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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  Qualtiy not good for price - 2008 Acura RDX
  By Kdog - April 13 - 12:38 pm

  I actually like this car, it handles well and has a lot of nice features. I have 23 months to go on my lease and will not purchase again. Too many rattles for a car at this price range. The gas mileage is horrible especially in the city, 17 mpg. I have taken it in twice and they seemed to fix one rattle but the other is still VERY audible. Overall somewhat disappointed.

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  2 years with the MDX - 2007 Acura MDX
  By wasatch7 - April 13 - 12:33 pm

  First luxury crossover SUV I have owned. MDX won out over the Lexus, and cost less for a very well equipped base package. Handling, power and ride are outstanding. Back seats are a little less comfortable for my tall teenagers. Back cargo area is very roomy, and easily expandable with 3rd seat folded and back seats down. I drive up snowy, often treacherous mountain canyons to ski in the winter. The SH-AWD system, coupled with the manual shift mode (for descents), is outstanding. The MDX is much better in the snow than 3 truck base SUVs, I have owned previously.

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  Top-of-the-Heap SUV!! - 2007 Acura MDX
  By TNCPA - April 13 - 7:13 am

  With the exception of gas mileage, the new MDX exceeds my expectations - handling on par with best sport sedans, very quiet, rides better than most luxury cars. Build quality very good. Improved overall from an excellent 2001 MDX. Trip computer very inaccurate - overstates mpg by at least 10%. MPG an actual 20.5 for 2000 mile trip, primarily interstate at 70-75 mph. Surround sound system is excellent, perhaps better than my 04 Acura TL.

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  I Always Loved Acuras - 2004 Acura RL
  By Trini-34 - April 11 - 11:00 pm

  This is my 5th Acura (I had 3 Legend and a 2000 RL). The Acura RL 2004 is an awesome car, the interior finish is beautiful. I enjoy using the voice activated Nav, OnStar, etc. The gas mileage is a little poor (compared to my 94 Acura legend GS model) but I can live with it. The smooth ride and reliability is a comfort. I think it has enough power for me 0 to 60 in 6.5 sec. The sound system is great. 6-disc in-dash CD player. Not a fashionable car but I am satisfied.

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  They Keep Getting Better - 2005 Acura RL
  By Gordon - April 11 - 4:48 pm

  This 2005 model replaced an earlier RL 3.5. It is roomier, faster, adds all wheel drive, adds all the electronics and voice commands you can imagine, the Bose 5 channel surround sound is the worlds best. Nice car!

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  BEST car ever owned - 1996 Acura TL
  By Ed - April 11 - 11:58 am

  I bought my 2.5TL used in 2000 with 26k miles on it. It now has 228k miles and it still going strong. My teen son drove it for 2 years, my teen daughter drove it for 1 year, now I am driving it again, and it takes me everywhere without problems. I commute 4 hours round trip (combo of highway and city) daily!

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  Almost a year - BP up and down - 2008 Acura RDX
  By khanna111 - April 11 - 2:43 am

  It has almost been a year since I bought the RDX. I was impressed by the kick from the turbo and the Acura reputation in *quality* etc. It all started with the rattles, squeaks and then somehow the turbo lost its zing. Got the rattle on the tail gate fixed. The dealer said that he has seen this with other RDXs as well. The drivers door has an intermittent issue with some sort of flapping sound and an even more infrequent window glass rattle. The dashboard in front of the steering has an infrequent noise coming in. It gets more regular and easier to hear when the sun is out and at low speeds. The zing from the turbo and the acceleration is missing out recently - should have gone for infinity

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  Great alternative to Volvo - 2006 Acura TL
  By RGH - April 10 - 11:23 am

  Traded an 02 S60 T5. Turbo lag and no back seat was main reason. TL seems to be a great car for the money. Exceeded my expectations. Handling is great, firm suspension, flat cornering, good acceleration although low end needs more torque. I would recommend the TL over the other cars in this price range. Great value.

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  Acura TL - 2005 Acura TL
  By James S. West - April 10 - 4:40 am

  Having owned a Lexus for 6 years, I wanted the same type of build and performance quality I was used to. This model Acura had several features I liked better than the competition. After 10,000 miles, I know I made the right decision. I cant wait to get in it every morning! The quality impresses everyone that rides in it.

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  I dont miss my SUV - 2004 Acura TL
  By sheltiepup - April 10 - 2:00 am

  I down sized from a SUV to a car. This is the best car on the market for the price.Its so sleek, comfortable and so much to love about it, I dont miss my gas hog SUV. The heated seats, blue display, steering wheel controls are lit and easy to use, bluetooth phone is next for me, Its so FAST and i love the shifting option.