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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  A value leader in its class - 2011 Acura TSX
  By marcus216 - May 17 - 2:25 pm

  Just purchased 2011 TSX 4 cyl automatic. I Wanted more of a personal sedan than a family sedan and the TSX fits the bill. I love the way the car handles both curves and pot holes. It is a nice compromise in handling and smooth ride. The engine pulls nicely and it reasonably quiet. It is not going to throw your head back when bearing down on the accelerator, but it is peppy enough for almost any situation. And the gas mileage is quite good. Close to mid 30s highway. The interior is a winner, better than my neighbors IS 250. Super comfortable seats and a great stereo. And decent room in the back seat.

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  14 Months, 25K - Little Better - 2010 Acura TL
  By jimmyt_2 - May 11 - 8:26 pm

  This is my 3rd post here on this car. The big change since the last post is that the dealer was able to find the source of the "squeal". They replaced a piece of the drive shaft and all is well now. At 25K no other issues have developed. The car is holding up well and I am finally really enjoying it.

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  Love This Ugly Car - 2001 Acura MDX
  By scullymo - April 26 - 4:31 pm

  Bought it used from an individual with 100k on it. other than a transmission job at 190k, I have had no problems with this vehicle. It is by far the ugliest thing I have ever driven but I would buy another in a heartbeat! I now have 235k on it and Im hoping to make it to half a mil!

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  Rides a Show Stopper - 2011 Acura TSX
  By securiti - April 22 - 8:05 pm

  Ive got almost 900 miles on my TSX and Im trying to find a way to unload it. The dealer test drive was performed on smooth asphalt which didnt reveal the bone-jarring ride this car offers on anything but glass-smooth surfaces. I love everything about the car except the ride and steering, which completely lacks feedback and makes moving in a straight line a chore. Handling is exceptional (one of the best Ive driven), interior is high quality throughout and mileage is very good for a car this size. If you can get past the lack of suspension, Id highly recommend this car. However, on certain types of road, it will literally make you sick.

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  Love This Car! - 1997 Acura Integra
  By naturegirl3 - April 20 - 2:04 pm

  I bought my 97 Acura Integra Hatchback (150k miles) used last year (2010) from a young woman who owned the car. Nothing was modified on the car.. it was just as it was from the factory. Ive never owned an Acura before and I am VERY impressed with this car. I was very skeptical of buying a used car, especially one that was 13 years old. My previous car was a Grand Cherokee Jeep - pile of crap. At 150k miles, it was falling apart and needed major work and only got 15mpg on a good day. My Acura has been an adjustment due to how small it is, but for commuting back and forth to work and trips around town, I couldnt be happier with the gas mileage (30 city - and its 13 years old!)

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  Rattle Trap - 2008 Acura RDX
  By andreadavis1 - April 13 - 10:30 pm

  Cute, Fun car to drive. Rough ride. You can feel every bump and vibration in your head rest and seat. Isnt this supposed to be a luxury car? Stiff suspension causes things to rattle in the car. Not enough compartments. Just a big deep hole in the center console. Not large enough to fit carseats behind drivers seat.

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  Good but - 2007 Acura TL
  By frazbmw - April 13 - 12:22 am

  While I loved the interior of this car I had a hard time getting over the clunkyness of the automatic transmission. The turning radius is terrible! I drove other TLs to see if perhaps there was a tranny issue with my car or just part of the animal, they all seemed to be the same. I may be being a little picky. As far as the interior goes its comfortable and spacious. The car was great to drive on the highway!

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  Excellent value - 2009 Acura TSX
  By ne_ct_guy - April 12 - 10:24 am

  Ive enjoyed my 2009 Acura and am now considering buying out the lease at lease end. This car is an amazing value for the price great exterior appearance, superb handling (I have the 6 speed manual tranny), and comfortable seating for 4 adults. Edmunds kind of pinged the quality of the interior, but I find that the textured materials used on the dash and the leather in the seating to being close to BMW 3-series vehicles. The only real issue I have found is that there has always been a high frequency noise that comes from the car always at 3200 - 3400 RPM. It isnt terribly loud, but it is there and can be a little annoying. The dealer has told me that it is nothing to worry about tho.

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  2011 RDX FWD Base w/Roof Rack - 2011 Acura RDX
  By drr98 - April 4 - 8:37 am

  With Roof Rack (Installed - $667MSRP) $30,500 - sales price $33705.31 - w/tax, reg, lic, transfer, titling, Ca tire, doc prep & dmv e filing fees... Worked with the two Internet guys at Niello Acura in Sacramento. Both of these men made it so easy. Emailed what I wanted. Got a quote back. A few back and forths, a test drive and only 1 hour of office time. Found setting the c/c and varying gears (3,4,5,4,3...) using s mode is a great way to allow you to varying rpm (for proper break-in) while keeping the same speed while crusing the hiway. We are very happy with the RDX and the great price we got. Cant really review the Reliability when its not even broken in.

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  Loooking forward to the 5G - 2012 Acura TL
  By boe_d - March 27 - 10:50 am

  Ive been a big fan of Acuras for a long time. They have excellent build quality and do stand behind their products if there is an issue. The TL has always been enjoyable to drive. The 2G and 3G TL had electronics that were head and shoulders above the competition. The 3G was a significant step forward in exterior styling. Ill admit that unlike some fanboys, when a product has taken a step in the wrong direction, the 5G doesnt do Acura any service. The quality is still there but the styling is wretched. On the plus side the refresh shows they are at least willing to listen a little as the front end got snipped a bit. However there were many things wrong with the styling.