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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  6 speed makes the difference. - 2003 Acura CL
  By will - July 1 - 10:08 am

  I really love the power of my CL. The 6 speed manual transmission really sets it apart from the automatic models. I would really recommend the manual model over the automatic model to anyone who is interested in buying a CL. The car is sporty and comfortable. It is a great mix between a luxury and sports car.

• 

  good car - 2005 Acura TL
  By Tim - June 30 - 11:30 am

  Almost 6 months now. I didnt want to write review too soon before I really spend some time w/ it. Its a great car for your $$$. Nice ride on the highway. When I wanted to go, it goes. Had a lot of fun on twisties (w/ A-Spec). Fun car to toss around in the snow too (of course I took down those summer tires). Stability control just would not let this front drive car go out of line. Original shocks & springs were too soft. Got the A-Spec package and all soft feelings went away. (If you dig Lexus, this is not for you.) If you dont mind spend a little more, I highly recommend the A-Spec. power, winter driving, family use, look, functionality, quality and gas mileage (for 270hp) in perfect harmony.

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  Second hand ILX 2.4L 6MT - 2014 Acura ILX
  By ryhi - June 30 - 1:05 am

  I was looking for a good commuter with a manual transmission I could hold on to of the next 15 years. I have owned 3 other Hondas so I have seen, first hand, how their powertrains hold up as I maintain them myself. I was interested in either the 16 Civic LX 6MT or the 16 Accord Sport 6MT. I, personally, like the new civic but, at the time, only the LX had the 6MT available. I didnt want to spend ~$19 grand on the base model, base 4 speaker stereo and wheel covers. I have been spoiled with the features Ive come to enjoy in my 2007 Accord EX-L Sdn V6 6MT, I know I was being too harsh on the LX. I began to seriously consider the Accord Sport, it is a gorgeous car on the outside, but I found I would have to give up many features: quality stereo, sunroof and (at the time) leather on the inside. I have always loved the powertrain of the Civic Si, excellent engine and transmission but personally, I didnt want the Si and wasnt too fond of the interior. To every man his taste. I then noticed the ILX. I would never consider buying one brand new for $30k+, but a clean white one at ~$21k @ 10,000 miles and in immaculate shape it became an excellent choice! The new Accord Sport is pushing ~$27k but I got so many more features with the used ILX. I have throughly enjoyed this car and even with the 6MT coming available in the EX-T Civic I find Im still enjoying my choice without regrets. (I would really be sad if a Leather/Manual/Turbo civic option had popped up), even with the turbo manual option the Apple Car play is great but it still lacks a bit of a list of features ILX has. Some features I have really enjoyed are the sound system, there is a Sub in the back and the higher wattage is very noticable, much better sound and intensity than my fully loaded 2007 Accord EX-L. The HIDs are excellent, I purchased the car in OR and drove it to CA during a rain storm at night to outrun a snow storm. Those headlights were impressive for that drive, I could see both sides of the road (worried about deer) and much further I have ever been able to see with my other Hondas, the handling is also very light and precise through the mountains. What I wanted in a commuter was good powertrain, this car always puts a smile on my face driving home, this is the best manual transmission I have driven and that engine note never gets old. This thing is quick. Even on starting the engine it reminds you of its capabilities with that aggressive engine note. Ive also been pleasantly surprised with the fuel economy. I commonly get ~40 mpg on my 40 mile commute one way, which includes hills and plenty of stop and go, I usually average 31MPG overall with lively city driving. On a longer drive to UT I saw an overall 34.5 MPG on the computer. Ive only put premium in it and honestly dont mind the extra dollar or two at each fill up. Even with the newer choices of the Civic Turbo manual and even the excellent Mazda 3 I still went with and couldnt be happier with my choice in the ILX. My only gripe, echoing the many, was no Navigation. Fortunately I have it in my Accord. Honestly, Its a pleasant convenience in it but wasnt a deal breaker in the ILX for me. The screen in the ILX is honestly rather poor, but the sound system quality is what I was looking for. Another gripe is the fact that it revs a little too high for my taste on the freeway, but I like the shorter gear ratio than those longer gears found the Mazda 3 6MT. The keyless entry and push button start has also an excellent feature Ive come to truly enjoy. If youre looking for a good option, the ILX is a solid choice if you can find a good one off lease. This car is a tidy package for the long run. Also the fact that someone designed it so the oil filter is conveniently on the bottom of the engine directly behind the oil drain plug (rather than spilling all over the back of the engine like on the Honda F series engine or spilling all over the subframe on the J series) is brilliant.

• 

  I Love My MDX - 2006 Acura MDX
  By Jenina - June 29 - 7:28 pm

  I checkd out my MDX for 3 months before I purchased. I definitely did my homework before I bought this vehicle, the only opponent to the MDX was the Lexus and the deciding factor was when I realized that every option added to the Lexus would cost atleast another grand! With the MDX all the goodies were included.

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  I love the Ack! - 2007 Acura TL
  By jay214 - June 29 - 11:43 am

  I love the Ack! I turned in a 2004 TL lease and got a new one, I am hooked. It is a sedan and sports car all in one. Much roomier than the TSX with finer quality interior and engine. I have no complaints about this car and plan on getting another one when my this lease is over.

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  Undervalued - 2005 Acura RL
  By rhorne1 - June 29 - 10:24 am

  I have driven this brand for 6 years with excellent reliability. I rate this vehilcle fully capaple of holding its own. The RL adds style and the right package of "standard equipment" that meets your needs. The power from the high perf. V6 is awesome with respectable MPG. Clearly undervalued in my book. Enjoy yours!

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  Just What I Had Hoped For! - 2004 Acura TSX
  By jgriffo - June 28 - 10:03 pm

  I upgraded from a 2000 Chysler Sebring Lxi. HUGE upgrade, that is! I couldnt have asked for a better car. It handles like its on rails, has just enough power, and looks great. Acura did a great job with the interior and exterior styling. People give a glance at stoplights...even a gentleman driving a Viper gave a glance! I would recommend this car to anyone, especially for the price. I feel like I ripped off the dealership. Go get yours today!

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  Great Car... except strut problem - 2006 Acura RSX
  By MKB - June 28 - 8:36 am

  The perfect blend of a daily driver and a back road driver with the ability to exhilerate. This car can be driven as two different cars, below 4k rpm and above 4k rpm. Take your pick and you wont be disappointed. Be aware though that the RSX and from what I have learned the TSX have issues with the front struts. The right front strut on my car began making noise at 500 miles, now at 7200 miles and no fix yet from the minds in Japan. Other than a minor paint blemish this is the only fault Ive found with the car. Seats are great, providing a comfortable driving position, although extended drives become somewhat tiresome. Auto headlamps would be nice.

• 

  What a car!!! - 2006 Acura TSX
  By Ron - June 27 - 11:43 pm

  My last 2 cars have been BMW 330xi and Audi TT. This one is much better than the Audi and at least as good as the BMW. Makes me remember the good old days of my Honda Prelude! Great ride, beautiful car. Very lively and fun.

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  On My Radar - 2006 Acura TSX
  By Autocrat - June 27 - 5:13 pm

  It was always really fun to drive, but I hadnt really considered the TSX until the 06 model came out. Now slightly more powerful, but much more techno-equipped, with complete hands- free Bluetooth capabilities, iPod interface, trip computer, much nicer steering wheel and gauges, improved exterior look, fog lights,seating memory, and other personalization features (my favorite: you can set the remote unlocking to unlock all the doors on one touch, not just drivers door). Autotrans is soft but ideal for everyday commuting, while sportshift is very crisp and great for mountain roads and other fun driving without heavy traffic. About 25 mpg from 205 hp 4 cylinder engine that feels like a V6.