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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  LKAS and LDW Do not work when car is hot - 2015 Acura MDX
  By emwhydee - June 20 - 11:54 am

  I live in AZ and have had this vehicle for 2 months and whenever the temps rise above 90 degrees and the car is parked in the sun the LKAS and LDW do not work. I get a message that the camera is too hot. 15-20 minutes later, the cameras start working but by that time I am already home. I purchased this car because of these safety features but did not realize they would not work. What a waste. I will not buy an Acura again. The navigation system is equally poor and does not recognize addresses or place names so it is another lost cause. I do not recommend buying this car for these features.

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  Great Great Value - 2015 Acura TLX
  By michelt - June 20 - 12:45 am

  Ive had this car for only a few weeks and im quite impress by how it delivers on all fronts. It is a quite and comfortable cruiser. I average 38 MPG on a 250 mile trip cruising at around 70MPH. You can really feel the different driving modes from Econ to Sport +, absolutely love the 8 spd DSG, no lag or kick whatsover. The 2.4L never feels underpowered. I know that there are cars that are faster and handle better but you would have to take them on a track to see it. Sound system is crystal clear

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  GPS and Bluetooth are unsable- get a base model - 2015 Acura MDX
  By jesseg2 - June 14 - 11:14 am

  I have had my tech package MDX for over 6 months now and can confidently say that a $100 tomtom GPS beats the in-dash hands down. Boot time takes about 60 seconds. Sluggish input. Passenger cannot input an address while moving. score 0 of 10. The Bluetooth phone is horrible. People ask if I have the windows down or if they are on speaker phone. My $100 Plantronics voyager works perfectly. Also cant press any digits on touchscreen when vehicle is moving. But can use the iPhone to press # for conference calls, etc. 0/10 Save your money and get the base MDX. I do love the ride and 28mpg highway that I average. Probably the most comfortable front seats on any SUV out there. 10/10

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  VSA nearly killed me - 2005 Acura TL
  By aap2 - June 13 - 6:04 pm

  Was driving 60mph on the highway using the stick shift feature on the automatic transmission. Out of nowhere the VSA decided to turn on while i was on 3rd speed simply cruising on 60mph. When the VSA light turned on the tires screeched and immediately i lost control of the car and it banged into the divider of the highway. The airbags went off (there were no passengers) and the front left wheel just popped off completely. Thank god there was a gas station 500 feet near me. I Been having a problem with the VSA turning on abruptly for no apparent reason ive taken it to a mechanic before and even they have no clue wtf is wrong with it. Ive read forums which people have had the same issue...

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  Mine must be the exception, but I doubt it! - 2014 Acura RDX
  By lo55 - June 12 - 4:18 pm

  Reading through the reviews I see things Ive never experienced in 18 months/19+K miles. Low right seat position mandated by feds stupid regs. No brake noise, no chemical odor, no problem with bluetooth, no tranny noise, etc, etc.. Was skeptical of lack of rear AC vents. Florida resident with only AC complaint from rear seat being its too cold back here. Only down side is NOT fault of car or Acura. Its the moronic regs that limit the use of certain navi functions. The feds must think its safer to hold your cell navi with one hand while driving with the other...go figure!

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  A greatly improve version of the TL / - 2015 Acura TLX
  By fjlf1 - June 6 - 10:13 am

  after other Acuras including a TL ,I think this a very good solution to a smaller ,better gas mileage,and affordable car.If performance is what you want I dont think this isthe car but a fun car to drive and very comfortable this is a great value for the money

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  Thermometer/AC problem - 2015 Acura MDX
  By avv - June 3 - 11:59 am

  I havent seen anybody else mention this, but its probably my only problem with the car since I bought it last December. If I drive the car awhile, and then park it for an hour or so, the next time I take it out, the car thermometer will read about 10C to 14C degrees higher than what it should be. As a result, the AC will then blow full blast for about 5-10 minutes until the thermometer gradually adjusts itself to the correct temperature as I drive around. For instance, it could be about 17C degrees out, but when I take the car out later, the temperature might read about 29C degrees for a little while. If it stay less than 1h there is no problem at all.

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  Bad Smell coming out of AC vents - 2014 Acura RDX
  By njjan - May 26 - 3:16 pm

  I am wondering if anyone else had this issue where there is a chemical smell emitting from the vents. It doesnt happen everyday, could happen 10 times a day and not happen for a week. I am concerned as to what the health aspects are. I also smelled it in a loaner car that happen to be a 2014 RDX also. I happen to be a repeat customer of the Acura and this is my 2nd RDX.

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  Great SUV - 1999 Acura SLX
  By eskew - May 22 - 1:28 am

  Bought my 99 Acura used with 103XXX miles. I absolutely love everything about it. Decent mpg, roomy and very comfortable for the whole family. Had never even heard of them until I seen it sitting on the lot and it was love at first site.

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  Love my Acura! - 2005 Acura MDX
  By cfischer15 - May 19 - 7:39 pm

  I am the original owner of my 2005 Acura MDX. Love my car! I have owned this car for over 10 years with no problems. The only thing has been the electric door locks that needed the actuator replaced. Other than that issue, this car is so reliable and comfortable to drive. Love my Acura!