Acura Car Reviews: Integra, TSX, MDX Touring, RSX, RDX, RL & TL

Review: 2009 Acura RDX

By Megan Benoit
May 11, 2009

Some vehicles are doomed from the start. Take the Acura RDX: a not-inexpensive CUV with aesthetically challenging looks nestling amongst Honda's "Huh?" brand. The RDX seems carefully designed to appeal to the few, the proud, the pistonheads. You know: enthusiasts who absolutely must have a willing engine, a chassis that's a suitable dance partner and the elevated driving position of SUV---all at a price that's significantly higher than more sensible (if dull) alternatives made by brands whose street cred didn't die with the Integra. You see how that doesn't work?

Review: 2009 Acura RDX continued »

rating summary and performance review: 2009 Acura RDX

Posted in Acura | Bailout Watch | Car Reviews | 59 comments

Review: 2009 Acura TL Take Two

By Robert Farago
January 22, 2009

Once upon a time, I mistook an automotive journalist for a member of ZZ Top. After a proper introduction, L.J.K. Setright subjected me to a twenty-minute lecture on the Euro-Accord's five-spoke wheels. He was deeply offended by the fact that the lug nuts didn't line up with the spokes. I got the message: people who truly understand and appreciate engineering excellence are wrapped WAY too tight. And yet, the desire for a meticulously designed automobile transcends geekery. The market rewards over-engineering-- or at least the aura of over-engineering (cough Mercedes cough). In that sense, the Acura brand is not without inherent appeal-- despite the TL's inability to live up to the marque's upmarket aspirations. Which is a fancy way of saying the TL is an epic fail.

Review: 2009 Acura TL Take Two continued »

rating summary and performance review: 2009 Acura TL Take Two

Posted in Acura | Car Reviews | 102 comments

Review: 2009 Acura TL

By Michael Curwood
November 5, 2008

The Acura TL is like the brainy girl in math class. If you’d told your friends you had the hots for her, they'd have stifled laughs, paused and said “who?” Since the turn of the century, the Accord-based Acura TL has been the deeply sensible alternative to premium-priced imports. But the TL’s fans knew the joys of stealth smarts: a super-smooth six powering a superbly-crafted cabin sitting atop a well-built and reliable chassis. So, will channeling the spirit of Frank Lloyd Wright help or hinder the TL’s ongoing quest for luxury car legitimacy?

Review: 2009 Acura TL continued »

rating summary and performance review: 2009 Acura TL

Posted in Acura | Car Reviews | 62 comments

2008 Acura CSX Navi Premium Review

By Samir Syed
September 3, 2008

Evaluating the Canadian-designed, built and sold Acura CSX without mentioning the Honda Civic is no easy task. (See?) Comparisons are so tempting, namely because the latter is an excellent car in its own right. The feeling’s mutual. Honda of Japan loved the Acura CSX so much that it served as a template for the JDM Civic. And why not? The CSX delivers an excellent compact luxury package without the reliability issues bedeviling certain (cough German cough) imports. Said otherwise, the CSX is the penny-pinching—I mean, thinking man’s luxury compact.

: Sensible enough? (courtesy z.about.com)

: Stabilize your rear deflectors... Watch for enemy fighters.

: Don't everyone thank me at once.

: Don't everybody thank me at once.

: Stabilize your deflectors... watch for enemy fighters.

: Come on. Why don't you take a look around? You know what's about to happen, what they're up against. They could use a good pilot like you. You're turning your back on them.

2008 Acura CSX Navi Premium Review continued »

2008 Acura CSX Navi Premium rating summary and performance review

Posted in Acura | Car Reviews | 80 comments

2009 Acura TSX Review

By Justin Berkowitz
June 25, 2008

You may not know this, but Acura has only two executives. One of them oversees the design and build of fantastic, fun, reliable, affordable cars. This suit was responsible for all the Integras, the NSX, the Legend and the original TSX. The other executive has the reverse Midas touch. He botched the RSX, let the NSX stagnate for a decade, and shot the Legend in the head and gave us the RL. And now, that sonofabitch got his hands on the new TSX. To say the result is disappointing is to say that gas is becoming a bit dear. Advance? I don't think so.

2009 Acura TSX Review continued »

2009 Acura TSX rating summary and performance review

Posted in Acura | Car Reviews | 143 comments

Third Generation Acura Integra Review

By Megan Benoit
April 28, 2008

Most people drive the Acura Integra like they stole it. Mostly, it's because they have. Or, more accurately, someone else did. Model years ‘94 to ‘01 regularly grace the zenith of the annual top ten most stolen automobiles. Moral outrage aside, the Integra's tendency to disappear is entirely understandable. It's a cheap, fast, infinitely modifiable and reliable automobile that appeals to teenage boys, college students, financially-strapped pistonheads, rice rocketeers and thrifty professionals looking for a set of hot wheels (so to speak).

Third Generation Acura Integra Review continued »

Third Generation Acura Integra rating summary and performance review

Posted in Acura | Car Reviews | 69 comments

Acura TSX Review

By P.J. McCombs
April 6, 2007

Badge engineering is the bane of the pistonhead’s existence. Or is it? Actually, bad badge engineering is the pistonhead’s pariah. Most adventures in grille-swapping produce soulless cash grabs like the Mercury Monterey and Chrysler Aspen. But some automakers “leverage synergies” in such a way as to respect-- dare I say advance-- the identities of the brands involved, and produce a genuine bargain. Case in point: the Acura TSX.

Acura TSX Review continued »

Posted in Acura | Car Reviews | 58 comments

Acura MDX Review

By William C Montgomery
December 6, 2006

Brace yourselves gentle readers. The sophomore model Acura MDX is neither appreciably larger nor significantly heavier than the outgoing 2006 model. Yes, it’s true. In this era of automotive bloat, when the vast majority of major manufacturers cater to fashion and safety requirements with steadily-increasing automotive obesity, Acura’s engineers have attained the near impossible: improvement without additional mass. So is it a small step sideways for Acura, or a giant leap forwards for the MDX?

Acura MDX Review continued »

Posted in Acura | Car Reviews | 99 comments

Acura RSX Review

By William C Montgomery
November 16, 2006

Dearly beloved, we are gathered here to honor the Acura RSX, whose life was cut short by overlapping products and muddled brand identity. Since 2002, this, the US version of the fourth generation Honda Integra, has enjoyed strong consumer support and numerous awards from erstwhile auto critics, including two consecutive year’s on Car and Driver’s 10Best list. But we are not here to debate the value of ad-sponsored gongs or mourn the passing of a beloved automobile. We are here to celebrate a life well lived.

Acura RSX Review continued »

Posted in Acura | Car Reviews | 46 comments

Acura RDX Review

By William C Montgomery
September 28, 2006

After Germany’s unconditional surrender to Allied forces in 1945, the allies stripped the country of all its patents. Germany’s former Axis ally, Japan, eventually exploited this situation by plagiarizing and mass-producing legendary German cameras and lenses. Today, Japanese manufacturers continue to look to Germany for “inspiration.” Case in point: the 2007 Acura RDX. It [...]