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:

• 

  Really wanted to like it - 2012 Acura TL
  By Paul M - July 29 - 9:53 pm

  Not impressed at all. Had trouble with the car since the day I purchased it. Navigation is awful, the directions are misleading, it doesnt take you on the most direct route and the POI has completely wrong address information and has taken me to places that didnt exist at least 5 times. I have not been able to use a device plugged into the USB port at all, it causes the screen to freeze or reset. I brought the car to Acura and they supposedly changed the unit itself, all wiring and the USB port and it still doesnt work. My worst complaint of all is the transmission. Its extremely jerky especially when shifting into 2nd gear and just isnt smooth at all. It really slows the engine down and now I know why the new Acuras have different transmissions. Otherwise the car handles very well, the seats are very comfortable I can drive all day, sound system very good. Not sure if these are common problems or I just got a lemon but wouldnt recommend.

• 

  Best value - 2014 Acura MDX
  By Al - July 28 - 6:37 pm

  I buy a lot of cars for myself and wife. This is my 4th MDX in 7 years. Tried an Enclave terrible seats and steering. Had a MKX for 9000 traded it the steering had torque steel when you punched the gas. My wife drives an Audi but has had a Cayanne, an X5, Range Rover and more. Dollar for dollar the MDX is the best value for me. Quiet, quick and very good seats.

• 

  Transmission issues with the 9 speed automatic - 2015 Acura TLX
  By R Small - July 24 - 4:47 pm

  I purchased a 2015 Acura TLX v6 with technology package back in December 2015 and have many positives to say about the car, but unfortunately the 9 speed transmission frustrations kill my enjoyment of the car. The shifting is erratic, especially the shift between 2nd-3rd gears. The shift into 3rd gear causes the car to jerk, while all higher gears shift like butter. Ive taken the car to the dealer, and theyve stated it is normal for this transmission. That is not acceptable to me when purchasing a luxury sedan. If Acura can resolve this issue, it would be a great car. There are a fair number of others who have similar issues (based on forums).

• 

  Coulda been a contender - 2015 Acura TLX
  By D Stewart - July 22 - 8:20 pm

  If not for the horrible transmission, the TLX V6 SH-AWD would be a great car. However, this transmission has no clue what gear it should be in at times. At a short and/or rolling stop, the transmission cant find first gear until the engine revs and then the car lurches forward. Travelling at around 30 miles an hour, you give it gas to accelerate.. the car has a huge lag. Id have given the car a 1 star but I like the rest of the vehicle

• 

  The 9 Speed ZF Transmission RUINS this car! - 2015 Acura TLX
  By Wes Beard - July 22 - 8:18 pm

  If you are considering this vehicle, please test drive the car. Make sure you drive it in stop and go traffic. I test drove one, and my transmission issues started a week after. The transmission is TERRIBLE in this otherwise beautiful car. Shame on Acura for doing this to this TLX. The transmission jerk horribly when shifting in lower gears. Stop and go traffic makes me so angry, because the car shifts like it has a washing machine full of bricks under the hood.

• 

  Do Not Buy Until Acura Fixes Transmission Issue - 2015 Acura TLX
  By Chris Rayala - July 22 - 8:09 pm

  Before you buy this car, head on to the Acurazine website and search "TLX transmission". You will learn from a 9-page thread that a lot of owners are very upset about the TLX shifting hard between the 2nd to 3rd gear. The problem seems to be with the new ZF 9-speed transmission. It doesnt seem like Acura has a solution to the problem yet. [HTML removed]

• 

  Practical Sports Sedan - 2014 Acura TL
  By JackSafro - July 21 - 12:22 pm

  As a lifelong car enthusiast with a baby and a frugal spouse, the TL fit the bill. The car is an underrated sleeper. It gives four-door, mid-sized, practicality, sporty driving dynamics, comfort, and tasteful style to my otherwise "nose-to-the-grindstone" life. My wife insisted I buy a Honda Accord. So I did! Only, I got the one with the big engine, super-handling all-wheel drive, and great stereo/technology. It was a good compromise between the mundane Honda sibling and a used BMW. My friend bought a very nice BMW 335 sedan when I bought my car. He is already talking about selling it because of the cost, poor BMW customer service, impractically small dimensions, and the many eat [dirt] looks he gets from other drivers. The TLs "anonymity" is a plus in my book. It is a nice looking car (I particularly like the interior) but not flashy. What most people do not expect is that the car is FAST. It handles great too. Having strong pulling power on the highway is a huge plus, particularly when merging in metro-Atlanta traffic. However, my favorite thing about the car is the SH-AWD. When pulling out into traffic from a stop or speeding into a left turn to beat traffic, the AWD system provides supreme confidence. Wheel spin is (at most) a brief chirp. The car hooks up and pounces like a hungry cat. No drama, just direct, immediate, acceleration. This is immensely helpful in day-to-day driving (again... metro-Atlanta traffic...). The ride is smooth and relaxed in normal driving, but comes alive when pushed. The SH-AWD is like having a magic carpet under you. It begs for you to stay on the power to "push" the car through turns. It is addicting, and I find myself goosing the throttle all the time--much to the dismay of all the dead dinosaurs out there (more on that later). One thing to consider though is that, when taking turns off throttle, SH-AWD is not active and the car (front heavy as it is) under-steers. This means you need to plan a bit ahead to take advantage of the torque vectoring, especially if your car has a manual transmission like mine. The car is smooth on the highway and appropriately taught around town. It is quiet (much quieter than my fathers 2010 model) and an overall joy to drive. I find it to be very secure and reassuring in inclement weather. The clutch is typical Honda (consistent and relatively light) and the shifting is quite good. The only knock is that I think it has a clutch delay valve. This means lightning quick 1-2 shifts will result in grinding synchros (and a jarring blow to your sporting mood). Gas mileage is ok. I average about 18 mpg (premium recommended) in mixed driving. But a heavy right foot will drop my mileage as low as 15. This has happened a couple of times, but is rare. On the highway, I will get 25 or more mpgs. Easy driving will yield decent mpg and the car feels very relaxed and smooth if driven that way. It is just so difficult to refrain from experiencing the horsepower and SH-AWD. The interior is a very nice place to be. I find the seats pretty comfortable, though with maybe too much lumbar support. I personally prefer buttons and really like the layout of the center stack. The gauges are clear and sporty. The lights on the car are excellent, casting illumination bright and far. With the fog lights on, you can see pretty well into turns too--a nice plus in poorly lit neighborhood driving. The bluetooth, navigation, stereo, etc. are excellent. I would love better Pandora integration (thumbs up/down, etc), but it works fine. Did I mention the stereo is great!? I have had two minor intermittent rattles. The dealer poured over the car and found a couple of un-seated retaining clips. What I found remarkable was the high level of quality service and attention from my local dealers service department (and I didnt even buy the car from them). They provided a (super nice) loaner and made sure to address my concerns. No BMW dealer offers such a high level of service. My buddy who bought the BMW went to pick it up after purchase. They were supposed to fix a paint chip and address several other issues. They had not completed most of the work. The BMW dealer handed my friend some touch-up paint and told him to do it himself (unbelievable! It was a $50,000 car). Dont get me wrong. BMW makes incredible cars. But Ill stick with good service and value. Overall, I LOVE my TL. It is nice without being too flashy, sporty yet comfortable, and very practical (though the trunk could be a smidge bigger). As anyone whos ever driven a Honda product knows, it is all about quality and value. The TL is not the fanciest or the sportiest. But it is arguably the most practical mix of traits that a practical car-enthusiast could want. And with Honda/Acura reliability and high re-sale values, I am confident about my purchasing decision. So go ahead, pick up a used one and enjoy! No one will look at you like you drive a BMW--even if you drive it like one.

• 

  Buyer beware - horrible suspension - 2015 Acura RDX
  By Car guy - July 19 - 10:03 am

  I had a 2015 RDX AWD (non-tech package) for a year. Bottom the rear suspension on the RDX is horrible. Whenever you drive over the smallest bump on the road the rear suspension "clunks" and transmits the impact directly to the occupants. Theres nothing wrong with the car (I had the dealer check) basically its just poor suspension design. Unfortunately when I test drove the car it was on smooth recently paved roads - big mistake. Search any of the Acura owner/community sites and youll see plenty of similar comments about the 2013 to present RDX and the same issue with 2014 - present MDX and TLX. There are other quality issues/non-user friendly quirks with the RDX but the horrible suspension was a deal breaker (and ridiculous for a $36K "luxury vehicle"). Ive now sold the RDX - my first and last Honda/Acura product. Very happy with a German SUV now.

• 

  Overall We Love This Car - 2008 Acura RDX
  By mike - July 17 - 11:55 am

  In the year 2015, had to replace our 2005 CRV which we loved, because of a hit and run that left our car trashed. We were looking at simply getting another CRV, but stumbled across a 2010 RDX at a dealer. We took it for a drive and fell in love. We didnt quite like the look of the 2010 model (fog lights are a little "pronounced" for our taste, so out of curiosity we looked and found a 2008 model with 59k miles that was a new arrival at a local dealer. Took it out for a drive, and loved it even more than the 2010 model we had driven earlier. To be sure, we subsequently tried a few other CRVs (2005, 2010, 2012) but by that time I think we were just too smitten with the RDX and never looked back. We got the RDX for $15k and are sooooo happy about it. (cheaper than any CRVs we saw, including a 2005 model that would have essentially replaced the one we lost, but was more expensive than this 2008 RDX. A couple things that any buyer should be aware of especially in 2015: (1) Mileage. We just took a road trip and got 23 mpg, which is about what it was advertised at (actually slightly better). You have to be on top of RPMs, use of AC, buying gas at Costco, and other things if you want to keep your costs and gas use down - and those are all things we are good with doing. (2) We had a little rattling in the car when we got it. After a long search we found it wasnt mechanical, but rather the latch for back seat (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2OS7CgzsiRs&feature=youtu.be), which is now totally silent thanks to electrical tape! Thats pretty much it so far, and granted its only been a month since we bought the car, but it is a 2008 model and no other red flags (just had it inspected too). So many good things for us. The cabin is like a dream after the CRV. Again we loved our CRV but didnt realize how much better it could be with a car like an RDX. Driving it feels like we got bumped from coach to first class. Dont know what rear passenger seats feel like, but front are awesome with leather, memory seats, amazing stereo, storage, Dual climate setting. Dash is real easy to look at and find what you need. We dont have the Tech model but dont seem to be complaining either. And as much as cabin rocks, the engine is amazing. 240hp turbo, whoa. So fun to drive!! That might have been the kicker for us, Im pretty sure it sealed the deal for my wife, Ill never forget her face when she turned her first corner - she was like "oh yeah, I love this car." Separate from that, good fold-down seats in back to make the entire rear a flat surface, and our model is black with tinted windows, so lord it is sexy! If you can keep on top of gas use and budgeting, I think this car is great. I realize its early for us but coupled with our inspection by our trusted mechanic and plans to get regular maintenance checks, we hope to have many years of RDX fun to come...

• 

  Just a Great Car Overall - 2010 Acura TSX
  By Brian - July 13 - 10:09 am

  I have a 2010 black TSX (4 cylinder, no tech) that I bought certified in the summer of 2012 with 26k miles (now has 57k). I could not be happier with this car. To summarize, this car may not be #1 in any particular category, but it does everything well. Its sporty, its comfortable, its technologically equipped even at the base model, its reliable, and I like how it looks (especially in black). I had a 2003 Audi A4 before this car, which was an amazing performer, but was a disaster with reliability. The A4 had so many issues that I got nervous every time I turned the key to start the car. Also, (not that it was necessarily the A4), but I had 4 tires go out on me in 5 years on that model. With the TSX, I like that it gives me a digital output of my tire pressure, so I always know I am good. If you are looking for a fun, reliable, and pretty well equipped car, the TSX is for you. Acura is not for everyone, but I am now sold and would like to get the TLX as my next model when the time is right however, I know I can get so many more models out of the TSX so will hang onto it for some time.