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:

• 

  Best Value, Perfomance leader. - 2010 Acura TL
  By Mr Marco - June 8 - 1:09 pm

  With 3 Hondas in the garage, there is a bit of bias in this review. However, the TL simply offered us the best value for our dollar. Even though we had planned to purchase the TL, we checked out the competition. The only car that could beat the Acura in luxury and performance was the BMW 335X. The cost difference was dramatic at over $9000 more. The Cadillac was limited in from passenger leg room. The Audi drove like a Subaru, and the Infinity would not downshift. The TL grill is far from flattering, but we plan on replacing it with a painted aftermarket option next year. Build quality is superb. The Michelin tires will be gone by next year at the rate of shredding that I done so far. BUY 1

• 

  Handles like a car - 2010 Acura MDX
  By CGDSAIL - June 7 - 9:32 pm

  This vehicle is a real pleasure to drive. The mileage is not great but I am getting 16 in the city and 18 for mixed driving and the car is not broken in yet. I expected the mileage to be much worse during the break-in period. The NAV system and other Tech features are great but all the buttons can be confusing. The bluetooth hands free phone feature and NAV voice commands are easy to use. The sound system sounds fantastic and the IPOD link works easily. The back-up camera with a choice of three different views is a very nice feature.

• 

  Driven by Reason - Its a $teal @ $30K - 2010 Acura TL
  By JCinDC - June 6 - 7:44 am

  I wasnt even interested in this car. Coming from Infi G35 and Saab 9-3, I was looking for a fresh look, tracking the new Volvo S60/Buick Regal GS due out in summer. Then started fooling around internet and along came a deal at 20% off MSRP plus 0.9% financing. Went with base model as ride is noticeably smoother without appreciable overall performance trade, and I simply wont go north in price given the 280 hp/256 lb-ft under the hood. Just logged 1100+ miles over 2 long road trips avg 28 mpg hwy at speeds way above appropriate. The car is excellent to drive and I do not find "numb steering" nor "torque steer" as some reviewers opine. TIP: skip the Tech Pack base radio inks 6 CD changer.

• 

  Awesome Vehicle - 2010 Acura ZDX
  By Smith - June 4 - 11:49 pm

  We are a family of four who purchased this car recently. The online photos dont do this car justice! The sound system is amazing and the technology package is incredible! The ride is smooth and quiet and weve witnessed multiple heads turning as we drive into shopping centers and on the highways. Want a car that gets you noticed? This is definitely the one to buy. Our two kids love the attention they get when I pick them up from school! They love the dual DVD player and game system which was installed and constantly ask us to take them for a ride. Great look, Great Feel. Acura has really out done themselves this time!

• 

  I love my ZDX - 2010 Acura ZDX
  By giggs623 - June 4 - 1:05 pm

  I love my ZDX and all the head turning it evokes from people. I got the grigio metallic exterior with the Umber interior. I love the styling and the comfort and handling, probably because I do not sit in the back seat. If I could tweak anything, I would add more headroom to the back seat and have the sun roof open wider. Other than that, this car is perfect for me and is my 4th Acura and 8th Honda product I have owned.

• 

  Great all around car - 2010 Acura TL
  By EddyC - June 4 - 4:59 am

  This car has all the things my wife and I were looking for. Fast, handles well, extremely comfortable, and roomy. Also, our top priority. The best stock sound system weve ever heard. Gets mid 20s mpg on a trip, which is acceptable.

• 

  True to Honda - 2002 Acura TL
  By Eric - June 3 - 5:56 pm

  Bought the car brand new and have over 105K miles on it. I did have the transmission replaced once (2007/98K miles), but it was under warranty and 3 years later still no issues. Its a great car, fun to drive and a great value to feature ratio. Very reliable and cost of ownership has been low for me. Overall the car has been a pleasure to own, which is good, since I plan on keeping it another 8 years.

• 

  Reliable! - 1996 Acura TL
  By Mayra Holguin - June 3 - 4:27 pm

  Hi there! I just wanted to share my personal experience in driving an Acura 2.5 TL 1996, in stating that it has been a reliable vehicle ever since I purchased it. Im still driving this vehicle, and it still runs well.

• 

  Very Pleased - 2003 Acura TL
  By ohheck - June 2 - 10:35 pm

  I bought my 03 TL used with 61k miles. The car belonged to a coworker who traded in in on a new one. The car had a full history of all service work performed,done only at the selling dealership. At 67k, I had the brakes replaced. At 70k, I noticed a whine in the transmission and took it to the dealership. The Service Mgr. rode with me to check it out and decided to keep the car for evaluation. He called back 4 hours later and said that Acura and the dealership were going to replace the tranny at no cost to me. Very pleased. I get 22/23 mpg in town and 32 mpg on the road. This is an excellent car.

• 

  Great high mileage ride - 2004 Acura TSX
  By meinbeast - June 2 - 3:15 pm

  Purchased my red/taupe tsx in March of 05. I have 132,000 miles on it now with minor complaints. Might as well start with the ugly since thats why we all read these reviews. As others have stated my once brilliant red paint is now cloudy and hazy on skyward facing surfaces. Cant tell from afar but up close people make comments. Most of my mileage is highway and my front bumper is more gray than red with rock chips. The paint durability is a joke. Ive had to replace two headlights to the tune of $900 each time, and my navigation has stopped working altogether. Dont get me wrong i still love this car, its handling, gas mileage, and options at this price are unmatched.