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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  Upscale SUV - 2016 Acura RDX
  By Zelig Palace - September 1 - 7:09 am

  Great look. Drives very well. Very disappointed that at this premium price for an upscale SUV the sound quality is mediocre. The Bluetooth keeps on dropping the calls and the phone sound quality is poor.

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  disappointed - 2003 Acura MDX
  By stacey - September 1 - 3:33 am

  We purchased this car based on reviews of reliability and safety. Additionally, the third row seat was enticing. We have had several problems, the most serious being the brakes freezing up while driving due to a faulty sensor in the steering wheel telling the car that it was flipping and needing to stabilize! And we were 600 miles from home. Very scary and put my family at risk. The back seat is only suitable for children. The car is noisy at high speeds. And we get much lower gas mileage than Acura claims.

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  First 30 days... - 2003 Acura MDX
  By Franziska - August 31 - 2:00 am

  I have drivent the acura mdx for over 30 days now and find it to provide me with a safety feeling... I am discouraged with the gas mileage I have only averaged 16 in the city and 20 on highway.

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  Good Investment - 2005 Acura MDX
  By flajcat - August 30 - 4:25 pm

  My wife has a 2002 MDX and because of the performance, quality, craftsmanship, I decided to buy a 2005 MDX. Way above average resale value. No problems in 3 years, excellent quality. The back up camera adds to safety. There are 8 airbags, high quality interior. Very good engine performance. Luxurious inside. Navigation system is a 10. Mediocre gas mileage. I am getting about 18 combined highway and city.

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  Original owner still fun to drive - 1990 Acura Integra
  By Energy Man - August 24 - 1:54 pm

  I bought this car new and have used it mostly for city commuting. Mileage is going down slightly with age but can still turn a consistent 23 in city and 32 on the road. Car is fun to drive and easy to maintain for most things, but timing belt, water pump, ac compressor, CV joints are a pain. This cars reliability and the service lead me toward a 2004 TL.

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  Why I continue to drive RLs - 2002 Acura RL
  By RLmonster - August 24 - 1:42 am

  In 1999, I leased the 99 RL. After three years, I was so happy with the vehicle, I repeated the experience and leased an 02. If you are looking for a classy luxury sedan, that is often mistaken for a Mercedes, that gives a 225hp burst off the line, this is your car. After 6 years (3 in the 99 and another 3 in the 02) I have had ZERO problems with the RL class. Now, to show you how committed this RL guy is, this evening (8/22/05) I leased a third RL, the redesigned 05 and parted with the 02. I compared the Avalon, M and G Infinitis, Mercedes, and Lexus. Hell, I even tried to get into the new Passat. In the end, the RL won on price, value, and the bonus of AWD (try that BMW!)

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  Not A Bad Car For the Price - 2004 Acura RL
  By Jag Lover - August 24 - 12:27 am

  Pretty Good Gas Mileage, Great for off the Line, Ok passing, when punching there is a large blank spot of no speed 3/4 of the pedal pushed. Tough Leather, I think it will last forever!! Love the STANDARD heated seats and Navigation!!!

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  I like it. - 2005 Acura MDX
  By baradlee - August 20 - 2:44 pm

  Nothing really to complain about except..GAS MILEAGE. In Southern California, in stop and go driving, 13.8 mpg. On the highway to Wyoming I did get 24 mpg. The V-6 has to move a lot of mass and I guess the gas mileage suffers.

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  Exceeding Expectations - 2008 Acura TL
  By James - August 19 - 1:56 am

  This car is everything my 05 Honda Accord wasnt... smooth lively engine, refined, responsive steeing & handling, high quality interior & exterior, great gas mileage for 258 hp. From the beginning, this car has exceeded my every driving expectations. The only other car I was considering was a used 06 BMW 330i, but with a $10k savings Im only the wiser (and richer) without any compromises of the BMW! Highly recommended. A totally enjoyable ride!

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  Nice Truck - 2005 Acura MDX
  By Acura Driver - August 18 - 11:10 pm

  I test drove many many SUVs and none could compare to the price and features of the MDX. Thats the reason I also drive a 2004 TL. Unfortunately, the MDX is not nearly as nice as the TL. The nav screen is smaller, no dual climate control, the buttons on the wheel donÂ’t light up, no power up and down feature for driver and passenger windows, and the stereo is anemic in comparison. This is just nit picking, but the MDX should have the same or better features especially since it is $10K more than the TL. Despite these very minor issues this is a great SUV. Space and workmanship are top notch.