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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  BMW... Almost - 2004 Acura TL
  By BMW Man - November 4 - 2:00 am

  This car is awesome! We traded in a 2003 Infiniti G35 ( great looks, lousy service and brake problems) and were looking at the 2004 530i( I drive a 300CI) until we drove the TL, WOW! not quite the 530i, but for the difference of 24k, I could learn to live with the lighter steering and lighter transmission! BMW better check their review view morriors!

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  Great Car! - 2004 Acura TL
  By exprguy - November 4 - 2:00 am

  The new TL is a great car. The interior is unmatched and Ive always been an Audi fan. I bought the Acura TL because it is by and far the most value-packed car that I test drove and its a complete joy to drive. The stereo is amazing-the dash is layed out perfectly and the seats are supportive and luxurious...you need to test this one out if you re looking at Audi, Lexus or Infinity...

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  Best car I ever had - 2004 Acura TL
  By tradewinds - November 4 - 2:00 am

  Most definetely the best car I ever owned. I considered the BMW 325i, but there was no comparison in terms of features or reliability. I really enjoy the DVD surround sound system. Sound inside the car is like being in a concert hall. There is nothing out there like the TL for $33,000. Car has power, elegance and comfort.

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  Someone has to start a review... - 2004 Acura TL
  By Motavar - November 4 - 2:00 am

  Everyone who purchases or leases a new car thinks their car is the best so Im not going to bore you with "this is the best car ever made". What I will tell you are the early build problems that Acura is currently working on. *Memory Seats lose their settings, a few rattle noises reported, and the 50+ mph vibration issue. More info at www.acura-tl.com If you can live with these early build problems for awhile I believe you will not be disappointed with the car. Its fast,it sucks up gas, XM radio is pretty neat, and the DVD-Audio will blow you away!

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  Car of the Year - 2004 Acura TL
  By PK - November 4 - 2:00 am

  Car of the year! Powerful, futuristic, good looking, comfortable.

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  Bumpy, bumpy, bumpy. - 2009 Acura TSX
  By Moosie - November 3 - 8:56 am

  This is a very good car, but I chose the wrong one. The seats are very comfortable, looks good inside and out, trans is smooth, and braking smooth. But this car has a terrible ride. The suspension is way too stiff, especially the rear suspension. Who ever heard of a car with a rear suspension that is stiffer than the front? This car jiggles everywhere and no my tires are not overinflated. For short trips this is ok, but so uncomfortable and exhausting on any long drive. Also the steering is too hard, with no feel for the road. I will sell it soon and buy a smoother riding car.

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  There Can Be Only One...And This Is It - 2002 Acura RSX
  By Oak - November 2 - 10:00 am

  What a great car. Ive been looking for a fun toy for years. However, at 67" there aint much I can fit in thats qualifies as a toy [say hello to minivan hell]. But this car fits me perfectly. While it doesnt have the torque of the Mustang GT [second choice], the Acura was funner to drive and fit better. Besides, a few years and superchargers later, this car will rock

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  Souped-Up Honda! - 2003 Acura TL
  By BrentSki - November 2 - 10:00 am

  Car is comfortable to drive, pickup is amazing with Hondas VTEC engine, and that all Hondas and Acuras have. It is an all-around great car, but it came with its minor problems.

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  My favorite ugly duckling - 2009 Acura TL
  By Richard Kelly - October 29 - 11:45 am

  I will start off to say most hated the first glimpse of the new fourth generation TL platform when it released in late 2008, but I believe it is an acquired taste. My previous car was a Honda S2000 and when I was exiting my ownership of that vehicle I was worried I would soon be stranded into a mundane driving experience. This was not the case. For a near 4000lbs car that barely breachs 300hp at the crank it moves quite nicely. I live in a rather snowy climate (number two snowiest city in the US) and while I got around with snow tires in the S2000 just fine, the SH-AWD TL was awesome even on all seasons, not to mention a blast of mash, steer and go. The car is well laid out as far as controls and technology and is very user friendly once accommodated with all the functions. It is incredibly spacious for my height and for a mid-size vehicle. Most of all, the build quality and material choice makes me appreciate the interior when compared to other vehicles in its used price range. The technology package delivers a pretty nice stock sound system with a very conservative navigation display. Beware that with this sound system the door speakers are prone to blowing out. However they are $25 to replace and this vehicles door panels are by far the most user friendly to take on and off. Seriously if youve taken door panels off before they are usually a nightmare of clips breaking, but that is not the case here. Overall I am very pleased with the value of this car for roughly $19,000 used with 50,000 miles when bought over a year ago. The Mayan Bronze Metallic color is quite beautiful as well.

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  RSX is not an INTEGRA - 2004 Acura RSX
  By Integragrl22 - October 29 - 2:00 am

  I am disappointed in acura for calling the RSX and integra. It is nothing like an integra and doesnt deserve the name. Acura needs to bring back the REAL integra.