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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  6 month update - 2009 Acura TSX
  By highmiles - July 3 - 9:26 am

  Have owned 6M TSX since Jan 1 and put over 12Kmiles on. Pluses - high mileage, pretty fun to drive, initial reliability is as high as I expected. Minuses - low end torque is light, revs about 3100RPM at 72-75mph. My old 2000TL does 2100@80mph. Other - not sure console display sometimes hard to read, CD slot is difficult to manage at highway speed. I am uncomfortable with long service intervals and change my oil at 5K no matter what oil life indicator says. Overall, good dependable, fun to drive car, would definitely consider another one in a few years.

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  Great Car - 2006 Acura RSX
  By Sean - July 1 - 2:48 pm

  I bought my White Pearl RSX Type-S back in 2006 right before they were discontinued. I unfortunately have to trade in due to expecting child...I love this car and would recommend it to anyone who enjoys and would appreciate a fun, reliable compact sports car. Acura really hit the nail on the head with the exterior design. My only complaint is the 201 bhp. If it had around 260 bhp I would have been much happier so I could smoke those cheap SS cobalts and SRT- 4s you see all over the road. In all the car is great and I am sad to see it go. If I could I would definitely keep the car. Sound system is unbelievable handling is great car is just perfect to drive since I put 30k/yr on it.

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  Trustworthy - 1991 Acura Legend
  By leller - June 28 - 5:36 pm

  Ive never been stranded in my Legend. Now with 255,000 miles on it, still running strong. Finally had to fix air conditioner at 250K. Other than that the car is a gem.

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  Hot looking car - 2009 Acura TSX
  By Azul - June 23 - 1:05 pm

  I got my TSX almost a year ago now and I get a lot of compliments from ppl. I didnt get the nav sys because it was way more expensive that just buying a separate one if you dont have one already. The brake pads were defective, it started making the annoying squeaky noise after only 4 months. The bracket that holds the trunk door went out of place because some wire was not connected properly, so it wouldnt open with the remote control. They were both fixed under warranty at no cost. Great service, just inconvenient to spend a couple of hours each time to fix a new car.

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  Not impressed - 2009 Acura TSX
  By Suzie - June 21 - 12:26 pm

  Traded my 2006 TL. Got the TSX because TL no longer offered a manual transmission. Got the wing spoiler and underbody molding. Looks really "hot" in the basque red. That said, I should have stayed with the TL. Navigation is a waste. I can read a map "direct route" keeps you on main roads & takes you the long way traffic conditions on radio is better. Drivers seat has a hard spot in the middle of my back. The switchblade key spring is wearing out in less than a month. Radio has static. Bluetooth doesnt connect (this was problem with 2006 TL I would think they would have this fixed by now). Computerized MPG calculator isnt correct after fillups.

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  Pretty good - 2009 Acura MDX
  By Dave - June 20 - 12:01 pm

  Nice car. Build quality is excellent. Dealer service has been excellent. Bluetooth cell phone pairing is easy and nice. Seats are hard for me to set up comfortably though and the headrests are absolutely awful. Very uncomfortable due b/c they tilt too far forward. Dash has too many buttons. Acura should consolidate the controls to make them easier to use, rather than trying to make you depend on voice input. GPS requires far too many steps. No iPod integration is disappointing. Needs better, more durable clear coat on the paint. Rear camera display hangs switching modes (dark to light) backing out of a driveway so often is useless when needed most on a sunny day.

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  Bad experience - 2005 Acura TL
  By Mark - June 20 - 10:02 am

  Love the look. I went with Acura after looking at everything from BMW to Benz. Fun to drive, great color (black with blue specks over gray) and very comfortable interior. However, it has been the most unreliable car I have owned as an adult. Numerous trips back to the dealer for mechanical issues, interior rattles like crazy, lousy roadside assistance (Ive had to call them 4 times in 9 months). I will be trading it in on a Lexus or BMW as soon as I get it back from service (again).

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  Would I lease it again? - 2009 Acura TSX
  By RC - June 19 - 12:49 am

  I have driven my 09 TSX/Accord Euro for over 3 months and put 4000+ miles on it. My first 4 cyl after 20 yrs. Hate the shake from the engine, (I know the V6 is coming, but for $5K please...) makes the car feel cheap, once accel. it is smooth. The ride is too firm on the highway, very tiring. Ive owned sports coupes and luxury cars and dont know if it is the seats (too firm or suspension). Tech pack great, however the XM Radio dynamic range is poor compared to my 06 Nissan Morano. DVD-A and IPOD audio amazing. Who designs cars should create deeper footwells in back seats, stupid. Use the S selection on the Automatic, wow drives like a different car. Too much road noise. Again? No.

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  Jury Still Out - 2009 Acura TSX
  By Vanessa09 - June 17 - 2:35 pm

  Ive been driving my TSX for a month now and I like it a lot except for the ride quality. The suspension is way too stiff and the ride is jittery on any surface (as noted in Consumer Report). Im told that it will soften with time. I hope so. The 5.1 sound system is outstanding. I dont have a problem with the nav screen because Im short but I can see that if I was several inches higher in the seat, I would see the reflection of the windows in the nav screen. Not good. Excellent build quality overall and no problem whatsoever so far. Ill report again later in the year.

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  2 Years Later - 2009 Acura RDX
  By Levelheaded - June 16 - 9:33 am

  This is a jazzed up Honda at best. By no means does this truck have a true level of luxury, in fact, an Accord V6 may be more luxurious. That being said, its all about performance in the RDX, and a fun factor that you will not find in any other smaller SUV. The RDX is the best driving small SUV out, its faster, handles better, and has fantastic steering - new editions like the Q5 will give it a run, but its price keep it from being shopped together.