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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  Excellent SUV... way to go! - 2008 Acura MDX
  By Gurm - November 26 - 11:56 pm

  I bought this 2008 Acura MDX sports new here in state of WA 3 weeks back... drives like dream. I chose it over Lincoln MKX, Mazda CX-9, BMW X5 and Lexus RX 400. MDX is very sporty both in looks & driving with option of comfort mode just by pressing a switch (but youll be tempted to keep it in sports mode). I drive Audi S4 too & still respect Acuras sporty drive for an SUV. The Acura navigation is very easy to use, bluetooth & handsfree link are nice additions too. Suggested improvements below.

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  The BEST - 2005 Acura MDX
  By Jody - November 26 - 8:20 am

  I Love my MDX. Have had absolutely no trouble with it. I dont think the interior is bland at all. It gets the best mileage for an SUV. I think you get the most for your money with the MDX. Love the Navi too!

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  TL vs G35x - 2005 Acura TL
  By Tom - November 25 - 1:30 am

  The TL is overall a wonderful car. I picked it over a BMW 330, Audi A4, Cadillac CTS and Infinity G35x. As much as I loved the G35xs AWD and overall performance I could not believe the poorly laid out and cheap looking interior in the G35x. The TL offers decent performance with understated styling and a great interior at a comparative bargin price. The sound system is second to none, but DVD audio content is very limited. The dealer has been great and even installed the optional wheels and tires at a very nominal charge. The car is "rock solid."

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  Fun, great mid-size SUV - 2009 Acura RDX
  By LC - November 24 - 11:40 pm

  Let me say that I love Acuras because of the value you get with the car. No other car gives you the high-tech toys for such a reasonable price. All the toys work and make this a great car to drive. It is very quick and responsive and am getting 21 MPG. It is impossible for people to be getting 14 mpg unless they are goosing the car every chance they get. This is not a luxury sedan. What it is is a great 4WD SUV with luxury features and the best handling of any SUV Ive driven.

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  Great Car with may included options - 2006 Acura TL
  By ems - November 24 - 12:00 pm

  Traded in a 2001 Inf I 30 for the TL. What a difference. The TL has effortless acceleration and the ride soaks up any bumps. The blindspots on the drivers rear right and the rear headrests are annoying but you get used to it. Overall a great car with almost everything you want.

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  Reminds me of my BMW 540i. Very elegant. - 2008 Acura MDX
  By Addy - November 22 - 11:54 am

  Traded in a 2006 Toyota Sienna LE for the 08 MDX Sport with black on black. Unlike many other autos, this SUV is truly unisex. I got this for this for my wife but would love driving to work -) It really reminds me of the BMW 540i Sport I used to drive some time back. Do not expect a Lexus RX style smooth ride with the Sport package. Its a road hugging SUV, with tighter steering and superb pick-up. The 300 HP engine is pretty responsive

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  Great Car - 2004 Acura TSX
  By keith82 - November 22 - 10:00 am

  Had the TSX for about two weeks now and have to say its a great car. I looked at other cars such as the 3 series, A4, accord V6 coupe, saab 93 and decided to go with the TSX because of the quality, standard features and price.

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  Tight!!! - 2004 Acura TL
  By cdkruaya - November 22 - 10:00 am

  Best decision I have made since I leased the 03 model.

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  I Would Buy Another - 2002 Acura MDX
  By Freddie - November 22 - 9:05 am

  My husband and I test drove several SUVs before selecting this one. We selected it in part because it has the drive and comfort of a car unlike the truck feel of many others. The body style is great (didnt change for a few years). We like the reliability, overall style, navigation system, and mileage (is still very good). After 143,000+ miles & over 7 year it still looks and drives great. A new transmission was installed a few months before the extended warranty expired so we incurred no extra cost. No other major work has been needed. Two times the navigation malfunctioned but shortly corrected itself. We need to update our navigation CD because some locations cant be found.

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  Solid Car - 2007 Acura TSX
  By Roger - November 21 - 11:47 am

  Great vehicle so far. Excellent MPG at 50-65 mph, I am averaging around 33-34 mpg. Runs smooth, pretty quiet ride. Excellent car for the money. Could use more room in the backseat. Acura has great service, and makes a great car!