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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  Awesome - 2004 Acura TL
  By cgwillie - July 31 - 10:00 am

  The car has delivered in every way as expected and then some. It is an incredible vehicle for the money and has not dissapointed me yet.

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  Everything they say is true! - 2004 Acura TL
  By GBerg1 - July 31 - 10:00 am

  This is my third acura (2 previous CLs) and I jumped from a coupe to a sedan because it was just as exciting to see and drive. There is nothing wrong and everything right with this car/acura really got it right!

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  Ultimate Commuter, Not a Sports Sedan - 2006 Acura TL
  By emos - July 29 - 2:33 pm

  Just spent 3.5 yrs in a G35 Coupe and had driven G35 Sedan loaners. Test drove Passat and A4. The TL is a great car and an awesome value (cost me under $29k new in July). Ride is nice balance b/w sport and comfort. But it is not a sports sedan. Mainly because it is FWD. RWD cars handle much better. Also, transmission gearing is too low (probly for fuel economy) and its hard to keep engine RPMs up where the power is (over 4000) It eats up miles on highway, offers enough fun to drive factor, looks good, is comfortable and fits 4-5 easily. But cant compare to handling and balance of RWD cars like G35 and BMW 3 series. Still - the Ultimate Value Perf Luxury Commuter (need FWD or AWD in NJ).

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  Another Acura - 2005 Acura TL
  By Charles R - July 29 - 12:33 am

  I have owned the Acura product since the Legend in 1986. Each one has continued their tradition of excellence. My last Acura was an RL. This is my first TL. I drove the G35, 530, and GS300 prior to the purchase just to be sure. Once again in terms of performance, ergonomics, and styling the TL won hands down. The fun to drive quotient is a definite 10. I have owned it for a week now and I am more impressed each day.

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  Never Again - 2005 Acura TL
  By #8Fan - July 26 - 8:33 am

  If you buy on looks go ahead--if you buy for a nice comfortable ride--keep looking. I bought my TL about a year ago and have approx. 18K miles on the car and am planning to dump it. I liked the car the first couple of months, but realized it was nothing compared to my previous Infiniti I30 and I never really loved this car. Although the handling is nice and taut, the comfort of the "luxury" ride does not even come close to the I30 or other cars in this class. The TL has terrible blind spots and the ride is very uncomfortable. You feel every bump in town & interstate. The transmission and shifting is very jerky, not at all smooth. Also very noisy and no auto headlights--very disappointing

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  Rides like a go-cart - 2005 Acura MDX
  By edavis - July 25 - 11:23 pm

  When I first purchased by Acura, I loved it. But after the first year and several miles later the suspension is terrible. It bounces like a go-cart and the brakes are pretty scary too. I believe that it is the front wheel drive that causes the problem with this SUV. The dealer tells me that I have to come in and spend $600 to reset the suspension to the original factory specs, this must be a recurring problem with this vehicle. The air conditioner also makes a loud rattling sound.

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  Bens TSX - 2004 Acura TSX
  By Bizzenn - July 25 - 10:00 am

  I have had the TSX for about 2 months now. No problems to report. Looked at the Mazda6 which was a very close second but the TSX won. Price paid was $26,100. The dealer has been excellent. I had one small rattle on the drivers side and they offered to replace the entire door panel. It wasnt even that bad.

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  The Best! - 2004 Acura TL
  By Lanson - July 25 - 10:00 am

  Without doubt, this is the best car in its class! The 270HP V6 VTEC engine brings sports car fun to a sedan. Added to this a killer navigation system, stereo and XM radio. Acura has done its homework!

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  The car of a lifetime! - 2004 Acura TL
  By B and J - July 25 - 10:00 am

  This car has it all: the luxury and ride of a German car and the reliability of a Japanese car. Its the perfect blend of luxury and sport. The navigation is a must have toy; well worth the expense!

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  TLX Early Impressions - 2016 Acura TLX
  By Gregory Lowe - July 25 - 9:53 am

  Car has above average technology for the entry luxury sedan class, but below average performance for the category. Also, the engine automatic stop when stationary at a traffic light, etc. is annoying and requires manual override.