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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  Need a sports car and an SUV?? - 2007 Acura MDX
  By murphys mike - November 15 - 3:20 am

  I just traded my beloved Infiniti FX for this MDX Sport. I drove the Acura just to prove to myself that my FX was still unrivaled in the world of upscale crossover vehicles. You gotta understand I loved my FX, but I loved my childhood sweetheart too and then I started meeting real women. Yikes!!! The MDX Sport handles better than top of the line Porsche of my 70s youth. While not the briskest off the line, from 4000 rpm and above this beast will compare favorably with almost anything not in the "super car" category. The blend of technology (too much to tell you about), comfort, utility, fit and finish is unrivaled. Drive one, hear one, and make one go around a corner... then decide.

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  Love My GEEZER - 2001 Acura Integra
  By Rampage - November 13 - 2:00 am

  I love the car, but like a lot of people, feel this thing needs a sixth gear. Maybe a little tourque would be nice

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  Ummm...its not what I expected - 2003 Acura NSX
  By NSXowner - November 9 - 2:00 am

  Its a good car. Its not of the supercar standards I was expecting. Only 290hp. That is apparently the Lowest hp for dollar ratio. I think I was ripped off power wise. And its interior looks too blah. Not chep feeling exactly, but looks pulled from any acura, and if it Was a parts- bin car, it should have been cheaper.

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  Love My MDX - 2003 Acura MDX
  By Jeaco - November 9 - 2:00 am

  The ride is great, the interior is luxurious. This is a wonderful car to take on trips. It is not too large. Is a pleasure to drive and I love the interior space. I had a small car prior to this and was very surprised at how comfortable I am driving this one, yet it seats 7.

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  Too many unexplained noises - 2002 Acura MDX
  By JYMDX - November 4 - 2:00 am

  I like the MDX, like the way it looks, like the gas mileage (but not the required premium gas). The only complaint I have so far is the noise the brakes make (which were told is normal) and little rattles that appear out of no where. It sounds like its metal hitting metal somewhere in the second row seats. The slighest bump in the road brings on the rattle. The dealership was unable to find anything. Currently I have an old towel rolled up between the seat the metal piece that it locks onto. So far this week, I havent heard the noise again. If I dont get rid of this noise, the car will have to go because it drives me nuts!

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  important - 1997 Acura Integra
  By matt789 - October 29 - 2:00 am

  This car is the second car ive had scince my 240sx broke down. It dosent handle as well but this car is very fun to drive and a very cool project car. Ive had to replace the pully system twice but thats about it. Im standing at 62 and this car is just way too small for me.

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  Acura MDX 2003 - 2003 Acura MDX
  By George 20 - October 29 - 2:00 am

  I drive alot in rural areas. I feel safe with this vehichle. I did buy a grille guard to give more protection from unexpected deer strikes. I like the shorter turning radius compared to our Lexus RX 300. The wind noise is too high. It tows well. Very roomy with the seats down. Overall very pleased and plan to keep over 2 years.

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  Outstanding vehicle - 1998 Acura Integra
  By arizonalobo - October 28 - 2:00 am

  Great value, no problems with the car whatsoever. Fun to drive and capable of outstanding mileage. I routinely get 33 to 35 MPG on the highway.

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  Poor Customer Service - 2005 Acura TL
  By Randy - October 23 - 4:26 pm

  Beware of the "Parchment" leather interior. I wore a suede jacket and it stained the leather on the drivers seat. My sales associate never mentioned this problem, but it appears that the service personnel are aware of it. I recommmend not wearing any dark clothing (especially denim and leather products) with light leather interiors, such as Parchment. This problem was presented to my dealer and Acura Customer Service, and both basically told me it was my problem. My TL has only 2500 miles on it, so I was a bit surprised. Acura needs to work on improving its customer service and standing behind its product if it ever wants my business again.

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  Last of the best - 2003 Acura CL
  By flhoss - October 22 - 2:00 am

  Sorry they decided to drop the CL series. The chip resistant paint job is great. Driving on the freeway I was to the left rear of a bus. It hit a pile of broken boards. They flew up and slammed into the right rear side of my 2003 Cl-S shaking the vehicle. I stopped to see how much damage had been done to my car with only 900 miles on it. I was elated. Absolutely no damage, not a scratch or blemish. I still look occasionally to see if I missed something. I am 220 lbs 6 feet and seat is uncomfortable, head close to roof, rear window very difficult to clean inside. Still love my CL-S