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:

• 

  The TL Caught My Eye - 2004 Acura TL
  By Pagemaker - August 4 - 2:00 am

  My 98 Lexus was getting long in the tooth so I was about to trade up when I ran across an 04 Acura TL ad on the web which made me curious. Went to the dealership to check it out and was pleasantly supprised. I had always considered Acuras a bit Plain Jane but this one knocked my socks off. My friends and relatives assumed Id be trading up to a new Lexus but the ES 300, I was looking at, just couldnt compare from a price point, style or feature standpoint. The TL package is well put together. Who needs snob appeal when youre sporting gas money.

• 

  Love my TL Nicer than my old Lexus - 2005 Acura TL
  By Laura - August 2 - 9:03 pm

  If shopping for a car around 35k you should consider this TL. I have looked at everything and this car has the nicest interior I have ever seen on a car (especially at night) I liked my old ES300, but the all Lexuss now look like old man cars. Interiors are too light and most are 2 tone. I researched cars since 2003 and bought a TL.

• 

  2004 Acura MDX - 2004 Acura MDX
  By Robert A. Clemons - July 31 - 10:00 am

  This Vehicle has it all. That is All!!!!

• 

  Totaled 3 month old, bought another - 2004 Acura MDX
  By bmartys - July 31 - 10:00 am

  I totaled our 3 month old MDX at 75mph on the interstate. It flipped end over end twice across the median into oncoming traffic. We opted to get another MDX because I think I would have been dead in anything else even though none of the airbags deployed.

• 

  Awesome - 2004 Acura TL
  By cgwillie - July 31 - 10:00 am

  The car has delivered in every way as expected and then some. It is an incredible vehicle for the money and has not dissapointed me yet.

• 

  Everything they say is true! - 2004 Acura TL
  By GBerg1 - July 31 - 10:00 am

  This is my third acura (2 previous CLs) and I jumped from a coupe to a sedan because it was just as exciting to see and drive. There is nothing wrong and everything right with this car/acura really got it right!

• 

  Another Acura - 2005 Acura TL
  By Charles R - July 29 - 12:33 am

  I have owned the Acura product since the Legend in 1986. Each one has continued their tradition of excellence. My last Acura was an RL. This is my first TL. I drove the G35, 530, and GS300 prior to the purchase just to be sure. Once again in terms of performance, ergonomics, and styling the TL won hands down. The fun to drive quotient is a definite 10. I have owned it for a week now and I am more impressed each day.

• 

  Bens TSX - 2004 Acura TSX
  By Bizzenn - July 25 - 10:00 am

  I have had the TSX for about 2 months now. No problems to report. Looked at the Mazda6 which was a very close second but the TSX won. Price paid was $26,100. The dealer has been excellent. I had one small rattle on the drivers side and they offered to replace the entire door panel. It wasnt even that bad.

• 

  The Best! - 2004 Acura TL
  By Lanson - July 25 - 10:00 am

  Without doubt, this is the best car in its class! The 270HP V6 VTEC engine brings sports car fun to a sedan. Added to this a killer navigation system, stereo and XM radio. Acura has done its homework!

• 

  The car of a lifetime! - 2004 Acura TL
  By B and J - July 25 - 10:00 am

  This car has it all: the luxury and ride of a German car and the reliability of a Japanese car. Its the perfect blend of luxury and sport. The navigation is a must have toy; well worth the expense!