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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  2017 TLX is an embarrassment for a luxury car - 2017 Acura TLX
  By Yardi - October 27 - 9:25 pm

  I am the owner of a 2006 Acura TL, and I must say that it is the best car I have ever owner for $27k, but it is getting old. So I went to Acura to look at the new 2017 TLX, which is the TL replacement. What an embarrassment to quality for a $40k car. Interior is cheap plastic instead the softer leather/vinyl found in my TL. Headroom in the back seat will only accommodate a person 58" tall or shorter. I am 6 tall and I had to tilt my head and sink down in the seat to fit. Seats are leather trim instead of all leather which usually means that 80% of the seat is vinyl with a little bit of leather to fool people. Front dash with speedometer and odometer looks very cheap. Bottom line, this car looks comparable to a Honda Civic, which is what the ILX is suppose to do. Now for the safety part. THIS CAR DOESNT COME STANDARD WITH A SPARE TIRE IN THE TRUNK. Acura gives you a can of sealant which more than likely WILL NOT fix your flat tire so that you can get off the highway and drive to a safe area. So get AAA. But what the sealant will do is wreck your TPMS sensor inside the tire which will cost a couple hundred dollars to replace. Electronic assisted steering means that at any time you are driving your car, the steering will fail and take you into the woods or down an embankment. Scary, isnt it. If you are driving down the highway and you are in danger of hitting a car or deer that is in front of you, your natural instinct is to brake and veer onto the shoulder of the road to avoid a collision. Acuras new Lane Keeping Assist system will sense that you are going off the paved road and pull you back onto the highway so that you smash into whatever you were trying to avoid. The bottom line is that Acura has no replacement for the TL. Now I know what you are going to say, "What about the RLX?" Well, the RLX is an old person sedan that my dad would drive and costs twice the amount that I paid for my TL for roughly the same quality of car. Personally I think that Acura needs a new CEO who can bring back luxury and quality to the low-end Acura line without costing the consumer over $60k.

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  2nd one / nicer than the 1st - 2005 Acura TL
  By Robert Hammers - October 27 - 9:10 pm

  My wife and I traded our old Acura CL type s for the Acura TL and absolutely love this car...

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  SLICK! - 2004 Acura RSX
  By Velma - October 27 - 10:00 am

  This is my first Acura and Im hooked! The RSX-S is well-built and has a lot of power, especially on the highway when passing. Its not as quick off the line as I had hoped, but it is still a contender. Nighthawk Black is hot to look at-- I have received lots of compliments on it. Handling is excellent. The red dash lights at night are awesome!

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  Had the rest, now own the best - 2004 Acura MDX
  By tbooth2 - October 27 - 10:00 am

  Been through six cars since 1993, last vehicle was repurchased from mfg as a lemon. I have to say this is the best so far. Of course, the technology has gotten better, but this car combines the best of SUV/auto and sacrifices little except for gas mileage. Great acceleration, quiet and solid with no squeaks/rattles or cheezy interior plastics. The stock rims are a little lame for the this price bracket, but they kind of grow on you and wont attract too much attention. Even with few suggestions for improvements, we are very pleased with our purchase and would recommend this vehicle.

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  Wont Buy Another One - 2003 Acura TL
  By turkey-trot - October 27 - 10:00 am

  My wife has owned this car for less than two years. We were sold on its so- called reliability and resale value. In 35,000 miles weve had front pads and rotors replaced, water pump replaced and now the transmission has to be replaced. Were scared to death of what might come next after the warranty expires. This thing has been pampered and its falling apart. Maybe KIA built this thing instead of ACURA. Its got to go.

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  Not too bad - 2005 Acura TSX
  By Weno2 - October 26 - 11:03 pm

  This is my third Acura, and the TSX isnt bad. TSX was best for the buck. I havent taken it on a road trip, and I cant wait. Car handles well, and I love the interior. The exterior looks better and better every day. I love the gas mileage Im getting, and I get looks b/c of the pin-striping. The ride isnt too bad. Firm, but not rough. Plenty of room in the trunk. The car emits more outside (wind) noise than I thought. There is a blind spot when Im in reverse, and its a bother. Know more about the car when the snow flies.

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  Fun Car - 1992 Acura Integra
  By DA9 - October 26 - 9:05 pm

  This was my second car, my first Acura. The build quality is great on the car. I bought it from a dealership with only 55,000 miles in 2004. Great reliability as long as you keep up with regular maintenence schedule. Unfortunately mine wasnt so I am playing catch up although it has never left me stranded. Lots of mods available and classic Honda looks.

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  Great car - 2005 Acura TSX
  By pkp144 - October 26 - 11:32 am

  This is as smooth of a car as you will find. not too big, not small, just right. The 4cyl is buttery smooth, and the tranny is unreal! The car begs to be driven. The car looks like nothing on the road. Averaging 29- 31 mpg on the highway and total avg of 25 mpg. That is stout!

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  I Love my Acura RL - 2005 Acura RL
  By HenryTD - October 25 - 7:13 pm

  I love my RL. I test drove the competitors and I bought the Acura because I loved the interior, the technology, and the SH-AWD system. Ive had it for 3 weeks now, and it hasnt disappointed me in any respect. The technology all works, and the car handles great. For my money, a far better value than any of the others I test drove.

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  None better in 2001 - 2001 Acura CL
  By LC - October 25 - 5:26 pm

  In 2001 if you wanted power, reliability, comfort, good looks and fuel economy, CL-S was clearly the best buy. The car makes 1,000 foot elevation climbs in the Rockies seem like the flats of Kansas. 68,000 miles and no problems. No sense trading it in this will be my first car over 100,000 miles since my 73 Dodge.