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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  Still Going Strong - 1996 Acura TL
  By Kenny - May 15 - 3:58 pm

  Bought my 2.5TL in 2001 with 27k miles. Now at 145k miles and car still is doing fantastic! Service it every 30-45k miles and this car should run for a while. I have no complaints with this car and hope to get a new TL someday. Hopefully not for another 100,000 miles!

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  A few issues make it irritating - 2004 Acura TL
  By irritated_driver - May 11 - 10:00 am

  A few small issues irritate me. 1) Lights do not turn on when it is dark out. 2) The DVD Navigation screen goes into night mode when you turn on the lights, even if its during the day. The system should go into night mode *at night*. 3) This car will continuously beep at you if you do not have your seatbelt on. I usually were my seat belt, but if I take it off IT IS MY choice, not Acuras. This is especilly frustrated given issue #4 4) The car will not beep to warn that you are low on gas. I havent run out of gas yet, but Im sure if I did and unbuckled my seat belt..it would beep at me.

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  Bumpy ride - 2009 Acura RDX
  By Jim - May 8 - 1:09 pm

  Gas mileage for 4 cylinder is poor and vehicle uses premium fuel. Ride is quite uncomfortable.

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  Money Talks - 2006 Acura TL
  By Rob - May 7 - 9:55 am

  Folks Ive owned just about every type of import on the market, and Im here to tell ya that there is no better value than the Acura TL. Im one of the few people left who still prefers a clutch pedal, and Acura is more than willing to cater to me! Buying the stick doesnt make the car less expensive, but Acura hooks you up with Brembo 4 Piston brakes up front with pretty black calipers that read "Acura." DOES NOT perform like a BMW, DOES NOT ride like a Lexus, interior IS NOT as nice as an Audi, but come on, I paid $31k for this thing! Really should be rear wheel drive, then I think it could take a 3 series. Torque steer isnt bad, you get a better diff and reprogrammed software with the 6M!

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  Comfy - 2003 Acura TL
  By jfbrown42 - May 6 - 11:44 am

  I was looking for a sporty family car, something better than the Mazda 626 ES my wife was driving - bigger, sportier, better gas mileage. We looked at a 2003 TL Type-S and the 2004 models. The 2004s were more edgy looking, had more horspower, and had more tech (bluetooth) but my wife didnt feel that they would go when she stepped on the gas pedal. Also, the 2004 felt smaller on the inside and had a smaller trunk. The trunk is important because we have two little kids. Wed like to be able to go on vacation and not have to rent an SUV for the luggage. I dont really push this car, but it performs well enough and is quite comfortable.

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  Rattle and Whine - 2004 Acura TL
  By Motoracer - May 5 - 10:00 am

  This could be a great car, but the poor quality of the interior construction has been a constant source of irritation for me. The chief problem has been squeeking and popping noises from both front-side window trim pieces. I think this is a design/build problem and not something the dealer can repair unless new components are developed. If it wasnt for this problem, I would be very happy with the car. The off- center steering feel isnt great but otherwise the car handles very well at any reasonable street pace. The torque steer isnt intrusive and Im happy giving up some RWD handing characteristics to have FWD for New England winter.

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  love the car - 2005 Acura RL
  By john smith - May 3 - 5:43 pm

  Comfort on the road is outstanding. Visuals as far as instrument panel are perfect. Room in back seat is outstanding. Also love the gps and the voice activation system. Also the best sound system ive heard, better than my 430 mzb.

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  A wonderful car if Acura engineers stop stupidity - 2016 Acura TLX
  By Donald Martin - April 30 - 1:15 pm

  A great value at its price point. The car is within a whisker of greatness if those responsible for its design would study the competition and take a lesson is usability design. Sometimes engineers get enamored with themselves . I should know, I am one. This car is an unbelievable value at its price point . I bought it based on that and I dont regret it but it could be the absolute class leader but for a few points: 1. For Petes sakes hear the steering wheel and rear seats. Comes in the Canadian model. Is Minnesota warmer than Canada? 2. Please for the love of god sit down with a few customers who have tried to use your cockpit. It is non intuitive and silly in some respects. Dont you people ever drive this car? 3. I like auto fold mirrors. So do all the people who buy bmw Audi and Mercedes. Its stupid but it makes us feel special. Do it! 4. The nine speed has problems that everybody knows about... Fix it! 5. The lane keeping assist and dynamic cruise are good. Can you stop insisting I move the steering wheel? Turning it off if I dont seems asinine. Its like the car is saying " move the wheel or I will kill us both." Also can you make the dynamic less responsive ? Its like driving with a 16 yo with their first time at the wheel. Even the GM system is better than this. Let me repeat . The GM engineers skunked you on an electronic system! Ok so enough with the negativity. Its a fantastic vehicle with a fantastic engine and an ok drivetrain. It is the quietest car Ive ever driven. I use it as my daily highway commuter and I like it a lot. I got more for my money than any other car I looked at. You could have the line out the door with just a few relatively minor changes. Make them!!!

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  My favorite car so far - 2006 Acura RSX
  By Benjamin - April 27 - 2:52 pm

  I absolutely love this car. I love the handling, I love the suspension, I love the looks, but one thing this car lacks is power - the base models measly 155 hp just isnt cutting it. Otherwise the car is great. Better gas mileage and more comfortable seats could help (my backside hurts after long road trips).

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  Fun but needs something - 2004 Acura RSX
  By GD - April 26 - 2:14 am

  Forgetting the fact that this car is no longer being made (poor Integra) It is a fun car day to day. The only thing is that for the money you can get a LOT more bang for your buck. If you are a die hard Honda fan you will forget the fact that the car has no torque and gets tiring to drive when revving to 8100 to stay in vtec after every shift. I bought the car on a whim but wish I would have looked at a WRX. Good reliable car but really overpriced and underpowered. Honda needs to step it up with a boosted car or they will be left behind. Also dont plan on carrying anyone in the car, the extra weight and lack of torque kills any hope of accelerating.