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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  Great Sports Car - 2010 Acura RDX
  By Jonathon Wacek - August 30 - 12:29 pm

  When looking at crossovers it was hard to find one with design, reliability, and power. My wife wanted a CRV but I was not impressed with the small engine (166 hp for a big vehicle). I tried to convince my wife about the RAV4 with a V6 engine but she didnt like the style. We found the Acura and I believe it is a great compromise (250 hp!!). Great power and reliability I wanted, with the looks and feel she wanted. To my surprise it was only $2,000 more than a loaded CRV or RAV4 after neg. We have had it for about a month and my wife loves it. I am not impressed with the gas mileage. With a prius 17-19mpg hurts. As a crossover it fits our wants but we dont use it for towing or haul.

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  Awesome SUV with good gas mileage - 2009 Acura MDX
  By zisimom - August 29 - 9:41 am

  This is my 3rd Acura and 6th Honda product and I love it. I live in Washington, DC and with almost 100% city driving I am getting 19.5 mpg overall. That is awesome city mileage for a full-size, comfortable 3 row SUV. It is comfortable, easy for the kids and very intuitive. The entertainment system can be "driven" 100% by the back seat passenger (in my case a 10 year old) which leaves me free to listen to satellite radio. Holds everything I need it to. One big feature for me, even with the 3rd row up theres enough room in the rear for kids school backpacks, some sports gear or groceries. The SH-AWD satisfies even my BMW loving husband who drives a 2009 535xi. He was pleasantly surprised.

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  Great Car! - 2003 Acura TL
  By Jen K. - August 29 - 2:00 am

  I bought my TL last Christmas and have never had any trouble with it. It is very comfortable, the Bose stereo is great, and I love the heated seats! It is great in the snow, too. I love driving now.

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  Best Acura Ever - 2004 Acura TL
  By letvhelms - August 29 - 2:00 am

  I only have 600 miles on my NEW ACURA 2004 3.2TL, but I already know its the best car I ever have had, (now approaching my 20-25th Car). I have perhaps a years worth of study to learn and apply all the fun (and useful) features of the car. My third Acura, (2001 Legend and 2003 3.2 CL).

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  I REALLY Know This Car - 2007 Acura RDX
  By RDX LOVER - August 28 - 9:11 pm

  Im a sales rep and drive approximately 40,000-45,000 miles a year for work. Ive owned the RDX for a little more than two years and have 94,000 miles on it. I LOVE THIS CAR! The quality is excellent, the power & handling is excellent. The features of the tech pkg are great and reliable. I get compliments about this car all the time because of its styling and luxury. As long as you dont stand on the throttle and use up the turbo all the time, you get respectable gas mileage. I usually get 20-21 mpg in mixed driving conditions. When Im aggressive I get 18-19 mpg. Due to a sporty suspension some may not like to feel every bump. You get a lot for the money. Compare the features to others.

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  Rdx - 2018 Acura RDX
  By Rich - August 28 - 4:15 pm

  Excellent value

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  Great car - 2009 Acura TSX
  By cypisek - August 28 - 2:13 pm

  Have the car for over 2 months and I love it. The technology used in this car is cutting edge, none of the cars in this class for this price come close to this. The car is very comfortable and fun to drive, I drive half city, half highway and get 29-31 mpg on an average.

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  A Terrific and Reliable Car - 2009 Acura TL
  By Xpert37 - August 28 - 2:02 pm

  The 2009 Acura TL AWD is a fantastic car. It was well-built inside and out. I previously leased a Lexus ES 350 and the driving was night and day compared to this TL. I am one of those who love the look of the TL and appreciate the boldness of the Acura design team. In my opinion, the TL is a wonderful bang for the buck. Where else can you find a comparable car with all the driving and technological capabilities for less than $40,000?

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  Great Car - 2010 Acura TSX
  By 1st TSX - August 28 - 12:36 pm

  I drove everything under the sun, I was originally looking at a Genesis Sedan which was a great car, but for thousands less I picked up a more fuel efficient Acura. The car is quiet, smooth, reliable and has overall excellent build quality. Have never regretted my decision.

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  Its still new, but... - 2009 Acura TSX
  By Woodlands - August 27 - 8:16 pm

  So after driving some (used) BMWs and Infinitis, I settled on this as it is brand new and has all the tech features I want. I didnt want to drop another $8-15k for the same things. So far I am very impressed with the performance, although it doesnt match BMW or Infiniti. Thats not why I bought it. I do not race cars for a living, I drive near 80 miles per day commuting. I need fun and comfort. This car delivers on these. From the very intuitive voice recognition, to the sat radio and USB interface, there is so much fun to be had here. While it is much maligned by um... "professional" reviewers, I thoroughly love this car. For under $30k it more than meets my needs and wants.