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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  Love my Acura TL Type S - 2003 Acura TL
  By francml - September 22 - 2:00 am

  The Acura TL is a vehicle where you get the most bang for buck in its class. Vehicles that are in the same class sell for thousands more when you begin to add on equipment that is standard in the Acura. Fun to drive, smooth ride, comfortable, and reliable.

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  2005 TL w/NAV - 2005 Acura TL
  By Scott Flood - September 21 - 4:16 pm

  Great ride, fun to drive. Ergonomically sound. Nav system, hands free bluetooth are a bonus. Mid- size V6 engine gets good mileage, and has plenty of growl to get after it when you want to. No buyers remorse here. Its my first Acura, but it wont be my last.

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  2003tl - 2003 Acura TL
  By runi - September 17 - 10:00 am

  I have driven the TL for a little over a year. Purchase the car because it driven the best value for the money and came fully equipped. Upgraded to 225/50 tires which has improved the handling.

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  Better than the Price - 2006 Acura TL
  By Ed - September 17 - 9:36 am

  For the price, cant match it. Only been driving it for a few weeks, but havent heard rattles. Sound system and Navi are great, fun to drive and soft interior make for an enjoyable ride. Tried the G35, S60, 330, (great car, but small and $$), Passat (really nice, but not as refined or sporty), this car tops them all when you add up value, power, design and std features. If you want to spend a little more the Infinity M35x is awesome--but I stay away from new models and Infinity/Nissan need to prove better reliability at those prices--might as well go German. Engine will last forever, and resale is top notch.

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  Redondo Red P - 2005 Acura RL
  By BobB - September 14 - 8:56 pm

  An excellent auto with well thought out features for road trips and finding places in the big city (Chicago). XM is wonderful and AM/FM just as fine. CD player works well and 6 cds a time is great. Fit and finish on par with MB and Lexus if not better. Navigation feature the best I have ever seen and even got me out of a traffic circle. Ride smooth, acceleration good and quite adequate for an ex-Suburban driver. Would recommend to anyone who wants a higher end auto.

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  The best of the best - 2005 Acura MDX
  By Carr - September 12 - 3:20 am

  This is one of if not the best car we have ever owned and that includes Mercedes. The navigator is a real joy on trips or just around the area. The quality is top notch and it is so very nice to drive. Gas mileage on trips has been 24 mpg and around town around 20. The acceleration is a little slower than some cars such as entering the freeway but in all other respects this is just the best of the best!

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  Jerky low speed transmission shifts - 2016 Acura MDX
  By David - September 11 - 11:08 am

  Rough shifting from idle into first and second. Jerky shifting at low speed if you do not accelerate uniformly. Not worth the $50K+ price.

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  I Love my MDX! - 2003 Acura MDX
  By ccross4872 - September 11 - 10:00 am

  This is the ultimate family car! It is fun for me and it is a huge hit with kids! There are so many standard features that are wonderful. It is an SUV that has an unbelievable smooth ride. It is pure luxury!

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  TSXstacy! - 2005 Acura TSX
  By David Gifford - September 10 - 7:06 pm

  As this is my very first brand-new car I may be a little biased. I did a lot of research and test drives and when the dust settled the TSX was the clear choice. Honda reliability, The Acura name-status without being pretentious and driveability. This car is fun to drive and you feel confident that it will handle most traffic situations with ease, except a stoplight-to-stoplight blast with any car with a potent V6 or better (not a big deal to me). Ergonomics seem to be dead-on and the seats are wonderful. I love the instrument cluster and how easy it is to read, even in bright daylight. If you are considering a new car, do not fail to test drive this one.

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  My Tasty Limo. (TL) - 2005 Acura TL
  By Jim West - September 8 - 4:43 am

  Having owned an ES300 Lexus, I wanted to stay in that price range. The Acura was very competitive but with more power, edgy looks, electronic features and much better road handling. Its stability on curves was superior to the Lexus with a cleaner more luxurious interior. I cant wait to get in it every morning!