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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  Great Value for the Price Range - 2006 Acura TL
  By ans - December 18 - 4:03 am

  I have looked at GS300, Benz, BMW 3x, and infinity. Out of all the cars, this car offers the best technology, price, power, and fun to drive.

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  great - 2003 Acura TL
  By fic - December 17 - 10:00 am

  great car, great reliability, great exterior design, nice colors, built to own for a lifetime. Love it!

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  Acura TL - 2006 Acura TL
  By Jessica Del Toro - December 12 - 2:00 pm

  This is an awesome ride. Not only is the design of the vehichle both sophisticated and sporty, but it drives wonderfully. The navigation system is great as well as the surround sound system. Its a powerful car. It drives great!

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  My MDX - 2003 Acura MDX
  By choy - December 12 - 10:00 am

  A very confortable SUV. Lond driving friendly to passenger and driver.

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  Acura 3.2 TL TypeS - 2003 Acura TL
  By Rama - December 12 - 10:00 am

  Very good & powerful car

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  Buy this car. - 2003 Acura TL
  By louster - December 12 - 10:00 am

  If you are even thinking about purchasing the Acura TL 3.2, its a no- brainer. This automobile is extremely comfortable; it feels rock-solid on the road or when simply opening and closing the door. The sound system is awesome. I have read reviews mentioning the somewhat inferior interior materials - problem solved by ordering the wood package and wood steering wheel as I did. Its one of the nicest interiors Ive seen on ANY car. There is no $30,000 equal on the road.

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  10 Best for a Reason - 2006 Acura TSX
  By Marcos - December 11 - 7:53 pm

  Having just moved from a 3 year old TSX to the new 06 I can tell you the best just got better. Faster, quieter, and better handing--and the TSX was great before. Try finding another car with Power Adjustable Heated Leather Seats, Bluetooth Phone Interface, 6 Disc in dash CD Changer, Moonroof, iPod/Aux-In, folding rear seats, an amazing 6 speed transmission, Fog Lights, Homelink, ABS, Brake Assist, Head Curtain Airbags, 17" Alloy Wheels and Tires, and 0-60 under 7 second all standard and well under 30k. Only option is the Voice Activated Navi which I recommend. It was great before, and now is faster, more featured, and has a Zagat Guide built in.

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  If there was only one car on the road... - 2005 Acura TL
  By Scott - December 11 - 5:30 pm

  ...it should be the TL! Excellent acceleration, responsive brakes and handling, useful and top notch navigation and fits cars seats without having to adjust the drivers seat much (61", 205 lbs). The sound system is very good (not as great as hyped) and there are many usable features like tilt side view mirrors when in reverse, memory seat, radio and climate control based on which remote opens the door (me or my wife) remote windows/sun roof open, expanded door storage compartments, and with navigation, voice recognition on all major features of the car. Simply put, incredible value, fast, sporty.

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  I love my 2006 T L - 2006 Acura TL
  By Zifey Nykin - December 11 - 6:26 am

  I absolutely love this car and so does every one who sees it! I have no complaints!

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  Fun to drive and exceptional quality - 2004 Acura RSX
  By TampaMaggie - December 6 - 10:00 am

  I have almost owned my RSX for 1 year and just love it! It handles well during acceleration and cornering, it feels sporty to drive, and gets great gas mileage. I also love the large amount of cargo room in the rear hatch - it has the sporty feel of a much smaller car, without making you feel like you are driving a couple of inches off the ground, where no other cars around you can even see you. Fast and fun!