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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  1 Year Review - 2006 Acura TL
  By Car Man - November 4 - 3:43 pm

  After owning only European cars for the past 10 years (Audi, BMW, MB) I decided to give the Acura TL a chance. Although I was impressed by the lower cost, Ive realized that the extra cost goes into the details. After about a year of ownership, Ive noticed that the TL just cant match the attention to detail, high-speed performance, and material quality of German competitors (e.g., interior materials, ambient lighting inside, intelligent design in small details, etc.) I think every manfacturer has a competency, and the TL is relatively comfortable, luxurious, and performs relatively well, but doesnt excel like those offered by Euro car makers.

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  Great car and a price that cant be beat - 2006 Acura TSX
  By SteveJKY - November 4 - 10:14 am

  Great car. Had an 04 Accord EX 2-door before my TSX. I was afraid they would be very similar - I was wrong. The TSX has a better ride, handling and even though I felt like I got more power out of my manual Accord, the automatic TSX does have a little more horsepower. Comparing the TSX to like cars for the same price - the TSX offers way more options and features. No comparison.

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  Great Retirement Car - 2006 Acura RL
  By MARY BREAUX - November 4 - 9:23 am

  This car is great for traveling. I retired in January 2006 & have taken several road trips this year. I usually get 28-30 mpg on the highway. I have had many positive comments on the interior design & sharp appearance of this vehicle. I previously owned 2 TLs before the RL. The TL is a great car too, but at this point in my life, I thought the RL is better suited for my needs. Overall, I love my car!

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  My 3rd Acura - 2004 Acura TL
  By carnaught - November 4 - 8:43 am

  Well, I should have known after two prior so-so experiences with new Acuras. The car is less than exciting to drive, quickly develops multiple rattles and vibrations and has inferior service to my experience with Lexus and Mercedes. In fact, the car is very inferior in all aspects (except with its looks) with any Lexus Ive owned. This will probably be my last Acura with my repetitive disappointing experience.

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  Great car - first year of ownership - 2005 Acura TL
  By KJW73 - November 3 - 10:19 am

  I love this car! This November 2006, I will have owned the car for one year (approx. 9800 miles) and the experience has been terrific. I never thought that I would like a sedan, but this car has everything to enjoy. The navigation is especially user friendly never had a problem with it and has always been accurate. The seating is comfortable on long and short hauls. The interior quality so far is very good I have the parchment colored leather and it is easily soiled, so you have to keep up on cleaning it often. The TL is very quick considering its size. Love the get-up-and-go of the 270 horses.

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  My first SUV purchase - 2016 Acura MDX
  By Suzanne Thorpe - November 3 - 5:55 am

  I typically drive a vehicle for as long as possible. So when my 2003 Toyota Camry was starting to show some signs of wear and tear after 13 years, I decided to check out the new SUVs. For me I wanted comfort, quiet, smooth handling, navigation package, something easy enough to get my aging parents into, and most importantly something with a solid reputation of being a reliable and quality vehicle. My pros: I found that I liked sitting a bit higher on the road. The drive is very comfy, quiet and the vehicle is very responsive. When I test drove the car I got the speed up to 90 entering the interstate before the salesman in the backseat coughed uncomfortably, but the car never hesitated and was very responsive. The headlights provide an amazing view of the road at night. The bluetooth for phone calls is crystal clear. I am using midgrade octane gasoline and I am averaging 24.5 mpg. My cons: I wish the cup holder was a smidge larger so it could hold my bubba cup of water. The navigation system is a little confusing but now that I am used to it things are fine but it took some patience on my part. The driver seat is self adjusting to driver 1 or 2 but I wish that I could get the seat to automatically move further back than it does upon going into park. I understand that Acura has accessories for sale but I think that for the amount of $$$ you spend they could have included a net in the cargo area to keep the groceries from sliding around, I think it should have been standard not optional. Overall I really have been impressed so far and have not once regretted my purchase. I dont have any maintenance issues to report after 4 months of ownership.

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  Great car - 2006 Acura TL
  By Jim - November 1 - 6:43 pm

  Just purchased this for my wife. This is best car that we have ever owned. Great ride, very smooth. Excellent acceleration. Nothing about this car that we do not like. Look forward to many years of comfortable safe driving.

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  Grinning from ear to ear - 2006 Acura TL
  By tom s - November 1 - 2:18 pm

  Test drove many competitors and the winner was the TL. Great handling for fwd (which I want for traction in the north country) and you do not notice the torque steer unless the vehicle is taken to the limits, which few people do on a regular basis. Everything is standard on the TL. This vehicle is really fun to drive. The only problem I have is trying to get my wife out of the driverÂ’s seat.

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  Bobs Car - 2005 Acura RL
  By bobb - October 31 - 9:54 am

  After much research and thinking between Toyota and Acura plus several test drives I decided on the Acura. I must say I am very happy. I have taken several trips from Chicago to Florida with no issues. I have navigation and it is a help and comfort. I once got lost in Milwaukee and the navigation system got me right out of trouble. I highly recommend this automobile.

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  I LOVE THIS CAR!! - 2006 Acura TL
  By Desi - October 31 - 6:13 am

  I wanted a new car, didnt need it but I wanted one. I had to choose between several cars and I chose this one because of all of the things it came with. If you dont like a sports car and you want something practical then, purchase a Honda or Toyota. Im a single mother and my daughter just loves talking to this car and playing with the navigation system.