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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  Its almost what you would expect - 2009 Acura TSX
  By JiminSD - January 28 - 9:41 pm

  The TSX is a very good car. Mileage is decent, exterior design is great, and interior design is improved over the 04-08. Overall quality is not up to Honda/Acura standards, though. Brakes squeak at times, rear brakes go at 15-25k miles, engine pings on acceleration at below 50 degree temperatures, and leather is a bit thin. However, when you consider that for the same price you could drive a similarly optioned Camry, Accord, or Prius, and the TSX really shines. All the competitors are $5-10k more. Even with its shortcomings, there is nothing like it for the price.

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  An excellent, well-rounded car. - 1994 Acura Legend
  By tractor - January 28 - 2:44 pm

  This car really did give the owners about everything they could need when new, and even as old as it is, it still doesnt disappoint. Ive added a few touches here and there like a new stereo system and a short shifter and exhaust and those keep the car fresh. It really is a joy to drive. It allows for a sporty character and 4-door practicality. This car will perform if you know how to shift the 6-spd. Also, a suspension and brake upgrade will keep you happy. Keep on top of maintenance, especially with the cooling system and you will be pleased!

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  Great entry lux car, nav not worth $2k - 2008 Acura TSX
  By U2Guy - January 27 - 12:41 am

  Bought the car for the wife, she loves it. She loves the Nav, I think it isnt worth the $2k (especially now that we both have iPhones :)). Navigation should have real time traffic and weather, like my iPhone or any other handheld GPS unit. The only negative so far is the brakes. They are terrible. Okay, so they do stop the car, but they are weak and stopping distance is longer than expected. Took some getting use to, to say the least! The Bluetooth is cool, but limited. People complain a lot that they cant hear us (and Im a loud guy). All in all, a great car for the price! We are happy with it & would buy again. Good (not great) MPG average 25 MPG in mixed driving.

• 

  Great SUV, love it - 2007 Acura MDX
  By Tim - January 17 - 4:38 pm

  This was our first luxury vehicle purchase. We bought the 07 Sport/Ent with 18K miles from an Acura dealership (Certified). We compare it to X5, ML, and the RX and the Acura had many more features, and more value than the competitors. Sporty feel, good power once the rpms climb, nice interior. Wish the interior was more quiet at highway speed and the LED for the sport button and the trunk release button died but luckily replaced under warranty.

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  Surprised 3rd Acura TL owner - 2009 Acura TL
  By Lynn - January 14 - 1:05 pm

  It is difficult for me to write this review since I loved my last 2 TLs. I did not like the new body style at first but that did grow on me however some of the other changes I could not get use to and traded the car in after only 7 months. The Nav system is no longer touch, you have to use the dial which I found to be very cumbersome or voice which for some reason did not seem to understand me most of the time. The interior also kind of plain compared to previous years. I miss the blue lights. I also felt this new design did not seem to have the same quick pickup that I fell in love with in my 1st TL. Not sure if its the added weight that caused that or some other change.

• 

  Very Good for FWD - 2008 Acura TL
  By Mike M. - January 7 - 3:33 pm

  Reliable, pretty good looking,brakes modulate well, steering is well weighted, but understeers like FWD always does. good engine, needs 50 more hp. Excellent highway cruiser. Got 31 mpg at 70 mph on long trip.

• 

  Plenty of power - 2002 Acura RSX
  By Great Car - January 7 - 2:26 pm

  I have the Type-S model, and it has plenty of power. Although the handling of this car is phenomenal, even given the fact that it is a front wheel drive car. The car has stood up to me well and just recently has the engine light come on but I must say it was caused by me running over a groundhog. Other than that I love this car! The 8000 rpm red line is amazing,And so is the i-VTEC system. Remember, this is the little brother of the NSX, and it will not let you down, and is simply amazing!

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  This is no Honda Civic - 2006 Acura RSX
  By Scotty - January 6 - 7:48 pm

  I was pleasantly surprised by the cars handling and performance. Its a 5 speed Tiptronic automatic with a 2.0 L4 Vtec engine. The car also handles great and easy to make lane changes. Since the car is pretty light, it doesnt need a huge displacement engine to make it go fast, although a turbo would be nice aftermarket upgrade for those who had the type-s model. I dont usually like 4 cylinder engines, but this one is quite a bit larger than most (Most are 1.6 L). Its also quite a bit torquey for one as well (can get it to squeal on brisk acceleration). The 05/06 Models have the upgraded lighting and wheels which give it more of a luxurious look then previous years.

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  Great Car, but takes a lot of fuel - 2010 Acura TL
  By Kiran - January 6 - 2:39 pm

  I got the 6 speed manual. I was looking at 2010 Audi S4 with 3.0L V6 supercharger and this acura. I test drove both cars. Audi has alot more lower end torque than TL does. Also, it gives over 30mpg on highway. I bought TL over S4 is because it was 15k less. I had car for 3 weeks now. I cant say much about reliability and so forth, but I can say is that I love the car. It drives nice and sporty. Many people dont like the front grill. Actually I like that. It makes the car look different and I think its a good design.

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  Keeps Getting Better - 2009 Acura TL
  By Chuck - January 3 - 8:47 am

  Took my Acura TL SH-AWD into its first snow & ice. Car handles well, low center of gravity, solid feel - AWD on demand function works great. A 4WD SUV next to me slid off the road into the guardrail but my TL did fine. Great car, nice quality, good dollar value. 5 Star safety rating doesnt hurt, either.