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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  Love my Legend - 1994 Acura Legend
  By Becca D. - August 7 - 8:19 pm

  Ive had the Legend L sedan automatic for 5 years now. It has been in several accidents and yet it keeps going strong. In the most recent accident we rebuilt the drivers front end cheaply and yet it has been more effective and reliable than my friends 2012 VW hatchback. Weve only done the most basic regular maintenance (oil changes, tire rotations when necessary) and it doesnt want to stop. Its clocked at 179k miles now (although I imagine it has more since the odometer wasnt reading when we bought it turned out to be an easy & inexpensive fix by replacing a sensor). The only qualms I have are that the electrical system in my car is messed up. Lately Ive only been unlocking on the passengers side because the alarm often goes off when unlocking on drivers side (unlock passengers side if this happens--I believe it is the master lock and will shut off the alarm). There is also an electrical leak somewhere, probably from my aftermarket cd player, because Ive had to change the battery on it more often than is considered normal. It idles high when I cold-start it but this is fairly normal for a 20+ year old car. For awhile I considered trying to fix it (apparently this high idle is common problem on this model and requires some sort of a sensor), but decided it wasnt worth it as it doensnt affect cars performance. My Legend has a surprising amount of cargo space--I cant tell you all the things Ive hauled in this vehicle. I suggest getting the recommended maintenance (belts and other regularly used parts) for this car as you go, it will save you money in the long run. This is a fun car to drive a sleeper car if you will. Its got a great engine in it, its reliable, I never had a problem with head gaskets. It all depends on how its been maintained and driven during its lifetime--even then that isnt always an accurate way of gouging a cars abilities. My Legend is a trooper its taken me all over the country and I will be sad when I have to retire it. There is a reason it was called a LEGEND. Also, for anyone interested: the RL replaced the Legend in 1996 so its still there just a different name.

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  New to me ILX - 2013 Acura ILX
  By VIP - July 26 - 11:34 am

  I purchased my 2013 ILX from the dealer used with 30k miles in 2016. So far so good. I had a Honda before and loved it so figured my next step would be an Acura. First the positives: Car rides well, love the GPS, blue tooth connectivity, and voice control. For a 4 cylinder vehicle it accelerates quite quickly and is very good on gas. Also the car is spacious, it comfortably fit me plus 3 other adults on a short road trip. Now the not so good: storage is extremely limited! the car doesnt even have a place to put spare change, I literally dump everything into the center counsel. Also the USB cord is awkwardly placed, when I first test drove the car I thought it was damaged (if youve seen it you know what I mean). Lastly, I got the tech package so I have leather seats but when I first started looking I was shocked to see that the base model comes standard with cloth seats, Ive never seen a luxury car with cloth seats.

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  Great SUV. - 2006 Acura MDX
  By mr.watson - July 20 - 10:01 am

  if you are thinking about purchasing the SUV just do it. I just bought mine and its 10 years old. This vehicle runs like a 2016. Smooth ride, quiet cabin and plenty of leg room.

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  210K miles - going strong - paid for itself - 2001 Acura MDX
  By Tango Papa - July 19 - 8:37 am

  Bought this brand new when it first came out in 2001 when my daughter was born so we had space to change baby diapers in the back and was safe for the whole family. It was a fantastic new car on the scene. Well, 15 years later, my daughter is 15 now and learning to drive and she will inherit the MDX as her first car to drive around. It has 210K miles on it. Its mostly been trouble free. Transmission went at 129K so was out of any warranty. (Apparently the early models, including mine, used a GM transmission as Acura had not quiet gotten their transmission ready for the car, later models used Acura transmission). The transmission rebuild cost $4500 but included a special attachment to the radiator to resolve the heating problem that these transmission had. On this second transmission, the car is now at 210K miles and it looks like it would probably do another 20K-40K without much problems. Changed battery 4 times (we live mostly in hot climate). Changed Tires 4-5 times. Changed brakes twice. Three timing belt jobs. One 100K tune up. Countless air filter and oil changes. Leak in power steering fixed (twice). A/C hose replaced. Engine mounts replaced under warranty. Catalytic converter went at 160K miles...feel I have spend $6-7K on all the repairs and normal maintenance over the years including wear and tear items like Battery, Tire, Brakes , Wipers etc....that works out to less than $500 per year which is not bad at all. I feel part of the issue with car trouble is crooked dealers who try to get you to replace items which dont need immediate replacement. Unless its an obvious problem impacting safety and drivability dont replace the item unless you are convinced it needs replacing. Car still looks new after 15 years. Amazing paint job. And guess what, didnt like the look of the new 2014 MDX so bought a nice new Range Rover - very fancy - but after 2 years and numerous problems, I traded it in for an UGLY but hopefully much more reliable 2016 MDX. New 2001 MDX touring bought for $37K in California in 2001. New 2016 MDX Base model bought for $39K in Texas in 2016...which was $5K off the MSRP due to up coming model change over.

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  Love my CL Type S - 2003 Acura CL
  By Amy Saus - July 7 - 7:45 am

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  Great Car - But be aware - 2014 Acura MDX
  By Jack - June 15 - 9:55 pm

  Car is great overall! Be sure to check for covered recalls and ensure the electronic transmission has been evaluated.

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  looking for another newer one. - 2005 Acura MDX
  By bill bbbb - June 13 - 1:19 pm

  This car is good looking not trendy, dependable, strong and luxurious. What else could you want.

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  A little old ladies darling - 2002 Acura MDX
  By WALTER BRINEY - May 9 - 12:24 pm

  I wouldnt even consider selling it accept for wanting all the new safety equipment that is now available. No issues with repairs other than scheduled maintenance. We liked it so much that we purchased a second one just like it accept it is a 2005 model. I dont like that you must use premium fuel in it.

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  246 K - 1999 Acura CL
  By Dan Boek - April 13 - 3:56 am

  After 246K oil leak so I found a low miles motor rebuilt trans now good for 150 K more I am not the best at maintenance. This car has guts and classy too.

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  Long Live the Acura CL - 1998 Acura CL
  By theffin@hotmail.com - April 11 - 11:47 pm

  Absolutely loved this car. The way it drove, handled, the comfort, and everything! Strongly reliable and its so quiet in the cab. For a small car it also had some kick. Also this car still has some style if kept in good condition. Would definitely recommend this vehicle for anybody. I had to sell mine due to an expanding family and Im still wishing I kept it!