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:

• 

  Best Honda Ever - 2007 Acura MDX
  By Hondafan - April 30 - 3:16 pm

  Ive owned over a dozen Hondas and Acuras through the years. I must confess this is probably the best vehicle Honda has ever made, right up there with such ground breakers as the NSX and s2000. Honda has simply built an SUV version of the Acura RL. I should know since I also have an RL. In all but the most aggressive of handling maneuvers the MDX matches the RL. Its very quiet with a nice engine growl when revved. Acceleration is good for such a heavy vehicle. Rear comfort for 2 is excellent. The other 3 spots are for children. Cargo space is ample with the rear seat stowed, towing performance is excellent. Competitors may be better in one category or another, but overall none is even clo

• 

  Love This Vehicle - 2008 Acura RDX
  By Otto - April 29 - 5:22 pm

  Traded in my 2003 Highlander for an RDX on 4/18/08 and wish I had done it sooner. I put over 800 miles on during the first week and I couldnt be happier. The turbo is awesome and the technology package is great. Mileage is slightly better than the 17/22 on the sticker. I was looking to downsize a bit and just couldnt bring myself to purchase a sedan. What a great choice. This baby drives like a sports car and still gives me some options on the utility side of things.

• 

  Fantastic Car - 2005 Acura RSX
  By tt - April 29 - 1:44 am

  I absolutely love this car. I put on 30000+ miles annually and not the first problem with how it runs. Handles fantastic. Great pickup for a 4 banger. Ive had no problems other than the cd player died at 80K miles but is easily replaced. Love the bose system otherwise. Overall, good stock system. Car very comfortable. Gets a lot of attention.

• 

  Top Notch - 2005 Acura TSX
  By DB - April 28 - 7:20 pm

  The TSX offers everything one needs, expects, and would want in a car. The interior is tastefully designed, yet ergonomic and logical. The exterior is sharp and sporty, without being trendy. The car is fun to drive and exceptionally smooth, yet economical. The value of the car is second to none. If you compare the competitors cars with the TSX, you will pay significantly more for the same features. Nevertheless, as much as they may try, the feature the competitors can not offer is that of Hondas legendary reliabilty and leading-edge technology.

• 

  2008 Acura MDX - 2008 Acura MDX
  By shaba - April 28 - 4:09 pm

  Love this vehicle. I was actually considering the Buick Enclave before I test drove the MDX. The MDX feels much more solid, has smooth acceleration, lots of power, corners great!! You feel much more stable in the MDX than the other vehicles in this class. The interior is classy ! You really feel safe in this cage!!

• 

  perfect - 2004 Acura RSX
  By mitchellicious - April 28 - 2:00 am

  best car ever i like my acura so much i wouldnt trade it for another car in the same price range

• 

  Not a retagged Pilot - 2004 Acura MDX
  By Jim Kurp - April 28 - 2:00 am

  Before purchasing I drove both the MDX and the Pilot. The acceleration and handling of the MDX were far superior to that of the Pilot. It took an adjustment to move from a sedan to a SUV, however, the performance and handling of the MDX is comparable to my prior vehicle (98 Volvo V70). The major difference is the fit/finish/quality of the MDX, which is far superior to that of the Volvo. It is a vehicle I expect to own and enjoy for years to come.

• 

  great ride - 2004 Acura MDX
  By thayne - April 28 - 2:00 am

  This is a great ride,the only problem I found is I love to drive all the time.

• 

  Smooth Set of Wheels - 2003 Acura TL
  By mulligankid - April 28 - 2:00 am

  Very refined throughout, comforable seating, quick to heat up on cold days, excellent sound system, deceptively quick in the manual shift mode (which is both fun & useful) smooth shifting 5 spd auto.

• 

  Love This Car!!! - 2004 Acura TL
  By DrGoodGuy - April 28 - 2:00 am

  Love This Car!! Had an older model TL that totally doesnt compare to this one. Very powerful, responsive, and so much fun to drive!!