dealers all over Northern California via email and phone. We ended up buying it from the dealer in our home town for $37,000 + Tax & Lic.

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  Great Car - 2004 Acura TSX
  By nas2688 - May 8 - 12:27 pm

  Bought my car in May 2011 with only 50k, one year later its at 70k, and I still like it as much as the day I bought it! Its very comfortable on long road trips, has a good amount of power for a 4-cylinder (the manual is a blast!) and Ive even got 33 mpg on the highway with it. Good build quality- the only exception being a some very small buzzing/rattling, but even then its only on I-5 which is terrible and bumpy anyways. The car is over 8 years old, and the only "repair" Ive had to make is to get new tires. It does consume oil, not leaking or burning, but as long as I top up every once in a while its not a problem. Overall, a great-looking, comfortable, and FUN car to drive!

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  17 and loving my car! - 2004 Acura TSX
  By tkachuk94 - May 1 - 7:55 pm

  I have had my car since i was 16 and i have always loved it. My navi went out a while back sadly but i do plan on replacing soon. It has about 218k Miles on it because it used to be a commuter car for my parents to SD and Home so around 120 miles a day for 6 years. But, It still runs amazingly and by far is one of the best looking cars in my schools parking lot (I say one of the best because theres quite a few BMWs for some reason..)

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  2000 TL - 2000 Acura TL
  By romandiaz - April 21 - 6:08 pm

  2000 TL has 164,000 miles for original owner. Other than the usual recommended maintenance items, the only unscheduled repair was the $5,000 transmission replacement at 120,000. The car just runs with 28mpg, freeway, 23 around our hilly town. All 4 struts have been replaced by dealer ~$2000 and the tires have been replaced 3 times. Battery replaced 3 times. Brakes have been replaced once. The leather looks great inside but drivers side has some cracks. Carpeting is fine. I bought a 2003 in addition and will eventually purchase another Acura if they keep their record up. Just love this car!

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  Great car for the money - 2012 Acura TL
  By mihink - April 20 - 10:00 pm

  After driving BMWs for the past 6 years..I decided to try out the TL. What a pleasant surprise. Drives smaller that it really is. The SH-AWD handling is on par with most RWD German cars. The TL is actually the size of the 5/E/A6 class but is priced cheaper than 3/C/A4 class. The gas mileage so far is 25 mpg combined..not bad. The punch off the line is not as immediate as the 335i I had. I do miss some luxury touches - rain sensing wipers, one touch triple turn signals, swiveling headlights, auto dimming side mirrors. Features you grow to appreciate and really miss when you dont have them. Overall great car..no regrets on purchase!

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  Nothin But 5 Stars...Except - 2004 Acura TL
  By steveet - April 20 - 5:05 pm

  There havent been many cars in my lifetime that make me smile when I sit in the drivers seat, but this little Acura TL makes it happen every time. Its a kick to drive with the auto/manuel tranny. Im the original owner with 89000 I have to say this ride is still pretty tight. I keep good rubber on it at all times so handling and cornering is very good. The down sides? If the battery goes dead, which it will w/o warning as has happened 3 times, Acura neglected to put in a chip backup for things list your Bluetooth phonebook! Bluetooth mic is on the low to poor scale - Had to mark it down for that. Torque steer - yep, only if you mash it from a dead stop. Overall, Best car Ive ever owned.

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  Excellent vehicle - 2012 Acura TL
  By bradj7 - April 19 - 10:46 pm

  Previous Infiniti G, VW Passat and BMW 335 series owner (24 month leases). TL is impressively well balanced. At least in the 6MT, a great combination of sport, luxury and comfort. In true Honda/Acura fashion, there isnt one thing that glaringly stands out rather, when taken as a complete package, the engineers have clearly done their homework. Ive had issues with my most recent three sedans, yet, I really havent found significant short comings in the TL. Everyone talks about "German engineering" (why did my BMW get a new engine at 29K miles?) , but I think the TL is a better all-around car.

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  A PLEASANT SURPRISE - 2012 Acura TL
  By gfortunato - April 15 - 11:43 am

  Test drove the Buick Lacrosse, the Volkswagen CC Coupe, Hyundai Genesis and Maxima. Although I liked the looks of others a little better, as soon as I drove this car I was sold! This car is just plain fun to drive...handling is awesome, rides nice and has great "tracking". Controls are easy as is the Nav system, sound system phenominal, along with comfy but supportive seats. Got 28.3 mpg on first trip...not bad for all that power that feels like a V-8 not a V-6. You cant beat this car for "bang-for-the-buck"