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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  Satisfied - 2005 Acura MDX
  By songbird - November 14 - 2:26 pm

  I am very, very pleased with my MDX. It handles like a car and has great power. I love the room that it has for my family and the interior is squite comfortable. The third seat is a major plus that comes standard with this vehicle. I have also been pleased with the gas mileage that I get with my MDX.

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  Great, Great Car; Understand What It Is - 2015 Acura TLX
  By Brandon - November 14 - 11:04 am

  This review may be biased because I stepped up from a 2005 EX-L V6 Accord to the TLX. Thats quite a step. What I love: This is a very comfortable car. The seats are excellent, the ergonomics are fantastic, steering wheel controls are great, the ELS sound system is beautiful, the car is extremely quiet, it has excellent dampening on the road and on the highway providing a very solid ride - without ever lumbering. The thing is very nimble - cornering is particularly good when pushed, but understand I dont drive my cars that hard. I just love the interior of the car. The nine-speed AT is quirky but Ive grown to like it. Once I got used to it and to the different driving modes, the AT became a non-issue. For daily commuting, I keep the car in economy mode. On the highway, in the stop and go - from 30-70mph I barely crack 1700rpm. Impressive. Dropping it into the Sport+ working the paddles, I start to get very nervous about not having a radar detector. The car may not be FAST, but its very quick - and youll be doing 90mph before you realize it. I speak from experience. Personally, I like the push-button system. What could be better: The 9 speed transmission takes getting used to. It could be better. I hope Acura pushes another software update for it - but Ill live if they dont. A 9 speed DCT like what theyve developed for the NSX could be a nice improvement. One of my biggest gripes about the 9AT is getting off the line - its too slow. Now, I havent tried Sport+ and the paddles yet... still breaking in. The volume nob on the dash is laughably (ha ha) too small, the touch screen interface can be distracting - particularly when driving and operating the radio / AC. Its not entirely intuitive. Some of those functions may be better left to buttons... but the auto critics will ding them for complexity. Cant win. The fact that the car doesnt come with a spare tire is irresponsible. You could disqualify it on this grounds, but youd be shutting yourself out of a lot of otherwise nice vehicles. Inquire about a spare tire kit. You can purchase one for the car. Understand what this car is: its built for the average 90% of us who drive to and from work and around town and want something that is comfortable, attractive, and fun to drive. It has enough to juice to get you in trouble, but its not a liability. My take on the competition: I evaluated a lot of options before buying this car: Accord Touring (V6), BMW 3-series, Infiniti Q50, Toyota Camry, Lexus ES, Jaguar XE, Lexus IS. I drove the 3-series for an extended drive. I really dont understand why the car magazines pour so much praise on this car. Dont get me wrong, its great. Its fast, it handles great, its attractive - its also small, its expensive, it has loads of plastic, its every 7th car on the road. Option out a 3-series with equivalent engine, safety, and interior accouterments and compare the final price to the TLX - the TLX is larger, quieter, nicer on the inside (subjective), and the driving experience just isnt THAT far behind the BMW per the price difference. - oh, and it kills me to hear reviewers say the Acura is a dressed up Honda in one breath, and praise Audi (a dressed up VW) in the next... The Accord touring is a very nice car. Its almost luxurious. Its not luxurious. Its not as quiet as the TLX, in fact I found the TLX to be significantly quieter. The material quality of the TLX is better and I find the TLX to be more spirited / fun to drive. The premium I paid for the TLX just wasnt big enough to make the Accord attractive. Toyota: Forget the Camry, its not are a real comp here. IMO, the Accord is much nicer. I eliminated the Lexus IS for being too small. The ES is very nice. Its quiet, boring, luxurious, boring, very well made, boring. Lexus ended up the second finalist. I had my wife drive the TLX and the ES without telling her which one I liked better - she got out of the Lexus and immediately said: buy the Acura. Done. The Infiniti is really fun car. The thing is a rocket and it handles on rails. For me, I couldnt justify the added price for the Infiniti relative to the Acura. The Acura just isnt that much less fun to drive (it is quite a bit slower). The Q50 is worth a serious look, I cant lie. Its a nice car. I eliminated it because of its lower safety ratings, smaller backseat, interior styling, and my lack of confidence in its long-term reliability. The Jag is amazing. No way, no how was I going to buy a Jag :-)

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  The Right One for Me - 2016 Acura TLX
  By Doris Hill - November 13 - 9:42 am

  I do have a problem with closing the drivers door, It is too far from seat.

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  Lots of fun for the money - 2006 Acura TL
  By Rocky - November 12 - 12:40 am

  The Acura TL is much more than a fancy Honda Accord. It may be based on the Accord but has the look, feel and features of a much more expensive sports sedan. After driving mine for 2 months I understand why Consumer Reports named the TL top in its class...above even the BMW 3 series. The TL is so much fun to drive that I now volunteer to run errands for everyone in the family.

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  Acura - 2004 Acura RSX
  By Marc Lanzar - November 4 - 2:00 am

  Great Car! The interior as well as the exterior is great! Its fun to drive!

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  More for your money - 2004 Acura TL
  By cdrakeford - November 4 - 2:00 am

  I looked at all of the cars in this class for months and beat up the internet with all types of comparisons. I almost purchased the Infiniti G35 and the Cadillac CTS. However, the interior on the G35 looked too cheap and I am still afraid of GMs reliabilty. For the money value and projected reliability you just cant beat the Acura. When all other manufacturers option you to death, Acura gives it all to you for one price. But, thats okay because the manual operation is great. The power of the TL is unbelievable and it is fun to drive. The last car I looked at before I purchsed the TL was the new 5 series BMW. I was not impressed with the styling.

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  BMW... Almost - 2004 Acura TL
  By BMW Man - November 4 - 2:00 am

  This car is awesome! We traded in a 2003 Infiniti G35 ( great looks, lousy service and brake problems) and were looking at the 2004 530i( I drive a 300CI) until we drove the TL, WOW! not quite the 530i, but for the difference of 24k, I could learn to live with the lighter steering and lighter transmission! BMW better check their review view morriors!

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  Great Car! - 2004 Acura TL
  By exprguy - November 4 - 2:00 am

  The new TL is a great car. The interior is unmatched and Ive always been an Audi fan. I bought the Acura TL because it is by and far the most value-packed car that I test drove and its a complete joy to drive. The stereo is amazing-the dash is layed out perfectly and the seats are supportive and luxurious...you need to test this one out if you re looking at Audi, Lexus or Infinity...

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  Best car I ever had - 2004 Acura TL
  By tradewinds - November 4 - 2:00 am

  Most definetely the best car I ever owned. I considered the BMW 325i, but there was no comparison in terms of features or reliability. I really enjoy the DVD surround sound system. Sound inside the car is like being in a concert hall. There is nothing out there like the TL for $33,000. Car has power, elegance and comfort.

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  Car of the Year - 2004 Acura TL
  By PK - November 4 - 2:00 am

  Car of the year! Powerful, futuristic, good looking, comfortable.