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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  super all round transportation - 2005 Acura RL
  By Steve - January 16 - 10:50 am

  Much to like about this car. Sharp enough lines, classy look inside and out. Performance is nice. While not a "lincoln" ride, thats not what you expect here - but more than comfortable.. plenty of room..more than ample power and handles super. Computerized nav/climate/audio system 2nd to none and very intuitive and easy to learn and use. Love the level of driver customization available. Voice activation is terrific - 99% and is a must since this car can be distracting. NAV saved me many hours 3 days after buying when I was out of town and had a 1.5 hour trip .. highway was backed up and closed .. "detour" function steered my to alternate route. Quiet ride/int. Audio system SUPER

• 

  Acura has a winner!! - 2006 Acura TL
  By jr007 - January 16 - 10:46 am

  I purchased an Acura TL after owning a BMW 325. I was sure i was going to get another BMW but from the start of test driving the Acura TL I was sold. The TLs attention to interior detail is great it has metal and carbon fiber accents. The navigation has a touch screen and the car has interior blue lights. The drive is second to none when the TLs VTEC kicks in you better be holding on, it takes you to 160 mph with out hesitation, thats right I said 160 mph.If you want to own a winner buy an Acura TL, you wont regret your investment.

• 

  Cool Car! - 2007 Acura RDX
  By HowdyKeith - January 15 - 5:26 pm

  My car is my office as I put a lot of miles on my car. The RDX sold me on several points: 1) its outward style 2) its interior design 3) the Technology Package (outstanding audio and navigational system!) 4) the quality, fit, and finish of the interior materials 5) the comfortable drivers seat 6) its handling and performance 7) the excellent warranty 8) and Acuras reputation for building excellent cars and providing great service. The RDX has been very fun to drive thus far. Some might say that it drives too harsh however, I am more than willing to sacrifice a little cushiness for the excellent handling and road feel the RDX provides. Additionally, this car really turns heads!

• 

  Great Car - 2007 Acura RDX
  By GNV - January 15 - 12:41 pm

  Technology package is superb. Fit and finish interior also superb. Seats are very comfortable - esp given size of car. Only problem is gas mileage and it requires premium fuel. If Acura corrects this they would have a more sought after car.

• 

  OK, but.... - 2003 Acura TL
  By catcher10us - January 15 - 7:23 am

  This is my third acura, a vigor, 1999 3.2 TL and the 2003 3.2 TL. All in all, a good value, but far from perfect. Brakes and brake rotors have been an issue, from the 1999 to the one I have now. Suspension is a little soft and if you push the car around a corner, you can feel it. Then there are the tranny problems, legend for TL owners. Compared to whats out there in the price range, the TL, especially the new one is a good choice, but, the bloom is off the rose for me in some areas. My lease is up in about 6 months and I will explore all options. The fit and finish on the Acura is still far above that of the Maxima.

• 

  Best Value - 2006 Acura TL
  By justjon - January 15 - 12:10 am

  I debated long and hard about the purchase of this car. I drove trucks for years, and decided because of the jump in my annual mileage for work that i would buy a comfortable car. I chose the TL because of its price, reliability ratings, performance with economy, style, and comfort. All things have held up to their end of the bargain. I have had the car for almost four months and a little over 12k miles. It has been truly the best car i have ever owned. The only thing i have had an issue with was a rattle in the passenger door that has yet to be resolved.

• 

  2006 Acura RL - 2006 Acura RL
  By phgacura1 - January 14 - 1:14 pm

  Have been an Acura owner from the first day they went on sale in 1986, this is my fourth, still have my 1992 Legend. I am getting 20 to 22 mpg in daily driving, my 2002 TL type S was about 1 mpg better. If you overlook this car you are missing something very good.

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  2005 Acura RL - 2005 Acura RL
  By Paul - January 14 - 12:46 pm

  I purchased my Acura RL two months ago and love it. I read the owners manual twice to learn all the features of the car. Handles good and wonderful brakes.

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  Only Type-S - 2003 Acura TL
  By vid - January 14 - 2:00 am

  This cars is sooooo much fun to drive...

• 

  WOW, What a change - 2004 Acura TL
  By bg1006 - January 14 - 2:00 am

  Just picked up my new TL last week - traded in a 2000 TL. What a difference! The improvements are vast, more power, more style (huge improvement here - the car looks mean), great stereo and very upscale interior. Acura definitely meant to move the TL up a class or two - mission accomplished. The 10% increase in price is justified and worth every cent.