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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  Best of the best - 2005 Acura RL
  By Black05RL - January 6 - 3:50 pm

  This car has lived up to my expectations, and I am happy with my choice after narrrowing down to RL, A6 and 530i. Ride quality, interior features and quality and overall drivability are tops.

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  Great Vehicle - 2004 Acura MDX
  By Nice Vehicle - January 6 - 1:00 am

  Very satisfied owner after 18 months. Great combination of utility, quality, performance, and reliability. Recently completed a long holiday trip in inclement weather, which highlighted this vehicles value proposition---car handled great, giving the driver (me) reassuring confidence, while four other family members stretched out comfortably to snooze, leaving room to spare for holiday luggage/gifts. No regrets thus far on this purchase.

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  Couldnt Be Happier! - 2005 Acura TL
  By C. Moore - January 5 - 5:23 pm

  Researched a lot of vehicles. Test drove the lexus GS 300, BMW 3 Series. While the 3 series offered more low end torque. The TL was the complete package. Overall- roomier,with high quality design and OUTSTANDING performance! 270 horsepower with a boatload of standard features. I love this car! You will not be dissappointed with the Acura TL. Luxurious feel, responsive transmission and a real headturner. Nav system, voice activated command interface, and sport wheels and tire package is awesome! Also comes standard with Hands Free link to auto connect with your blue tooth phone.

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  Jeckyl and Hyde - 2004 Acura TSX
  By Ronnie Brezler - January 5 - 4:47 pm

  I bought my TSX soon after it hit dealerships in 2003 and have been loving it every since. I, like the first reviewer, was in the market for a BMW. When I saw this car in person and drove it I just had to have it. I still find myself back at it when I walk away, just like when I bought it two years ago. The combination of sport and luxury is perfectly balanced. The fuel efficiency is great during these times of higher gas prices and the power is more than sufficient for a 4-banger. My only gripe is the occasional rattling that seems to come and go and the fact that the dealership didnt one with navigation available.

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  Toms Acura - 2005 Acura TSX
  By tom Verduin - January 4 - 9:11 pm

  Great balance of comfort, performance and economy. Looks great, sounds great, great value!

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  I love my 1999 Acura 3.0 - 1999 Acura CL
  By dariaesq - January 4 - 12:57 pm

  I bought my used red coupe in Dec. 2002 for $15k. Previously was leased & had 32k miles on it. I have had no issues with my car except that I had to get a new alternator in 2005. My mechanic says he has seen people bring this car in well into the 200k mile range with no major issues. I love the power behind this car. The car is nimble & quick which has saved me from accidents in difficult DC area traffic. The acceleration is great. I used to date a car enthusiast who told me this car has such great guts that many buy these cars and soup them up for racing purposes. I plan to keep this car forever.

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  luxory car forless - 2005 Acura RL
  By Gus - January 4 - 1:27 am

  Drives great, Hard to make this car get out of track. I enjoy it, sporty, and sleek.

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  TSX AUTO/NAVI - 2005 Acura TSX
  By Gwitz - January 3 - 1:07 pm

  While this car may not have the V6 that many desire, I find that the i-vtec 4 provides a perfect balance between performance and economy. I have been very pleased with my ownership experience and will highlight a couple of the top reasons why (not an exhaustive list). 1. Service - I have dealt with multiple dealerships to add accessories and get oil changes. They were all eager to serve and make their cutomers comfortable. Very good post-purchase relations. 2. Price - Multiple thousands of dollars cheaper than a comparably equipped BMW 3 or MB c230. 3. Interior Room - The ONLY car in the entry/ luxury category that can comfortably fit a 65" driver. 4. Features!

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  Best SUV Ive owned - 2004 Acura MDX
  By GMZ - January 3 - 11:34 am

  We purchased our 2004 MDX w/touring new for 41 grand(about $900 under MSRP). It has been a wonderful vehicle, with a powerful engine, a spacious, functional, and quality built interior. It is very family friendly, with a complaint ride and many cupholders and storage areas. The driving dynamics are also impressive, with balanced steering (though not X5 level) and sporty handling. I have just 1 problem with the MDX. Its interior may be high quality, but lacks some of the classy-look of the BMW X5. The AWD will make for a sure friend, and the MDX handles much better on snow than Lexus RX330. Throw in a bargain price, and its easily a better buy than the X5, RX, or Pilot which I test drove.

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  Do not be fooled - 2006 Acura TL
  By Blazey - January 3 - 5:43 am

  Saw it in the showroom and fell in love with the style. Had to have it so I traded in my BMW. Well, I drove it about 90 miles when I became extremely uncomfortable. I turned on the heated seats to help. they took way too long to heat up and when they finally did, they turned off? Not good... The car had a thousand miles on it when it started rattling and rattling and rattling. Almost slid off the road when driving in snow. Absolutely no traction. When you hit the gas, it hesistates. The car just feels wrong. If you are a driver youll know what I mean. I am certainly going back to BMW! Acura keeps trying but will never catch the Ultimate Driving Machine!