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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  2013 RDX - 2013 Acura RDX
  By johnmsc - August 2 - 11:00 pm

  We purchased the new RDX AWD with Tech in early July and have just driven from Minnesota to Arizona. The vehicle is most everything we hoped it would be. We compared and drove most every compact suv and picked the RDX because we felt it was the best value for a well equipped suv. While the RDX is not the most nimble handling in its segment it is IMO the most comfortable. We averaged 28.6 MPG on the trip, better than I hoped for. This car is a great road trip car, again comfortable, quiet w/ very little driver fatigue after hours behind the wheel. The smooth and plentiful power of the V6 was a joy in the mountains and passing. We like the car and would make the decision to buy [it again.

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  Best all around SUV - 2012 Acura MDX
  By thomatl - July 28 - 11:03 pm

  We shopped Audi Q5, BMW X3, Volvo XC60, and Infiniti FX35. MDX was an afterthought after a disappointing drive in an RDX (not a bad vehicle but lacks features and feels like a CR-V with lipstick). We preferred the European vehicles driving feel, but the MDX Advance offered more of the features we wanted, especially the safety features such as collision mitigation. Our prior experience with Acura (CL, TL, TSX) sealed the deal.

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  Like an MDX and Accord all in one - 2009 Acura RDX
  By jbriscoe - July 1 - 1:47 am

  I owned a 03 MDX and 07 Accord V6 previously...I wanted to go back to a SUV...just not a large one. The RDX fit the bill for me. I get 22 mpg non highway driving at an avg speed of 28 mph, I drive 66 mi daily round trip to work. The turbo kicks in when needed and the ride inside the cabin is quiet. The road feel can be bumpy on poorly maintained streets and the handling is great on quick turns. If you need more cargo room and a fold down third seat, opt for the MDX and a few less mpg. Im 53 and my husband is 61 and we both have plenty of head and leg room.

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  Great car but oil burning issue is SERIOUS - 2004 Acura TSX
  By gipmeister - June 25 - 11:44 am

  I have enjoyed this car very much and it is generally very reliable. However, there are issues with this year/model that are common to many owners: - the door lock actuators die - the a/c system can die prematurely - the clutch in the 6MT dies early - the car will begin to burn oil My car with >130k now burns about a quart every 1-1.5k miles. If not regularly monitored (before the oil light comes on when youre down 2qts) Other people have had the console lights die and the dealer fix is hundreds of dollars. I STILL give the car a decent review, but I would not advise someone to buy an 04 used because of this.

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  First Acura...Impressed! - 2012 Acura MDX
  By erperp - June 3 - 8:42 pm

  Only few negatives to get out of the way... Coming from the German SUVs including the last one being a Cayenne, I would say the handling is on the "comfort" side. And the center cluster is just way too cluttered for any standard. Nevertheless, MDX makes up with enough grunt for such a heavy car and an exceptional value, especially w tech/ent that was by far the best deal compared with any comps, including JX. Very comfortable cruiser with ample room and storage and awesome audio too. We will continue to monitor if the Acura reliability is what people say it is....

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  Great looks, poor quality - 2005 Acura TL
  By xopher1977 - June 3 - 5:14 pm

  I ordered my 2005 Acura TL Navi 6MT back in November of 2004 and took it home right off the truck when it arrived. Initially I had no problems with the car, it looked great inside and out and was a huge upgrade over my 2004 Maxima which I sold a few month earlier. The performance was great and the manual transmission was a blast to drive. However no less than 3 months into my owner ship I started having problems first I had to have an axle replaced, and things started going downhill from there. 7 years and nearly 60k miles later, there were way too many problems, including two door actuators, rattles everywhere, poor leather seat quality, and things literary falling apart on the inside

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  2013 RDX - 2013 Acura RDX
  By ps5 - May 31 - 7:41 pm

  Jumping to RDX from 2000 Sienna was a change. I was looking forward to new technology.

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  Great bang for your buck! - 2012 Acura TL
  By necky33 - May 23 - 10:25 pm

  Had a 2009 Lexus IS350, and was considering replacing it with either the new GS, the BMW 328i, or the Acura. The GS is a great car, but I wasnt crazy about the interior layout or the wacky joystick and busy infotainment system. The BMW was too pricey after optioning it well. Which brings me to the Acura. A great all around car with loads of refinement and plenty of technology and features for the money. I actually picked the AWD version because I love the standard wheels and the interior upgrades of the car. The car is so sexy with Crystal Black Pearl exterior and Umber leather interior, I really lucked up to snatch the car from the dealer a day after it arrived on the lot!

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  TRANSMISSION - 2005 Acura MDX
  By brannguyen - May 21 - 9:28 am

  I bought this from a used Honda dealership-in Marietta, GA, Aug. 2011. Was really excited to own my Acura SUV w/ 3rd row! Honda had a good reputation w/ reliability except for their transmission issue! I didnt realized it until it was too late! I had it checked out by Ed Voyles Acura-Chamblee. They said it was fine & they even did the transmission chip software recall. They found nothing wrong w/ it! They even took it upon themselves to do the FULL 105k service w/ timing belt w/ out getting my approval or trying to figure out what was wrong w/ the transmission. I was really upset! I even rode w/ them to see why it would vibrate at 50-60mph. Of course it wouldnt make that noise.

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  2 yr 3 month ownership (happy) - 2003 Acura MDX
  By logun - May 17 - 3:21 pm

  Bought this SUV for my wife in late 2009 early 2010, with 74,500 miles on it. Weve put 23,000 miles on it (+ or -). Weve had it dealer maintained as it was from the previous owner (we r 2nd owner). Weve made sure to maintain the transmission (both frnt & rear diffs as well) as AWD or 4 x 4 vehicles require this otherwise it breaks. We have replaced shocks, struts, motor mounts, window regulator & a tensioner set. The pwr steering does quit when we hit a large puddle till the belt dries (within a few sec.) Otherwise its been a great vehicle. She even runs low to mid grade octane gas without issue.