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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  Love this car - 2004 Acura TL
  By mel63 - December 16 - 12:01 pm

  I bought this 2004 Acura TL new. I now have 185,00 miles on it, 95% of them being highway miles. A few problems here and there, but all in all its the greatest car Ive had. My bluetooth has problems off and on and my navigation system has died due to it being in the trunk and I live 2 miles off the highway on a dirt and dusty road. Would love to know if anyone else has had more miles than mine and if yours is still running well.

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  99 integra ls 2d automatic - 1999 Acura Integra
  By twoheadsup - December 9 - 9:21 pm

  I absolutely love this car, it is right on so many levels! It is sporty, good-looking, reliable, versatile, fuel-efficient, and safe. Even though mine has the basic 1.8L b18b1 engine without vtec, it roars when you force down the pedal and those revs soar up. For a high-revving engine the low-end torque is great, I had to haul over 150 pounds of plywood in the trunk and it never quit. I bought it at 94k miles and im at 122k miles now and its still tight as a drum. Since I bought the car 2 and a half years ago, the only things that have went wrong and needed to be replaced were the speakers and a tail light. Upkeep has been about $1,300 since I bought it, due required services at 100k miles.

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  Awesome - 2005 Acura TL
  By Anonymous - December 8 - 2:00 am

  Bought the car used with 120k one owner,Ive had for a year now and it drives like its show room condition! The orginal owner never took it in for any problems during warranty. 4 door sedan with good muscle power. Japanese know how to build cars, thats for sure! I love my TL.

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  Second TSX - 2010 Acura TSX
  By him1 - December 7 - 2:00 am

  Already have a 2005 Six speed. Was looking for a second car with Automatic. Done the all possible research and test driving. Nothing beats this Acura- so got another one! Compared to 2005 model it is a different car in all respects (and better). Much better build quality, much more luxury and refinement all over. It is by no means underpowered or less sporty (some critics have said last gen was more sporty). This car also has much better road grip, cornering and braking. It will be difficult to find another car within $4-$5000 that matches the TSX - not even TL.

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  A perfect 10,but maybe not for everyone - 2010 Acura ZDX
  By Hilbily 385 - December 3 - 2:00 am

  I really like this car. Its clearly not for everyone and although its a crossover its capacity is limited so in reality its a hatchback coupe with four doors. We also have a Honda van and an Acura MDX so this is my personal driver. Its comfortable, with a lot of nice features, plenty of power and a fun car to drive. Im now looking for places to drive it I enjoy it so much.

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  A Great car! - 1999 Acura RL
  By BostonBob - November 30 - 2:00 am

  This was our 2nd CPO Acura vehicle that I paid $24k for with 58k miles. My first was a 94 Legend with 13k miles (paid $24k) and our most recent is a 2005 RL with 50k - paid $24k. See the theme? This 99 has been nearly bullet-proof. It has been frequently mistaken for an S class MB. I love the classic and timeless look of this body style. It is a fantastic hi-way cruiser that loves to cruise at 75 all day long. Smooth and quiet ride. It is conservative with a touch of elegance.

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  great car - 2006 Acura TL
  By johnny - November 30 - 2:00 am

  I have not been let down with this car fun to drive good on gass, looks great would by another one.

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  All good - 2011 Acura MDX
  By Mike - November 30 - 2:00 am

  After not even considering this SUV, all I have to say is awesome. Performance, feel, and value, what a shocker. Please go drive all the others, then drive this one. You will be happy to write a review after you buy it!!!!. Great product.

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  6 years and counting - 2005 Acura TL
  By Naval Air - November 28 - 2:00 am

  As a retired Naval Aviator, I have a sincere appreciation for performance, reliability and “fit”. I purchased my 2005 TL new with the assumptions that it would provide years of performance and have the road manors to handle long trips without rattling my old bones. Actually, the car has surpassed those expectations and is categorically the best car I’ve ever owned. It has some inherit limitations involving wet or snowy road conditions that may challenge even an experienced driver, but overall it’s a keeper.

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  Awesome Ride - 2005 Acura TL
  By sjd94975 - November 28 - 2:00 am

  I bought my TL new and after doing a bit of specializing, had the stock rims dipped in black chrome, drove off the lot & only return when its time for regular maintenance. I love this car, its sophisticated styling inside & out still make it a head turner 5 years in. It handles great and is very responsive when you need to get going. The large screen Navi is great, XM feature w/ awesome 6 speaker stereo sound, voice command features incl bluetooth cellular...this car has it all. I think my 2005 looks is better than the 2011 I see at the dealership. Never regreted this purchase...ever!