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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  2004 MDX - 2005 Acura MDX
  By APildes - December 25 - 12:23 am

  This vehicle is spacious, extremely comfortable, has a great stereo system, and there is very little road noise. Visability all around is excellent. Pick up is good, but could be better when accelerating from a stop. The engine is more than adequate for highway driving and does not strain when going 70 mph. I am extremely happy with my MDX and would consider purchasing an MDX or an Acura car when my lease is up.

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  owner for 3 weeks and loving it!! - 2008 Acura TSX
  By T-Force - December 23 - 10:54 pm

  I had a Jeep Wrangler for 11yrs, & wanted something in this class. I looked at the Audi A4, BMW328, G35, & thought the Acura was the best all- around car. CPO, 14k miles. Ive had for 3 weeks & have been very happy. Its been an early winter so far, & the car has generally been great in the snow (this was my main reason for contemplating the AWD models like A4).

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  Doesnt matter where youre going - 2009 Acura RL
  By PDS - December 21 - 10:50 am

  This is my second RL, having returned my leased 05 for an 09. The best thing about this car is the way it makes you feel when driving it. With the SH-AWD, the bullet-proof nav system, the world class vtech engine and the solid suspension you can drive this car with complete confidence that you will get where youre going and get back. To me, the most important thing about a car is that I trust it. I have never had a car that I trust (or enjoyed) more than this 09 RL. Complete reliability, safety, luxury and comfort.

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  Outstanding vehicle - 2008 Acura MDX
  By gaawb - December 21 - 10:06 am

  For the money, this is the finest vehicle on the road. The nav system is unequaled and incredibly impressive. I test drove the X5, FX45, MKX, Q7, and Enclave. It was a tough decision between the X5 and MDX but I will never look back. Ive driven 2000 miles and it is an absolute pleasure in every way. The 300hp engine actually puts a smile on my face when I punch it. If you are looking for a crossover, this is a no-brainer.

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  Fun and sporty - 2009 Acura RDX
  By Amyjo - December 21 - 9:29 am

  I have only had this car for a few days, but I LOVE it! I have always loved Hondas and I have wanted AWD drive for years, so this is the perfect mix of fun and safety. The turbo and handling are impressive. Its like a sport sedan with higher clearance, AWD, and more trunk space.

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  Still Going Strong - 1995 Acura Integra
  By roadrunner1995 - December 18 - 3:45 pm

  As the original owner, I just love my Integra. I have had multiple offers from young people I do not know approaching me about selling the car. It has over 280,000 original miles and has never had anything but maintenance work done on it. I just learned that the transmission is starting to go, so an investment of $2K will be well worth it to replace the trans. My 7 year old grandson calls it "Grandmas Hotrod". He loves cars and I told him it is his when he is 16 if he continues to do well in school. This car is staying in the family for sure.

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  Fantastic car! - 1996 Acura Integra
  By beach_drive - December 17 - 5:15 pm

  This is a fantastic car! Purchased in 1996, Im the original owner. Extremely reliable. No problems. The only thing I would change is larger cup holders and more interior storage for CDs, etc. Also, my headlights also (lately) seem to burn out quickly, have no reason why. Pros: Super fast, the trunk is very roomy and this car has back seats that fold down for extra storage. I plan to get a new car at some point, but I cant seem to part with it! Im happy to spend my money on travel and continue to drive this fabulous Acura!

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  Enjoy the technology - 2016 Acura TLX
  By D - December 17 - 11:50 am

  Everything is extremely good except for some reason they have the worst tires. Performance would probably be much better with a quality high performance tire.

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  Integra Squad - 1995 Acura Integra
  By D Man - December 17 - 1:40 am

  Bought this car used w 120k on it for $3000. Only had it for about 5000 miles but it feels and handles solid. The gas mileage is great, 30 every time and I drive really fast. Engine is slow but good for getting around with some mods you can make it quick. Parts are dirt cheap. Good stuff. Better than most new cars.

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  New to this Acura - 2002 Acura CL
  By Nuggets2008 - December 17 - 12:00 am

  I just bought Acura CL 2002 base model with only 35,000 original miles. It was a lease in FL and I live in Co. So this car was taken care of. It is a very smooth car with a lot of power. I came from a 1992 Acura GS, which I was hit an ran on but survived to tell this story. Overall its a very smooth and comfortable ride with nice luxury features.