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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  Is this really sport sedan ? - 2003 Acura TL
  By Kaddy - December 4 - 10:00 am

  If youre after sport sedan, drop Acura from you list in favor of BMW 3, Saab 9- 3, Infiniti G35, Mercedes C. Its too heavy and big. Nose dive in turns, lousy brakes, slow acceleration, awkward ride and stability in curves does not appeal to enthusiatic driver. Otherwise, this is great family/businessman car, just a bit outdated as compared to competition.

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  Luxary and Power at an Affordable Price - 2003 Acura TL
  By Poohbear - December 4 - 10:00 am

  Just purchased my 2003 TLS last week. After owning Acuras in the past, I knew about the quality and dependability, but had no idea of the value of the TLS. This car flat out performs. It has great power, comfort and features. The back seat is roomy enough for my 3 children or 2 adults to fit comfortably. The engine has power to spare and the features rival any entry level luxary sedan on the market.

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  Worst car I have ever owned - 2009 Acura RDX
  By Priscilla Morris - December 4 - 8:18 am

  Rough ride, poor interior quality, way too expensive to be this bad . So sad it is such a sorry ride and quality.

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  Near Perfect Car 9.5 out of 10 - 2005 Acura RL
  By Arthur M. - December 4 - 1:50 am

  Handling The best I have experienced. I have not driven comparable G35 and E320 for longer then 30 minutes (test drive) nor, can I claim previous luxury car ownership. What I can say, however, is that entering a 120 degree, very sharp corner at 55 mph and exiting at 40 effortlessly impressed me, it impressed me even more, when the next morning I saw 15 mph speed limit on the same road coming from the opposite direction - I can only wonder why the sign was available only one way. Steering is extremely precise, the car goes EXACTLY where you point it, coupled with SH-AWD. Comparing that to my slightly wobbly jeeps steering - night and day.

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  One of the best SUVs on the market - 2009 Acura MDX
  By JRS-CSC - December 3 - 7:21 pm

  I love my MDX!!!! I do not know what SUV the other folks are driving, but my experience has been great. The MDX handles like a dream. The stereo is one of the best I have ever heard and I have had no issues to date. The only bad thing is that I am only getting around 18 miles to the gallon on average, 22 highway. The sport package has some of the best looking wheels and a nice leather upgrade. I love my MDX...

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  Great Car - 2000 Acura TL
  By Unclefletch - December 1 - 9:38 pm

  I purchased my car last year after my 1995 Maxima was totaled and was looking for something I could pay cash for. Overall its been a very good car to drive with better than expected gas mileage on mid grade fuel. My only major expense was $900 to replace the xenon headlight on the passenger side last year and now the drivers side seems to be going out and Im not looking forward to another $900 expense at the Acura dealership and was not happy with the service as it took 2 visits to repair them. I also have an issue with vibration when braking, that after replacing both the front brakes as well as rotors. When shopping for a new car however, I would purchase another one.

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  Best Car Pick for Class - 2009 Acura TL
  By BillT - December 1 - 9:05 pm

  I purchased the 2009 AWD TL in White Diamond. It has been a very satisfactory purchase. The exterior design was difficult at first to accept, but it really grows on you. The interior is excellent. I love to drive the car, and after four months, the quality has been outstanding. Acura knows how to build a car well, and the service after the sale support has been superb. The technology is exceptional and especially good, since Acura doesnt nickle-and-dime you with add-ons. Im a committed Acura customer with this car and the last, and I cant wait to see what comes next.

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  New and nice - 2009 Acura MDX
  By fishin8tor - November 30 - 10:59 pm

  Only had the car for two weeks, but really like all the features, especially the way this car customizes everything from the drivers seat, ac, and keyless memory system. Steering is accurate and direct on center, but took some time to get used to as used to drive a Odyssey. Power is soft at first, but comes on strong when you push it. Love the transmission and shifter as it is quick on the shifts and doesnt hesitate like other systems. The SH-AWD is kinda neat, and havent used it but once in a turn, but its nice to have and gives great confidence when driving. Mileage on is 20 on trip to bay area, and city seems around 16. So far, so good! I am looking forward to years of driving.

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  Electric and Plastic quality lacking - 1997 Acura RL
  By todd - November 30 - 2:09 am

  Hoping the previous owners have corrected the majority of electric problems. This car has 122,500 miles and has had the following electric components replaced - Steering column ($1,850) both back window regulators ($600 each) climate control ($1,400) engine temperature sensor ($300) ignition switch ($400). Currently the drivers window is not working, suspect the window regulator (est $500). Plastic pieces that have or are broken - sunglass holder ($190) both vanity mirror covers passenger seat side panel glove box restraining line. I read all 25 reviews before receiving this car, a few mentioned the window regulator problem. Well buyer beware of the electric problems of this car.

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  Best out there in its class [for now] - 2009 Acura MDX
  By tastycakes - November 30 - 12:49 am

  Buying the MDX felt like an arranged marriage, not true love. For cargo storage, vehicle size, functionality, AWD and price compared to competitors, the MDX is great. But driving...well I dont know who said this is a fun drive. 5-spd tranny feels dated and sluggish to accelerate. Feel disconnected from the road more so than other CUVs. Lacks features like keyless entry/ignition, blind spot monitoring. Leather seems cheap compared to all competitors. Fuel economy disappointing at 14 mpg (80% highway) after 3 tanks. Lacks small touches in design - example is doors feel light and flimsy when closed. Chose MDX over CX-9 for the badge but have been feeling regret since purchase.