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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  My TL - 2005 Acura TL
  By Amy - November 19 - 11:43 pm

  This car has been a complete joy. For Under $40k this car has every option a consumer could possibly desire. This car moves out of the way and comfortably fits 3 plus a carseat with plenty of room to spare. I wouldnt give this car up for the world.

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  Nice Ride... - 2004 Acura TL
  By gatorT - November 18 - 10:00 am

  Was looking at 2005 c230 and after driving it, there was no comparison. The TL is an incredible value. Great performance and gorgeous interior.

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  This car is great! - 2001 Acura CL
  By LOveSpeed - November 16 - 10:00 am

  This car is great, I have had for over two years and only had one small problem. The electric seat memory gave out and was replaced very quickly. This car is really fast and I love the speed that I am getting. The gas mileage is running around 29mpg on the highway. The only other small issue is the rims and how easily they get scratched. Would recommend this car to anyone and everyone!

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  Excellent Car, Excellent Value - 2006 Acura TL
  By TonyR - November 15 - 8:43 pm

  After spending 2 months deciding which car to buy, settled on TL with 6MT/Nav. Had to have a 4 door in case children were coming along for the ride. Have driven for a week and am very happy with the choice. Love the outside look and inside is very tasteful and luxurious feeling. Navigation/Bluetooth/Handsfree system works flawlessly. Just make sure your phone is supported for the Bluetooth. Engine is smooth and has plenty of power. 6-speed has excellent shift quality. 6MT also includes Brembo brakes in the front and limited-slip differential. In my opinion, the combination of features/quality cannot be touched at this price.

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  Near Perfect - 2004 Acura TSX
  By krill1972 - November 13 - 10:00 am

  After owning a 2002 Audi A4 1.8T my wife and I decided to trade up on the TSX. We simply had way to many problems with the Audi that I wont go into. As for the Acura, we love it!! The ride and handeling are exceptional. Fit and finish are prefect. Plus the car has a little more interior room and a much better reputaion for reliability than the Audi. I wish the engine had a little more power on the bottom end. However, thinking about it from a marketing standpoint; if Acura put tons of power in the TSX... who would by the TL?

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  Whoop! There it is! - 2004 Acura TL
  By 6 Speeds of Thunder - November 13 - 10:00 am

  A command performance vehicle. If anything to criticize, it is a front- wheel drive vehicle and has those limitations based on the engines ability. However, for the price there is absolutely nothing close with perfect reliability, comfort, power, sound system, and overall package. I am very satisfied with my choice and had an IS300 previously and was not satified as it felt like a kids car - small and not intended for long drives. Before that, had an A4, but the the car had continuous electrical problems and extremely costly. Acura has built a car that will keep buyers interested and happy for many many years.

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  It is fun to drive; turns many heads - 2005 Acura TL
  By Don Cousar - November 12 - 8:36 pm

  I picked up my Acura TL in Feb 2004. I have enjoyed every trip. It is fun to drive, and I always get comments and looks from people who want to know moe about it. The 270 HP and the sporty style are what 1st attracked me too. The stereo, road handling, and dash locked me in!

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  Nice improvement over the regular TL - 2007 Acura TL
  By Pika817 - November 11 - 4:30 pm

  Although it isnt the best car in any category, the 07 Type S does exceptionally well across the board - good acceleration, excellent interior and standard features, decent ride quality, etc. The most impressive part of the vehicle is its interior and the electronic gadgets that come with the car. The navigation is extremely easy to use, and I would have to say that only Lexus has a better nav system. However, I am finding that the fuel efficiency is quite a bit below what is advertised. As a side note, I test drove the 07 G35 AWD, 06 TL (A Spec and stock), IS350, and BMW 335. The Type S was a perfect blend of what I wanted at good price point (with the options included).

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  2004 MDX Touring Review - 2005 Acura MDX
  By psr - November 11 - 5:16 am

  This vehicle has the quality, size (interior,exterior)appropriate for most buyers. We have this SUV and a 2002 Mercedes sedan. The MDX is the preferred transportation.

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  The truth - 2003 Acura RSX
  By bt2000 - November 4 - 2:00 am

  I recently bought an RSX premium. Im satisfied with the comfort and the sportiness. Leather, heated seats and AC system are really usefull/good. My friends all like it. The car is easy to park. Some friends comment on the lack of base in the sound system, the difficulty of access and the lack of head room in the back seats (oh well). The engine purrs nicely, the AT trans. seems to shift at 3000+rpm meening accel is not that fast. In TripManual its better but still not amazingly fast off the mark. maybe Im expacting too much from a 4 cyl. Other than those little things, everything kicks ass in the RSX.