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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  TL06 BoReview - 2006 Acura TL
  By Angling Prof - December 25 - 9:41 am

  Great electronics for hands-free operation and control of vehicle. 29 MPG on trip. 22 MPG in city. Engine is a beauty. Nice tradeoff between performance and economy.

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  Movin on up - 2002 Acura TL
  By Larry - December 25 - 12:16 am

  This car replaces our 1999 3.2 TL. The "s" version is a big step in the right direction. The available power and handling are much more of what Im looking for. Honda has done a good job of upgrading an already desireable machine. This is a great place from which to move forward.

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  Disappointment - 2003 Acura MDX
  By Chnc - December 24 - 2:00 am

  There is nothing really wrong with the Acura but there is nothing exciting about it either. Kinda cheap on the inside and outside and the vehicle isnt cheap. Bought one for my wife and it doesnt compare to the Volvo XC90 T6 that I bought. Price was close between the two but the Volvo is much nicer both on the inside and outside and has so many more safety features. A boring car that gets the job done but doesnt excite in anyway.

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  Fast, Fun and Completely Comfortable - 2006 Acura RSX
  By Steve Sherwood - December 23 - 1:53 am

  I came to the RSX after finally deciding to retire my 1989 Acura Integra, which had 207,000 miles on it and was still going pretty strong. I cant say enough about my RSX. Its been even better than I anticipated. I considered the Honda Civic EX and the Scion but have been completely satisfied with my RSX. Its fast, fun and completely comfortable to drive, gets excellent gas mileage and has all those standard features that make Acuras such a solid bargain. Most of the online reviews mention that the RSX is not the fastest off the mark in first gear and thats true BUT it is more than fast enough! The cars a blast to own and drive, it makes me happy every time I get behind the wheel.

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  Its an Acura - 2004 Acura RL
  By joan - December 22 - 4:08 pm

  Since I have been driving Acuras since 1996, all I can say is that they are very reliable cars. All the bells and whistles one could wish for come standard with the exception of a navigation system. Your mother would love it as well as your child.

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  More than satisified - 2004 Acura TSX
  By Mike - December 22 - 12:56 pm

  Driving a 9 year old Infiniti I30t, I have been searching for one year for a replacement. Considerations were subaru legacy limited, volvo 240, saab 9-3. After thorough research of other user reviews of each car for fun factor, and reliability, in addition to test drives, I chose a preowned TSX. Absolutely love this car. Acura (as expected) has agonized over every single detail for this car from the short throw and click of the turn signal arm, seamless shift of the transmission, perforated leather seating surfaces, moldings of the dash, chrome exhaust tips, xenon lights, to the embroidered TSX logos on the car mats! Far, far superior to the competition. Not even close.

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  2004 Acura TL A-Spec - 2004 Acura TL
  By John Shalaby - December 22 - 10:00 am

  Overall very happy witht he car. Love getting in it every morning. True pleasure

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  Smooth and great family car - 2015 Acura TLX
  By Lawrence71 - December 22 - 2:09 am

  After owning a 2007 Accord (best Accord ever built and phenomenal car), I decided it was time for an upgrade that included more modern safety features. I have been driving my new TLX for about 18 months now and have about 16,000 miles on it. Fantastic car and offers great value for the money. This is not a sports car even though handling is superb. Best features: quiet interior, quality of materials, handling/steering, engine, fuel economy, style, transmission, LED headlights, great value for the money, and very solid chassis. Not so good features: front headroom good but not great (wish Acura would offer models without moon roof), no spare tire, automatic transmission sometimes jerks a bit when switching from reverse to drive when car is cold.

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  Best I have ever owned - 2007 Acura TL
  By bhorton - December 22 - 12:00 am

  I purchased the 2007 Acura TL two day ago and I am very impressed. The build quality inside and out is excellent. Acura has addressed every little detail a customer could think of. The ride is solid and the amenities are vast. I owned a Mercedes C320 and it doesnt come close to the goodies Acura provides. German makers tend to nickel and dime you over options packages that are standard on the TL. So far - Acura has a customer for life. The 2007 comes with a rear back up camera with the navigation package, side mirror turn signal markers, new 18 inch wheel design and retractable keyless entry fob.

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  Vroom Vroom - 2006 Acura TSX
  By nametabm - December 21 - 10:15 pm

  I am a self proclaimed car-snob and the only vehicle that met all my criteria was a Honda CR-V but I couldn’t bring myself to buy it (I’m terrible, I know it). I continued looking and was dead set on something reliable and an SUV because I had a Land Rover (hence, looking for something more reliable…) and I didn’t want to sacrifice the height or the AWD. While this car doesn’t have AWD, I realized I only drive in the snow 5 - 7 days a year – and honestly, if it’s that bad outside, what are you doing out on the roads? After endless back-and-forth, I chose between the car I can afford and the car I would like to be seen driving.