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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  Not True Luxury - 2006 Acura MDX
  By enlightenedacuraguy - July 19 - 1:46 pm

  This vehicle is overrated, not true luxury. No backlighting on the steering wheel buttons so you cant see what youre pushing in the dark, not even an option. A/C controls are in an uncomfortable place, and rear controls have to be reset every time you restart engine. Battery died 4 months after brand new. No back heater in passenger seat, not even an option. Power seats are far inferior to the seats in my 03 Tahoe. There is no 12v outlet for second row passengers, except the one in the bottom of the center console, very inconvenient. No power folding mirrors. It is very uncomfortable to drive long distances for a male, 510", arms fall asleep after about 1 hour, and not enough leg room.

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  Just Perfect - 2008 Acura TSX
  By Ryan - July 19 - 1:19 pm

  Gas mileage over 30 for 205 HP car. It is just unbeliverable. Drives like sports car still have plenty of room and cargo.

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  Perfect in My Book - Matthew M. - 2006 Acura TSX
  By Matthew M. - July 19 - 12:06 am

  This is our second TSX. We leased a 2004 and when our three years were up we turned it in for an 06. The 04 was great but the 06 is even better. Many more features, better styling, better ride, handling is equal but the suttle improvements in the 06 sold me on another one. We have never had two of the same cars. It feels like a different car. I think its more solid and quieter than the 04. I thought about buying the 04 we liked it so well but after driving the 06 I had to get it. Most car for the money hands down. No comparisons that Im aware of. Our 04 was absolutely trouble free. Try it, youll buy it and wont regret it.

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  Problems within 3 days - 2007 Acura TL
  By Shellbellfl1 - July 18 - 9:09 am

  Loved the car until the power steering pump had to be replaced after only 3 days! Car made loud rattling noise and had to be taken for service for the problem. Very disappointed and would not buy the car again.

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  For smooth roads only - 2005 Acura TSX
  By Robert Needham - July 18 - 7:33 am

  I bought the car because I love manual transmissions - its best feature. But the car is uncomfortable for short light weight people, cant raise the seat high enough to see the road well. My wife sits on a pillow. Seats are low, slippery and thin. No protective side moulding on doors, no trip computer, no compass, no automatic door locks. I drove it down 130 miles of washboard dirt road, where it fishtailed badly, paint chipped out, and the car developed rattles in dash and driver door. A good car for big heavy people who drive smooth pavement only. Two factory recalls.

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  Best Car Ive had - 2007 Acura TSX
  By JohnnyCNote - July 17 - 10:34 pm

  I had a 2001 Altima, which wasnt a bad car. Even though the TSX is a bit smaller, inside it has more room, plus its much nicer, too. I was contemplating getting a V6 Nissan or Honda, but gas prices started to rise, I settled on the TSX. I have a short commute, and otherwise drive almost exclusively around Jacksonville, FL. My mileage is a consistent 22 mpg, meaning mixed highway/suburban driving. I might get better if I laid off of the gas pedal, but its fun to push it. Being an auto, you have to get it in the right gear, but it has the power to pull ahead when I need to. I havent had many chances to try the handling, but when I have its really held the road. Its a great car!

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  A decent automobile - 2000 Acura TL
  By Nutmegger22 - July 17 - 6:32 pm

  Our 2000 Dark Emerald Pearl TL was purchased used in 2003 with 50,000 miles. With now over 131,000 miles, the car has been very satisfactory on its journeys all across New England. Reliability has been good. A malfunctioning power seat back on the drivers side and dismal seat heating have been the only issues thus far. The trim is starting to separate from the handle on the inside of the rear doors and the Xenon headlights are not as bright as when we first got the car - normal wear and tear. Luckily, weve had no issues with the transmission (knock on wood). My sons 96 Maxima seems to have better pick up but the TL is sufficient for most.

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  Inspire is a great car for the money - 1996 Acura TL
  By InspiredTiki - July 17 - 5:03 pm

  Got this car with 135k on it for $4k and had no real problems till just recently. Ball joint on psgr. side is squeaking, and steering rack leaks p/s fluid (leakstop stopped it tho). No really BIG issues though! Wish I found a 3.2 (drove my friends one, BIG difference!), but the 2.5 is ok. Acceleration is a bit sluggish, but it is over 3k lbs. Proper maintenance keeps this bad boy running smooth. Just replaced the console with the 3.2 premium wood console. Made a world of a difference in the cockpit!

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  I like it. - 2007 Acura RDX
  By wsdyer - July 17 - 2:49 pm

  Small enough to get around the beltway nasty traffic yet, big enough to allow you to see whats up ahead. The tech package is cool if your company allows you to synch your blackberry with your car - mine doesnt - ostensibly for security reasons. Even if the company doesnt, its worth it to get your own phone and just ignore theirs when it rings. She drives like a dream and looks very stylish. The only thing I dont like about her is really crappy gas mileage. Even when I am on the highway I get no more than 21 or 22 MPG.

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  Luxury? - 2008 Acura MDX
  By Wanna be luxury - July 17 - 6:56 am

  This vechicle is adequate and has a smooth ride. However, the interior has too much plastic and is uncomfortable for a "luxury" SUV. I feel I was pressured into buying the MDX and would caution others to look at BMW, Mercedes, and Lexus before buying. Even the Murano is competition and is 12k cheaper! I feel like ripping out the corning looking dash. The voice recognition is distracting and Acura should scrap it. The steering wheel grip reminds me of my fathers 1966 Chevy. It is way too thin. Also, the seats are way too firm. I have to send them out for foam to be added. The DVD player cost is a ripoff but its the only way to get the automatic tailgate.