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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  The best car ever - 2003 Acura TL
  By Sandra G - November 5 - 2:58 am

  I purchased the 03 Acura TL S in 08. I paid $7,500. Worth every cent. I have had a Nissan Maxima / Mitsubishi Galant / Honda Accord/ Chevy Blazer/ Toyota Celica/ Ford Explorer just to name a few. This is by far the best car I have ever had. It had 70,000 miles when I purchased it. It now has 180,000 miles on it and still going strong. I keep up with the oil changes and tune ups. Just regular mantaince and it is as smooth as glass to drive. The acceleration smooth speed awesome just a fun & comfortable car to drive. My son is now driving it and loves it over the new 2014 Nissan Rogue.

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  best car for its value.. ever - 2012 Acura RL
  By mung27 - November 2 - 11:10 am

  Its Nov 2015. Which means this review is as about as update as it gets (so far). Car is a decade old and its still amazing. Its like a great marriage. Reliable, dependable and know what to expect. I had Subarus prior to this car. Living in the great NW, its a must to have AWD. To list its "perks" will take up so much space. Its pretty much clicking "option all".. Standard. Its a tank in the snow, literally. Brakes are amazing, but because of the weight, braking takes some getting used to. Stereo is amazing, couple with the quiet, smooth ride. This car went for roughly 47k 10yrs ago, I can see why. Only have her oil changed. Not to mention the awd is amazing so this car only needs all seasons. As for"performance". Its sports "luxury", not a race car. The power is there when its needed, but this car is at its most fun in corners. The balance on this car is incredible. For those that may get a lemon, Im sorry. For those that have found one that has been appreciated.. Finders keepers. Keep it !!

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  Great Value, Great Fun - 2015 Acura TLX
  By Stan Waclaw - October 31 - 7:27 pm

  I traded in a 2013 BMW 328x drive. I love the new TLX with the technology package. The stereo is outstanding. The car is super quiet and no squeaky dashboard like the BMW. The power delivery is very linear and not punch like the BMW. I really dont see any difference in the handling between the two cars - both are great. The drivers side leg space is very big - especially right leg room. My right leg always leaned against the console of the 328, but I have lots of room in the TLX. I read many reviews that dissed the dual screen infotainment system. I dont find it any less difficult to navigate than BMWs I-drive. I like the Siri-integration. The headlights are outstanding, even more so that they come standard. I upgraded the headlights in the BMW and they still didnt come close to the clarity and visibility of the jewel-eyed TLX. I priced out a similarly equipped 3 series at over 50K. The TLX was priced at 32,000 for the year end clearance. I feel very happy with my purchase.

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  Like me, this little car does not show its age - 1997 Acura Integra
  By Cathy H - October 31 - 11:12 am

  I am the second owner of my 1997 Acura Integra LS. People are shocked to learn it is nearly 20 years old. The mileage is creeping up there (just like me)and I have kept up with all the regular maintenance like timing belt and exhaust replacements when needed just like I would check and maintain my own health issues as I get older and I am in pretty good shape for my age. So is my Integra. I have had noooooooo major problems and none that you wouldnt expect from an older car. Another amazing phenomenon is that it has been just the last year it has just started to rust a little around the wheel wells but I live in the northeast and I expected a whole lot more than what it is. Kind of like my wrinkles. It rides and travels beautifully and the gas mileage on this little girl is unbelievable!! I get about 36 or 37 MPG on the highway. The other thing I like about the Integra is that there are very few blind spots around the car, unlike a lot of newer model cars. The Integra handles really well on snowy roads but not so good on ice (what vehicle does?) It sits low to the ground so if there is a major snowfall you have to tuck yourself in after the first few inches are on the roads until the road crews get out to plow. That hasnt been an inconvenience for me at all. The one "negative" I would have to include is the headlights. High beam on this car is less quality than low beam on most newer cars and the radius of the lighting area is not the best. If you are travelling in an area where there is a risk of large animals wandering onto the road, this could be a concern because you cant see them along side the road very well. This is such an awesome car I would recommend it to anyone who wants a classy vehicle that is economical and lasts a long time, just like some of us classy older models from the 60s. : )

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  Comfortable/Reliable/Stylish - 2012 Acura TSX
  By Randy - October 29 - 6:37 pm

  This is my second TSX. I love this car. Very comfortable on long distance drives. Best gas mileage in its class. Disappointed Acura decided to morph the TSX & TL into the TLX.

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  Pure reliability - 2014 Acura TL
  By James Robinson - October 24 - 7:42 pm

  Needs premium fuel but is a great car for performance. On the highway you couldnt ask for a better ride or acceleration.

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  Amazing Car! Never want to drive anything else - 2003 Acura RSX
  By Erica - October 20 - 11:51 pm

  Bought my RSX in 2009 with 50,000 miles and now in 2015 has 135,000 and drives like new. I have only done regular maintenance (oil change, breaks ect) Thought that it may be time to drive something newer so I test drove a TSX (2012)and ILX (2016)but prefer my RSX over them both. The RSX has great reliability, has never let me down. They are fast and hug to the road with impeccable handling. Love the simple design of the interior, comfortable bucket seats. Awesome sound system! The heat and AC work better in my car then most new cars I have been in which is impressive given my RSX is 12 years old. Know someone with the same car as me that has 336,000 miles on their RSX hope to be driving mine for that long as I havent found anything that compares. Absolutely love this car!!!

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  Good fuel economy paired with good performance - 2015 Acura TLX
  By Rob - October 12 - 2:40 pm

  Great car so far. Nice and responsive, yes the fuel economy is pretty good as well. Pretty roomy too, and I am 65". Just a great all around car at a great price. Sure maybe the finish is not like that of BMW or Mercedes, but is more than good enough for me at this price point. Much more room than a 3-series BMW, wider, 4 wheel steering is nice, and repair are just so much more limited than the German cars. Wonderful resale value with Acura as well.

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  Great entry level luxury car - 2015 Acura ILX
  By NicBran - October 3 - 8:12 pm

  Before purchasing this car, I had a Mazda RX-8 which I had owned for 9 years. I loved the car, I wasnt ready to give it up but the cost of repairs, the difficulty in repairing the car, the nickel and diming from Mazda because of the rotary engine was taking its toll and it finally came time for me to consider trading the car in for something more reliable. I had considered Audi and BMW, but the biggest "want" on my car wish list was that the vehicle had to be easy to repair and not cost an arm and a leg each time I took it in. I just wanted something that had the sleekness and handling of my RX-8 but with the engine of a Honda. So what better than an Acura? Granted, when I test drove the ILX, I was rather bored, I thought the car was too sedate. However, I had to remind myself that I was used to the squirreliness of the rear wheel drive on the RX-8 and that the sedateness of the ILX could be good for me. While the ILX does not handle as well as the RX-8 (I am a rather aggressive driver and enjoyed the manual transmission on the Mazda), the ILX is pretty decent in acceleration, handles corners well (I dont have to worry about fish tailing), and has an overall feeling of "gliding" that I really enjoy. I also love the interior. Some of the reviews on the ILX will say the interior is not as nice as the Audi A3 or the BMW 3 series, but I beg to differ. The interior is sleek and comfortable, the user interface on the touchscreen fairly easy to use. The one complaint I do have is that the navigation app is only compatible with iPhone and as I am a Galaxy user, it is useless to me. Also one thing to note with this car that salespeople at the dealership may argue with, is that this car performs WAY better on premium gasoline. When I purchased the car, the sales person said the car takes regular gas. I put regular in the car and experienced lagging at acceleration, rough idling, and I could feel the car stumbling when I would push down on the gas. When I brought it up to the guy who sold me the car, he said that was impossible, however, when I refueled with premium, the car was back to "gliding" and I have no trouble with acceleration. Use your best judgement but dont always listen to the guy selling the car. The guy who sold me my car knew nothing about the car and kept saying "It is a beautiful car, it sells itself". Overall, I am very happy I did not go with Audi or BMW and know that when this car will need servicing, I will not walk out missing a huge piece of my paycheck. It was a great transition from the RX-8.

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  Still Love it.... - 2004 Acura TSX
  By Scott - October 3 - 2:45 pm

  Just in case you are shopping for an early model year TSX, I wanted to confirm that these cars, even after 10+ years, are still fantastic. Theres a reason you still see so many on the road, they are bulletproof reliable and drive great, even after all these years. Mine is an April 2004 build, and Ill admit its been babied with just now 79K on it, but I still feel good getting in it and heading off to work. If you find one with a good maintenance history, you ought to have several more years of use with it. Ive done nothing but the normal stuff, like fluid flushes, brakes, battery, etc... It really is amazing how well built of a car this was from Honda. All in all, for the price they are now used, I cant think of a better choice.