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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  Wonderful SUV. - 2005 Acura MDX
  By June - August 8 - 4:27 pm

  This is the best car we have ever owned (touring & Navi.)! MDX improved a lot from 2001 to 2005 model and I am glad that we waited this long. Although redesign is expected in late 2006, current model has been polished so much. MDX is the best combination of utility, reliability, and comfort compare to other upscale SUVs, I believe. We will be keeping our MDX for a long time.

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  I hate this Car - 2008 Acura TL
  By fleurnj - August 8 - 6:30 am

  Leased the TL with Nav (White/Taupe) in Dec 07. (24 month lease). After drooling over more expensive cars like the ES350 and Passat 3.6, I finally decided to save some money and go for this outgoing Acura model. I traded in my 04 EX V6 top-of-the-line Accord. I am very disaapointed with the TL. The navigation system in my 04 Accord was far superior than the one in this 08 TL. The TL Nav does not offer a male voice anymore, nor does it have the Trip Computer graphs, or A/C controls on the Nav screen anymore. The ride quality is awful. I HATE the stiff suspension and the extremely bumpy ride. I can feel every little bump and pothole on the road. I wish I could sell this car right away!

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  Great Car - 2007 Acura TL
  By C.J. Johnson - August 8 - 5:56 am

  This car is great for anything and everything. It has a very nice exterior design, but it is easily overlooked. The interior is sporty yet luxurious. And sporty is this cars middle name. The engine is fun to rev, and it has great handling. An all around good car.

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  Love it! - 2004 Acura RSX
  By Vy - August 8 - 2:00 am

  I switched from a 2000 Honda Accord to a 2003 RSX and I love it! This car is sporty and fun to drive. It took a bit of getting used to since the suspension is pretty stiff and bumps in the road are definitely felt. The louder engine took some getting used to as well, but it is no problem! All in all, I love it!

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  2004 TL is awesome! - 2004 Acura TL
  By acuraguy - August 8 - 2:00 am

  I love the car. This is my 3rd acura and by far the best yet.

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  mxed opinion - 2004 Acura TL
  By tlbuyer - August 8 - 2:00 am

  Bought the car in october. Paid less than msrp. wife was swayed by the cars exterior, dash layout, amount of shoulder space, sound system and materials used. Car is quiet at low speeds but noisy at high speeds and on less than perfect roads. automatic torque transfer came in handy on icy road recently, drive-by-wire accelerator seems to have two distinct modes - not enough power at up to a certain point and, suddenly, lots after it.

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  Great Car - 2004 Acura TL
  By wca2000 - August 8 - 2:00 am

  The car is designed to envelope the driver. It is very comfortable. It has great power for those highway needs. Its handling around those winding corners of backroad driving is superb. Great car.

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  Acura TL 2004 - 2004 Acura TL
  By katgriff - August 8 - 2:00 am

  Excellent car. My third Acura and the best one yet.

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  Acura TL S-Model - 2004 Acura TL
  By David Sage - August 8 - 2:00 am

  From purchase to daily use, every experience has been a joy.

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  Worth the wait! - 2003 Acura CL
  By pmok - August 7 - 10:00 am

  Waiting for the 6-speed manual is definitely worth it! The shifting is easy to handle, and acceleration is terrific. Im usually going 80 MPH before I know it. The seats are very comfy, but its not a car meant for more than a driver and a passenger. Spacious trunk and easy to use in-dash 6-disc changer.