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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  Absolute GEM - 2010 Acura TL
  By lji1 - November 11 - 2:00 am

  Bought the TL SH-AWD 6spd a week ago from a dealership 800 miles away and drove the car back home. The ride quality was very compliant (Im coming from a Lexus) and not jarring. Initial assessment of build quality seems to be excellent. I averaged 27 mpg (~70 mph) on the trip back home which is better than the 25 mpg hwy rating (3.7L V6). I got the silver which blends in the "beak" pretty well. The car looks much nicer in person. With the incentives for the 2010 TL, this car definitely should be given a thorough look over. All kinds of gadgetry and Acura reliability led me to my purchase. I also considered the G37 and the Lexus GS350, but felt the Acura delivered the most bang for the buck.

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  Very Nice Car for the Money - 2010 Acura TL
  By Daily Commuter - November 11 - 2:00 am

  I love this car. The styling is great. Im probably one of the few who loves the grille. It makes the car standout. It drives like a dream. I have not had any problems so far with the fit and finish. No rattles or squeaks. So far so good.

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  1st Acura - 2010 Acura TL
  By 1st Acura - November 8 - 2:00 am

  I love this car. Its a compelling blend of acceleration, sporty drive, comfort, quiet, and packed with features. I considered the BMW 3 series and an Infiniti G35, but the back seats looked like it was made for small children and I was concerned about reliability. For the price and value it was an easy decision taking home the Acura TL.

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  Still my favorite car! - 1991 Acura Integra
  By acura_lover - November 7 - 1:00 am

  My wife bought this car new, and after 180k, still going strong. Finally replaced clutch @ 160k. I love to drive this car around town, freeway, anywhere really. It has been ultra- reliable, just regular maintenance.

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  TL: Touring Luxury and True Love - 2010 Acura TL
  By X-man - November 7 - 1:00 am

  Love everything, I dont think sh-awd is a worth buy if you have limited budget, invest on tech package, you will never even look at Mercedes. I drove Mercedes C300, the acceleration was horrible! C300 feels like an upscale of Camry, the tech touch was not even close to what TL has to offer. many critiques focus on the front styling, however, I think that uniqueness is what you are looking for in the entry level luxury car market! I very much like Mayon Bronze Metallic Color! When I bought the car, I was told there were only 5 Bronze vehicles in the mid-atlantic region, which pretty much makes my TL a LIMITED EDITION! The inside is as quiet as a church! Highly recommend this vehicle.

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  Great SUV - 2011 Acura MDX
  By steve - November 6 - 2:00 am

  Was in the market for a vehicle with third row and this fit the bill perfectly! Compared with the bmw x5 i kept coming back to this suv for comparable ride/handling and the price difference was the clincher! 3rd row standard on MDX, upgrade on BMW, leasing a base model with NOTHING out of pocket for $610 a month!!! will add DVD player for kids for 1k later on and get a garmin for Nav. no need to pay extra 10k for all the extra gadgets. the performance and exterior of the truck are the same no matter the tech package.

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  This car is a beast! - 2010 Acura ZDX
  By Eichler34 - November 3 - 2:00 am

  First my disclaimer: Ive taken this car on 2 lengthy test-drives and because we are a family of 5 we decided on the MDX over this. That being said, this car made me want to force the issue and try to cram 3 people in the back. The over-the-top bold and modern design inside and out must be seen in person to appreciate. The car drives incredibly smooth and quiet even in sport mode. The speed and handling are top notch, it has the most comfortable car seats Ive ever used, and they are heated and cooled seats, and the cooled seats are what luxury is all about, they work really well. The blind spot warning system is a must and works to perfection.

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  Best car Ive ever owned - 2003 Acura TL
  By TimK - November 3 - 2:00 am

  I research my cars thoroughly before I buy. As an engineer I appreciate good design and the Acura is excellent. I buy on performance, reliability, and styling in that order. What attracted me most was that it was the best performing car in its class according to Consumer Reports and it has not disappointed. Great acceleration with top mileage of about 30 mpg on the highway. Like many others it has had a new transmission but Acura covered the entire cost including an Acura loaner from the dealer. Ive had lots of good comments about the deep blue metallic color. 130,000 miles and going strong. On my second set of brakes and third set of tires.

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  Fun to drive - 2011 Acura RDX
  By KP - November 3 - 2:00 am

  So far, so good! Moved up from CR-V. The Acura has been fabulous to drive, very quiet and smooth. Interior is much more practical than CR-V and easier to adjust various things, and the engine/pick-up goes w/o saying. Exterior seems nice, get lots of compliments. Looked at Q5 and X3, for the money I think I got the best deal. Only complaint is the gas mileage. Yes, it is turbo charged, but a combined mpg around 23 would be more reasonable for a 4cy. On 5 tanks I get b/w 18-25mpg with 60% highway/40% city driving and not engaing the turbo charger as hard/often. Most weeks are lower end of range 18-20mpg. OEM tires seem OK so far, wont know for sure until Winter hits.

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  Acura MDX 2011 - 2011 Acura MDX
  By kbgcpa - November 3 - 2:00 am

  Picked up 2011 Acura MDX on Saturday after trying to get a good deal on a 2010 but dealership made me a good offer. Had a Lexus RX 330 and then 350 for the last six years. Glad I switched needed more room but still wanted luxury. Drive is very powerful and I actual like the front grill which I could not stand at first. The buttons are very easy to get used to just use the tutorial online.