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:

• 

  Almost Great - 2003 Acura TL
  By Mike W. - August 8 - 2:00 am

  TL Type S is a great car that is very fun to drive. 260 Horsepower is just enough to teach those younger kids a lesson every now and then. The car accelerates well and handles corners with ease.

• 

  Sports car in SUV shell - 2009 Acura RDX
  By Tim - August 6 - 5:30 pm

  The sportiest of a batch of SUVs available that year: BMW X3, Volvo XC60, and Audi Q5. Excellent mechanical reliability, although a couple electronics issues with the side-view mirror.

• 

  Great Pick - 2006 Acura TSX
  By DJS31982 - August 6 - 4:30 pm

  I have had this car a little over a week. I waited for the 06 because of the bluetooth addition. I am also very glad I opted for the navi system...it rocks. I am happy with the power, however it could use more torque. I went from an 04 Jetta 1.8T with 5 speed to this car. The Jetta was much faster in the take off, which is also because the TSX is automatic. The car drives and rides great, grips the road very well. The seats are very supportive and comfortable. There are more electronic goodies on this car, than you can imagine. I drove an Audi A4, Mercedes C-class and BMW 3-series. This by far was the winner, in my opinion. You get so much for the money, too.

• 

  Daves Review - 2006 Acura TL
  By David Smallwood - August 4 - 1:56 pm

  Squeaks and rattles from the dash, drivers door and sunroof areas. While braking, the downshift to third gear is often too noticeable. More wind noise than I was expecting. Leather in driver seat is beginning to wrinkle after only two months. Cup holder doesnt like to release your cup.

• 

  Love my type-S!!! - 2007 Acura TL
  By levende - August 4 - 5:43 am

  Absolutely love my Acura TL Type-S. After test driving nearly every car in its class - BMW 330, Infinity G35 (2006), Mercedes C280, Lexus ES 350, etc.- this car stood out as the best option for me. It is comfortable, had solid performance, large back seat. My only 2 complaintsare that it gets just okay gas mileage, and the front end could be better styled. Overall love it!

• 

  The TL Caught My Eye - 2004 Acura TL
  By Pagemaker - August 4 - 2:00 am

  My 98 Lexus was getting long in the tooth so I was about to trade up when I ran across an 04 Acura TL ad on the web which made me curious. Went to the dealership to check it out and was pleasantly supprised. I had always considered Acuras a bit Plain Jane but this one knocked my socks off. My friends and relatives assumed Id be trading up to a new Lexus but the ES 300, I was looking at, just couldnt compare from a price point, style or feature standpoint. The TL package is well put together. Who needs snob appeal when youre sporting gas money.

• 

  Value Buy - 2002 Acura TL
  By Value buyer - August 3 - 10:00 am

  For the money, this car will match any feature for feature. The 260HP delivers on low-end and mid-range acceleration. The car corners flat and the breaking system is excellent. If I had known about an available 6 speed in 2003 I would have waited.

• 

  Love my TL Nicer than my old Lexus - 2005 Acura TL
  By Laura - August 2 - 9:03 pm

  If shopping for a car around 35k you should consider this TL. I have looked at everything and this car has the nicest interior I have ever seen on a car (especially at night) I liked my old ES300, but the all Lexuss now look like old man cars. Interiors are too light and most are 2 tone. I researched cars since 2003 and bought a TL.

• 

  2004 Acura MDX - 2004 Acura MDX
  By Robert A. Clemons - July 31 - 10:00 am

  This Vehicle has it all. That is All!!!!

• 

  Totaled 3 month old, bought another - 2004 Acura MDX
  By bmartys - July 31 - 10:00 am

  I totaled our 3 month old MDX at 75mph on the interstate. It flipped end over end twice across the median into oncoming traffic. We opted to get another MDX because I think I would have been dead in anything else even though none of the airbags deployed.