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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  There Can Be Only One...And This Is It - 2002 Acura RSX
  By Oak - November 2 - 10:00 am

  What a great car. Ive been looking for a fun toy for years. However, at 67" there aint much I can fit in thats qualifies as a toy [say hello to minivan hell]. But this car fits me perfectly. While it doesnt have the torque of the Mustang GT [second choice], the Acura was funner to drive and fit better. Besides, a few years and superchargers later, this car will rock

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  My favorite ugly duckling - 2009 Acura TL
  By Richard Kelly - October 29 - 11:45 am

  I will start off to say most hated the first glimpse of the new fourth generation TL platform when it released in late 2008, but I believe it is an acquired taste. My previous car was a Honda S2000 and when I was exiting my ownership of that vehicle I was worried I would soon be stranded into a mundane driving experience. This was not the case. For a near 4000lbs car that barely breachs 300hp at the crank it moves quite nicely. I live in a rather snowy climate (number two snowiest city in the US) and while I got around with snow tires in the S2000 just fine, the SH-AWD TL was awesome even on all seasons, not to mention a blast of mash, steer and go. The car is well laid out as far as controls and technology and is very user friendly once accommodated with all the functions. It is incredibly spacious for my height and for a mid-size vehicle. Most of all, the build quality and material choice makes me appreciate the interior when compared to other vehicles in its used price range. The technology package delivers a pretty nice stock sound system with a very conservative navigation display. Beware that with this sound system the door speakers are prone to blowing out. However they are $25 to replace and this vehicles door panels are by far the most user friendly to take on and off. Seriously if youve taken door panels off before they are usually a nightmare of clips breaking, but that is not the case here. Overall I am very pleased with the value of this car for roughly $19,000 used with 50,000 miles when bought over a year ago. The Mayan Bronze Metallic color is quite beautiful as well.

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  I love this car! - 2004 Acura MDX
  By jorvette - October 29 - 2:00 am

  While only owning the MDX for a week, I am already in love with this vehicle. It handles very well, is comfortable (I took a 1000 mile trip this weekend) and gets good mileage for a vehicle its size. i would recommend it to anyone.

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  Super TL - 2004 Acura TL
  By speed_lover - October 29 - 2:00 am

  I have seen, tested and owned many performance cars. I wasnt even going to buy an Acura, let alone a TL because I was looking at all so- called "performance luxury cars" - IS300, G35, A4, BMW 530i, etc. In fact, I was testing the TSX at the time. What a surprised - saw a TL in the showroom, test drove it & loved it! The rush of power as you floor the pedal, very poised, quiet & buttery smooth engine, etc. Also, stop comparing this car to a BMW330i, its an insult as its closest competitor is a BMW530i that costs more for about the same performance.

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  Great car - 2004 Acura TL
  By George Jetson - October 29 - 2:00 am

  Simply no other car for me now.

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  2004 Much Improved over 2003 - 2004 Acura TL
  By Dale Kresse - October 29 - 2:00 am

  I drove a 2003 TL Type S for about 8 months and while my car was in for an oil change. I thought I would drive the 2004..should have not done that..wow what a difference. Even know I had the Type S which had 260 horses..this 2004 was much smoothier. I liked the new design both inside and outside. Great Car

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  The new TL is unbelievable - 2005 Acura TL
  By Orthodoc - October 29 - 12:10 am

  The combination of luxury and all the "bells and whistles" at an affordable price makes this the best sports/luxury value around. Acura quality, but made in America, shows that it can be done. Hands-free Navigation & Bluetooth cell phone both work extremely well, XM Radio avoids the aggravation of travel and commercials.

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  Wonderful car! - 2003 Acura CL
  By JWSCL - October 28 - 10:00 am

  This is a well built, dependable car that is stylish both inside and out! Plus, its a blast to drive! All of the features that usually cost extra on other cars, come standard on the Acura CL. The only negative is the design of the cupholders. They are too close together and do not hold different sized drinks well. However, if this is the only complaint about the car...Ill definitely take it!!!

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  No Regrets! - 2003 Acura TL
  By dodell66 - October 28 - 10:00 am

  Bought this car in late March 02. 2003 TL-S w/Nav. Pearl white with black interior. I really like this car. No better value for the money on the market. Everybody talks about how nothing compares to a German car. Id love to talk to them as the mechanic is handing them their repair bill. Performance, style, RELIABILITY...its all there with the TL-S.

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  Lexus vs Acura - 2005 Acura TL
  By JC - October 26 - 10:20 am

  I compared the Lexus ES330 and the TL and found the pick up and acceleration response of the TL in a class of its own compared to the Lexus" sluggish "passing gear-like" acceleration. The TL handles magnificently and responds in all traffic situations. I got 26.4 mpg on a recent trip goimng 75 to 80 mph. Seats are a bit hard and the passenger side wasnt fully adjustable as was the drivers side. But the easeof acceleration on demand and the flawless shifting of the motor sold me . I always felt like I was going into passing gear on the Lexus I tested- not so with the Acura!