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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  Brake Rotor Problems - 2008 Acura MDX
  By Brake Problems - October 3 - 10:05 am

  My MDX is mostly a pleasant SUV to drive and own. However, I was surprised when I had problems with the brake rotors at a low mileage and Acura told me that I "brake too hard" and I would "burn" the rotors because of my driving style. Well, I am a rather slow driver and 70 % of my driving is highway driving. I have had 4 Toyota SUVs prior to this one and never had a brake issue. Could there be a quality issue with the rotors on the 2008 MDX? Compared with my previous Toyotas I feel the MDX seats too hard and uncomfortable on longer rides.

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  The Little Things Add Up - 2007 Acura RDX
  By HondaMoCoFan - October 3 - 6:20 am

  I decided to trade in my TL for this because I wanted all wheel drive. I was disappointed to find out that the car lacked some features I thought would be standard across all models. Namely, the navigation screen was no longer touch screen (as my TL from a few years prior had been). I also found both the gas range prediction and mpg to be terrible. On a drive across the country in a torrential downpour, I checked my range vs. the nearest gas station. At the time (about 20 miles away), I had about 12-15 extra miles according to the trip computer. Suddenly, about 10 miles away it jumped to 9 miles and I wondered if I would even make it.

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  Great Car love it everytime I drive it - 2003 Acura RSX
  By some dude - October 3 - 2:00 am

  I love this car. It was my first car to buy on my own. Ive had it for 7 months now and I can honestly say everytime I get in it I look forward to the experience. The car is pretty fast when you want it to be. Inside is superurb. All the guages are beautiful and the console is angled towards the driver. NICE! The engine sound is a spine tingler :o) I put heated seats in mine for Christmas now there is absolutely nothing I can say I would want the car to have that it doesnt.

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  02 Acura TL - 2002 Acura TL
  By M.Ziolo TL - October 3 - 2:00 am

  I looked at the BMW 330,325,M-B c320,lexus IS,ES,GS, and Infinti G35 and this baby has better quality, engine, and cooler styling than the rest. The TL is best bang for the buck.

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  IF YOU WANT TO LIVE IN FEAR BUY THIS - 2003 Acura TL
  By JohnGalt2376 - October 3 - 2:00 am

  DONT BUY THIS CAR UNLESS. . .You want increased insurance premiums, you want to pay the insurance deductible many times a year, you want to live in fear that no matter where you go, your expensive headlamps may be stolen. Acura has a big problem that it wont admit. The headlamp design is so poor that a thief can make off with both of your $800 headlamps in a matter of minutes, leaving you with a a financial loss, lost wages, and a very expensive repair, especially when body damage is incurred. Acura makes tons of money on repairs and has no incentive to fix this. One Acura dealer tells me that they repair 30 vehicles a month with this problem.

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  Fabulous Luxury SUV - 2007 Acura MDX
  By Incredible by MBA - October 2 - 7:33 pm

  I drove the X5 BMW and the Mercedes ML class and neither car can hold a candle to my 07 MDX.This vehicle is as solid as a rock yet moves like a light jet. The technology is superb. Weve put almost 1000 miles on it this month and I cant wait to drive it again

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  Consistent failures - 2003 Acura MDX
  By techvet - October 2 - 1:59 pm

  I purchased this MDX certified pre owned last year with 30K miles on it and have had nothing but problems with it. I have been to the dealer 6 times in the last 12 months with various engine lights/codes and what I call the Christmas tree - all error lights go off on the dashboard. Sometimes is fixed with loosening the gas cap but most the time has to go to the shop. The dealer will not honor the pre owned warranty so now I am paying for repairs every few months. I bought for brand and this was not a good idea.

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  Fun, Fun, Fun! - 2007 Acura RDX
  By Curtis - October 1 - 9:50 pm

  I had been looking for a tall (better line of sight) performance vehicle that has better interior and comfort than the X3. It turns out that the RDX has a much nicer interior and ride. I am very happy with the price and value of this terrific car. I do not notice any turbo lag. I do notice that it accelerates like a jet and handles like a nimble sedan. To quote Burgess Meredith: "It eats lightning and craps thunder!" It is the younger, faster, and more fun brother to my RX 330! The stereo even sounds incredible and has sold me on xm radio!

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  Very Happy With This Car - 2006 Acura TL
  By Happy Buyer - October 1 - 6:30 am

  I shopped till I dropped and finally ran across the BEST Car ever! Acura TL I really love to drive this car and get lots of nice looks and compliments too

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  Tranny problems - 2004 Acura RSX
  By hondalover - September 30 - 9:07 am

  I have owned Hondas all my life, every version of the Civic or Integra imaginable. This RSX Type S was very disappointing. The 6 speed transmission was a major problem for me, and I brought it back to the dealer several times. These cars notoriously grind 2nd and 3rd gears, and when I brought it back to the dealer they claimed that they could not "replicate the problem" Engine is awesome, suspension is killer, but the tranny is a huge problem! Beware when you purchase!