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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  Good car but not the Acura your used to - 2004 Acura TL
  By TomG - December 2 - 10:50 pm

  My family has had a number of Acuras and Hondas, the 2004 TL though has been the worst yet. Since owning the car Ive driven 30,000 and Ive had to replace the tires as 20,000 and get new brakes at 25,000. Dont get me wrong the car is great but to have to buy a new set of tires and new brakes before 50,000 miles is not right and it ruins Acuras good reputation.

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  Nice ride but cheap backup camera - 2017 Acura MDX
  By Disappointed car buyer - December 2 - 2:26 pm

  This car has a surprisingly blurry backup camera. Taken back for adjustment/replacement and the tech said "diagnostics" says its working fine. I asked them to use their eyeballs and look at the image and tell me its ok. They neither agreed or disagreed except to say they will replace it as a courtesy and if the camera is the same, there is nothing they can do since its an Acura issued camera. Well, it was replaced and it looks just as bad. I am relying on good old fashion eyeballs to back this car into parking. Very disappointed and frankly surprised that Acura would install such a "behind the times" old technology blurry camera from another decade into this high end car. I have had other cars that cost less and their cameras are far more superior and way sharper then this one. Fix the problem or recall it Acura!!! Its dangerous to rely on your blurry camera to back up. Its a lawsuit waiting to happen. Also, for this caliber of car, the steering wheel feels like hollow plastic, maneuvering with it takes some adjustment. It feels smaller then the cars handling. And it feels plastic-ky to the touch even though its wrapped with leather or pleather.

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  Does it measure up to the new BMW 3 - 2005 Acura TSX
  By Bryce - December 1 - 7:16 pm

  I got my TSX after driving a Land Rover Dis. 2. Anything is better then that but the Acura needs to work on a few things. I love driving the TSX though the I wanted the new BMW 3 series first. I test drove both but went with the TSX because of the price. It is a nice car to drive. I would much rather have gotten the BMW though as it looks much better from the rear and has many other options the TSX does not have. But, if you want to impress someone with the price get a TSX.

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  Not all I dreamed of - 2003 Acura MDX
  By Curt in NC - November 30 - 7:07 pm

  Bought the car brand new almost three years ago. Chose it over Volvo XC90, mistake. Just after buying it the volume control on the steering wheel stopped working been replaced 4 times and still only works half of the time. Auto wipers come on with clean windshields on a sunny day and sometimes not at all when raining. Ive developed a rattle caused by a cheap weld on the heat shield for the exhaust and now my rear A/C quit working. With the hype Acura puts out I am utterly unimpressed. Ive had trouble with the engine starting but only when parked on a hill, youd still think for 40K you wouldnt have to worry about all this. Not recommended.

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  Great Handling Plus Super Navigation System - 2008 Acura MDX
  By PBenjung - November 26 - 10:03 am

  Bought last week and am enjoying the ride. Excellent acceleration, transmission shifts very smoothly, handles great around corners. Interior fit and finish is good. Still figuring out nav system but its mostly intuitive and a great asset.

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  Luxury & stylish - 1998 Acura TL
  By Joshua Carroll - November 23 - 1:52 am

  Bought this car a couple years ago with almost 100,000 miles on it. Now it has almost 150,000 miles on it but still rides like a brand new Lexus. I love it, but it has had its problems like any other car. Right now Im having a problem with my transmission, but thatll be fixed soon. Runs really quiet and smooth when kept clean and maintained all the time. I do hate the position of the cruise control, fog lights, and seat heater buttons but every car has its minor annoyances. The road noise is a bit louder than what I prefer, but the smooth ride makes up for it. I do hate the fact that the backseat isnt big enough for tall people, but I guess the style of the car makes up for that.

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  Very nice car - 2005 Acura RL
  By Doug in NYC - November 16 - 12:36 am

  This is a wonderful car. However, prior to accepting it, please ensure that the dealer handles all service bulletins, because otherwise several things may not work as well as you wish. Definitely sit in the drivers seat and try to get comfortable. I was never able to get completely comfortable, but close enough to be happy. After 1,000 miles, Im still happy.

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  Luxury SUV for a great value - 2005 Acura MDX
  By Pawel - November 12 - 11:22 pm

  Great overall SUV The breaking is very responsive and very solid, acceleration very quiet and smooth. Handling is great!

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  Excellent Value Give it a shot - 2005 Acura RL
  By snrub1 - November 8 - 6:19 pm

  Having test driven the competition, I feel the RL stands up to all comers. The car rides very well, is packed with features (the stereo is incredible) and, though lacking a bit in the excitement department, the car does everything very well. Dollar for dollar, the RL was by far the best value in the class. Thus far we are delighted by our purchase of the RL. Give the RL a shot if looking for a luxury sedan.

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  My second NSX - 2005 Acura NSX
  By High Desert NM - November 5 - 11:30 am

  This is my second NSX. I owned a 91 automatic and now own a Spa Yellow 98 6spd targa. I love this car for its beautiful, timeless style, reliablity, and of course its exclusivity. I lived in NM 2+ years and have only seen 2 other NSXs. The view out the front window is the best in the business--- GT Prototype-like. The car is subtly fast-- 0-60 in 5.0 and 30-80 in a snap. The NSX has remarkable handling without too much drama. The car thinks along with you-- I guess thats what they mean when they say you become one with the car. This car looks as good standing still as it does flying by. The six speed transmission is Mazda Miata-like is quickness and short shifting distance.