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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  Transmission Problem - 2016 Acura MDX
  By Nagaraja Kini - May 9 - 7:30 am

  2016 Model, only 8200 miles has transmission problem. Dealer told me transmission to needs to be replaced. For a brand new vehicle we had small minor issues from the beginning. This one is big. Dealer has been very courteous.

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  Dont be fooled - 2007 Acura MDX
  By sean - April 19 - 8:22 pm

  This is be our third Acura MDX and they have messed up a great vehicle. From what used to be smooth revving motor we now have the refinement of a mid 80s buick 3.8v6 and I am being generous. Yes the car can handle but at a price of crappy ride quality, the comfort level on the sport suspension is like driving a pogo stick and the sport setting is ok as long as the road is smooth. Interior fit and finish looks to be GM level, the exterior fit of various bits is not up to current detroit levels. The steeering wheel is asinine with lumpy bits here and there to grab and the bottom of the triangle means there is nowhere to hold when turning a corner. If I could return it I would.

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  Solid but boring/ Needs rear wheel drive - 2004 Acura TL
  By Trip - April 17 - 12:20 pm

  This car has all the extras that get you excited about a car. The downside is that the vehicle while powered well does not give you a feel you would want from a sport sedan. The understeer is very noticeable and quite frustrating. If you are looking for a comparable car in the 35K range buy the G35. I made a mistake because I like to drive.

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  Electronics are a problem - 2005 Acura RL
  By Darren - April 3 - 4:06 am

  Drives great, but watch out for too many gadgets. Battery drain is a common problem, especially since awkward 2nd key position issue leads to frequent battery drains. Make sure you carry a jump box, Ive owned the car for about 1.5 years and have had to jump it 20+ times.

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  Unhappy Acura Owner - 2004 Acura TL
  By jeff7802 - April 3 - 2:00 am

  Build quality is very poor on my new 2004 Tl. Fit and finish is marginal at its best, and talk about defects on car at delivery, they are to many to mention. Acura get your act together. Car has a major tire problem with the Bridgestone Turanza that comes as original equipment on the car. Tire gives a terrible ride, and flat spotting and vibration are a problem with this tire on my new TL.

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  Reliable but rattles are annoying - 2003 Acura RSX
  By SFarchie - February 12 - 1:08 am

  This is a great car for young people under the age of 30. Older than that you probably would want more comfort and luxury. The car has never failed to start up or have had any mechanical issues. Handles beautifully. Now the bad stuff: the car rattles around the dash and hatch considerably. Multiple visits to the dealership did not rectify this problem. Also, I do not get very good gas mileage. Approx. 25 mpg overall. Another complaint is the cheap leather seating and easy to scratch up interior plastic trimmings. Oh yeah, and the car is loud (tire noise) when driven on the highway.

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  Noisy & Cheap! Never Again! - 2006 Acura RSX
  By Hardy - December 31 - 11:41 am

  The Acura RSX is the most overrated car in America. The car lacks any insulation resulting in road noise. You need a powerful stereo just to avoid hearing the road noise. That said, the stereo lacks any sounds quality. The "leather" seats are partially vinyl which crack very easily. The ignition lock is placed in the lowest part of the steering column. As a result, my legs hit the keys. The design of the door windows is really solid... not. When you roll up the windows, the side of the door moves. In short, the car has poor insulation, flimsy door windows, illogical ignition lock design, faux leather, and a front windshield that rattles. I will never buy an Acura again. Cheap car!

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  Have Clutch? - 2003 Acura RSX
  By Johnny Rotten - December 26 - 3:39 pm

  This vehicle was the right car for the right price, wanted something with good gas mileage and fun to drive. At 3000 miles the clutch slipped, took it in, couldnt find a problem. At 20,000 miles the clutch was shot, they replaced under a good faith warranty. At 40,000 miles clutch slipped again, couldnt find a problem. At 49,000 miles the second clutch is shot, had to be replaced. Told me it was a wear and tear item and I had to pay for it. $1400 later, Im getting my one year warranty out of the clutch and then getting rid of it. It likes to go fast, but doesnt like to stop. Brakes need improvement. The Bose sound system could be a lot better. Ive heard Bose before, this is no Bose.

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  Vibration at 1500 RPMs - 2015 Acura TLX
  By Randy Atkins - November 23 - 1:13 am

  Ive had the car for about 6 weeks now and bought it after being extremely pleased with my 2016 MDX Advance. It was a CPO loaner car with 4600 miles. After about 2 weeks I noticed when I was cruising along at 1500 RPMs it felt like I was riding on a rumble strip. At first I thought it was the road, but then it seemed to happen on any road I was on. I took it to the dealer and they said that it was due to the VCM system (variable cylinder management). When it reaches a cruising speed it drops back to 3 cylinders for optimal gas mileage and therefore causes a vibration. The dealer said there was no fix which lead me to call Acura customer care. After talking with them and them talking to the dealer, they told me that was how the car is supposed to operate, to which I told them no $40k luxury car is designed to rumble when you are at cruising speed. They were absolutely no help and offered no assistance to remedy the problem, just repeated that was the way it was supposed to operate. I took it to another dealer and they basically confirmed the findings of the first dealer. In addition, I started to have a vibration when braking. They looked at that issue and ended up having to replace the entire front brake system...not very comforting for a car with 7k miles. I will say the gas mileage is exceptional as I got 38 MPG straight interstate on a 300 mile trip; however, I bought it for the ride more than the MPG and would gladly take a lower MPG for a smooth ride. Probably wont keep it long.

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  Big Mistake - Beware - 2007 Acura TL
  By Mistake - November 20 - 11:00 pm

  Ive owned 3 TLs and this one is a rattling piece of junk. I cant believe Acuras quality has gone in the toilet. Transmission is extremely loud and engine is already ticking. The TL is a great value for the money but at what cost. The ride is very stiff. I would hate to see what the new S rides like. The rattling interior will drive you nuts. I mean virtually everything in the interior rattles due to cheap plastic parts. If you travel and you are in the car for many hours a day, THIS IS NOT THE CAR TO BUY!! BEWARE!!