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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  Its that kind of easy listening thrill - 2016 Acura TLX
  By Miles Lacus - January 8 - 9:20 pm

  Overall, this is a very nice car. I like it but dont quite love it, at least yet. I cross shopped primarily the Mazda 6, Buick Regal turbo, and Honda Accord V6. I got the TLX with the 2.4L 4-cylinder with 8 speed dual clutch and tech package. It is a nice, quiet, comfortable, light on its feet 4 door sedan that has a hint of sport and a great audio system. The TLX won my spreadsheet analysis comparison but hasnt won my heart yet. I found the 6 and Regal to be sportier and more fun to drive, especially the Regal with the HiPer strut and AWD. The Accord v6 was a hoot with that sweet v6. The 6 lost due to aggressive head restraints, a bit more road noise, and it didnt have much top end power. The Regal lost due to poorer visibility and lower quality interior and switches. The Accord lost due to aggressive head restraints that gave my wife a headache and the audio system that wasnt up to my audio standards. For the TLX, my biggest complaint is the transmission mapping. By 25mph I’m in 5th gear. Oh my! I give the car a little gas and it doesn’t do anything. To do anything it needs to downshift a gear or two. I always feel like it’s in a gear too high. Granted, I am coming from a 2007 TSX 6 speed manual that I had for almost 10 years and loved. That was a nice driver’s car! Mat Hargett and Bryan Hourt of Acura say this is a red carpet athlete and it’s also like a horse you know well that won’t tire you out. Well, I do think they are right to a certain degree. It CAN be sporty if you put it in sport plus and corner carve a bunch of empty curvy streets and keep the revs high and the transmission in a lower gear. But I’m so far just commuting and I want it to feel more engaging. If I just relax and drive in a more relaxed manner, it’s more satisfying. The v6 and SH-AWD v6 version were faster but felt heavier and even less engaging. My expectations are maybe not in line with today’s auto practices. My old TSX is nearly 10 years old and things have changed a lot since then. The move from hydraulic to electric steering, going from double wishbone to strut front suspension, and gas mileage maximizing transmission mapping all take their toll on driving fun and engagement. In the end it was time for a new car and the TLX 4 cylinder was the overall best, I liked it, and it was in budget. I was just hoping to love it.

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  Love My Acura - 1990 Acura Legend
  By Steven J Casey - January 7 - 12:35 pm

  Yes, its a very low mileage car, so consider that. But for 15 years it has been flawless -- best car we ever owned. We have had several others in those years, but still have this one because we cant think of selling it.

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  great car - 2005 Acura RSX
  By RickC - January 6 - 11:54 pm

  Great all around car. Fun to drive!!

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  I love this car - 2005 Acura RSX
  By Rich - January 6 - 10:36 pm

  I absolutely love my RSX Type-S. Whether Im driving to the supermarket or across the state it is the one of best cars I have ever driven.

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  Excellent quality car for the money - 2004 Acura TSX
  By LKS - January 6 - 10:35 pm

  Love this solid built car. Its fun to drive, handling is excellent and very comfortable. The sound system is awesome. Heated seats are great for New England weather.

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  Good but can offer more - 2005 Acura RSX
  By Crazy Al - January 6 - 9:10 pm

  A great car. Powerful, fantastic handling and unbelievable gas mileage (30+). Ther could be more offered with this special car like heated seats, etc. Even the A-Spec package is not yet available. Cant wait!

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  Very Happy - 2001 Acura CL
  By greg - January 6 - 7:33 pm

  This is my first Acura and Im loving it. I bought it certified and the dealership has been great.

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  Quality at a reasonable price - 2001 Acura CL
  By v maggio - January 6 - 5:11 pm

  Fun and comfortable to drive. Gets over 30 mpg on long trips. While the rear seat is comfortable it is not easy to get in and out.

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  A true work of art - 1998 Acura Integra
  By Slammed Teg 98 - January 6 - 4:20 pm

  I couldnt have asked for a better first car. My 98 LS coupe is PERFECT. The manual transmission really gets the most out of the power. With a stock engine, Im side-by-side with a V6 car. It handles like a Porsche, and has the reliability that Honda is known for. Comes loaded with standard features such as: ABS, CD player, sunroof, and all power features. Great on gas, Ive never paid more then $15.50 to fill from "E", and I usually only fill up once a week. Simply put, its quick, handles great, inexpensive, reliable, loaded, fuel efficient, and fun to drive. Why buy anything else?

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  05 purchase - 2005 Acura RSX
  By diver - January 6 - 2:52 pm

  Ive been extremely happy with my 05 rsx type-s. The car is very refined, has more than adequate performance for a regularly aspirated 2 litre 4 cyl, reasonably comfortable for a performance sports coupe and has great fuel economy to boot. I waited for the 05s to come out as I wasnt thrilled that the 04s still had 16" wheels and a little too much road noise. The changes for 05, although relatively minor, were enough for me to forgo the 04.