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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  Acura MDX - 2005 Acura MDX
  By Acura MDX - August 17 - 1:34 pm

  I have had my MDX for 2 months. So far I love driving the car. Its comfortable and reliable. I just wish the gas milage was better. One thing that came standard with all my previous vehicles is automatic door locks when the car is being driven, which is not available on the MDX. I also would like to see keyless entry and a more sensitive automatic headlight mechanism.

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  Am I the only one with problems! - 2005 Acura TSX
  By TW - August 12 - 8:35 pm

  I seem to be alone after reading these reviews. I have had many problems with my TSX. It has been back to the dealer more than I can count for multiple problems. The biggest problem of all being the wheels on the car constantly being out of aliment, balance, or bent. Seems the car can not handle normal driving on highways in the east. Other problems encountered: Peeling finish on wheels, rusting sill plates in doors, broken power seat, Light out on heated seated, speedometer whines when driving it all the time, mirror shakes while driving, Recall for wiring. Not sure what to do anymore! What happens when the warranty is over. Seriously thinking about trading it in.

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  Great, but needs improvements - 2005 Acura RL
  By taitando - August 10 - 9:44 pm

  The Good: The RL is a technological marvel that offers a superb value in its segment. Most of the options that you would pay extra for in other makes are standard in this car. Keyless Access, Navigation, Surround Sound, Hands Free Link, Xenon Adaptive Front lights, Rear Sunshade, Onstar, XM Satellite Radio & Real Time Traffic, etc... The list goes on and is quite extensive. The ride is quiet and smooth. Complemented with the superb SH-AWD system with 290HP, the RL is fun to drive. This is not a sports car, but it has plenty of go to help you pass other people in the left lane. The Bad: The paint is thin and chips easily. Others have posted problems with the battery.

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  225,000 & Still Kicking - 1991 Acura Integra
  By salb222 - August 10 - 3:30 pm

  This car is awesome. Ive been the only owner for 13-plus years and I still get 27 MPG!! From fit and finish to exterior design to overall quality, this car lives up to its name-- Integrity. Best car Ive ever owned. ABS lines were the only things outside of normal maintenance (e.g., clutch, timing belt, reg oil changes) that had to be replaced. Worth every penny and still runs like the day I bought it. Would have loved more power and a delayed-switch rear wiper, but other than that, cant complain.

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  mxed opinion - 2004 Acura TL
  By tlbuyer - August 8 - 2:00 am

  Bought the car in october. Paid less than msrp. wife was swayed by the cars exterior, dash layout, amount of shoulder space, sound system and materials used. Car is quiet at low speeds but noisy at high speeds and on less than perfect roads. automatic torque transfer came in handy on icy road recently, drive-by-wire accelerator seems to have two distinct modes - not enough power at up to a certain point and, suddenly, lots after it.

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  Much better than ML320 - 2002 Acura MDX
  By maxmax54 - August 7 - 10:00 am

  I had a Mercedes ML 320, this car is so far superior to that truck I cannot begin to think of the ways. The many visits to the snotty Mercedes dealer are a thing of the past (thank god!). My MDX is three months old, I had already been back to the Mercedes dealer three times with the ML 320. More room, better interior, quieter AC, no wind noise, no pieces falling off, no comparison!

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  AWD vehicle but not a SUV. - 2005 Acura RL
  By HenryW - August 6 - 5:47 pm

  I purchased my car back in march after test driving numerous vehicles. The RL is by far dollar for dollar better than leading competitors.The only thing that still puzzles me is this rattling noise that comes either from the front brakes because of the mounting or underneath the body while going over cobble stone roads or just cracks on the road, but the SH-AWD is what sold me.

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  Nice car, but a four cylinder - 2005 Acura TSX
  By CFS - August 3 - 10:36 pm

  I was talked into buying this car by my brother - he wanted me to have something "reliable". I have no real complaints about it other than the headlights - they have to be turned on and off and the halogen headlights have other drivers constantly flashing their lights at me - thinking I have my brights on when I dont. Also, you cant open the windows when its raining because the water comes in. Its quick for a four cylinder but too slow for my taste (I drove Pontiac Bonnevilles for years and am now wishing I had purchased another one.) Ill be trading it in after two years for a faster car. I got better gas mileage on the highway with my Bonnevilles than I do with this vehicle.

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  ACURA MDX TOURING w/NAVI - 2005 Acura MDX
  By Wade - August 3 - 12:12 pm

  This is a nice looking vehicle, the navigation system is by far the best in the industry. It is a better value for the money than other luxury SUVs. The interior styling is kinda cheap looking with the fake wood grain. If you need headroom this is not the vehicle for you. Can not believe I had to order and pay for body side mouldings extra. If you tow anything over 4,500 pounds you will not be able to do it with the MDX. Would love to see Acura offer chrome wheels, would look so much better than the standard alloy, looks weird since the door handles are chrome.

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  Smooth and Quiet - 2005 Acura MDX
  By Alex - August 1 - 3:04 pm

  I bought my wife a 2005 MDX/ Fully loaded for xmas 2004. We love it. Its a little pricey fully loaded for the average family, but we believe its well worth the extra money. Its very quiet and has more power than anything weve driven. In fact, we have driven interstate 80 through snow, steep grades, thunderstorms, hot summer traffic, ect.. and have been VERY pleased. We test drove the Lexus GX470 and although you cant compair to the comfort and finish of a Lexus, the MDX drives with more confidence: better exceleration, better brakes, better seating layout, and just a better feel in day to day driving conditions.