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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  Electronic safety systems reduce driving effort - 2016 Acura ILX
  By Bec703 - September 4 - 9:03 pm

  **NOTE** ILX not TLX -- I liked everything about this car except for a few items -. Hate the speech recognition system: doesnt recognize my commands, very inflexible command structure,. Cabin noise is to high with the premium tires, the navigation system is not compressive with current systems., even, no speed limit indication, messy to input destinations and 2nd waypoints. The good thing is Siri works well and does understand voice commands. Likes: snappy, 8 speed transmission is outstanding, Best reason to own are the electronic safety controls. These take about 50% of the effort out of long distance driving. Also getting 39 mpg on highway trips. Low roof for tall people

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  mckays toy - 2005 Acura RL
  By ???? - September 4 - 3:30 pm

  I just love my car. I have driven others and owned other more expensive cars and none came close to the overall pleasure I get from my rl. I love all the instrumentations and all the extras that come standard with this car. It is the best I have ever had. I like it even better than my corvette.

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  Excellent car with lots of wind noise - 2016 Acura RDX
  By wayne21 - September 3 - 6:21 pm

  Have had our 2016 RDX with Value package for about 500 miles. We dont use the Bluetooth (dont talk on the phone while driving), but all the electronics seem great. Phenomenal stereo system - easily the best weve ever had in a car. The only real shortcoming is wind noise. We test drove the vehicle twice and both times it was raining. Now that weve driven the car for 500 miles I can truly say the wind noise is nothing short of ridiculous. Yes, I know there is a three layer seal in the doors, but that doesnt stop the wind noise. I dont know that weve never owned a car with wind noise this bad. Its totally unacceptable for most cars, but for a car with a sticker price of roughly $43k it is shameful. Cranking up the stereo is the only way to avoid hearing it all.

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  No compromises - 2005 Acura TL
  By Michael Doddy - September 3 - 4:10 pm

  This is the best car I have ever owned. I can find very few compromises. The sound system is wonderful but I also enjoy listening to the engine and focusing entirely on the cars incredible performance. The fit and finish are typical Honda and above reproach. The fact that I could afford this masterpiece is the really unbelievable feature offered by Acura.

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  Great value for the money in its class - 2016 Acura MDX
  By Weilin Chou - September 3 - 1:57 pm

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  Bang for buck - 2005 Acura RSX
  By chris - September 2 - 10:03 pm

  This car is one of the best cars I have ever owned. Fast, fuel efficient, quiet, comfortable, and long lasting. 210 hp in a car that weighs under 3000 lbs. 6 speed tranny good for lower rpms at 80 mph, or higher top speed. Governor kicks in at 145. Worlds fastest front wheel drive NA car. And under 20k. Would love them to continue production. :-( they never should have stopped

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  Great SUV thats Fun to Drive - 2008 Acura MDX
  By BH - September 2 - 8:46 pm

  Compared to Highlander, X5, 09 Pilot, and GM SUVs. MDX was best compromise. Owned a 2002 model that was very reliable.

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  Worth Owning - 2009 Acura RL
  By David - September 2 - 6:59 pm

  Test drove the new Jag, Bmw 5 series, Infiniti M, Audi A6 & A5 and Lexus LS and GS. Basically I was not going to buy a car this year because none of them seem worth the bucks or worth the change from my Lexus LS 430. Pictures of the 09 RL do not do it justice. Went to Acura to look at the 2009 MDX (for my wife), saw the RL on the floor and looked in the interior. I drove it and fell in love, the handling the no-lag speed and pick-up the luxurious interior with all the gadgets done tastefully. Pinch me! I am a car snob and never even considered an Acura, I was wrong and now I am happier than ever (with more features than the BMW 535xi and saved over $10,000).

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  Fun to Drive, but Expensive - 2002 Acura MDX
  By mattb - September 2 - 6:11 pm

  My first time with a luxury SUV, which I researched prior to buying. At 40K miles, the transmission needed to be replaced!!! But they did it thanks to buying it pre-owned, pre-certified - would have cost 7K. This car handles very well and has gotten me out of more than a few accidents. Power about right and handles extremely well, is extremely comfortable.

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  Love it, Love it, Love it - 2008 Acura MDX
  By DG - September 2 - 1:32 pm

  Looked at everything out there and the MDX won hands down. Ride is excellent, handling is great, sound system is incredible. Voice activation for almost everything you want to either control or get information on. A little temperamental with recognition of commands but if youre clear then its OK. Blue tooth is great. Added chrome side steps, body molding and luggage rack. Black on black combination turns alot of heads. Acura doing great financing and going way low on pricing. First time I ever owned an Acura, will definitely consider Acura for other vehicle purchases. Lots of power in engine although premium should probably be used most of time.