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:

• 

  Sold after 8 Months - 2016 Acura MDX
  By Bob - April 21 - 8:26 am

  The Bad Slow electronics especially navigation iPhone interface doesnt work well Auto idle awfully annoying and cant turn off permanently Doors dont shut well and often require 2nd attempt Funky noise at 18k when shifting gears Paint seems to chip more easily than other vehicles Auto wipers no so good Climate controls not convenient Good Peppy and quiet smooth ride. AWD is spectacular in snow

• 

  Rattling noisy cabin. - 2016 Acura MDX
  By Raju Joshi - January 6 - 10:45 am

  I got 2016 MDX in last June. It was ok for about six month then from passenger side middle row some kind of noise (like two plastic or rubbing two seat together) start coming. I try real hard to pin point but can not pin point. Now is about more then eight month I have vehicle and sound is coming everywhere, I dont know what is solution, is that my vehicle only or most mdx? Very very poor acceleration and uneasy shifting. I plan to change with other brand SUV, but before that I am going to take to dealership and/or body shop just for that noise.

• 

  JERKY RIDE!!!! - 2016 Acura MDX
  By amit shakya - January 3 - 4:42 am

  I decided to lease a 2016 MDX. It currently has about 700 miles and Oh man!!! what a dissapointment. The car jerks going from gear 1 to gear 2 and also to gear 3. It is something that you are not supposed to feel on a $50k vehicle.....I have also checked with few of my buddies that own mdx. They have the same feeling about the gear shifting......What a bummer!!!

• 

  dissapointed - 2003 Acura RSX
  By boffman - December 17 - 10:00 am

  ergonomics of this car become more annoying the longer you own it. the grey rims are ugly. you get used to the performance and bored very quickly. not a great tourer for long trips to the beach. no arm rest gets to be nuisance after the novelty of a new car wears off. i am trading it in for a 320 kompressor coupe.

• 

  Look elsewhere! - 2014 Acura RDX
  By Mac - November 10 - 11:23 pm

  I have had my 2014 RDX for just over a month. Worst car Ive ever owned. Has a constant vibration, hesitant transmission, rear shocks had to be replaced due to clunking noise, and the list of problems go on. If you are considering purchasing the Acura RDX, my advice is to look elsewhere.

• 

  A unhappy new owner!!! - 2016 Acura MDX
  By Dustin - September 26 - 9:22 pm

  The 9 speed transmission is terrible. Worst I have ever had. I will check out the Lemon Law in our state.

• 

  Boutique SUV - 2007 Acura RDX
  By Bink - July 28 - 10:43 am

  Poor gas mileage on premium - 18.3 MPG on mostly freeway driving. I used to average 16.9 MPG with my 4.7 L Jeep 4x4. Very uncomfortable ride on 18" tires - bounces down the road. No interior space or trunk space in spite of being longer than my Grand Cherokee. It feels like youre in an airplane cockpit. No pep when you step on it. High maintenance cost as it requires premium and special oil, 4 times the cost of regular oil. I cant wait to get rid of it in the spring.

• 

  Yet Another Review on Acuras Bad Transmission - 2015 Acura TLX
  By MikeH - June 1 - 11:19 pm

  Like the other reviews, the biggest problem with Acura is the 9 speed ZF transmission. About half the time it grinds and shutters between gears, it refuses to upshift, and the car is slow to switch into transmission modes (park, reverse, etc.). I have taken it back to the dealership 8 times and they say they replaced the transmission. I spoke to the Acura area rep (who was a poor representative for Acura, he was rude and told me the car is supposed to shift that way because of the government fuel economy requirements - what?!). Our family has owned 3 Acuras so far and loved them all. Sadly, this is our last Acura. While I appreciate the cars fuel economy, safety features, and smooth/quiet ride - the horrible Acura response to a faulty product (especially for a $45k car), cumbersome infotainment system, and unacceptable transmission is shameful for a once reputable brand.

• 

  Disappointing - 2016 Acura RDX
  By N. M. P. - January 12 - 5:44 am

  The technology package is all the sales people talk about, but so much has been removed from the luxury of previous models. The chrome-look has been removed from most of interior, the navigation box is too small and the touch screen is difficult to operate. The luxury is gone, interior looks and feels smaller, doors even feel lighter. The front of the vehicle has been redesigned and looks great, but everything else was too significantly flawed to hold my interest. By comparison, very disappointing compared to the 2014 model I previously owned and way overpriced. I chose not to purchase.

• 

  Not that impressed - 2006 Acura TL
  By Its just OK - November 18 - 1:26 pm

  I was not impressed with this vehicle. The seats were uncomfortable and the ride is too rough. I know its suppose to be kind of sporty, but I also expected a more comfotable ride. It was an automatic but switched gears (on its own) like a stick. It would sometimes idle high when I wasnt pressing on the gas. I traded it in, in 6 months. Wasnt for me.