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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  Spittin Fur - 2014 Acura RDX
  By carl hefner - October 5 - 5:27 am

  The RDX just glides two wheel drive is just fine. Better gas mileage and a better feel. Tech package is worth it! Got a zoom.

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  Good Choice - 2005 Acura TL
  By good choice - September 23 - 2:53 am

  I have had the TL for 10 months now with 7500 miles on it. I have not had to bring it to the dealer for any defects at all.The built quality is ok, but not at the Lexus or Bmw standard. Suspension is stiff, and the seats are not as comfortable as they should be. Audio system is excellent.Unfortunately blind spots are a problem , and the sideview mirrors are too small. It takes a while to get use to driving the car because of this. Acceleration and power are excellent. I have been averaging 22 combined mpg. Overall the TL is an excellent choice and very reliable.

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  AVery Nice SUV - 2003 Acura MDX
  By Illini Bird - September 22 - 2:00 am

  MDX is very roomy and the Navigation system is awesome! I also like the rear- view camera. I have never seen the VSC engage but am glad the car has it. On the down side, mileage is poor! My MDX does not get near what the ratings say (I get only about 12 or 13 mpg). The Lexus had a feature where when one held down the open door button on the remote control, all windows and the moon roof opened which was really nice when getting into the car in the summer. The MDX does not have this feature. Also, ALL windows in the Lexus were auto up and down - not just the drivers window. The automatic wipers do not work well with snow; they work OK with rain.

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  Power/Performance in Disguise - 2003 Acura CL
  By knox66 - September 3 - 2:00 am

  When I first showed my new 2003 CL Type S to my friend, he wasnt impressed. "Looks like an Accord" he said. Admittedly, this cars exterior styling and sightlines havent revolutionalized the industry. The true heart and soul of this car lied under the hood & in its wonderfully sporty suspension and chassis system. Once I took him on an edge-of-the-seat 70-80 mph joy ride, he no longer saw this car as an Accord. Ive also suprised many a city stoplight-racers in my area. After I blow them off the line with lurching tires and screaming acceleration from the VTEC 6 cylinder, I suspect they wont look at an "Accord" in the same light ever again.

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  Acura Review - 2004 Acura MDX
  By Abigail - August 30 - 2:00 am

  Overall handling/comfort is great. Rear (3rd row) seat is more for kids or cargo and not made for adults. Highway accelaration noise is a bit excessive and annoying, just boost up the dynamite sound system to drown it out.

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  A pleasure, indeed. - 2005 Acura RL
  By Iman - August 18 - 7:50 am

  We purchased the vehicle and then proceeded to drive it over 4000 miles on an extended holiday. The car handled beautifully, the sound system is extraordinary and the ability to receive and respond to calls without having to handle our cell phone is, indeed a wonderful safety measure. Surprising but much to our satisfaction was the fact that we realized over 26 miles to the gallon of gas while on the highway.

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  Solid buy - 2017 Acura TLX
  By Kevin - August 17 - 7:06 am

  I have owned the 6 cylinder FWD for 2 weeks. I am coming from a VW Passat TDI. The TLX is above the Passat in acceleration/ quality of materials. The TLX is below the Passat in interior room / MPG. The TLX does put a smile on my face when driving winding roads. It holds the road like no other car I have owned. I was between getting another Passat, Infiniti Q50, or this car. What won out was the interior quality and looks of the TLX. The Q50 trunk was way too small and interior very tight for my 62" frame. I would have got another VW , but thought I needed to look at something different. The things that I find frustrating on this car are the complicated radio, the Sirius only presets 12 channels, and you cant see what song is on Sirius until you turn the channel. Overall , the TLX provided a nice balance of quality materials, space, and amenities. Not perfect, but enjoyable car.

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  Love my TLX 2017 - 2017 Acura TLX
  By Toni Porzio - August 15 - 9:36 pm

  I have had Acuras int the past.. The car is extremely comfortable and has a nice smooth ride..I enjoy the IDS system which allows you to drive in sport mode etc. No Back seat USBS which I found surprising and the Technology features offered were expensive additional packages where other 2017 car manufacturers included these in the price of their cars..I went with the 4 cylinder which has a lot of pep and I enjoy the stick shift for a sportier interior look over the 6 cylinder with the push buttons. Overall I love the car , but they could have included more in the base model..

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  Great car!! - 2003 Acura RSX
  By Rob121 - August 11 - 2:00 am

  I really ejoy this car because it has clean lines and is great on gas.

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  Good car for the money - 2002 Acura RSX
  By Johhny Depp - August 10 - 5:06 am

  Compared to some of the other cars of comparable size and cost, the Acura RSX is by far the best value. I can tell you that for a 2.0L engine, this car has a lot of zip. The Acura name gives people the impression of a vehicle with class, which is one of the reasons we are on our second Acura lease (previously had a 1999 Acura CL).