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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  Well rounded value - 2004 Acura TL
  By Dwight - April 23 - 2:58 pm

  Bought used with 43,000 miles. Have put on 20,000 since then. Reliability has been perfect. Nearly every conceivable feature. Strong, quiet engine, good brakes, firm but not quite too harsh handling. Perfect balance of sports car and luxury car. Very little road noise at 80 mph. I get 30 MPG on highway at 80 mph and regular unleaded. All interior parts have a quality touch with exception of the seat leather. A few more interior noises than Id expect, but most have been fixable. $299 TomTom One GPS fits perfectly radio/climate screen without covering radio or drivers climate info. Why pay $2,000? I still like the G35, but the TL beats it in too many areas important to me.

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  Road Noise - 2005 Acura TL
  By Dave - April 19 - 6:17 pm

  My wife has had 3 Acuras and been pleased with all of them but the 2005 TL. This car has too much road noise we cant hear the radio or conversations in the car. Needless to say this car is being traded in.

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  Great drivers SUV - 2007 Acura MDX
  By consultauto - April 18 - 5:58 pm

  Traded in our 06 honda Pilot for an 07 MDX, the difference between the two was obvious from the moment you drive off. The MDX feels planted on the road with minimal roll, good acceleration. Im very pleased with my purchase and feel that it was a definitive upgrade from the Honda Pilot.

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  2005 Acura TL - 2005 Acura TL
  By lewcash - April 18 - 4:58 pm

  Fun to drive. Responsive and very reliable.

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  What a blast! - 2007 Acura RDX
  By Mark - April 18 - 9:45 am

  I drove all the competitors prior to this purchase. This vehicle truly screams "fun to drive". I almost bought an Infiniti FX35 but could not get over the awesome tech package in the RDX at this price. This crossover SUV almost handles as well as my BMW 330xi. It has great acceleration. In fact if you floor it expect to get pinned to your seat. So far the reliability is 100% better than the Grand Cherokee that it replaced. I cannot help myself from accelerating hard in corners and feeling this SUV handle like a sports sedan. Complaints about poor fuel economy and a harsh ride should be put in perspective. This is meant to be a sporty crossover and it totally meets the criteria.

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  Great car... but - 2005 Acura RL
  By Clip616 - April 10 - 9:17 am

  Leg room drivers side needs improvement. Large foot block left side prevents extending left leg unless you are less than 5 feet tall. Mileage not good in city driving. Highway mileage is good. Needs more insulation. Hard to carry conversation with back seat riders due to road noise.

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  Good but not great - 2003 Acura TL
  By Andy - April 10 - 8:15 am

  Overall I have been very happy w/ my 03 TL-S. Pros: fun to drive, styling, handling is good. Con: no auto lights, vehicle information display is limited (no mpg, mile remaining, oil life, etc), wiper spray doesnt work below freezing, no dual zone heating/cooling. I had some transmission problems early on, two wheel bolts sheared while driving, and the steering wheel stereo controls quit working about at about 80k. I have always thought I would have been happier with the Infinity G35, which will be my next car most likely.

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  Great car for a Sport Luxury - 2004 Acura TL
  By New Jersey Guy - April 10 - 2:00 am

  Well, I just bought the car and it is a great sport luxury. My previous car was a Lexus and comfort in the Lexus is by far superior than Acura. Fun to drive I would say that the TL is a great car. If you are looking for a Japanese car that drives like a German car this is for you.

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  Awsome Sedan - but not a Sports Sedan - 2007 Acura TL
  By Peter - April 6 - 6:43 am

  The interior is fantastic and is open enough to accommodate many body types & sizes. Its more of a luxury sedan then a performance sedan. The TL Type-S is basically the same as the TL except it adds a bigger engine with some added HP but its still attached to a FWD vehicle, good for those who like the extra power. The interior design, fit and finish is excellent, the exterior is getting to be a bit outdated but its still noticeable on the road. Comes with Honda reliability and its fun to drive factor is high for a car thats not really designed to be fun to drive. Fuel economy is on par for a sedan.

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  Bluetooth-enabled - 2004 Acura MDX
  By Jimrayoden - April 3 - 2:00 am

  I test drove an MDX with Navigation and was really impressed. My question is for existing owners as to whether this model has the Handsfreelink (bluetooth) feature that the TL has which allows you to use a Bluetooth enabled phone to work with the car? On the TL, you can dial phone numbers in your Navigation database using your (bluetooth-enabled) cell phone.