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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  Comforts of Life - 2006 Acura TL
  By Sandra Smith - November 11 - 7:20 am

  My TL ws purchased as a gift from my husband. I had always wanted a luxury car, after driving the acura rsx type S, I feel in love with the dependability of Acura. The TL is a joy to drive.

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  great car. - 2005 Acura TSX
  By asada - November 10 - 3:57 pm

  Great car to drive in open road and canyon roads. Just wish it had more torque power range off the line.

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  A car to keep - 2004 Acura TSX
  By Bob Campbell - November 10 - 12:25 pm

  Usually buy new car every two years. This is one car we will keep for a long time! Solid, comfortable, & fun to drive long miles at a stretch. Interstate trips of 500 miles+/day are enjoyable. Have owned 5 Camrys in the past and our TSX is a step up. We are 70+ years old. My wife (all 52" of her) loves to drive this car. Auto trans is smooth and tractable summer & winter in Vermont. Ride is a bit firm but gives great control. Second car is 2005 Civic LX - similar and good low cost alternative for local drives.

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  Blackstar Granite - 2005 Acura TL
  By Tommy Joe Louis - November 10 - 6:50 am

  My recurring dream of a beautiful black racehorse named "Blackstar Granite" who gracefully and effortlessly earns the Triple Crown has come to life in the form of a magnificent automobile---my new 2005 Acura TL in Nighthawk Black Pearl. Once again hungry for a mid-size luxury sedan, and after being left totally uninspired by the Mercedes C Class, BMW 3 Series, Audi 5, Lexus ES 300, and Jaguar S, this was the only car that literally "knocked my socks off". Its beauty and elegance inside and out, and its performance left me speechless. With 270 horsepower, a sound system to die for, and every luxury feature I have ever hoped for, this is the first car I feel I would want to keep forever.

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  Disappointed With the Test Drive - 2016 Acura MDX
  By Chris - November 10 - 3:56 am

  Ive owned 3 MDXs--2005, 2010, 2014 and Ive loved them all. Each of those years I test drove a variety of SUVs (the usual suspects) and always ended up with the Acura! So when the 2017 Acura hit the showroom last week, I was pretty sure I would end up buying another one. Its not going to happen. Took it for a test ride and noticed immediately how differently it shifted when accelerating onto a highway. Couldnt get out of its own way--thats the way it feels anyway. Back in the showroom the salesperson told me they changed the gears from 6 to 9 back in 2016. I have no idea what that means I only know that the car doesnt feel right going through NINE gears. Like Im towing a boat or something. It has the power; it just takes too long to get to it. What a shame--just when they finally changed the front grill.

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  Great Car! - 2005 Acura TSX
  By Stephanie - November 10 - 12:16 am

  This car is great. I have had it for 5 months and I have had no problems with it. It is a fun car to drive and it does have some pickup to it. I do not regret my purchase at all!

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  love it - 2006 Acura RSX
  By tina - November 9 - 4:15 pm

  bought this for gas mileage (30 mpg/city & hwy combined) & reputation of Acura/Honda. Rear is mostly for stuff/doggies. Fun to drive/6100 miles & no problems. Car is used for work- great manueverability/turnarounds/tight spots. Good acceleration for hwy entrance. Sunroof is far forward so recommend a visor. Aftermarket arm rest avail for between front seats - would be nice if it was easily available. Not a family car. Trunk liner is a must have. Hope Acura looks at Hybrid model in the future as it would be great!

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  2009 Acura TSX - 2009 Acura TSX
  By BRSJ - November 9 - 12:53 pm

  I bought my car the 1st week the 09 TSX babies went on sale. I dont regret a thing. I looked at the IS, A4, MB C-class, Volvos of various models, and the TSX won hands down with $, features & reliability. Magnificent car. Love the navi knob - a touch screen would require the eyes to be off the road. My TSX has a telescoping steering wheel and a 6 disc in-dash CD player. All my friends love my car. At night the interior looks awesome! UFO style! Fun car & will last a long time!

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  Very Satisfied owner - 2005 Acura TL
  By COvalle - November 8 - 7:00 pm

  I love my car. I got it for my birthday after having test driving it a few months prior and dreaming about it since. My husband and I have bought 7 cars in the last 2 years none of which were older than 2 years old and this one is by far the favorite. I love the memory seating connected to the lock clicker... The leather is butter soft. Mine is anthrocite with quartz interior. Its a computer on a great powerful engine that is comfy to ride in. Gotta love those Xenons. My husbands car came with Xenon lights also but mine are brighter! I definitely recommend this car. Other dealers would charge you thousands more for the same equipment and they dont even have touchscreens!

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  Excellent Value Give it a shot - 2005 Acura RL
  By snrub1 - November 8 - 6:19 pm

  Having test driven the competition, I feel the RL stands up to all comers. The car rides very well, is packed with features (the stereo is incredible) and, though lacking a bit in the excitement department, the car does everything very well. Dollar for dollar, the RL was by far the best value in the class. Thus far we are delighted by our purchase of the RL. Give the RL a shot if looking for a luxury sedan.