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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  Still going strong - 2004 Acura TL
  By 4kids - January 27 - 6:36 pm

  After five plus years and over 100,000 miles I can say that this is an excellent vehicle for almost anybody. I would not recommend it to any elderly or heavy set people since getting in and out may be difficult due to the low seat position and spring loaded front doors that tend to close back on you. Fun to drive, very good brakes, front drive is fine for 99% of driving needs. I average 27 mpg with about 2/3 highway 1/3 city driving. I find the voice command menu to be a gimmick, but I use the blue tooth phone all the time. Other than an annoying squeak from the glove box periodically, the car is still quiet and very reliable. Too bad Acura screwed up the exterior redesign for 2009.

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  2007 Acura MDX - 2007 Acura MDX
  By Love it - January 27 - 2:29 pm

  After a long exhaustive search for a luxury SUV which was not too big and not too small, we found the MDX. We purchased our 2007 MDX used but in like new condition. Could not be happier with the performance, style and overall handling of this vehicle. This performance vehicle is quick, agile, easy to drive and stylish all in one package.

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  Great entry lux car, nav not worth $2k - 2008 Acura TSX
  By U2Guy - January 27 - 12:41 am

  Bought the car for the wife, she loves it. She loves the Nav, I think it isnt worth the $2k (especially now that we both have iPhones :)). Navigation should have real time traffic and weather, like my iPhone or any other handheld GPS unit. The only negative so far is the brakes. They are terrible. Okay, so they do stop the car, but they are weak and stopping distance is longer than expected. Took some getting use to, to say the least! The Bluetooth is cool, but limited. People complain a lot that they cant hear us (and Im a loud guy). All in all, a great car for the price! We are happy with it & would buy again. Good (not great) MPG average 25 MPG in mixed driving.

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  Acura MDX- Value over Price - 2010 Acura MDX
  By JG - January 27 - 12:08 am

  We switched from a Tahoe and looked at an Enclave, X5, Q7, GX460, GL and the MDX gave the best value for the price compared against the others. Smooth acceleration, superior navigation system and great sound system and features. We lost some room but got some gas mileage efficiency and this car has got the goods to keep us happy for some time. 6th gear added this year to transmission which make rider smoother and more gas efficient. Upgraded HDD, LED interior lights which add additional style touches. AWD is amazing and truly a safety feature for those that are concerned about driving in bad weather. Truly this car provides tremendous Value for Price and we are picky folks.

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  Great sporty SUV - 2008 Acura MDX
  By longtime honda owner - January 26 - 7:49 pm

  I bought this to replace my 1998 5.9L Durango. The MDX tows my 4500lb boat + trailer better than the big Dodge! Yes, I was surprised as well. :-) We drive this over a 4100ft mountain pass to our cabin roughly 25 times a year. Its safe and stable in any condition. Nearing 30k miles with no faults and I like the vehicle as much now as when I drove it off the lot. Theres plenty of room for my family of 4, lab and all our gear. A rooftop box makes Ive added lets me take all the stuff I should have left at home to begin with. Seriously, if you are looking for a reliable, sporty SUV you cant go wrong with an MDX.

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  Sporty and Luxury in a small sedan - 2010 Acura TSX
  By Hal L - January 24 - 9:39 am

  I have had my 2010 TSX 4 cyl for a week now. I traded down from an SUV, I wanted something more fuel efficient. I am getting about 26mpg trip average. So my main concern is satisfied there. This is a great commuter car, very comfortable, quick acceleration, sharp steering, and has all the safety features. The Tech package has a great audio system and a decent navi. Interior is slick, without going over the top luxury. No wood anywhere, but nice leather and textured plastic/metal. Some people dont like the exterior styling, but I like it. It certainly stands out in a crowd, looks modern and sleek. Overall, for an entry level luxury, nothing beats Acura.

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  Good value for the money - 2009 Acura TSX
  By PMAZCO - January 22 - 1:26 pm

  The car runs great. Im not a racing freak and use this car mainly as a family car. The interiors look great and the exterior is great too. So far the car has satisfied me the way I drive. I have driven it on highways (mountain roads as well) and it runs great. I would wait for few more months and would then assess its reliability. I bought it as a CPO car and assume that the known problems (if any) were solved.

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  Acura TL SH-AWD Auto first take - 2010 Acura TL
  By Adius - January 21 - 11:30 pm

  Debated between BMW, Lexus and Cadillac AWD. Bought the Acura for dealer support (the better of the three in this area IMO) and the reliability. Not a big fan of the appearance initially but are getting comfortable with it now. Wonderful handling during our initial 2500 mile drive to the Southwest and back. Excellent brakes and suspension feels very well planted. Runs strong especially when into the RPM range where the valve train can assert itself. Engine is smooth. The car is quiet on the road at speed and easily cruises at 80+ if youre not watching. Sound system is amazing. Tech stuff all well integrated. Its quick. Controls are very logical. Would buy it again, no misgiving.

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  Great Car - 2003 Acura RSX
  By My 2nd Acura - January 20 - 10:32 am

  This is my 2nd Acura that I have purchased. I purchased this one because the first one I owned was awesome. This car is now 7 years old and I have only done normal maintenance to it. I wish Acura would make another model that is reasonably priced. I will be holding on to this one until it stops working.

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  Great Car Just Like I Thought - 2010 Acura TL
  By Brad BB - January 18 - 7:22 pm

  This is my fourth Acura, the first being in 1988. A lot has changed. This is a fantastic vehicle. The nav is out of this world and I got 3 months traffic, weather and zag for free. I had XM in last Acura but the reception is better on the 2010. Cant figure out why nav says its 175 to Boston when all my other navs recorded 210. Will have to see if there is a secret route to Bean Town. Overall, the cars performance is excellent but have had it for less than a week. Bought all weather mats but they do not lock while using regular carpeted mats. Have to use only use all weather mats. In 2005 Acura you could snap in two layers of carpet.