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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  Great value in luxury category - 2003 Acura MDX
  By owahn - July 2 - 2:00 am

  The Navigation system is simply amazing. Space is great, we can go with friends, 8 people not a problem. Its the first car where I actually need to study the manuals though because there are just so many gadgets. Fuel economy is said to be the best, so I feel ok about it, although I hope car makers will still be able to improve on this. The only snag was that I had to wait 3 months for the car.

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  Outstanding Acuras - 2003 Acura TL
  By daRick - July 2 - 2:00 am

  Acutally, my TL was bought in Feb 00, an is a 00 model. It, like the 89 Legend I had for over 165K miles is outstanding. To the shop only for normal maintenance! Love it.

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  great car! - 2003 Acura TL
  By Natalya - July 2 - 2:00 am

  I was really thinking about buying a 3.2TL with Nav, but the dealer convinced me in to trying the Type-s. Oh, boy, was he right! Got 260hp under the hood, and driving it is a breeze. I just love this car! The independent wheel suspension is awesome, you can barely feel it when you go over a bump in the road. The interior of the Type- S is so very cozy, and well designed! The IR light sensors are awesome. I cannot describe how excited I am to own it! Acura surely is the way to go!!!!

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  Excellent - 2004 Acura TL
  By rick - July 1 - 8:33 pm

  This car is great and looks great with all the ground effects and short wing installed. the only problem is the dash looks faded.

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  RELIABLE FUN - 2004 Acura TL
  By Mt T - July 1 - 5:39 pm

  This is one of the finest cars I have owned. Having been a Lexus and Infinity owner, this cars stands along them in quality, ride, and enjoyment.

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  2003 3.2 CL Issues - 2003 Acura CL
  By Byana - July 1 - 3:37 pm

  Several recalls in short time frame (transmission, camshaft, fuel tank). Continually losing power steering fluid for 2 years before dealer figured out the rack & pinion unit was the source. CD player/changer operates sporadically - 90% of the time you get an error code on the display, but never when you take to the shop! Enigine has good power, but the curve flattens out to quickly (peaks around 4600rpm). Torque steer is more pronounced than in other cars in its class.

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  6 speed makes the difference. - 2003 Acura CL
  By will - July 1 - 10:08 am

  I really love the power of my CL. The 6 speed manual transmission really sets it apart from the automatic models. I would really recommend the manual model over the automatic model to anyone who is interested in buying a CL. The car is sporty and comfortable. It is a great mix between a luxury and sports car.

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  My Acura is my love - 2003 Acura TL
  By 8motor8pheen8 - June 30 - 1:55 pm

  I love this car but with every car their is downsides but this vehicle i have found the least down side with execpt for the center console position and the windows. I think that the windows could have a factory shade of tint put in a little darker and the felt on the roof is very delicate unlike the new ones which it feels very durable.

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  good car - 2005 Acura TL
  By Tim - June 30 - 11:30 am

  Almost 6 months now. I didnt want to write review too soon before I really spend some time w/ it. Its a great car for your $$$. Nice ride on the highway. When I wanted to go, it goes. Had a lot of fun on twisties (w/ A-Spec). Fun car to toss around in the snow too (of course I took down those summer tires). Stability control just would not let this front drive car go out of line. Original shocks & springs were too soft. Got the A-Spec package and all soft feelings went away. (If you dig Lexus, this is not for you.) If you dont mind spend a little more, I highly recommend the A-Spec. power, winter driving, family use, look, functionality, quality and gas mileage (for 270hp) in perfect harmony.

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  Second hand ILX 2.4L 6MT - 2014 Acura ILX
  By ryhi - June 30 - 1:05 am

  I was looking for a good commuter with a manual transmission I could hold on to of the next 15 years. I have owned 3 other Hondas so I have seen, first hand, how their powertrains hold up as I maintain them myself. I was interested in either the 16 Civic LX 6MT or the 16 Accord Sport 6MT. I, personally, like the new civic but, at the time, only the LX had the 6MT available. I didnt want to spend ~$19 grand on the base model, base 4 speaker stereo and wheel covers. I have been spoiled with the features Ive come to enjoy in my 2007 Accord EX-L Sdn V6 6MT, I know I was being too harsh on the LX. I began to seriously consider the Accord Sport, it is a gorgeous car on the outside, but I found I would have to give up many features: quality stereo, sunroof and (at the time) leather on the inside. I have always loved the powertrain of the Civic Si, excellent engine and transmission but personally, I didnt want the Si and wasnt too fond of the interior. To every man his taste. I then noticed the ILX. I would never consider buying one brand new for $30k+, but a clean white one at ~$21k @ 10,000 miles and in immaculate shape it became an excellent choice! The new Accord Sport is pushing ~$27k but I got so many more features with the used ILX. I have throughly enjoyed this car and even with the 6MT coming available in the EX-T Civic I find Im still enjoying my choice without regrets. (I would really be sad if a Leather/Manual/Turbo civic option had popped up), even with the turbo manual option the Apple Car play is great but it still lacks a bit of a list of features ILX has. Some features I have really enjoyed are the sound system, there is a Sub in the back and the higher wattage is very noticable, much better sound and intensity than my fully loaded 2007 Accord EX-L. The HIDs are excellent, I purchased the car in OR and drove it to CA during a rain storm at night to outrun a snow storm. Those headlights were impressive for that drive, I could see both sides of the road (worried about deer) and much further I have ever been able to see with my other Hondas, the handling is also very light and precise through the mountains. What I wanted in a commuter was good powertrain, this car always puts a smile on my face driving home, this is the best manual transmission I have driven and that engine note never gets old. This thing is quick. Even on starting the engine it reminds you of its capabilities with that aggressive engine note. Ive also been pleasantly surprised with the fuel economy. I commonly get ~40 mpg on my 40 mile commute one way, which includes hills and plenty of stop and go, I usually average 31MPG overall with lively city driving. On a longer drive to UT I saw an overall 34.5 MPG on the computer. Ive only put premium in it and honestly dont mind the extra dollar or two at each fill up. Even with the newer choices of the Civic Turbo manual and even the excellent Mazda 3 I still went with and couldnt be happier with my choice in the ILX. My only gripe, echoing the many, was no Navigation. Fortunately I have it in my Accord. Honestly, Its a pleasant convenience in it but wasnt a deal breaker in the ILX for me. The screen in the ILX is honestly rather poor, but the sound system quality is what I was looking for. Another gripe is the fact that it revs a little too high for my taste on the freeway, but I like the shorter gear ratio than those longer gears found the Mazda 3 6MT. The keyless entry and push button start has also an excellent feature Ive come to truly enjoy. If youre looking for a good option, the ILX is a solid choice if you can find a good one off lease. This car is a tidy package for the long run. Also the fact that someone designed it so the oil filter is conveniently on the bottom of the engine directly behind the oil drain plug (rather than spilling all over the back of the engine like on the Honda F series engine or spilling all over the subframe on the J series) is brilliant.