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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  rsx - 2002 Acura RSX
  By trung - August 21 - 2:50 pm

  great car, love it, takes up where integra took off

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  05 Acura TSX w/navi - 2005 Acura TSX
  By kim - August 21 - 12:33 pm

  I went from a 99 TL to an 05 TSX. it goes without saying that the TL is a faster car, but the TSX eventually gets there. Its a little sluggish in either manual or automatic mode, but once you build up some momentum, the speed is definitely there. Also, the TSX is a 5 speed automatic, and the 99 TL is a 4 speed, which makes for better downshifting in my opinion. Acura/Honda needs to seriously work on the voice-activated feature on the navi. For the money, there shouldnt be any flaws, but unfortunately, there are plenty. All in all, if you can afford it, IÂ’d suggest it.

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  03 TL-S - 2003 Acura TL
  By ddougcpa - August 21 - 10:00 am

  The only downside to this car is that its too perfect. Ive only owned Fords before. I havent met any Acura mechanics yet.

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  I like it. - 2005 Acura MDX
  By baradlee - August 20 - 2:44 pm

  Nothing really to complain about except..GAS MILEAGE. In Southern California, in stop and go driving, 13.8 mpg. On the highway to Wyoming I did get 24 mpg. The V-6 has to move a lot of mass and I guess the gas mileage suffers.

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  AUDIO SYSTEM IS THE BEST!!! - 2005 Acura TSX
  By Mitch Johannsen - August 20 - 12:28 pm

  I have had this vehicle for a total of four months and all I can say it that this is the most amazing vehicle I have ever owned. The sound system is by far the best out of all the vehicles that I have test driven. The Honda Accord and Civic cannot even compare to this system. I am not sure of the wattage but it sounds incredible. Bose, Harman Kardon... none of them can compare to this system that is in the TSX.

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  Best value on the market! - 2005 Acura TSX
  By Kristen - August 19 - 7:01 pm

  I bought my Acura TSX AT w/ Navi a few months ago after conducting extensive research. It was between the Mini convertible, the new Volvo S40, and the TSX. I definitely made the right choice. The navigation system is GREAT. I can be anywhere and just tell the car to take me home, or I can pull up a list of nearby Chinese restaurants in less than 5 seconds. I disagree with reviews that it is overly complicated. The voice recognition does leave something to be desired, as it is only accurate about 60% of the time, but you wont need it. This is definitely the best "entry level luxury" car on the market for your money. Highly recommended!

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  A good car for a great price!!! - 2002 Acura TL
  By andontimetoo - August 19 - 7:00 pm

  I have enjoyed my 2002 TL. The Honda corporation has a good product at a great price. The standard features are plentiful. As compared to cars in its class, there is no better deal.

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  I love this car! - 2005 Acura RSX
  By Cristina - August 19 - 5:17 pm

  I absolutely love this car! The price was great with all the options! I looked at every car in this class and the Acura was the best. I drive 80 miles every day on the interstate and this car loves to be driven fast!

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  Exceeding Expectations - 2008 Acura TL
  By James - August 19 - 1:56 am

  This car is everything my 05 Honda Accord wasnt... smooth lively engine, refined, responsive steeing & handling, high quality interior & exterior, great gas mileage for 258 hp. From the beginning, this car has exceeded my every driving expectations. The only other car I was considering was a used 06 BMW 330i, but with a $10k savings Im only the wiser (and richer) without any compromises of the BMW! Highly recommended. A totally enjoyable ride!

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  Nice Truck - 2005 Acura MDX
  By Acura Driver - August 18 - 11:10 pm

  I test drove many many SUVs and none could compare to the price and features of the MDX. Thats the reason I also drive a 2004 TL. Unfortunately, the MDX is not nearly as nice as the TL. The nav screen is smaller, no dual climate control, the buttons on the wheel donÂ’t light up, no power up and down feature for driver and passenger windows, and the stereo is anemic in comparison. This is just nit picking, but the MDX should have the same or better features especially since it is $10K more than the TL. Despite these very minor issues this is a great SUV. Space and workmanship are top notch.