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 vehicle - 2002 Acura TL
  By keithr - May 19 - 2:00 am

  I have had the TL for about a year now. Ive owned a Legend and Accord in the past, however, the Tl is the best yet. Smooth horse power, great ride, and complete package:-)

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  So close, but still great - 2005 Acura RL
  By spclst - May 17 - 5:13 pm

  A great overall car. Trunk is a bit small and I wish the rear seat folded down since space is already limited, but it is what it is. I cant understand why the radio cant display the CD (especially a DVD-A) info with song names, etc. And the FM RDS which is pretty standard nowadays is also missing....hmmmm? Oh, and why the heck did Acura change the lug and hub pattern of this car so that I cant get any aftermarket rims until the wheel manufacturers catch up to the new layout.... But, overall, I love the car. I guess nothing is perfect.

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  MDX is excellent so far! - 2007 Acura MDX
  By Cliff Kang - May 17 - 10:00 am

  Excellent vehicle. Took it on a cross country trip from CA to NY with absolutely no problems. With highway driving, I get close to 23 mpg, but when driving around town, I usually get about 15 (I drive pretty aggressively I guess). Build quality and design is superb, and the options you get for the price compared to cars in its class is considerable. Only thing that Id really like to see are flat 2nd row seats, for better cargo storage. But otherwise, excellent :D! I love my car. Ive gotten about 5500 miles on it so far in 2 months.

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  It has been almost 4 years - 2000 Acura Integra
  By JLongo527 - May 17 - 2:00 am

  I bought this car new after months of research and online hunting. It was the car I wanted and the first car I have ever purchased. Although suggesting any improvements wont really effect anything since they have done away with this model I do have only a few suggestions(see below). Overall this car is great. If you are buying it used and the person has really taken care of the care I wouldnt expect too many problems. Mine loves synthetic oil (Mobil 1) and a good thorough inspection every 6 months. A blast to drive and great on gas.

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  TSX... One Year Later - 2004 Acura TSX
  By hip - May 15 - 10:00 am

  After one year with my TSX 6-speed, Navi any regrets of waiting for the TL have long evaporated. Typical of all our Hondas, experience has been positive overall, this leaves only nitpicking. The seats in the TSX are truly outstanding even after long 7-8 hour drives. As most reviews state, driving comfort, handling, quality, ergonomics are first rate. Biggest complaint concerns outward visability due to stringent side impact protection. Higher belt line than previous generation Hondas, make it difficult to judge proximity to curbs on passenger side)especially when parking. Otherwise no real issues.

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  All I wanted and More! - 2004 Acura TSX
  By Chizzy - May 15 - 10:00 am

  After reading every review for the TSX i could find, and considering other vehicles...BMW 3 infiniti G25 subaru legacy GT and Honda accord ex V6... this car has the best of all i tested with few comprimises. Ive driven this car on the freeways of phoenix and the twisty roads of northern arizona. This car has two personalities. Quiet and smooth on the commutes, loud and confident on the weekends. The interior is absolutely beautiful. If youre considering a V6 accord, DO NOT BUY IT until you test drive a TSX. There is a substantial difference in style and performance with similar prices. Honda could get away with selling the TSX for more.

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  ya ya - 2004 Acura TSX
  By Wilson420420 - May 15 - 10:00 am

  Awesome car and awesome to drive.....wish my mom got the manual. Its just not the same with that triptronics stuff

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  Overall - Very Nice - 2004 Acura TL
  By happy0506 - May 15 - 10:00 am

  Ive had my TL for almost 6 months now and overall it has been very good. Its got plenty of power and is very smooth in acceleration. The interior is very well laid out and has almost every feature you could ever want. The interior dash lights up like a cockpit and the navigation system is awesome. I cant believe more cars dont have a navigation system. The screen is very big and the touch screen controls are very convenient.

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  love it - 2004 Acura TL
  By gooo - May 15 - 10:00 am

  i love this car

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  I miss my BMW - 2004 Acura TL
  By angelika - May 15 - 10:00 am

  This is a great car for a great price. Unfortunately, after driving only BMWs for the last 10 years, I miss my old car ! The ride is nowwhere as sooth and luxuries feeling than my old BMWs. It also needs a better armrest. My biggest complaint is the steering wheel columm. I am only 57, yet my knee always bumps on the steering wheel even though I have it on the highest setting. But, overall this is a great car for the price !