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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  Average Car - 2007 Acura TL
  By So So car - August 1 - 1:49 pm

  I bought Type S in Feb 2007. The cars engine is great, acceleration is superb, looks are great. However, interior material quality is one of the worst I have seen in new cars. Too much rattling. I had a rattling sound coming from behind steering wheel and even the dealer couldnt figure it out. More rattle from the middle by cup holder. If the windows are down, they rattle as if some screws are loose in the door panel. I am seriously thinking about trading it in. I have been a Acura fan for years but this TL Type S experience has left a bad taste in my mouth and probably never go back to Acura.

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  Not True Luxury - 2006 Acura MDX
  By enlightenedacuraguy - July 19 - 1:46 pm

  This vehicle is overrated, not true luxury. No backlighting on the steering wheel buttons so you cant see what youre pushing in the dark, not even an option. A/C controls are in an uncomfortable place, and rear controls have to be reset every time you restart engine. Battery died 4 months after brand new. No back heater in passenger seat, not even an option. Power seats are far inferior to the seats in my 03 Tahoe. There is no 12v outlet for second row passengers, except the one in the bottom of the center console, very inconvenient. No power folding mirrors. It is very uncomfortable to drive long distances for a male, 510", arms fall asleep after about 1 hour, and not enough leg room.

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  Luxury? - 2008 Acura MDX
  By Wanna be luxury - July 17 - 6:56 am

  This vechicle is adequate and has a smooth ride. However, the interior has too much plastic and is uncomfortable for a "luxury" SUV. I feel I was pressured into buying the MDX and would caution others to look at BMW, Mercedes, and Lexus before buying. Even the Murano is competition and is 12k cheaper! I feel like ripping out the corning looking dash. The voice recognition is distracting and Acura should scrap it. The steering wheel grip reminds me of my fathers 1966 Chevy. It is way too thin. Also, the seats are way too firm. I have to send them out for foam to be added. The DVD player cost is a ripoff but its the only way to get the automatic tailgate.

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  Big disappointment - 2007 Acura RDX
  By Disappointed Owner - July 14 - 6:40 pm

  I thought I could get sport and utility in one vehicle, and be happy, but I was wrong. I find myself disappointed when I want to drive aggressively. Off the line acceleration is poor. You feel like you are anxiously waiting for the vehicle to realize you want it to go. The transmission often seems to be in too high of a gear and the paddle shifters are an absolute joke. The brakes also do not inspire confidence and you can still tell that you are driving an SUV. From a utility standpoint I am disappointed with the ride, comfort of the front seats, and leg room. I cant find a comfortable driving position and actually get sore on trips longer than 20 minutes. Overall I wish I could return it.

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  Disappointing..... - 2004 Acura TL
  By freewaywilly - June 17 - 10:00 am

  I had high expectations of this car and have been disappointed. Performance is good, but not excellent. Build quality is not good. Interior rattles too numerous to ever fix. The car has less than 4000 miles on it and rattles like a 20 year-old Yugo! The dealer is no help. Sound system is excellent, but dont plan on enjoying anything with much bass as speakers and door panels vibrate and rattle with only moderate volume. I had moved from a Saab 9-5 to this car expecting higher quality and more luxury. Im working hard to find a way to get out of this and back to Saab or BMW. No comparison!

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  Stay away from the TL Type S - 2003 Acura TL
  By phatgroove - June 8 - 10:00 am

  I would not buy again or recommend buying the 2003 TL Type S. It is a piece of junk. Ive had the car for one year and needed to have the sunroof resealed (leaking), the brakes and rotors went twice (first time after 5 months - resurfaced - 3K miles, second time - completely replaced - 12500K.). These are just some of the major issues Ive had with the car. Initial quality was great, but wait two months and the car will start to rattle and squeak.

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  A definite disappointment!! - 2007 Acura RDX
  By Alex M. - May 23 - 4:34 am

  I traded an 03 MDX for this vehicle because Im single, have no need for a large SUV, and have been very happy with Acura (my 4th Honda product). This vehicle has been a big letdown compared to my MDX. The nimbleness, size and manueverabilty (and handling) are excellent, and what I was looking for, but the 4 cylinder turbo engine is terrible and is really beginning to wear down on me. There is a good amount of turbo lag making it feel sluggish from a start, and the the engine is noisy even when accelerating moderately!! The fuel economy is simply horrendous for a small 4-banger SUV (same as my 7-passenger MDX with a 3.5L V6!!). I will likely end up trading it for something with a decent V6.

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  Good car, bad people - 2004 Acura RSX
  By IDriveALemon - May 22 - 2:00 am

  I have never been to such horrible dealerships in my life. The people are just horrible, they dont care about the customer, they are willing to say just about anything just to be able to deny (warranty on) your claim on problems and issues with the car. The warranty as far as Im concerned is completely irrevelent, since they dont car to abide by it. If you want a car without a warranty, this is the car. But you might as well buy it used for that matter.

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  Poorest Quality Honda Ive ever ownerd - 2003 Acura CL
  By 2002cldisappointment - May 21 - 10:00 am

  The drivers side armrest squeeks. A bundle of wires dropped from under the dash. The climate control sounds like it is full of leaves. Im 511 and keep hitting my head on the roof. The moonroof flutters like crazy at > 70 mph. You call this quality?

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  Unconvinced - 2007 Acura MDX
  By Larry - May 17 - 7:28 pm

  We have done 2k miles in our MDX now. Other than increased cornering ability and better brakes, this car is a step back from the previous MDX. The steering wheel is seriously uncomfortable and the centre console hurts my elbow if I am resting my arm on it while steering. The front footwells have poor room. The motor is rough for a luxury car and suffers from a serious flat spot between 4500 and 6000 rpm meaning performance is more theoretical than actual. For the NE the ride is real hard and the car bounces from bump to bump as opposed to flowing over the road so it cannot be trusted at speed. This car may be good on a track for a suv but is seriously flawed as a family vehicle for the road.