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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  07 Loaded MDX - 2007 Acura MDX
  By rslewis - August 28 - 8:14 am

  We bought our 07 in 2014 with 100k for 14k out the door from a small dealer that only sells about 12 cars a year.. Had it checked out by a local Honda dealership and came back good except for the passenger rear sport shock was leaking and needed to be replaced... no big deal, until I found out that you can only get the sport shock from Acura at $700 a pop... OK!! My only gripe about the truck though, ours has sport, entertainment, tech and tow packages... the only thing it doesnt have is the back-up sensors that beep. Its grey with grey interior and it looks awesome... you can tell its a solid truck when driving it, no rattles and very firm when in sport mode. Great SUV!

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  Acuras Sedans are Back! - 2015 Acura TLX
  By unlimitedinc - August 27 - 10:47 am

  I had a TSX. It was great. I have to admit, for the TLX, I was worried about the dual clutch transmission. I worried about Acura getting back to its roots with its sedans. All that has been put to rest. My 2.4L tech TLX has been absolutely great! There are some pretty curvy, hilly roads in Austin and I put the car to a test. It handles amazingly well and the transmission... awesome! You can feel the gear change from idle on to 2nd gear but thats it. Even then, its pretty close. The technology is awesome too! I havent even gotten to the aesthetics. The body looks great and the interior is definitely luxury. Thank you Acura!

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  RDX is a Sport Car in Disguise - 2014 Acura RDX
  By carguyrg - August 25 - 8:00 am

  I have had my 2014 RDX for 4 months now and have driven it for over 11,000 miles. It replaced a 2010 TSX V6. I find the RDX to be everything the TSX was in performance and handles even better. (The V6 TSX was front end heavy.). I have been very pleased with the gas consumption averaging 27.5 MPG with mostly highway driving. Anyone looking for a mid size SUV should take a close look at this car. The base trim matches many of the other models luxury trim which makes it very price competitive with models you wouldnt expect.

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  Supercar - 1998 Acura NSX
  By khausmann - August 20 - 3:52 pm

  Best car I have ever owned, which is saying a lot since I have had 69 cars. Beautiful from every angle, everyone wants to see it up close and ask about it. Many people have never heard of it, but most assume it is 2 or 3 years old and costs 100K or more. It is confused with a Ferrari a lot. It is comfortable, handles like it is on rails, great stereo, convertible. We drove from Colorado to Austin, never below 75 mph, and never got less than 26 mph.

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  my Ricer - 2001 Acura CL
  By redplanetlover - August 16 - 12:03 pm

  I bought my 2001 CL 3.2 Type S around Christmas in 2006 and as of now I have replaced the alternator and the power steering pump. Thats it! I did it in my garage for a couple hundred bucks all in. I have had NO problems with the transmission at all and I am at 165000 K right now. I think the transmission problems are from people who shift manually and I rarely do that. The computer does a better job than my ears can. What can I say? I have thought about replacing her but every car I test drive is no quicker and most dont have the handling of my Type S. I have found that to show an improvement I would have to spend $50,000 and why bother? If you can find one, buy it and smile.

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  Excellent gas mileage - 2011 Acura TSX
  By bluehat2 - August 12 - 10:30 pm

  Ive been very pleased with this car thus far since purchasing in 2011. This is my second Acura after owning an Integra many years ago, and fourth Honda since owning Fords and Chevys. The biggest thing Im happy about is the gas mileage. It has been well above the stated MPG. On a recent 3 hour trip, I hit 41 MPG on the way down, then 39 MPG on the way back with conservative driving. I consistently hit 40 MPG on my weekly 1 hour commutes to the home office. Of course, this is assuming that the on board computer is accurate.

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  Fantastic Touring Car! A Screaming Bargain! - 2013 Acura TL
  By knr5 - August 2 - 2:14 am

  After 10 years of Infiniti G35 sedans (2003 and 2006 models, 6MT), I switched to Acura SH-AWD with the Technology Package (the only configuration I could get manual transmission!) in late March, 2013. The TL gives up a little of the visceral,sporty feel of the G, but gains in overall refinement and all weather capability. The TL is is a substantially larger car (6" longer, and 4" wider than the G), and hence feels less tossable than the G. However, it has very fine handling and a composed ride. I love my car, it has been absolutely trouble free, and feels extraordinarily competent. It is a compellingly good value in the upscale segment.

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  Sometimes it is the small stuff that counts - 2015 Acura RDX
  By broka - July 25 - 8:33 am

  I picked up my new RDX with technology package 5 days ago and I LOVE DRIVING IT. But there are some stupid things that should be in a car of this class. 1) The front passenger seat does not go up causing discomfort for some people and makes them feel like they are sitting on the floor. 2) There is no air conditioning vent in the rear. If it can be in smaller and less expensive cars, I see no reason why this can only have the cut out for it. 3) There is no light in the luggage compartment. That is ridiculous. Aside from these "small" issues, I love the car but these little annoyances can and should be easily fixed.

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  Really Good Car - 2014 Acura RLX
  By billg8 - July 24 - 12:15 pm

  This car is alot better than reviewed from my perspective. I think the issue is this: This DOES NOT compete with the BMW 5 series or MB E-Class (regardless of what Acura would like)...really more like Lexus, Infiitniti or Lincoln based on my experience. That said, based on actual purchase price-- strong discount to MSRP/Invoice so well below BWM/MB this is a high quality, nice driving (love teh AWS) vehicle. My personal feeling is, while not flashy, the car is also sophisticated looking. So far Im very pleased with the overall package

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  My 2013 RDX Tech - 2013 Acura RDX
  By nwjgoodguy - July 22 - 2:08 pm

  Ive had my 2013 RDX since January, purchased used with 30K, got a great deal and it looked brand new. Prior to my Acura I had a Honda Accord V6, amazing car, then purchased a 2008 Lexus IS250 and what a nightmare! Car was beautiful, eye catching, but at 30K engine oil rings and pistons needed to be replaced, car was burning oil, fortunately all covered by Lexus! Once the car hit 100K and after several repairs it was time to unload and get back into a reliable Honda/Acura! My next car will be an Acura again! As I read reviews people complain about this attractive SUV, what most people dont see if the reliability of Acuras and overall value!