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 overall change - 2003 Acura TL
  By dealerbasher - September 9 - 10:00 am

  I looked at the previews for 2004 TL and disliked its overwrought styling. The present model is elegant and classy. The TL is well-designed for long trips, the interior is superb, the handling is precise. Love the step- tronic tranny, TL accelerates quickly with a base engine; I found no need for type-S. A bargain compared to tiny BMW- 3, or 530, Benz C320, or Inf. I35. Lexus ES300 looks too much like a Camry and costs 36K+ with leather. TL is ultimately the best all-around choice. I prefer its FWD configuration because it does much better in CO winters than RWD found in 2 competing sedans.

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  OK car for the bucks - 2003 Acura TL
  By tph - September 9 - 10:00 am

  This is my first Acura but it wont be my last. The car is well built. The engine is outstanding. The handling (high speed cornering) is not shabby either. The car just feels solid! nit-picks...(1) the leather could be of higher quality. (2) The glove box is a joke. (3) the stereo is over rated. The sound is not as deep as my previous car. (4) The Engine is quiet, that cannot be said for wind noise. That said, this car is still a great buy!!!!

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  07 Red MDX - 2007 Acura MDX
  By Jose A Ramos - September 9 - 8:20 am

  Comfortable ride although Ive experienced a little bit of wind and road noise.

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  The right decision on a 2017 Acura RDX Advance - 2017 Acura RDX
  By drjcool1 - September 8 - 2:33 pm

  I have been researching and shopping for a new vehicle for several months. I had narrowed it down to the Acura RDX awd and Lexus NX and briefly thought about waiting until the new Honda CRV makes its debut next month. Well, I just pulled the trigger on the RDX with all the bells and whistles, and I couldnt be happier. It drives beautifully. It is quiet, responsive, and displays impressive handling. Although the tech is probably of 2015 vintage (no apple car play or android auto), with ACC, LKAS, blind spot monitoring, collision mitigation, rear cross traffic alert, lane departure warning, and stability control, I reallyb dont feel that I am sacrificing anything. I have no problem with the double screen setup, and although there is a bit of a learning curve, I enjoy having the big map always being displayed on the upper screen. The "cherry" on top was a killer deal I secured after visiting/communicating with multiple Acura dealers in the NY area. I strongly suggest that you do your due diligence.

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  Very nice. Fits like a glove! - 2009 Acura TSX
  By BOZZ - September 8 - 8:33 am

  IÂ’ve had my 09 TSX 5A for 2 weeks. The car does NOT feel as underpowered as some reviews suggest (an extra 20HP wouldnÂ’t hurt). Steering is not bad (could use more feel). The car likes to be driven fast (unlike my old 06 TL 6M which suffered from serious torque steer and an unhappiness when driven fast). It is also very comfortable and fits like a glove, everything feels right. Love the features: seats, steering wheel, FI paddle shifters, Bluetooth, USB audio (all cars should have this). HOWEVER, there is excessive dashboard glare that washes out the central display in a lot of driving conditions!! Why on earth would Acura use shiny/tacky material on the dash?

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  Just an AWESOME vehicle - 2009 Acura TL
  By Tyger06 - September 7 - 11:28 pm

  We purchased our TL with Technology Package 1 week ago. We continue to be amazed at the performance and the amount of features per dollar. We have received many compliments on the vehicles looks both inside and out. It is roomy enough for the two of us and our 2yr old. She has more leg room in the back then she did in our old vehicle-a Saab 9-7x SUV.

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  Not worth the money - 2010 Acura RDX
  By momof2 - September 6 - 3:43 pm

  I bought this car due to cash for clunkers. I think I would have like this car better had I not driven or knew about the Tiguan (no inventory available). No rear air vents, back seats dont move, sunroof is weak and virtually no power outlets (1). Luxury is a far reach for this car. All the thought was put into technology rather than make the vehicle functional. The dual air zone is for the front seats...I guess they dont think anyone will sit in the back as if the back seat is just decoration. The vehicle does drive smooth and has great control but cabin noise is another "non luxurious" characteristic.

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  Great overall value. Nice luxury features. - 2016 Acura RDX
  By Bob - September 6 - 3:28 am

  Owned the 2016 RDX for 2 months. Bought the FWD with technology package. The RDX has the best overall engine for small SUV. Same engine as the MDX, but much smaller car means better performance. Great HP for its class. Very good gas fuel economy and uses regular unleaded gas. Other SUVs that had similar HP were turbo charged engines that required premium gas (i.e. more expensive to operate). Transmission is 6 speed automatic that is very smooth and shift points are perfect. Ride quality is a little stiff, but that helps with handling. The car is very quite when windows are rolled up. Seats are very comfortable. Very nice dual displays (one of which is touch screen). Premium stereo with XM and HD FM. I like the HD FM sound quality. It has a 15GB hard disc so you can save CDs or transfer songs from USB stick. There are 2 key fobs that you can customize most of the car features for each. Seating position, radio settings, navigation settings, are just a few of the items. Car recognize which key is closer and those settings are active for that driver. Very nice. Only a few negatives: Lots of wind noise when back windows are down more than about 1 inch. The electronics take about 1 minute to boot up when you start the car. Does not sound like much, but much slower than my Lexus that is 8 years older. Navigation system works good, but a little funky to set. Sound quality is good compared to standard quality systems, but less than other premium systems.

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  Love this car! - 2004 Acura TSX
  By JuliaV - September 6 - 1:16 am

  I traded in my 2000 Accord sedan. I agonized over the TSX or a new Accord. In the end I chose the TSX because of the following: better warranty/reputation, classier looks, TSX is FUN to drive (handles curves better than my old accord ever dared, brakes much better...TSX feels peppy), feels more luxurious, and I dont see zillions of TSXs on the road. I havent regretted my decision for one second (and I am bad to second guess everything!)

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  Nice ride, poor quality components - 2003 Acura MDX
  By CalJuls - September 4 - 3:44 pm

  Purchased our MDX with 41K on it and performance was good for about a year. The room inside is great except the third row - tight fit - the ride is nice. Serious quality issues with interior components and auto seats. Driver regulator bolt snapped in half - cost to repl 1,500 - the finger controls for air vents snapped off - 275.00 ea to repl the vent modules - cant just repl the finger control pieces that snap off. I went to Acura based on their reputation and being a past loyal Honda driver - I am disappointed - hv 97K miles now and getting 18 mpg - all sched main service has been followed. Being told to consider trade in by my dealer cause my next regular sched main will be costly - 2K.