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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  Problem in two week after 630 miles - 2016 Acura MDX
  By :( - August 29 - 9:29 am

  These is the list of problems that I had after two weeks (630 miles) The Car is in service center. 1. Navigation problem with failed HDD - take about week to fix 2. Transmission, The ride is jerky at low speed - service told me that never reported as problem and not fix for it. 3. Back up camera feed is showing for long time after driving forward - They will try to fix it. * Dealer told me nothing wrong with transmission and try different settings might fix the problem which means no solution and no fix. * I had 4 Honda/Acura before Prelude, Pilot, CL, RL and this time I am so disappointed. Maybe no more Honda/Acura in the future. This is follow up on the fix. * Dealer service department call me after 1.5 weeks after I drop off the car about a problem with audio system. Now waiting for new audio system to arrive. Mean time the loaner car is making squeaking sounds and this car has only 3800 miles. I hope other people have better luck with this car.

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  my truck drives better - 2007 Acura MDX
  By Kate - August 28 - 12:39 pm

  Between Sept 2007 and April 2008 I had 3 sets of front tires, 2 sets of back tires and it drives worse than my Tacoma! I jumps from side to side over bumps. Its unpredictable on stopping. Honda Corp only tell me they can try and "have it fixed" Its been in 7 times in 8 months! I stopped driving it in June. Selling something to you that is broken then just "fixing it" is unethical. I would suggest that NO ONE ever buy this car!!

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  2008 Acura RDX - 2008 Acura RDX
  By aust_lr - August 28 - 10:34 am

  The RDX is a great small SUV. It is fun to drive, handles well, and looks great. It is a little pricey for a car that competes with the Honda CR-V and the Toyota RAV 4 but it is better than them in performance and build quality.

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  What a value - 2008 Acura TL
  By Tim - August 27 - 9:26 pm

  We could not be happier with our purchase. Plenty of power, very comfortable seats, awesome sound system. 30 mpg on a recent trip, 22-25 overall. After purchasing an 07 Civic, my wife was impressed with Honda. She traded her beloved SUV. My co-workers don`t believe I have a TL because my wife won`t part with it, even for a day!

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  Very Good Buy - 2005 Acura TSX
  By scampbell - August 26 - 8:40 pm

  I bought this car about 3 years ago and its been a great car so far. No issues at all. Gas mileage has been much better than advertised and Im getting about 26/34 consistently. I looked at a bunch of cars before selecting this one and I cant imagine getting a better value anywhere else. The price of the car was very reasonable considering all the features you get. I will definitely consider buying another Acura when I decide to upgrade in a couple years.

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  Puts a smile on my face when I drive - 2008 Acura RDX
  By ray f - August 25 - 10:36 pm

  Just bought an RDX Tech package. This is primarily a commuter vehicle and a second car, so I was debating about getting a sedan for the gas mileage. I really like SUVs though, and this one is spot on the money -- fun to drive, higher ride height, good performance, decent space. I had a BMW x3 and 3 series sedan, and I like this better than either of those cars. Each time I drive it, I get a smile on my face (hearing the turbo whoosh is a blast). I just wish it got a bit better mileage. Previous cars also include an MDX (previous body style). This is way better than that car in tightness, comfort, luxury, and technology.

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  Versatile, attitude, hi mileage(?) - 2008 Acura TL
  By bbence - August 24 - 11:42 pm

  The car performs at your pleasure: it can give you speed, power, comfort, great directions (w/ navi), decent handling, and amazing mileage. Even with a few moments of pedal to the medal, I have been averaging between 31 and 32 mpg, albeit mostly highway miles. Front end torque is minimal unless you accelerate while making a sharp turn. The 6-speed is very smooth, energizing, and lets you drive the car the way it should be.

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  By far one of the best SUVs to date! - 2007 Acura MDX
  By Marco5 - August 24 - 11:36 pm

  I love my new MDX, it drives like a true luxury vehicle, very well built, very low wind noise. I absolutely love the engine, pulls like some V8s with better gas mpg. I was a little bit skeptical about trading my 05 for it, but Im glad I did. Price tag a little higher than expected, but I believe the car will live up to its price several times over, as many of my other honda vehicles.

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  Luxury sporty sedan - 2007 Acura TL
  By PeteD - August 24 - 4:28 pm

  Having happily owned Hondas (including Civics, Accords, Passports,CR-Vs and S2000s) since 1985, I really was eager to enter the luxury sport sedan market. What a treat this car has been. It moves like its on rails, accelerates quickly, moves accurately, wherever you point it. On lengthy trips, my wife is able to nap, leaving me to enjoy the driving experience. No problems, no complaints with the exception of the premium gas requirement which I was aware of from the beginning. "If youre gonna play, ya gotta pay."

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  05 RSX Type S - 2005 Acura RSX
  By hydroride - August 24 - 10:00 am

  I love the improvements theyve put in the 05. Having owned an 02, I could feel the difference. The shifting is a little crisper and when it comes to cornering it sticks like glue. I cant believe the review that gave it a 1.0 is for real. Ive owned honda products for almost 20 years & never ever had any problems like that. If the review is real , it must have been taken off roading for a test drive.