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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  my first one. - 2003 Acura TL
  By martin richard - April 22 - 10:00 am

  this is a good car. fun to drive. a lot for the buck. best and fairest priced car. compared to competition its a real steal. worth the price.

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  2006 Acura TL - 2006 Acura TL
  By alca - April 19 - 9:00 pm

  This is a superb car for the money. It beats german competition hands down when you compare all the features and the price you pay for them. The ride is extremely smooth. Automatic transmission shifts flawlessly and acurately, The sound system is awesome along with interior lighting. It is roomy enough for five adults or two car seats in the back (for those interested). Navigation system is wonderful and easy to use, especially when voice-activated. There is always room for improvement, however. For the life of me I dont understand why the car doesnt have day time running lights (and automatic lights on for that matter). Also, outside mirrors arent monochromatic.

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  Wolf In Sheeps Clothing! - 2004 Acura RSX
  By MGLUVZRSXS - April 19 - 10:00 am

  What a find! I was not so sure about the body style. Hesitated even looking at it because it was so plain. But then, WOW, when I got behind the wheel I discovered the surprise is under the hood. So unassuming yet so much of a machine. I also tested a Toyota Celica GT the same day, the salesman had to jump start the car, then the gas tank was on flashing empty and the engine sounded like a piece of crap. My new Acura is the best car I have ever owned. Highly recommend it to anyone.

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  Love it, but a little disappointed - 2004 Acura MDX
  By Quiet Please - April 19 - 10:00 am

  My 2004 is great! The ride, luxury, and roominess are better than any other I tried. However, unexpectedly it is the noisiest quiet vehicle. It is 7 months and it has the following noises: front caliper pop, rear breaks make a clunk noise when I change direction, they also make a loud rubbing noise during the first 10 min. of operation every day (all of this according to the dealer is normal). The NAV system controls on the steering wheel donÂ’t work 20% of the time. All this is not to say that I donÂ’t like my MDX. I do like it very much. ItÂ’s just not perfect, which for the money I would have expected it to come a little closer.

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  March 2004 TL Evaluation - 2004 Acura TL
  By JKG - April 19 - 10:00 am

  Test drove 2004 Acura TL, 5 cars, and Infiniti G-35 4 door, 2 cars. Decided on 2004 TL for nunerous reasons. Front wheel drive; Intriguing outside styling; 270 HP; and extra accessories provided by Dealer (also see below). Best color selection and best value for sports sedans in $29,500 to $37,500 range. See 2005 Acura RL for $40,000 to $45,000 range.

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  Great Car - 2005 Acura TSX
  By Keith082 - April 18 - 10:00 am

  I bought my TSX last year in August and so far its been a great car. I compared several cars and found this one to be the best one. The TSX is cheaper than other foreign competitors and has more standard features.

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  AWESOME - 2006 Acura TL
  By Ali - April 17 - 10:30 pm

  Best car ever.... never seen car like this before in my life and its not realy expensive tooo...

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  Great Choice!! - 2006 Acura TL
  By drfidler - April 17 - 12:03 pm

  I did a ton of research and test drove several cars before purchasing my TL. I drove a BMW 325i, VW Passat, Saab 9- 3, and Lexus IS 250. Ive always driven a Honda, and traded my Accord for my TL. This car is absolutely fun to drive, and has excellent power. Its hard to keep under the speed limit, and it is super smooth. My final decision came between the IS and the TL, and I chose the TL hands down. Im 64", so comfort and room was important. I find the instruments to be easily accesible, and nicely trimmed. The seats are roomy and comfortable. There are hardly any blindspots, which is a plus for me! The IS, BMW lacked horsepower, plus much more $$$. The TL has everything!

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  A sensible choice - 2017 Acura RDX
  By Carlos Guzman - April 17 - 9:25 am

  I just got this recently, so Im still in the honeymoon period, but I think that I have a pretty good idea of what this car is. Likes: the power and the price. Those were the two main factors that made me pull the trigger. They had a great lease deal and I really wanted a V6 instead of a turbo 4. Other cars I considered were the new Lexus RX350 (which was at least $150 more a month), the BMW X3 and the 3-series GT (probably $200 more a month, and their down payments are considerably more) and the Lexus NX 200t (smaller and turbo engine). The build quality is great. I got the base model with the leatherette seats and they feel very nice, other than the strong plastic smell. No sweet leather smell here. I like that this is lower than most SUVs, so it handles so much better and if feel almost like, dare I say, a sporty sedan. I had a Toyota Highlander before, and I wanted to avoid the dynamics of a heavy and soft SUV. . . It was a pregnant cow on wheels. The RDXs engine sounds sweet and pulls great -- the transmission, on the other hand, is slow and outdated. Forget using the paddle shifters, they are slow and theres a jerk when downshifting. Better just use your foot and/or sport mode and leave the paddles alone. This engine with modern 8-speed transmission would kill. Comfort is okay. Some people have complained about RDXs having suspension problems. The car doesnt like bumps. You can feel and hear the suspension working and I do think its a design flaw, but not a defect per se. I did have suspension problem on a 2011 Honda Odyssey, and after multiple trips to the dealership and opening a case with corporate, they were never able to fix it. Its just like every other manufacturer, they have known problems with their car and they jerk you around until you give up. I personally like the simple entertainment system in this base model. Acuras technology package is outdated. I do wish the stereo was a bit better, but I can live with it. Bluetooth always pairs without fail with my iPhone 6. All in all, this is a great small SUV if you want acceleration, a bit of luxury, decent cargo space, and a low price. I think that naturally aspirated V6s are a dying breed, and by the time this lease is up, Id probably be faced with choosing a 4-cyl turbo, or some type of hybrid system -- which I guess wouldnt be that bad. So far Im getting 18 mpg (90% city traffic), and that combined with a smallish fuel tank has me going to the pump more frequently than Id prefer.

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  AVOID THE ACURA TLX!!! - 2015 Acura TLX
  By Crystal - April 14 - 3:18 pm

  What an expensive heap of junk Ive leased! Ive had transmission issues from the 1st week Ive had the car; Had the car in for service 8 times for the same transmission problem (car lurches forward after I come to a stop WHILE I HAVE MY FOOT FIRMLY PRESSED DOWN ON THE BREAK); Now the interior is falling apart....part of the drivers seat (plastic section) where the seat controls are has cracked and broken off.....now Ill be dropping my car off to have that fixed. Its laughable that Acura/American Honda Motor Company has labeled the TLX a "luxury car". Trust me its not......but dont bother trying to get your dealership OR even American Honda Motor Company to address their poorly designed, crappy built and unsafe transmissions, because you will get no where with them. Believe me, Ive fought the battle and lost. Do yourself a favor, dont lease or buy anything vehicle that is manufactured by Acura or American Honda Motor Company....you might as well buy a Ford Pinto.