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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  Nice Ride - 2007 Acura TL
  By whulik - November 14 - 12:23 am

  I have had the TL-S for a week now and I love it. Im sure a sports car purist would find plenty to gripe about, but its NOT a sports car, its a sporty sedan. And as a sporty sedan the TL-S excels. The engine is excellent with lots of low end torque and a wide power band. Handling is crisp but will not rattle your teeth loose. The interior is very well laid out, quiet and comfortable. All in all, its as near perfect as a car can get.

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  Less than 2 months and I LOVE it!! - 2006 Acura TSX
  By CJTitans3 - November 13 - 9:49 pm

  I searched high & low before purchasing a vehicle. The Acura TSX was an excellent choice! I drove a Honda Accord before, so there was not much of a transition needed to adjust to the Acura except that it has more power & get-up beneath the hood. I just love driving it! Its great on gas. In town & on the highway, the performance is fabulous! This car is a nice way to get a taste of luxury for a fraction of the price.

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  Needs more power - 2006 Acura RL
  By Scott - November 13 - 12:33 pm

  Ive had this car for about a week. I love styling of the car, it has all of the amenities I would expect from a luxury car, but is generally lacking in performance. This car replaced a 2001 M5 (396hp) and was not anticipated to provide the same performance, but at 300hp, I had higher expectations. I believe the weight of the car materially decreases performance. In general it is quite comfortable and handles well, but needs a bit more power to round out the driving experience.

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  Transmission Problems at 56K - 2002 Acura TL
  By nldud - November 12 - 2:00 am

  I loved my car until transmission troubles! Car hesitates to shift when you first accelerate and then when it does shift, its a really hard jerking motion. Acura dealership replaced the A and B shift solinoid but problem is not resolved. Its a good thing I bought the extended warranty! Everyone kept telling me Acura will last for 300K but Im not going to find out. My 94 Nissan Sentra was still running smooth at 160K when I sold it to buy the ACURA. I took excellent care of the vehice had all the oil recommended oil changes and routine service schedule maintenance.

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  No Regrets - 2006 Acura RL
  By tizer - November 11 - 8:42 pm

  Went back and forth between Lexus GS 350 and Infiniti M35. Then looked at the RL and after one drive realized it was better than both and the year end pricing was just the icing on the cake. The RL is a breath of fresh air compared to the Mercedes I drove for the last 5 years - no problems whatsoever with the Acura.

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  2007 TL Base Sedan - 2007 Acura TL
  By Richey02hg - November 11 - 12:26 pm

  Bought a black exterior with black interior base 2007 in December 06. I love everything about the car except the gas mileage is a little below what I expected, I drive about 70% street and 30% highway and I constantly get 20 MPG at best. Also, I wish the low fuel light would not be so premature. It usually turns on and I only have to fill up 14.5 or 15 gallons so there clearly has to be 2 or more gallons left in the tank. But other than those minor issues. I love the car. Its roomy and comfortable yet still has a very sporty drive and all the features seemed to be well planned out to make as easy as possible for the driver.

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  The Living LEGEND - 1994 Acura Legend
  By maracura91 - November 10 - 11:52 pm

  This is hands down the best automobile that ive ever owned, and this is my second legend. This is truly a vehicle far ahead of its time and I love it, plain and simple.

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  recommend it! - 2006 Acura MDX
  By AC and AS-C - November 10 - 3:26 pm

  Excellent, we are very happy with our MDX. We are impressed with the quality of the car. Well built.

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  Love My TL - 2006 Acura TL
  By Steve P - November 10 - 11:40 am

  This is my 3rd Acura. Had an 03 TL, and 04 TSX. For overall performance including power as a big factor for me, the new TL gets my nod. Im a sucker for horsepower though. Love the fit and finish, smooth delivery of power, and well-engineered handling. A quiet cabin allows for a high-end listening experience with well-mixed DTS type DVDAs . Be careful what you buy, some of these high end discs sound no better than your average CD in the TL. Some reviewers have complained about a lack of bass. It is available, you just need to give the TL the proper source material. The TL is money well spent.

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  2004 TSX A-Spec - 2004 Acura TSX
  By TSX A-SPEC - November 10 - 10:00 am

  The TSX is just plain fun to drive. Even the base TSX is enough for most people, but if you have the chance, check out the A-Spec options. A great looking body kit, and nice 1 drop, and a sport tuned suspension makes this car a great daily driver, but one that cannot wait for weekend road trips. Coming from a 00 Eclispse GT it dosent have the same power at the low end but the 7100 redline takes care of you on the high end. Though the 2004 A-Spec is no longer avaliable, the 2005s, ariving mid December should have the A-Spec option.