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:

• 

  Luxury & Race Inspired - In One - 2003 Acura RSX
  By CarrieJ623 - October 25 - 2:00 am

  I wanted a sporty car with a luxury feel to it, and the Acura RSX-S provides just that for me. Whenever I feel like doing some spirited driving, the 200-hp engine with i-VTEC more than satisfies my expectations. The stiff racing inspired seats are great for taking quick corners comfortably, but they can be uncomfortable on longer trips. My Acura RSX-S makes the usual daily drive, going from point A to point B, and enjoyable and exciting experience.

• 

  my Acura CL-S - 2001 Acura CL
  By esther1@sonic.net - October 25 - 2:00 am

  Thoroughly satisfied. A kick to own and drive. Really quick when needed, even when not needed. Exceptional. And, its a nice looking car with the prettiest tush of any car.

• 

  Best in Class - 2004 Acura TL
  By St Louis Cardinals - October 25 - 2:00 am

  We looked at the I-G35, 5 series, Audi A6 and Volvo S80. Hands down this beat them all with the best overall ride, performance, comfort and style. You could get better handling and speed from the 540 but it will cost you 15k more. For the $$ this is the best car. WE LOVE IT!

• 

  2 weeks - 2004 Acura TL
  By Gemini-04TL - October 25 - 2:00 am

  My review of this car is that its a excellent car!!!!!!!! This car is a everyday drivers car. I drove it into Manhattan from downtown to uptown and this car did just fine in the cold NYC streets with holiday traffic. Navigation and Xm radio surround sound was excellent they worked great. The 2004 TL is a car you can live with for everyday use. I havent had a chance to push that gas to the floor since it has only 340 miles on it but Im sure I wont be disappointed. Performance and luxury in a great package. So far no complaints!!

• 

  Incredible Car - 2004 Acura TL
  By lakeman - October 25 - 2:00 am

  After looking at all the cars in the entry luxury sport catagory, I was blown away by this car. It is fast, handles extremely well (with the HPT package) and is better looking than just about anything out there. The Navigation is great, and the stereo is the best I have ever heard. The real beauty of this car is that it is equally a sports car and a luxury car and gives up very little in the deal. The interior rivals the best Lexus and Mercedes. The build quality is surpurb, and the value is phenomonal.

• 

  Final Steps For True Performance Car - 2004 Acura TL
  By 3603 - October 25 - 2:00 am

  With only a couple of changes the TL will become a true sports car. First, rear wheel drive is a MUST! Secondly, more torque. Even with the 270 hp, only 238 pound of torque, it does not have the feel of the G35 coupe (which was the other car I was looking at). 18" performance tires and rims as an option rather than an expense accessory, almost $1,800, is the final item. I purchased the TL for the total package; performance, ride and comfort. If the choice was for performance only the G35 would win hands down.

• 

  Acura CL - 2003 Acura CL
  By Zuchinidog - October 24 - 10:00 am

  This is a very good car. I traded in an Audi A4, and although it was a fun car to drive, the repair bills were gettting to be very expensive. I also test drove a BWM 3, a Volvo S60 and Lexus IS300. Each was an excellent car; however, the Acura was the best choice, in my mind, when factoring in the price.

• 

  what a car!!!!! - 1998 Acura CL
  By Vlad kILMOR - October 24 - 2:00 am

  call me crazy,I PUT MY 91 CHEVY SUBURBAN AWAY TO LOOK FOR A BETTER CAR, I NOW OWN A AFFORDABLE , EFFICENT, & FUN 3.0, I MAINLY GOTIT TO SAVE ON GAS, 20/28 CITY/HWY, IVE GOTTON MORE THAN A BARGIN, I THINK ITS A BLESSING, COMPLETE PACKAGE I WILL ONLY UPGRADE WITH SAFETY TINTS AND MAYBE A AIRHORN, NOTHING ELSE IS NEEDED TO MAKE IT NICE, ACURA DID THERE HOME WORK ONCE AGAIN. TEST DRIVE & SEE FOR YOURSELF.

• 

  Poor Customer Service - 2005 Acura TL
  By Randy - October 23 - 4:26 pm

  Beware of the "Parchment" leather interior. I wore a suede jacket and it stained the leather on the drivers seat. My sales associate never mentioned this problem, but it appears that the service personnel are aware of it. I recommmend not wearing any dark clothing (especially denim and leather products) with light leather interiors, such as Parchment. This problem was presented to my dealer and Acura Customer Service, and both basically told me it was my problem. My TL has only 2500 miles on it, so I was a bit surprised. Acura needs to work on improving its customer service and standing behind its product if it ever wants my business again.

• 

  Transmission issues - 2016 Acura TLX
  By Lisa - October 22 - 2:35 pm

  I have taken this car to the dealership three times and complained about the hard stopping. They said it was a software issue and they fixed it. It continues to do the same. Tired of the car.