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:

• 

  Love the Car...HATE Acura of Ocean NJ - 2012 Acura TSX
  By ellen21 - March 2 - 10:03 pm

  The TSX is a very nice sized luxury car, but all is ruined by the terrible service at Acura of Ocean. This New Jersey dealership does not care about its customers at all. They are rude and difficult to work with. They do not listen to their customers and never fix things the first time. Twenty four hours after a very expensive service, my car breaks down on the Garden State Parkway. It had to be towed because of a dead battery, something Acura of Ocean was to have checked a mere day prior. Acura of Ocean totally ruined buying and driving an Acura. I will NEVER buy another Acura. By the way, I called the Home Office of Acura and they could care less as well!!!

• 

  Almost perfect car - 2012 Acura TSX
  By artemus2 - March 2 - 9:18 am

  This car has one flaw and it is something you want to consider before buying. It has a extremelly rough ride. If you are going to buy one test drive it on a highway that is not perfectly smooth and on some cracked pavement. You want to drive it for at least 30 minutes to start to get a feel for it. The car is so much fun to drive that its easy not to notice the rough ride until its too late. It can get very annoying if you drive on the highway for more than ten minutes or so. Everything else about the car is perfect!

• 

  60K, so far, so good - 2008 Acura RDX
  By ducky79 - February 13 - 6:34 pm

  2008 RDX, 60K mileage, no problem so far. I would say this is a very reliable car. Pro: reliable, great handling, decent power Con: rough ride, bad gas mileage I believe it can run 3-5 more years.

• 

  Great car, with some issues - 2009 Acura TSX
  By yitz1 - February 13 - 9:46 am

  When shopping for a new car in 08, I test drove a bunch of different cars in this class. Though I liked the Lexus IS a little better, it was much more expensive. Overall, Ive enjoyed this car. Recently, though, Ive been having some issues. The bluetooth doesnt pick up the call until I redial, and they havent been able to figure it out. The tires and rims seem really fragile and are very expensive to replace. Ive been getting vibration in the steering wheel and have been told that all my rims are bent! A little black plastic piece surrounding the mirror broke. I thought it good just be popped out and replaced for about $25 surprise, I had to replace the whole mirror at a cost of $350!

• 

  rdx with tech package - 2011 Acura RDX
  By thinkbig - February 11 - 10:08 pm

  I wanted a small SUV for more utility, ability to go through flooded streets and for a change of lifestyle. Was in a Camry for many years but hated not having no power and feeling like a old man. Printed a bunch of pictures of SUVs and showed it to my girlfriend. She Pick the Acura and I went down and got it. I think it was good decision as it is upscale and I needed to treat myself to something more than another Toyota. Reliable, safe, fun to drive, and that Turbo 4 is nice change of pace. Fuel economy is about what I expected around 18-19 range city. It uses premium fuel. When new the fuel economy was down to 16-17.

• 

  Very good but not deserving the TLC status - 2012 Acura TL
  By bogdan2 - February 6 - 7:26 pm

  I own the TL 2012 Technology package for more than a month now. The car is sporty indeed while comfortable and quiet. However my expectations were much higher from a car that claims to be a Total Luxury Car. 1. While driving you cant rest your left hand by sitting your elbow on the door handle. And even if you can it wont be at the same level as you right hand elbow. 2. If you remove your foot off the gas pedal quickly it will hit the frame with a "clunk" type of noise very bothering. 3. The worst probably is the navigation system that doesnt show your current speed, the speed limit of the road and most of the street names you driving by.

• 

  Huge bang for the buck - 2011 Acura RDX
  By tpf1979 - February 3 - 1:36 pm

  With BMW, Audi, and Mercedes getting all the attention in the luxury crossover market, the RDX is too often overlooked. I have owned my 2011 RDX base (front wheel drive) for 8 months and love it. You get a lot for your $30,000. Stellar acceleration and handling, all the creature comforts, and a premium feel (though not quite as "premium" as the German competitors). If you want to save a few thousand dollars and still get an excellent vehicle- give the RDX a long, hard look before jumping into that BMW. If you do not live in Alaska or extreme north east, consider front wheel drive for even a better value. I live in NJ and am getting through the winter just fine with my front wheel drive RDX.

• 

  Traded down to Trade up! - 2012 Acura MDX
  By wayne91 - January 29 - 10:17 pm

  I traded my 2011 QX56 for the 2012 MDX. Why? Well, I am looking to downsize my life while not giving up everything. Then MDX offers all I need and what I want. Versatility, sportiness, comfort, performance, and better MPG. Thought about LEXUS, MERCEDES, and found the pricing too high. The Range Rover does not provide the reliability and resale of ACURA.

• 

  Wonderful Car! - 2011 Acura RL
  By lnesbit - January 26 - 8:27 pm

  After researching and driving the Lexus ES350, Hyundai Genesis, Toyota Avalon, and Buick Lacrosse CSX, the Acura RL won out due to ride comfort, reliability factor and quality reputation. While other competitors may offer more updated staying and better navigation system, the 2011 RL is an overall great car for the long haul. Even though Acura sells very few of these vehicles, its still an Acura with luxury features not available on the TL.

• 

  Rattles, rattles, and Rattles! - 2010 Acura TL
  By aa21 - January 15 - 7:20 pm

  I bought a 2010 Acura TL w/Tech brand new and only 100 miles into it, the pillar by the driver side begins to rattle/crack! The car was given back to the dealer 7 times and it was never fixed. Acura sent out one of their "experts" who was nothing but a disrespectful, arrogant liar to help fix the issue. He ignored the issue and even told Autowest Acura located Santa Clara, CA to not look into it. Horrible experience! Customer service definitely does not exist in Acura from corporate to dealership apparently.. I wish I would have purchased the BMW 3 series or the Infinite G. The main problem is the quality of this car and Acuras client service. Horrible, stay away!