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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  Would Buy Again - 2005 Acura TL
  By VeniceCA - February 13 - 2:21 pm

  Bought new in March 2005. Very good looking car in and out (better in my opinion than the new model). Very reliable, only repair was A/C at 25k miles. Love the big touchscreen nav system that you can operate while moving, new models may have better graphics but non-touchscreen is MUCH less convenient. Performance is decent, needs more low end power and the transmission is slow to shift. Handling is good, but nose scrapes too much on driveway inclines, which reduces confidence in maneuvering and turning radius is about 4 feet too wide.

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  Long term owner - 2003 Acura RSX
  By New Oregonian - February 11 - 3:18 am

  Ive owned the car since 2003 - never thought I would have it for six years, but I keep trying to find something that has a better blend of performance, fuel economy, practicality and overall fun. Ive driven so many cars because I want to want another car. I never keep cars six years, but it would cost 40k+ to buy a car that would top it even now. For reliable, fun transportation that handles really well on twisty roads - throw a bike in the bike and go.

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  Based on 90,000 miles, and 6 years of - 2001 Acura MDX
  By domer1976 - February 8 - 10:05 pm

  ownership, I can honestly say Id buy the car all over again, in a heartbeat. Pluses are comfort, still class-leading navigation system, interior room, and build quality. Mine has always been dealer-serviced, which hasnt been particularly cheap. Transmission went kaput at 90,000 miles, and I neither tow, carry loads nor abuse the transmission in any way. Would have been more disappointing, but Honda Motors - which apparently knows they have problems with this transmission, paid for half the cost of replacement. Abundant wind and road noise and unimpressive gas mileage (about 18 mpg combined)are about the only drawbacks. And youd better have a wide garage door to fit it in.

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  Super Handling Yes...Super Hard Ride Yes - 2009 Acura TL
  By J.Dave - February 6 - 11:11 pm

  How do you love everything about a car, but when it comes to how hard it rides, it ruins all the other feeling, emotions and realities you have. Acura missed on using the wrong tires and suspension and shock settings. If I wanted a harder ride then a Ferrari, I would have gotten a different four door sedan. This is painful!

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  09 TL - 2009 Acura TL
  By Steve - February 4 - 10:53 pm

  Car tech package is the highlight of the car, I dont think there is a car made anywhere in the world that compares with it. The radio and navigation packages are simple to use and the resolution of the navigation screen is almost high definition. The overall quality of the car is also top notch, it is a very well made car. And the ride is that of a luxury car, it does not ride like a sports car. So its fun to drive on the expressway, when you are going 70 mph, but around town it doesnt handle like a sports car. A little boring in the city. I did not get the all wheel drive package, but the front wheel drive worked fine in Chicago winter.

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  My first, but very reliable car - 1991 Acura Integra
  By Mark - February 4 - 4:03 pm

  I inherited the Acura from family. It did spectacularly for 1.5 years, with problems every couple of months (I got the car with 140K miles). All I can say is that it was a dream. The car handled extremely well, and, as a new driver, it helped me avoid collisions and accidents (I have not had one since driving on it). It felt like it could turn on a dime, quickly, and accelerate in tight corners. It was a really great car, but at 200+K it died of alternator, transmission, and fuel line failure compounded to create an unusable car. In my experience, I had to perform maintenance every few months to keep the car going, but, to me, it was worth it because the car was such a great drive.

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  Super Handling Yes, Ride Not So Super! - 2009 Acura TL
  By Big Acura Fan - February 3 - 8:57 pm

  There are so many things to love about this super special car. The handling, the power, the looks... all impressive! The leather seats, the audio system and navigation are all standouts and would be expected in card twice the price, so there is some value here. That is the good stuff, what needs work is the harsh ride and engine noise in the cabin. The tires and wheel combination look cool, but when you feel every bump and crease it get to be cumbersome, to say the least.

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  Great Luxury/Upscale sports sedan - 2005 Acura TL
  By SD - February 2 - 6:46 pm

  A very impressive car for the money. I looked at the Audi A4 and BMW 3s and the TL won me over with its gorgeous interior, its power and of course its price. I reckon a BMW as loaded as the TL would cost about 8-10K more. The TL is also very roomy inside (unlike the other two). The sound system is fantastic and everything about this car feels solid. No problem so far but I have only had the car for a month. I recently got 32 mpg on the highway at 65 mph average. In fully automatic mode, acceleration often does not meet expectations but switch to the semi-manual mode and it is like driving a different car, with the 270hp right there for you to enjoy!

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  2009 Acura - 2009 Acura RDX
  By Dave - January 28 - 12:42 pm

  I have had my Acura for 2 months now and have close to 1,800 miles. I have had a rattle on the left hand side of the car since 65 miles. I am bringing it back to the dealer again next week. The cars mpg has never gotten over 16. It is the winter in WI. It handles well in the snow but not any better than my BMW 525XI was. The interior parts are very cheap. It is very bumpy in the city and drives like a jeep wrangler. I had better expectations from this car. It is not of a near luxury type of car. I lease it and have to drive it for another 34 months. I was recently in a Ford Escape that did not rattle like mine and had a quieter ride. Dealer apologizes but tells me I shouldnt expect much.

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  I cant wait to get a new car - 2005 Acura TL
  By Omajacks - January 27 - 11:16 pm

  I bought an Acura TL in Jan of 04. I thought the car was great when I first got it. Now after owning it for about a year I have noticed some issues with the car one is torque stear. and one big thing for me is the backend has a tendancy to be soft around corners its so lite back there that it kind of flops around in quick turns. One other complaint I have is a constant vibration under the driver floorboard. Good things about the car are sound system is great and its ergonomically pleasing. Over all this car would be good in the south and california but if you live in the north like me find something with a little more ground clearance. Oh one last complant the front end scrapes everything.