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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  Just bought one... - 2003 Acura RSX
  By jtree91 - September 7 - 11:07 am

  I recently bought a 2003 RSX and I have to say I am very satisfied. The first quality that jumped out at me when I first drove it was its tight, sports car handling. This car handles beautifully and I am able to take turns at speeds I never could have imagined in my previous car, a grand am. The interior is leather, two toned sports seats that really add to the cars sportiness. There is a body kit on the car so it looks really sharp and sounds great with the magnaflow exhaust. Overall, im glad I bought it. I feel as though honda makes very reliable cars and the rsx is no exception.

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  Almost an investment than liability - 2000 Acura RL
  By hemy - September 5 - 4:43 pm

  I bought this used 2 years ago with 80k miles and I cant complain. Starts every time, all the amenities you can ask for and reliable. Being 12 years old when I bought it, I expected wear signs. I have to tell you, the interior was a 9.9/10. it held up well and still looked brand new! Could not say the same thing for my earlier legend whose leather was falling apart after 10 years. Replaced my own rear window regulator myself (normal for this car) at the cost of $180. Replaced oil pressure switch myself (causing minor oil leak) for $8. Paid shop to have normal 90k service for $800 (radiator, belts, fluids). Other than that, runs great! One strange water leak into car after hard rains?!

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  a reliable honda - 1991 Acura Integra
  By refri3dnoodle - September 2 - 6:58 pm

  I have 266k miles on mine. replaced the head gasket at 265k along with the distributor. It is a reliable car and really good on gas...most other cars of the same year are usually somewhere in a scrap yard.

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  Quiet and smooth-hardly - 2013 Acura RDX
  By jtwi - August 31 - 1:36 pm

  Read all the reviews I could get my eyes on months before the purchase. All said quiet and smooth ride. Test drive seem to follow suit. I have almost 3K on the car. Every bump I hit, I hear and feel. Im not talking about potholes, I am talking about road bumps which has me questioning the suspension. Inside you hear the bump-bump bump-bump bump bump. Or maybe I am missing the cabin accoustical material. Cant have people saying the car is quiet and smooth and i get just the reverse.

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  Wouldnt sell this car. - 1996 Acura Integra
  By wrongfire - August 28 - 9:16 pm

  Performance - 3 This is the weakest aspect to me, of course this is just the RS, but its slow. It handles great, I love taking corners with it. Its FWD, so if thats your thing then you will love it. Comfort - 4 The chairs are nice but not great, driving for more than an hour gets uncomfortable.. The cup holders are pretty small. Value - 5 This car has so much going for it, and the price is excellent. Fun- 4 Awesome car, but just slightly too slow, and spongy. Interior - 5 Mine is black and blue.. its immaculate. Exterior - 5 The design is still excellent and eye catching. Build - 4 140k miles and still holding together very well. Reliability- 5 140k miles and nothing is wrong.

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  GPS Prolems - 2012 Acura TL
  By rb1028 - August 18 - 3:09 pm

  I like this car but the GPS drives me nuts. The GPS keeps voicing Im on an unverified road. These streets have been here for over 30 years! This is so annoying especially if Im on my cell phone or enjoying music. The dealership, Ft. Wayne Acura, continues to tell me that Acura is aware of the problem and will fix it but they dont. For a car Ive paid over $40K to own I think it should have a GPS which functions properly. Additionally, it wants to route me in all sorts of crazy directions. Acura says its because I live in a city of 10,000 but all my other cars including my Camry have absolutely no GPS problem.

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  A Great Acura, and I have driven most - 2010 Acura TL
  By critter441 - August 15 - 12:03 am

  I love Honda and Acura. I have owned everything from the CR-X, CR-V, Civic, Accord, TSX, RDX, and MDX. Out of this long list of cars, the TL is right up there with the MDX as the Acura best of the best. In terms of performance, price and reliability nothing beats it. Strongly considered moving into a BMW 335 xDrive or C300 series MB and moving away from Acura after some boring experiences. However, the standard options, performance and cost of ownership cannot be beat by the Honda/Acura line up. If you want sport performance the MT is a must! Honda has the best clutch and throw feel shifter and can hands down blow you back into your drivers seat. The 19" wheels hug the road, smooth, fast!

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  A Keeper - 2001 Acura TL
  By coppet - August 13 - 7:21 pm

  Bought new fall of 2000. New Honda transmission at 23K miles (warranty). New wheel bearing (LR) at 24K miles (warranty). Kept it up by the book with Acura doing major work. Now it time to reap the rewards of buying a very good car and keeping up with upkeep. Its still solid, peppy, handles well (I prefer modest profile tires for quietness). Sound system rivals anything on the road. Nav system is a bit long in the tooth now, but still works just fine. DVD nav system is a bit outdated and takes up a bit of trunk space. Never get over 23-24 on the highway. Now using cheapest regular gas and its still purring along just fine.

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  Transmission Issues - 2004 Acura TL
  By darltk - August 11 - 11:13 am

  I have had my car since 2006 and have kept it under maintenance. It has treated me well for this period of time with occasional issues here and there. With 168,000 miles my transmission went and Motor mounts had to be replaced. Transmission was $5200 at the dealer. I opted to have it rebuilt elsewhere for $3300. I have also replaced the Motor Mounts. I guess certain things are to be expected but there were obvious issues with 2002-2003 and 2004s that were built earlier. I still believe these cars are reliable but some of these issues may be things that can be eventual problems with this model year. I also seem to be having some issues with the hands free freezing and dropping off.

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  Shes A Beauty BUT Transmission Issues GALORE! - 2001 Acura CL
  By pr_diva2012 - August 3 - 5:11 pm

  I purchased this vehicle in 2005 certified pre-owned from an Acura dealership in NJ with less then 40K miles... she lasted me up until a couple days ago (currently 222k miles.) The car is a great ride and it went the distance but the only thing is that I had problems with the transmission... I had to replace the original transmission in 2008 (which was a doozy) and just a couple days ago, my maintenance required light came on... went to go check it out and ofcourse the trans is on its way out. This is my 2nd owned Acura... I am going to bid farewell to Acura and go to the Lexus side of the street.