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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  12 months later and still loving it! - 2010 Acura TL
  By Olu - May 31 - 10:47 am

  Was hesitant to try a near luxury brand, but have been more and more impressed with this car. Interior has held up well and now that i understand all the tech gadgets Im very comfortable using 90% or more of the interior gadgets

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  A Tough Package to Beat - 2010 Acura TSX
  By Mike - May 30 - 8:16 am

  FYI, looked @ the A4, 328, & IS250. So, my ratings are relative to this group. The car is far better looking in person (Im okay with the grill-the TL is a mess). To me, the IS is the 1 car that has better exterior styling (the Infiniti G=ew!=no dice). For 0-60, heres the skinny: TSX i4 w/M 7.5s (8.3 w/A), 09 A4 2.0T (i4) w/A 7.3s, 08 328i (v6) w/A 6.9s, & IS250 (v6) w/A 7.7s. I couldnt quickly find the M numbers for the others, but probably slightly better. B/for the 3, the delta is minor. I only notice the i4 at >60 b/c the i4s narrower torque band loses to a v6s wider band. Overall, the TSX combines luxury, Honda reliability, & fun & everyday driving in an unbeatable combo.

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  Simply the best SUV - 2010 Acura MDX
  By Richie Rich - May 29 - 6:46 am

  Purchase my 2010 MDX Tech/Ent and without any doubt is the best handling SUV on the market. The new auto shift is smooth and makes the vehicle that much more responsive. The 2010s are much more quiet and upgrades to the technology is amazing. The stereo motivates you to drive more and the seats and active restraints are so much more comfortable. Stunning SUV.

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  Favorite vehicle Ive ever had! - 2009 Acura MDX
  By brod77381 - May 27 - 5:25 pm

  I love my MDX - its my most favorite vehicle Ive ever had! I bought a pre-owned 2009 MDX w/Technology package in black with black interior. I knew I wanted an SUV mid-size and looked at several. The MDX gives you the most bang for your buck.

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  Pros and Cons - 2005 Acura TL
  By PL - May 27 - 4:04 pm

  Bought this car with 31,000 miles on it.It has been fun to drive. I commute and now have 99,000 miles. My only complaints are 1) tires wear out quickly and are expensive, 2) same as one other reviewer, my passenger window sometimes wont go up smoothly, 3) its so low to the ground that you can injure it easily with road hazards, 4) premium gasoline $$$.

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  Best value for your money - 2010 Acura TSX
  By GT - May 27 - 8:06 am

  I love this car! I had a TSX since Sept.07 and as soon as I saw the 2010 model on the road I fell in love with the new design. Acura really did an amazing job with redesigning this model both inside and outside! My previous TSX had the tech package as well but there is a big difference between the new and older model tech package, the new one is awesome. Very easy to use and the location of the display screen is much better. The 2010 TSX is also bigger inside and feels a lot more solid when you drive it. The car handles great, its so much more quiet than my previous one was and its a lot of fun to drive. I average 28-29 mpg (city&hwy mix). I can only say great things about my 2010 TSX!

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  A very well thought out vehicle - 2010 Acura MDX
  By Beantown 7 - May 26 - 9:11 pm

  Have owned many SUVs over the last decade, last 2 cars were a Cadillac Escalade and a Porsche Cayenne. This vehicle has all the amenities you need in a well thought out package. Excellent stereo in the ENT package, very useful blind spot indicator, great Nav, even the 3rd row is ok for kids. Excellent seats and ride is comfortable. Forget the BMW and Mercedes, pricey and not nearly as comfortable inside.

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  Its staying in the family - 2002 Acura RSX
  By jeff88 - May 26 - 9:29 am

  Am selling this car to my son who is a college student and needs a car. Bought it used with 87k miles and it now has almost 125k. Needed a new clutch @ 115k and has brand new tires on it with a recent major service done @ 120k. This car seems like a new car and its over 10 years old. Yes, it rides rough and has a noisy engine on trips but handles like a top line sports car and is a blast to drive with revs up. Around town gas mileage is 26, on some trips have gotten over 35, almost 36 mpg. I trade between 89 and 93 to average the 91 octane the manual suggests.

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  Still in love - 1998 Acura TL
  By Vanessa - May 26 - 7:10 am

  Got my car on 2/14/98 and still love it after all these years. Having problem with speed sensor now but the car is still solid otherwise. Other than maintenance and replacing the struts, this car has been low cost over the years. I love pulling up next to other owners of the older TLs because we always roll down windows and praise our cars. Ive never met anyone who didnt love theirs. I know Ill need a new vehicle one day but for now will continue to enjoy the ride.

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  An Old Dear Friend - 1990 Acura Legend
  By hotrod419fl - May 25 - 6:10 pm

  This is a love story and a cry for help. Shes a 1989 white coupe, sleek, lovely, the best looking car ever. Got her new for 25K and fell in love. She still glides swiftly from one lane to the next on command..no drift, no lean, stable and sure-footed. 279,500 miles, purrs like a kitten except for noisy valve lifters. She lost her A/C last week, a $1,200 repair and, well, this is Florida. A recent fender bender would add another grand. Cant bear to put her down, but if I dont and she decides enough is enough herself? How can I bear parting? And God forbid, what if someone picks up, does her right, and I see her again as she once was. I couldnt take that. What should I do? Help!