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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  Love this car! - 2008 Acura MDX
  By tammyd - April 12 - 9:34 pm

  I love this car. I owned an MDX before purchasing the 2008 with the new body style and roomier interior. I opted for the loaded version. I think the joystick navigation is wonderful and so much easier to use. I also love the new body style. The inside is roomier than the older version. With trying to stay in the midsize SUV and having a 3rd row seat, this cant be beat. The 3rd row folds down flat for lots of cargo space when not using the 3rd row. Also, with the position of the handles now being in the middle instead of the top of the seats, it is much easier to pull the seats up when using the 3rd row. One simple tug and "presto" - extra seating. Great buy! Youll love it!

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  Wonderful driving experience - 2008 Acura RDX
  By DWB - April 12 - 2:15 pm

  I purchased the RDX 2 weeks ago with 7 miles on it. It now has nearly 1000 miles with combined city and highway miles. The day after I picked it up I drove 550 miles and averaged 23 MPG. 90% of the time it was downpouring rain in the mountains of WV and VA. Ive been averaging 18 MPG around town however I do not sit in traffic very much. I had a Civic and it was a great mode of transportation. However, the RDX is a driving experience with immense pleasure from the XM radio and sound system to the handling and comfort. Also got the protection package, wheel locks and tow package.

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  An Outstanding Car - 2008 Acura RL
  By rob - April 11 - 8:27 pm

  Ive only had my new RL for three days, but, so far, I love it. I previously had an Acura TL, which I liked a lot, but wanted an AWD vehicle which was a little smoother on the road than the TL. I hesitated a bit on the RL because of both its cost and the exterior design, which I liked okay, but not as much as the TL. I test drove an Infiniti EX and G35X, a Toyota Highlander, Volvo S60 and S80 and looked at a number of other cars. I also drove the Acura RDX. The RL is the most enjoyable car Ive ever driven and I recommend it fully. Buy it!

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  Great Car - 2006 Acura RSX
  By Brandon - April 11 - 8:26 pm

  The RSX type S is a great all around car. The exterior looks awesome. Engine is great. Has plenty of power in the top end. The midrange suffers. Interior design is nice. Its a simple design, but I still like it. Sound system is great. I wouldnt change anything about it. Transmission is one of the best Ive driven. Throws are quick and light. Great feel. Pedals are good for heel-toeing. Brakes are nice and strong. Seats are awful. They support you well but will hurt you after about an hour. This car feels nice and solid, is pretty fun to drive. Plenty of interior storage space. Hatch has plenty of room for luggage and other junk.

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  Not flashy but drives great! - 2017 Acura RDX
  By Kleo77 - April 11 - 7:03 pm

  Its been a long road till I pulled a triggered and leased 2017 base model AWD RDX. I also looked at BMW x1 & x3 and infinity Qx30 & QX50. Acura was a winner due to the best deal and dealership experience. I traded in my 2011 3 series that I loved but the CPO warranty was about to expire and I refuse to pay for fixing cars so in order to prevent it I decided to get a new car. I wanted awd because we go often to the mountains. I did not want the technology package because I hate having too many buttons and features even though Im very computer savvy. I just assume that simple solutions are always the best. My fiancee got x3, retail price 10k more- it was a demo so its fully loaded but my car drives almost as nice as his and mine gets better gas milage even though his is 4 cylinder turbo. I got 22 freeway and 20 combined which is exactly the same as my beemer and better than my 2011 AWD Nissan Rogue! I consider that very good and I hope it will stay at this level (BTW unlike most people I do manual gas milage calculation every time I go to the gas station and dont rely on the computer readings because they are hardly ever accurate- beemer was most accurate). My other car option was x1 since Ive always liked but it would cost me still more than Acura and it is a much more smaller car. RDX is equivalent of x3 and is a perfect size for me. Base model had keyless entry, moonroof , heated seat and back up camera which is all nice to have. The drive quality is very good, X3 has a better suspension but is also a stiffer ride due to run flat tires and bigger rims. I was very dissapointed with how much my 3 series depreciate during my 3 years of ownership that Im not longer their loyal customer. They also stopped offering free brakes in the first 4 years of ownership which was another bummer. ON top of everything I think their cars are kind of outdated looking so its time for major overhaul. I might consider the x3 in 3 years if they come up with the nice design. Not that my Acura is a hot looking car because its super bland but the deal i got justifies it. The lease on Acura and Infinity was much cheaper for a very simple reason - Japanese cars dont depreciate as much as German cars. Anyway RDX is great car and the only downside is there will be anew model coming up soon thats why I opted to lease. Highly recommended, safe and efficient vehicle.

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  2010 Acura TL SH-AWD 4dr Sedan AWD w/Tec - 2010 Acura TL
  By Joe Spagna - April 11 - 6:23 pm

  Car is awesome so far. The Technology Package is incredible. Has all the bells & whistles. I bought winter rims & tires for it and I bet it will be a tank in the snow.

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  Very Pleased - 2008 Acura MDX
  By Better than the lex - April 10 - 8:51 am

  Coming from an 05 Lexus RX, this is a significant improvement. The MDX feels solid on the road. Handles firm but comfortable on the highway. Havent had a chance to check it out in the snow but looking forward to it. Gas mileage could be better but its got 300 horses, cant have everything. Nav system is a big plus. Easy to use and comes with bluetooth and a very good sound system in the package.

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  Back to a sedan - 2006 Acura TL
  By Bostonian - April 10 - 7:14 am

  I just bought this Acura after having SUVs for 11 years. I work for the fed & our 2008 travel budget was cut, so I didnt need an SUV for work-related events any more. Saw this car on my favorite dealers website - one drive was all it took. Love the performance, reliabilty, et al. Interior is much wider than a comparable Infiniti. The dealer underpriced the car, so I bought it that afternoon. Mileage isnt great esp when the heater is on. I park at a commuter lot all day & only drive 110 mile p/week now for work, but mileage is still not what I expected. Love driving down to the Cape with it - like a bullet on the hwy. Fast, steady, smooth, balanced

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  Best car I came across! - 1994 Acura Legend
  By Clo - April 9 - 10:50 pm

  This car has given me everything I could ever asked for! I am running on 300k miles and counting the only problems I have encountered are fuel pump relay, starter, and alternator! With that many miles what else can I ask for.

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  Owner - 2008 Acura TL
  By Jim - April 9 - 10:26 pm

  I have had my 2008 TL for 3 months now. In normal city (Houston area) driving I get 22 mpg. On freeway driving, I get 30 mpg - better than rated. I have yet to take it more that 450 consecutive miles on freeways so it may edge down a little but it held at the 30 mpg mark until I got back into Houston rush hour traffic. I like so much about this car, but there are some small irritable things. Power outlets and MP3 jack are not conveniently located. It is difficult to get anything in dash outlet when car is in park. Fuel release is on floor right by door - on door or dash would be better. The front window posts are a bit large which causes some minor obstruction of vision.