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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  Everything I wanted and more... - 2006 Acura RL
  By cb - September 4 - 9:01 am

  This is the car Ive always wanted, and finally, someone built it. Its the most fun car Ive ever driven because it was so well designed. Every control is within my reach without stretching, voice recognition, although not perfect, is pretty close. My favorite part is the gas mileage. I just came back from a 150 mile trip, and got 31.6 mpg on the highway with the air conditioning on. I held to the speed limit (65 mph), and used cruise control. Long trips are a dream with the quiet cabin, smooth ride and excellent Bose stereo system. Ive heard people say it looks like an Accord, but I disagree. Certainly not from the front. I like the styling and the total quality of the car.

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  Incredible value - great all-around - 2004 Acura TSX
  By JanTSX - September 3 - 4:00 pm

  Ive had my TSX for over three years now and am really impressed. Build quality is exceptional - Ive had one minor issue w/ my air conditioner in 3 years, but other than that, have just had to change the oil and rotate the tires. Lots of fun to drive. The navigation system is extremely easy to use and intuitive. Took me all of 5 mins. to learn it. I always get comments on the interior lighting at night - very cool looking. Controls and gauges laid out very well. And the stability control program pretty much saved my life one day on I-459 in Birmingham, Alabama.

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  I will never buy Acura again - 2016 Acura TLX
  By Eric - September 3 - 2:05 pm

  I will never buy Acura again. This is my second Acura and fifth car manufactured by Honda. I have been a loyal Honda customer, had two Accords and a Civic. Loved each one. Then, when my spouses Mercedes C300 4matic got totaled, we decided to try 2013 Acura TSX 4cyl (Tech package), and we were very impressed with it. Car had certain finesse about it, the interior was made of quality materials, it was crafty and had a decent feel about it. Engine and transmission were flawless. So, needless to say that when we received an invitation from Acura to trade in our older TSX for a brand new TLX (for the same monthly leasing price, with zero out of pocket costs, tax, tags, registration included) we were excited and jumped on it. Dealership was great, their customer service and finance department catered to all of our whims. They took off over $5000 off MSRP and we ended up leasing 2016 SH AWD TLX V6 Tech package with literally no cost except the first months leasing payment ($33/mo over TSX tech, but this is AWD, V6, nearly $10K more expensive car). But werent we disappointed when we got behind the wheel! Yes, there is no way you can buy so many options in a car for $37,000 if you got with BMW, Mercedes or Audi. But at what cost! First of all, let me say it was completely convoluted idea to build a car with "fuel economy at any cost!" idea and put a V6 engine on it. If you want to cater to fuel economy crazy consumer why bother to attach 6 cyl engine to it? The end result is completely convoluted, lame, jerky and I should say overall TERRIBLE performance on the road! First of all, this car drives like under-powered 4 cyl and NOT anything like V6. Transmission hesitates and "thinks" for good few seconds before it decides what gear it will shift, so God forbid you are on a highway passing a car and a 18 wheeler is quickly approaching you. It will ride all over you and glue you from trunk through your hood before your transmission would even begin to decide what gear it should shift into. I have never had a car with such a horrible transmission. Car just never moves! As if this was not enough of inconvenience, this car will remind you what a foolish choice you have made when you eventually slow down in a traffic without pushing the break pedal. It will jerk and pull forward each time it shifts from one of its higher gears towards the lower, and oh boys, doesnt that car have plenty of gears! 9 in total! Stay away from this car! Let Acura know that they must live up to the image they have established in earlier years and deliver quality cars as they used, or else we wont buy it from them again! I personally have no intention to touch another Acura once our lease comes to an end. I could live with extremely ugly design of the grill some genius designer came up with once upon a time (just who came up with the idea of putting a beak on it!), but I will not tolerate a car that handles like a dirt truck while claiming to be a luxury vehicle. And please, just because you are targeting certain socioeconomic demographics dont assume we are blind and cant notice how cheap and LOW QUALITY the interior design and quality are. This car has nothing of 2013 TSX , as far as interior design and quality are concerned. And I have said enough of its drive-train already. In one word: just stay away from TLX.

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  Excellent!! - 2005 Acura RSX
  By dendron - September 2 - 11:14 pm

  What a shame Acura has decided to discontinue this model beyond 2006! The RSX -- especially the Type-S -- is major bang for the buck. Grab one before theyre gone. I owned a 2002 Type-S, which I loved, until the refinements of the 2005-06 were introduced... then I had to trade. My 2005 is a noticeable improvement over the earlier varsion. A very nice blend of luxury, economy, and performance for under $25K. Several reviewers have complained about the rough ride. This is primarily due to the crappy Michelin touring (M+S) tires Acura shackles this car with from the factory. An upgrade to a set of oversized General UHP summer tires TOTALLY transformed this car for me. BIG difference!

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  116,000 Mile Acura TSX 6M - 2004 Acura TSX
  By lucky_doggg7 - September 2 - 1:09 pm

  Ownership - Replacement/repairs to date consist of: two sets of rotors (centric premium) and pads (Porterfield R4S) driver and passenger side half shafts (rebuilts at $169 ea. undercuts the Dealer cost of $500+ ea.). Replacing the halfshafts cured the front end shake occuring between 50 and 60 mph. Stock Michelin Pilots lasted >60K miles. The third set of tires are now Michelin PS2s in the size of 235/40/18. This car has presented no other problems, really! The stories of Honda owners claiming they only put oil and gas in their cars are true! This is a very refreshing ownership change coming from Audi cars in terms of operating expense.

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  Acura MDX - 2004 Acura MDX
  By pakky - September 2 - 2:00 am

  I purchased this vehicle new just over a year ago. It is simply the best SUV I have ever driven. I would not hesitate to recommend its purchase to a friend or family member. My one and only criticism is:fake(plastic)wood.

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  TSX Kidney Rattler - 2006 Acura TSX
  By I want my Audi back! - September 1 - 6:53 pm

  I did a ton of research, read many reviews, still think Im driving a different car than the rest of you out there. Best looking car in its class, inside and out. Best value for options included in base price. Looks like a luxury car however the body shell is just a tin Honda. Noticed rattles and squeaks after driving it for just one day. Very disappointed in the "extremely" abrupt reaction of the car when it hits the bumps on the road, and the rattles it is creating due to the harsh ride. Id really like to return this car. All they need to do is add some sound proofing underneath and improve the way it handles normal road bumps, and this car would be a winner.

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  Best SUV ever - 2006 Acura MDX
  By Tony - September 1 - 3:05 pm

  I have had many cars over my life time. I have enjoyed many brands as well. This time I traded my TSX for my MDX. Everyday I enjoy the MDX more and more. Funny thing... my 24 yr son wants to buy one as well. So it spans the generation. You will not be disappointed!

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  2005 Acura TSX - 2005 Acura TSX
  By Driver - September 1 - 5:21 am

  The best drive I ever had in the TSX was the test drive. It makes a very good first impression. This quickly wears off though after you drive it for a month or two. It quickly develops rattles and squeaks and the precise handling quickly loses alignment. Its never starts without cranking too long. The fuel economy is much worse than advertised, even under optimal conditions. Seats are narrow and uncomfortable for an average-sized person. No side-body protective molding. Also, some of the fancy features are poorly implemented. It has power seats but no position memory which is worse (slower and less reliable) than plain old manual seats. Theres no "mute" button for the stereo.

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  Wonderful SUV - 2003 Acura MDX
  By royalpar1 - August 31 - 1:32 pm

  I have this car now going on 4 years, no issues, the car is just great and probably the best SUV for the money. I have looked at others and believe that this the best value for money.