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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  Liked My First So Much I Bought Another - 2010 Acura TSX
  By RHagel - November 11 - 2:00 am

  For the record, I just came off a 3 year lease on a 08 TSX w/6-speed manual. I loved it, but I was tired of driving a stick. So I bought another, this time an automatic. This car is better in almost every way than the original. Better seats, MUCH better base stereo, better handling, more room, better build qulaity and overall more fun to drive. For those of you who are skeptical about the performance, dont be, there is enough there. Not to mention the automatic shifts quickly and is pretty sporty. This is coming from a self proclaimed auto enthusiast. The bottom line is that you will not find a better value for your money ANYWHERE, especially if you are looking to lease. Two thumbs Up!

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  Almost Great, but 4 is underpowered - 2010 Acura TSX
  By Tom L Glastonbury CT - November 11 - 2:00 am

  I was down to this and the VW CC and made the wrong choice. Its a nice car, handles great, but its underpowered with the 4 Cyl automatic especially when entering a freeway. Even in manual mode its inadequate in the all important 40-60 range. If you are thinking of switching from a 6 cyl to the TSX 4, think twice. The TSX had better features for the price, but when you step on the gas at 40MPH and nothing much happens, features dont help. The 6 cyl was $3,000 more (too much). The VW has it where it counts, low end torque. Unfortunately, the VW came only with leatherette(Vinyl) and my wife hated the VW drving position. My guess is Acura will change to the turbo 4 from the RDX next year.

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  First Acura - 2010 Acura TL
  By Joe Spagna - November 11 - 2:00 am

  So far this car has proved to be vary exciting and comfortable to drive. Yes the front styling is daring, but you dont see alot of these on the road and that is what I like. I think it looks best in either White or Silver colors. Its a beast in the snow and we feel very safe when driving it. (5 Star Rating.

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  Absolute GEM - 2010 Acura TL
  By lji1 - November 11 - 2:00 am

  Bought the TL SH-AWD 6spd a week ago from a dealership 800 miles away and drove the car back home. The ride quality was very compliant (Im coming from a Lexus) and not jarring. Initial assessment of build quality seems to be excellent. I averaged 27 mpg (~70 mph) on the trip back home which is better than the 25 mpg hwy rating (3.7L V6). I got the silver which blends in the "beak" pretty well. The car looks much nicer in person. With the incentives for the 2010 TL, this car definitely should be given a thorough look over. All kinds of gadgetry and Acura reliability led me to my purchase. I also considered the G37 and the Lexus GS350, but felt the Acura delivered the most bang for the buck.

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  Very Nice Car for the Money - 2010 Acura TL
  By Daily Commuter - November 11 - 2:00 am

  I love this car. The styling is great. Im probably one of the few who loves the grille. It makes the car standout. It drives like a dream. I have not had any problems so far with the fit and finish. No rattles or squeaks. So far so good.

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  Best vehicle I have ever owned - 2007 Acura MDX
  By Mark - November 10 - 2:00 am

  Great handling and performance. Lots of room in a moderate size. Steering is too heavy. Way better value than comparable German models.

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  1st Acura - 2010 Acura TL
  By 1st Acura - November 8 - 2:00 am

  I love this car. Its a compelling blend of acceleration, sporty drive, comfort, quiet, and packed with features. I considered the BMW 3 series and an Infiniti G35, but the back seats looked like it was made for small children and I was concerned about reliability. For the price and value it was an easy decision taking home the Acura TL.

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  Still my favorite car! - 1991 Acura Integra
  By acura_lover - November 7 - 1:00 am

  My wife bought this car new, and after 180k, still going strong. Finally replaced clutch @ 160k. I love to drive this car around town, freeway, anywhere really. It has been ultra- reliable, just regular maintenance.

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  TL: Touring Luxury and True Love - 2010 Acura TL
  By X-man - November 7 - 1:00 am

  Love everything, I dont think sh-awd is a worth buy if you have limited budget, invest on tech package, you will never even look at Mercedes. I drove Mercedes C300, the acceleration was horrible! C300 feels like an upscale of Camry, the tech touch was not even close to what TL has to offer. many critiques focus on the front styling, however, I think that uniqueness is what you are looking for in the entry level luxury car market! I very much like Mayon Bronze Metallic Color! When I bought the car, I was told there were only 5 Bronze vehicles in the mid-atlantic region, which pretty much makes my TL a LIMITED EDITION! The inside is as quiet as a church! Highly recommend this vehicle.

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  Great SUV - 2011 Acura MDX
  By steve - November 6 - 2:00 am

  Was in the market for a vehicle with third row and this fit the bill perfectly! Compared with the bmw x5 i kept coming back to this suv for comparable ride/handling and the price difference was the clincher! 3rd row standard on MDX, upgrade on BMW, leasing a base model with NOTHING out of pocket for $610 a month!!! will add DVD player for kids for 1k later on and get a garmin for Nav. no need to pay extra 10k for all the extra gadgets. the performance and exterior of the truck are the same no matter the tech package.