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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  Bad Transmission - 2001 Acura CL
  By kaumudi - December 2 - 1:57 pm

  I had acura integra before drove till it reached 250k and then donated it never had any problems. decided to try another acura and guess what tranny out in less than 4 months of driving. Stay away from 3.2TL models altogether. My cousins bought the same car, engine head blew on the highway.

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  Unstable and dangerous car on snow - 2007 Acura TL
  By Vic - June 17 - 1:57 am

  Please beware this car is extremely dangerous on snow conditions due to its suspension, tires and being a front wheel drive vehicle. I would not recommend anyone to buy this car if you get snow in your areas. I would recommend to go for AWD vehicles like Audi for snow states in US. Snow tires will not be of much help for this car.

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  Worst Car - 4 things that wrong with it - 2010 Acura TSX
  By Bell - March 8 - 10:18 am

  This car is the worst car that ever had. 1a. GPS doesnt have the information about speed limit(It is nothing like TomTom or Garmin) 1c. when for example you search for “Wendy’s” it gives you Wendy’s that 2000 miles away 2. Microphone. 2a. This is my 3rd car with Bluetooth, and this is the worst Microphone ever. People hear you very bad it’s like you on a very bad speakerphone. 2b. There is a 3-4 seconds delay between when you answer the phone and people starting to hear you. When it’s cold outside the climate control blows Hot air to the bottom and Cold air to the front vents (and there is no way to close front vents even on manual “floor only” mode still blows air from front side vent

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  JUNKWAGON! - 2009 Acura MDX
  By Kim - November 12 - 2:26 am

  Well, two transmissions in the first year of ownership should tell you something. Gas mileage is terrible. Never got more than 15mpg. Rattles like it has 100k miles on it. Dealer stinks and is not very knowledgeable. First and last Honda product.

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  So Sorry I Have This Car! - 2016 Acura TLX
  By So Sorry! - September 9 - 1:29 pm

  This is my sixth Acura and probably my last. Im leasing a 16 TLX and wish I read these reviews before signing. The car has the same vibration issue over 60 mph that Ive been now reading about in many different postings. I noticed it before picking up the car and was assured it would be taken care of. Big rush to get the car out the door to me and the vibration was overlooked by them. My mistake to take delivery! Its now been back twice...1st time snarky service guy told me not to drive so fast and tires were re-balanced. 2nd time one tire was replaced. The service manager now claims that Acura is working on a fix but has no idea what or when. In the meantime, I have a defective car that I hate. Oh... and the touchscreen display is a nightmare too. If I could get out of this lease without destroying my credit I would do it today. Im very disappointed and angry!

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  Rattle box - 2016 Acura MDX
  By Jerry - June 19 - 11:18 pm

  This is the worst purchase ever. The seats are very uncomfortable. Cheap build quality as the doors rattles when you drive. Terrible drivetrain. Lots of noise and vibrations. If you want a real luxury car, look at Lexus, Mercedes, or Bmw.

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  MDX has major problem, Please read before buying - 2016 Acura MDX
  By CaryRaleigh - February 19 - 7:48 am

  I have bought a brand new Acura MDX in February, 2016. My experience with my new Acura MDX is pretty bad so far. On June 20th, I had the first experience of the problem with dashboard showing that there is Transmission, Emission, and all other system problem. The car stopped on the road. Later it started but continue to flash the warnings. This same problem occurred second time on September 6th and at the time, I was starting the car and it wont even start. Later it started but continue to flash the warnings. I took the car to Acura dealership on these both occasions and it shows up later. Again, Third time it happened on October 30th. Checkout the https://community.cartalk.com/t/dashboard-showing-that-there-is-transmission-emission-and-all-other-system-problem/96331 for multiple people reporting the issue. Please think hard before you sink in 50K for this car.

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  Better than my A4 - 2016 Acura ILX
  By Im sold on Acura - October 6 - 5:10 pm

  Was talked into buying a 2016 ILX certified pre-owned with 2,000 miles and it was the best life decision I have made. Premium (leather pwr pass /drvr seats, etc.) Acura Watch Plus fully loaded (not A Spec) with 100,000 bumper to bumper, free roadside assistance, those expensive rubber trunk/floor mats,and 7 complimentary oil changes /tire rotations for $27,000 and 0% financing. It handles like my old 1997 A4 Quattro 6 speed and not like the over priced, poorly designed, bastard-driving Audis-BMWs-Mercs of this generation. I used the paddle shifters to easily drive through icy conditions and felt incredibly safe. It corners as well as my old A4, looks great, and with the Acura Watch Plus, I feel safer than I did in my large SUV. Use your turn signal and the car tells you everything around you. Forget about the turn signal light on the side mirrors, you dont need it. Rear camera, lane departure, adaptive cruise, brake warning, BLIS, all standard with the Acura Watch Plus. The best part is the driver can not only manually enable and disable, but also modify the settings for almost each feature. Couldnt do that with the Volvo, Audi, BMW or Merc I test drove. Got a job in LA and drove this car I-40 from NC to CA and at one point on cruise control, I looked down and the meter registered 500 miles before empty. Normal city driving is usually closer to 350 miles per tank. Cruising at 90+ felt like 55...so watch the speedometer. The nav system takes about 20 seconds to register once you start the car, but it got me through 2500 miles and not one wrong turn. It even automatically reset the time zones for me. I knew exactly where I was all the time. The complaints about its awkwardness is probably from some professional reviewer who was paid by Volvo. The bluetooth is clean and clear and Siri sync works 99.5% of the time if only Apple would update software more often. If I had to complain, the pass through is right at the wheel house, so it narrows and you lose about 12 inches of space where the seat drops. But I was still able to load the trunk with two 40" LED TVs with oops I forget to pack this in the moving van room to spare. People are really impressed with its comfort and style. I drove 2500 miles in 3 days and the seat was incredibly comfortable. Best part is I laugh when I pull up to get gas and all the PREMIUM UNLEADED people watch their $$$ pour right into their tank. My 1997 Audi was great, but when it needed repairs $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$ and $$. Ive owned American muscle cars and European sport sedans and a crappy Nissan Maxima swearing I would NEVER buy a Japanese car again. This Acura is the best car Ive EVER owned and I know I will easily and safely get over 100,000 or miles out of it. Shhhh... dont let the secret get out.

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  Engineers have overcomplicated dashboard controls - 2016 Acura TLX
  By Annie - August 2 - 11:40 pm

  This car is drop dead gorgeous from the outside. It rides like a dream at 60 MPH - Simply HATE driving the car at lower speeds. The controls are all STUPID. Who dreamed up putting all of the controls onto an ipad screen that fades out when the sun glares onto the screen? Whats wrong with a few knobs? So much easier to locate when driving and trying to keep your eyes on the road. Hate the way the car is programmed to have the seat slide all the waaay baaaack and all the way baack forward agaaaiiin when starting and stopping. Let ME control where I want the seat to be. Ill move it if and when I deem necessary. The beautiful jewel lights...SIMPLY WORTHLESS IN AN AREA WITHOUT STREET LIGHTS. Although I took the car back and made numerous inquiries because I simply cannot see at night, I was assured by the Service Manager that nothing can be done to adjust the lights, and I am awaiting (for over 3 months now) a reply from the Regional Service Manager due to my complaints about the lack of light from the lights. Interestingly, I just tore the bumper off the front of the car backing out of a parking spot and visited a body shop. We got to chatting that the car was so beautiful but the lights were so bad - and he offered to adjust them. Do you know, he adjusted the lights up half way - and they can be raised additionally - while my Service Manager at Open Road Acura insisted they could not be adjusted. This is infuriating! The front bumper is so low to the ground - right after my experience yesterday, while driving home I was next to another TLX same year - and the same bumper was torn -coincidence? I am amazed it tore so easily. The visibility - try looking in your side mirrors without becoming seasick - they are curved. So if you move forward or back and continue looking at mirror - the view moves and stretches. Why??? Why does the air conditioning vent reflect into the side mirrors - oh wait, they said it was a recall only the day after my purchase. But Ive met other owners who were not given the revised "matte black" vent instead of the reflective silver version. The bars holding the windshield and windows is so thick that I have to lean forward and then behind the bar in order to make a turn, because so much of the view is obstructed. Then, when backing up - the cameras drop to the ground - a warning comes up on the screen that the Driver is responsible for checking behind the vehicle - but the mirrors are on the floor ??? Luckily, there is an override for this particularly stupid feature. The Navigation is awkward to use and soooooo slow to respond. It probably takes a minute to start up upon starting the cr. It also isnt as accurate as the navigation in my older TL. Several times it has taken me way out of the way and then backtracking numerous times unnecessarily. Just the other night it took me off Route 80 at one particular exit. I drove through the town making numerous turns only to eventually be put back onto Route 80 and exit again two exits later. Why? Note to the Engineers - you dont have to control every aspect of the car for us - some of us would like to control things ourselves. The Safety "Brake Warning" comes on at unusual and not braking situations. Driving down a road - nothing in front, and the warning begins flashing. Ive made a complaint to NTSB about the lights, and assure them and anyone else who will listen - I fully expect to be killed in this car.

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  Tranny worse than an American Tranny - 2003 Acura CL
  By never_ever_again - March 15 - 10:00 am

  Had this car for a month, after only 1500 miles, the transmission went bad even after babying it. It doesnt shift past 2nd gear. Thought I was a rare case, but when I went to the dealer, they werent surprised. There is a freaking 3 month waiting list for CL/TL transmissions! When I saw the www.acura-cl.com message board I wasnt the only one. They have a section dedicated to "Transmission Problems"!!! Hundreds of people are having transmission problems for a wannabe luxury car. People, stay away from the CL and TL and get an accord. The CL and TL tranny is a piece of crap.