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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  Very Nice - 2014 Acura RDX
  By thumper16 - June 21 - 6:51 pm

  Bought this for my wife, she formally owned a 2011 RDX. The 2011 was a choppy ride but a great handler. This is a very different. Its smooth with a more refined feel. Inside seems a little roomier. So far she is loving it. This is our 6th Acura, even so I shopped others and concluded this to be the best $40,000 mid suv out there.

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  Better than a benz - 2006 Acura TL
  By killajettah - June 11 - 3:33 pm

  I owned a 2006 Mercedes benz c230 and had one prob after the next, engine was very noisy check engine light came on, had bad fuel press reg, and injectors, the abs stopped working, and the trans always got stuck in gear, and this car only had 40000 miles, I traded in on a 2006 acura tl, and this car tops it, it may be kinda noisy but it noo big deal, this is a great car, not as smooth as a benz, but a lower price tag, and easy to get parts on work on, get this car!!!

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  Really fun But..... - 2010 Acura TL
  By kev001 - June 9 - 12:36 am

  Driven SH-AWD TL now for 2 years. The car is awesome if you have for the right purpose this is a sports car not a cruiser. It gets horrible mpg and really crashes on speed bumps. I highly recommend using sport mode and paddle shifters to complete the sporting feel. The engine signature and agility of this car is really impressive. Again, I love the car but am now wanting a more comfortable car to ride in as my daily commute has gotten longer with the new job. Also the road noise at highway speeds is so loud, I cant use my Bluetooth.

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  acura finally got it right! - 2014 Acura RLX
  By jtienda - June 7 - 12:33 pm

  Just bought 2014 rlx advance, had 2011 rl the difference is like night and day. WOW! what a great car , we love it. rlx does it all , great ride, tech is state of the art. looks great. jg

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  Time to part... - 1991 Acura Legend
  By vasyliy - June 6 - 3:44 am

  This is the sturdiest car Ive ever owned. I abuse it everyday and it still runs like a monster. The transmission is jerky, but thats my fault. I accelerate by pressing the pedal to the metal. Its really expensive to repair and parts are hard to find. Gas mileage is about 12 miles per gallon ( how I drive ). Overall its really comfortable, the exterior is really nice as well.

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  How to Make a Car - 2014 Acura RDX
  By troyruttman - June 4 - 8:49 am

  The RDX does everything a car is supposed to do -- its comfortable, fun to drive, pampers you a little and makes financial sense. Its less expensive than its competitors but drives as well or better. The combo of auto and manual transmission is practical and fun. Manual downshifting on mountain roads saves on brake wear -- and with cylinder deactivation mpg can jump suddenly from 20 to 30 or even 40 with no change in sound or feel. Bluetooth and USB audio work beautifully. Seats are very comfortable and storage space is good. I upgraded from a Honda and the family resemblance is clear. This company makes high quality cars for those who wish to balance comfort, convenience and value.

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  Love it! - 2013 Acura RDX
  By lisas55 - May 23 - 4:39 pm

  Have had my RDX one month, averaging 25.5 MPG in mixed driving. Very comfortable, nice interior. Good for taller folks - we are both over 510. Great value - cost 6K less than than a comparatively equipped Volvo S60 - which is the other car I looked at - and the gas mileage is much better. I got over 30MPG on the highway. And you never know when the active cylinder management system is in use - its smooth and seamless.

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  167k and still running strong, sold at 204k - 2001 Acura MDX
  By livinginnova - May 23 - 2:57 pm

  I purchased this SUV with 59k on it and have been driving it for the last 7 years. Ive taken onto the beach, into the woods, slept in it at campsites, and up and down the East Coast. The transmission and engine are still running strong. I did have to replace a blown A/C hose and a bunch of tires, but I couldnt be happier with the vehicle. I got the dreaded P0740 code twice in 3 days. The car had to go and Im pretty sad about it. The car has been fantastic. Of course, I had to do regular maintenance, replace a computer module, and A/C compressor. I would say thats pretty good for owning a car for 15 years and 204k miles. My next vehicle has some big shoes to fill.

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  Great Car! - 2002 Acura MDX
  By jbirken - May 14 - 9:55 pm

  I bought my 02 MDX new from the dealer. I have had it now for 10 years and have over 235K miles on it. No major repairs at all. I read about transmissions, struts repairs, etc but I have seen none of it. A great family car. Very reliable. Never failed me. The transmission finally went recently (no complaints after 235K miles) and I want to get another one. I do get worried from what I am reading here at times but for me the car was well worth the $$$ spent.

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  Greatest car i ever owned. - 1998 Acura Integra
  By jwoods4290 - May 6 - 2:06 pm

  Ive owned about 5 cars now, and this car is beyond amazement. i bought my integra with 128K miles on it, and i drive it 150 miles a day (not by choice) and it holds firm and nothing ever wrong with it. simple oil changes and maintenance and she will last you. Also, car is cheap to hook up and do things with so thats a +. but at the end of the day, this is the greatest car i ever owned and i refuse to leave acura just due to this integra. If you want stylish yet reliability AND GAS mileage, this is for you. Would recommend to everyone.