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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  Great Handling Balance - 2007 Acura MDX
  By Burt - December 2 - 7:43 pm

  A great car for those that need the third row but love to drive. What really sets the 07 apart for us is the handling on the Sport model. Power is good enough, interior is beautiful, exterior is nice in black. But this thing has fantastically controlled body motion, very little lean, good steering. And the SH-AWD really works, rotating the car even at moderate throttle. None of the ponderous SUV feel, understeer, etc. We are coming from a BMW 528i wagon with a sport suspension, and the MDX is very pleasant surprise.

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  Awe inspiring - 2003 Acura RSX
  By bauhaus - December 2 - 2:00 am

  Although I have only owned this remarkable little rocket for 3 days and 250 miles, it is far and away the most complete car I have driven. The feel of all the controls is crisp and clean, no slop here. The engine, although loud at higher RPMs is quick, reponsive and silky smooth. The clutch, shifter and transmission combination is flawless. The handling is responsive, tight and nimble. Point it where you want to go and there is no hesitation or arguments. Readers of this review should take a look at Car and Drivers "Four wedges and a Bubble" comparrison review.

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  Acura TL Type S - 2007 Acura TL
  By greg - December 1 - 4:40 pm

  Tried all the competition and chose this car, for its the most balanced auto in terms of price, quality, engine, transmission, power, options, etc. Nice car no doubt!

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  Perfect size. Great fun. - 2008 Acura RDX
  By nomorecivicsi02 - November 30 - 9:19 pm

  I needed a vehicle to replace my 2002 civic Si. The first time I drove the RDX I knew I wanted one. This thing is as much fun to drive as my Si. If youre looking for a small, quick, great handling SUV with some luxury, this is the vehicle for you.

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  Great Ride - 2007 Acura RDX
  By Henry FL1 - November 30 - 7:45 pm

  Other than gas mileage, its a fun car to drive. Notice how I said "car" - it does not drive like a SUV at all. I considered the Honda CRV loaded, but it lacked some-like no useable armrest etc.

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  Good Car for the Money - 2006 Acura TSX
  By UteNick - November 30 - 11:53 am

  I just bought the vehicle two weeks ago, and I really love it. Its my first brand new car, and Acura makes great vehicles.

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  Wonderful car - 1996 Acura Integra
  By Raven - November 29 - 7:58 pm

  Ive owned my GS-R for 5 years (bought it used) and have loved driving it ever since. Who would have thought 4 cylinders could do what this car does. I have to get a larger car now due to family additions, but this car has set a standard for quality, reliability and performance that will have to be met by the next car I drive - which will be an Acura, thanks to this little marvel. Great handling, no problems, loves the road and you can count on this little machine. What else is there?

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  Acura = 10 years without repair work - 1997 Acura TL
  By ealfarotx - November 29 - 6:09 pm

  Ive owned this car for 10 years and other than regular oil changes and regular maintenance I have only spent $250 for on-board computer connector that was replaced. Its time to do the timing-belt change now, but thats expected with close to 100k miles.

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  Follow-up - 2007 vs 2006 review (1/6/07) - 2007 Acura TL
  By JR - November 28 - 9:57 pm

  With 12,000 miles on the TL: Good points - the car runs better now - improvements in both gas mileage (31 MPG straight highway trip) and a smoother shifting transmission (too much shift shock before). Bad points - the car developed various squeaks and rattles over the last 11 months - glovebox, center speaker, driver vent, instrument cluster, etc. - most of them now fixed. The colder weather has brought an annoying drivers door & window rattle. The interior headliner (roof) was replaced twice due to its two layers separating. Also, knowing the Acura service department employees on a first name basis is getting old. I prefer just oil change visits like with my previous 2 Acuras.

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  Excellent Upgrade - 2007 Acura MDX
  By jrt - November 26 - 4:12 pm

  I upgraded from an original 2001 MDX to this one and am very impressed by the quality and features theyve added to the car. Makes my old one feel very bare bones. We did a 1,400 mile road trip over Thanksgiving with the new MDX and loved every moment. Powerful engine, feels wide and stable on the road, tracks well through corners, good sight lines. Very nice. The seats are very comfortable. The front seating areas are a little confining by design. Navi and entertainment systems are both very well done. Cargo space could be a little larger but larger space = larger body = more weight = fewer MPG. So its not a bad balance as is. Overall Im very pleased with this SUV.