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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  A very well thought out vehicle - 2010 Acura MDX
  By Beantown 7 - May 26 - 9:11 pm

  Have owned many SUVs over the last decade, last 2 cars were a Cadillac Escalade and a Porsche Cayenne. This vehicle has all the amenities you need in a well thought out package. Excellent stereo in the ENT package, very useful blind spot indicator, great Nav, even the 3rd row is ok for kids. Excellent seats and ride is comfortable. Forget the BMW and Mercedes, pricey and not nearly as comfortable inside.

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  Its staying in the family - 2002 Acura RSX
  By jeff88 - May 26 - 9:29 am

  Am selling this car to my son who is a college student and needs a car. Bought it used with 87k miles and it now has almost 125k. Needed a new clutch @ 115k and has brand new tires on it with a recent major service done @ 120k. This car seems like a new car and its over 10 years old. Yes, it rides rough and has a noisy engine on trips but handles like a top line sports car and is a blast to drive with revs up. Around town gas mileage is 26, on some trips have gotten over 35, almost 36 mpg. I trade between 89 and 93 to average the 91 octane the manual suggests.

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  Still in love - 1998 Acura TL
  By Vanessa - May 26 - 7:10 am

  Got my car on 2/14/98 and still love it after all these years. Having problem with speed sensor now but the car is still solid otherwise. Other than maintenance and replacing the struts, this car has been low cost over the years. I love pulling up next to other owners of the older TLs because we always roll down windows and praise our cars. Ive never met anyone who didnt love theirs. I know Ill need a new vehicle one day but for now will continue to enjoy the ride.

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  An Old Dear Friend - 1990 Acura Legend
  By hotrod419fl - May 25 - 6:10 pm

  This is a love story and a cry for help. Shes a 1989 white coupe, sleek, lovely, the best looking car ever. Got her new for 25K and fell in love. She still glides swiftly from one lane to the next on command..no drift, no lean, stable and sure-footed. 279,500 miles, purrs like a kitten except for noisy valve lifters. She lost her A/C last week, a $1,200 repair and, well, this is Florida. A recent fender bender would add another grand. Cant bear to put her down, but if I dont and she decides enough is enough herself? How can I bear parting? And God forbid, what if someone picks up, does her right, and I see her again as she once was. I couldnt take that. What should I do? Help!

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  2000 RL thoughts - 2000 Acura RL
  By Drew Foster - May 25 - 4:02 pm

  I cant help myself from talking very positive about this car. It is by far the best car I have ever owned, and I think it is the best car ever built! As a driver for 43 years, I have owned everything. This car is better than any Mercedes ever built. What a great decision when I bought it with 81k on the clock. This is my dependable friend, and I care for it like it is my child. Mine is perfect with 133k now on it

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  Love this Vehicle - 2010 Acura MDX
  By Bob - May 25 - 2:30 am

  We just bought this vehicle. I got a very good price on this vehicle ($47,500 out the door). I also got some great accessories included in this price. My wife is the primary driver and she loves it. We took a trip to Oregon (from Washington) and the ride was exceptionally smooth and handles great. Ive owned several SUVs before, but never like this. The cool gadgets is what I love about the MDX. NAV Voice recognition, automatic tailgate, keyless remote starting system, DVD entertainment system to name a few. I told myself "one day I will get a luxury vehicle" and now I finally got one! If you are shopping for a luxury SUV, I recommend the MDX. You will be very pleasantly surprised.

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  Fix the Seats - 2008 Acura TL
  By Sandra - May 21 - 11:10 am

  Very uncomfortable for a long drive. Seats feel ok on short trips but on long trips they create backaches. Lumbar support is not positioned correctly and seats are not long enough to support the knees. Sit cushioning also needs adjusting. Suggest you check out the seating in a Lexus ES 350 for how it should be done especially the 2009 version.

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  Who said this is a bad look? - 2010 Acura TL
  By Ray - May 21 - 8:35 am

  I bought my TL, and 2 weeks later my wife wanted one, so now we have 2, same everything, just 2 different colors. I looked at the Infiniti and Lexus and this car by far was a better buy. this car is a pleasure to drive..

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  Best car owned so far! - 2005 Acura TL
  By tone - May 20 - 10:38 am

  Only one thing bad is the turning! And original tires are bad too.

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  Best car I have ever owned - 2008 Acura TSX
  By otp1971 - May 19 - 10:36 pm

  Bought this for my wife in late 2007, this car has been a great car, exactly what we were hoping for. The reviews kept pointing toward this car and I am very happy we purchased. The lease ends in a couple months and we are torn between keeping this car and leasing the 2010 RDX. It cant be beat for the price, if you consider quality, features and Luxury Brand. Not the quickest car on the road, but still a lot of fun to drive and feels quicker than numbers indicate. We have the black with parchment and wood interior, a great combo. The MPG are decent if you drive normal, last tank was 26 MPG with 60/40 HWY/CITY. I would highly recommend this car and the Honda products.