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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  TLX has safety issues - 2015 Acura TLX
  By amalcr - February 26 - 5:26 pm

  I have bought at least 8 Acuras in the last 5 years....always reliable. The new TLX has some problems. First, there is NO emergency brake....absolutely dumb and stupid! They ask you to electronically put on an emergency brake and then to get it off, electronically, you have to press on the accelerator. Well, that can cause an accident, especially if you are pointed downhill. Second, when you put the transmission in park, it drifts backward or forward, however you are pointed. These defects need to be fixed, pronto. If you like a hand emergency brake, dont buy this car!

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  Forever an Acura Guy - 2015 Acura MDX
  By robfrommass - February 26 - 3:13 pm

  Traded in my 04 Acura MDX for a 2014 Chevy Traverse, worst move ever. Bought a 2015 MDX Tech and love it. Much easier to see out of, handles like a car, plenty of power and shifts smoothly with the six speed auto. Dual screen can be a little overwhelming at first but once you get the hang of the redundant controls it is actually quite easy to operate with little distraction. LED headlights are second to none. No need to even remove the remote from your pocket, everything is operated through proximity sensors. Third row one touch entry is as easy as it gets. Interior build quality is high but there are a few little flaws. Im 73" and wish the drivers seat went back one or two more inches.

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  Worst SUV/auto I have owned - 2009 Acura MDX
  By Stanley Eilers - February 26 - 1:11 pm

  My experience with a 2009 ACURA MDX with 71,000 miles driven 1. AC Unit had to be replaced 2. Struts had to be replaced 3. AC Control module had to be replaced (illumination led lights on control board did not work) 4. Control module overhead had to be replaced (illumination lights on control board did not work) 5. Front wheel bearings had to be replaced My best advice to anyone buying an ACURA MDX is to buy their platinum extended warranty. If you have the experiences I have had with this vehicle it will set you back a pretty penny.

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  Good basic reliable luxury car - 2004 Acura RL
  By Harriet Voloso - February 25 - 4:46 pm

  recently bought a 2004 acura rl sedan. paid 9990.00 before tax and lic. Blue book on this car is about 7500.00. So i paid more than i should have at the dealership. But 2004 acura rl are scarce in southern california at this time. So i sense that many people that have accords and older RLs are grabbing these 2004 one owner acura rl up. this RL is a one owner 18 service record car. Had all major service done on it. Including timing and water pump. if you are familar with hondas and acuras you will be right at home with this car. California car with no accidents on the carfax. very nice driving car very smooth. Not a lot of power but can hold its own. grab one if you can find one.

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  Great Car Poor Climate Control System - 2015 Acura TLX
  By v4f1 - February 9 - 7:43 pm

  Purchased a TLX Tech 2WD AWS V^ in October, love the way the car drives, handles awesomely, very quiet interior, the Stereo system is great, the electronics touch screens and such are very nicely put together. This is my third Acura had a 08 TL and 09 MDX, the climate control on this car seems to only work well for about an hour, when you drive on the freeway with the temp set at 74 for example the car gets very drafty and cold, the climate control never seems to adjust for the temp when needed, I live in a cold climate city, have driven two others and have experienced the same drafty interior.

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  Brand new 2015 MDX - Electronic Issue - 2015 Acura MDX
  By newyork5 - February 8 - 8:15 pm

  I had an interesting experience with the 2015 MDX this weekend. After only 5 weeks with a new car and less than 1,000 miles, my car broken down. I was shocked. Suddenly, all my systems were not functioning and the computer was warning about no all wheel drive, no power steering, no LDW, etc. So, I used roadside assistance and scheduled an 830am appointment on Saturday morning to pick up my car and have it towed to the Brooklyn Acura dealer. At 9am, I was told they would tow the car at 940am. At 10am, I was told 11am. Finally, I had a tow at 11am.

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  RDX---first 3 months - 2015 Acura RDX
  By colonelken1 - February 6 - 2:43 pm

  After getting a great deal on the base RDX using a buyers service, Im pleased. Not thrilled but pleased with my first SUV. Sitting higher is a benefit with so many larger trucks and SUVs already on the road. Ive used the RDX around town and on one long trip. Very comfortable seats on the trip for both driver and passenger. Lots of legroom and headroom. The rear seats fold but its a small SUV so dont expect to move beaucoup things. Wish it had come with a few tech package features like automatic rear tailgate opener/closer, xenon lights, and more blindside detection but it gets great safety ratings. Nobody uses NAV systems anymore so Im not paying another $3k. Solid B+.

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  Love my MDX - 2015 Acura MDX
  By love4acura - January 30 - 8:27 pm

  Purchased a 2015 MDX back in September and its the best decision Ive made. The interior is way more comfortable and functional than the previous model, the ODMD system is a bit cumbersome to learn but once youve got it, its a snap to use and is sexy to look at as far as technology goes. I love driving this smooth piece Advanced machinery and believe its safety features will keep my family safe. There is no better purchase at this price range or higher and with as little maintenance as this is going to take, its a keeper...

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  Peppy Hybrid that Turns Heads - 2013 Acura ILX
  By bayareamom - January 25 - 8:37 pm

  We bought our ILX used and have been incredibly pleased with it thus far. As a former Prius owner, I feel much cooler driving this sporty Acura, although I do miss the 50+ mpg of the Prius. Its fun to drive, handles well, stops on a dime, and has all of the modern features youd expect from an Acura. I primarily drive around town (about 90% of the time) with lots of stopping and am averaging about 37-38 mpg. I love the simplicity of the interior, which is easy to use and not as bright or busy as some of the other models we looked at. I hope this awesome car continues to fly under the radar so Ill continue to be one of the only ones on the road driving it!

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  Loving my Type-S! - 2007 Acura TL
  By crivett246 - January 24 - 11:00 pm

  Ive had my Type-S for almost four months now and Im loving it. Accelerates very fluidly and fast, with torque steer noticable only if you punch it. The interior design is really great and the gps is easy to use, but could be better on the last part of getting to your destination. The braking on it is also phenomenal. Theyre really grabby, but the brembo generate alot of dust and Ill probably switch them out when they wear. Overall, no regrets about my purchase.