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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  Nice, but Rattles A LOT - 2004 Acura TL
  By Maryland - December 19 - 9:06 am

  I tried all the competition and chose this car because I got the most bang for the buck. So, for the most part, it was the best choice in terms of price, quality, engine, transmission, power, options, etc. However, it NEEDS a smoother shifting transmission and the rattles and the little noises drive me crazy. The car sounds like it is 100- years old and it keeps getting worse. As long as I turn volume on radio up, IÂ’m good. All-in-all pretty good car.

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  Replaced my BMW 528 - 2005 Acura RL
  By Tom Curry - December 19 - 3:56 am

  I purchased a new 2005 TL (6 spd) in November to replace a 98 BMW 528 (5sp) (that had reached 125,000 miles with repair bills to match). The TL turned out too small with too much front wheel torque steer; thus, the new RL in December. Very impressed with fit and finish. Overall performance is just fine (I do a lot a higher speed open road driving); the handling is much better with none of the TLs torque steer. I spend about 3 hrs per day in the car. Only problem in first 1,000 miles is a non-performing CD player, and thats about to be repaired. The rest of the audio system is great. The mileage is less than I would like; about 5 mpg less than the old BMW.

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  Awesome Sports Coupe - 2002 Acura RSX
  By Steve6 - December 15 - 10:00 am

  Ive had my car for more than five months now, and I love it. The car rides well, gas mileage is great, and the car looks sporty. I dont understand how some people say that the RSX is an "upgraded" Civic. The car makes the Civic look like cheap piece of junk. One thing to mention is the cloth seats are suede-like and thus, are more comfortable and feel more sophisticated that most cloth.

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  tl 05 - 2005 Acura TL
  By larry - December 11 - 5:50 am

  car has great style,interior is fine,nav system is very high tech..sound system is exelent,my only complaint is the car has several rattles.it was left at service for 2 days for this problem,it is better but not the quality of a car of this price my trade an 02 audi a4 was quiet not a rattle ,outside of this it is a good car

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  A good, comfortable car - 2002 Acura RL
  By BlueJay - December 9 - 9:18 am

  I have enjoyed this comfortable car. It always starts and has never conked out on me while driving on the road. I noticed that holding to the speed limit, especially 55 mph the gas mileage approaches 30 mpg. In the winter, around town I expect 20-25 mpg. I drive with a light foot. I didnt think I wanted a sunroof, but have come to enjoy it, even in winter--opening it on a sunny day with the seat heat and feet heat set high. The antilock brakes have saved me from fender benders when I didnt even realize it was slippery. It handles a bit loose, like a boat, not a bullet, but feels very solid and the engine never feels strained.

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  My Review - 2003 Acura MDX
  By stsweetser - December 8 - 2:00 am

  I have owned the Acura MDX for one week and I love this vehicle. The ride is smooth, the noise level is minimal and the style and luxury compares to my luxury sedan.

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  Repeat Acura customer for a reason - 2008 Acura RDX
  By Ellen Mansour - December 5 - 11:52 pm

  Cant beat Acura for reliability, safety and stability on the road. The technology package is easy to use, the sound system is impressive and it drives like a dream. I couldnt be happier.

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  2007 3.2 TL - 2007 Acura TL
  By Enthusiast - December 1 - 6:44 pm

  Bought this car because of its design and reliability. The second week I had ignition problem, which was fixed by the dealer. The car drives well and I feel very secure behind the wheel. But, the squeaks and the little noises drive me crazy. With every additional mile, the noises increase exponentially. The noise problem is present in every heavy car. I had a GS before, which was no stranger to the constant sounds but the noises are profoundly present in this car more than others. I would think again before buying this car again.

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  2001 Acura TL - 2001 Acura TL
  By TLowner - November 30 - 10:09 am

  My TL rides great after 7 years. One major problem I had was that the AC wasnt working and it took 3 times to the shop to fix. The door trim also peeled and cracked after 2 years and the cushion on the center console deflated. After 6 years, the paint started fading. You would think that Acura would build their cars better than that. I still like driving my TL but wished the looks lasted longer.

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  Overall, a great little car - 2004 Acura RSX
  By Vince - November 30 - 7:26 am

  For those reviewers complaining about the lack of luxury features, realize what kind of car this is supposed to be. This was Acuras entry level car, not their flagship. About the tranny, I know many other sport compacts that have the same tranny issues. After 3 years, I still love this car. In stock form, its pretty bland, but Ive taken care of that. Performance is so so if you dont hit the hot cam, but handling is above average. The rear can get pretty nervous when the roads get rough. This is NOT a long haul vehicle and not the greatest for city and/or bumper to bumper. The stock stereo is pretty weak. If u dont go crazy, 34 MPG is easily attainable. Overall, this is a good car.