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 Safety Issue - 2014 Acura RDX
  By mountainbob - August 7 - 5:04 pm

  Mine and all 2014 models have a front end metal on metal clang going over bumps. Diagnosed by two dealers as brake pad metal backing hitting caliper clips. Acura will not fix, dealer has made a temporary fix. Dealers are frustrated with Acura over issue. Dealer says he does not know if this is a safety issue. Filed complaint with Federal safety commission. Metal on metal will eventually break down. Acura will have to fix the problem if more owners complain to dealers. This is a potential dangerous brake issue. The clang is not something that a so called "high end" SUV should have. Acura calls it, "a Characteristic" of the model. If this is so then lower the price to a low end SUV.

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  Fantastic Touring Car! A Screaming Bargain! - 2013 Acura TL
  By knr5 - August 2 - 2:14 am

  After 10 years of Infiniti G35 sedans (2003 and 2006 models, 6MT), I switched to Acura SH-AWD with the Technology Package (the only configuration I could get manual transmission!) in late March, 2013. The TL gives up a little of the visceral,sporty feel of the G, but gains in overall refinement and all weather capability. The TL is is a substantially larger car (6" longer, and 4" wider than the G), and hence feels less tossable than the G. However, it has very fine handling and a composed ride. I love my car, it has been absolutely trouble free, and feels extraordinarily competent. It is a compellingly good value in the upscale segment.

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  Sometimes it is the small stuff that counts - 2015 Acura RDX
  By broka - July 25 - 8:33 am

  I picked up my new RDX with technology package 5 days ago and I LOVE DRIVING IT. But there are some stupid things that should be in a car of this class. 1) The front passenger seat does not go up causing discomfort for some people and makes them feel like they are sitting on the floor. 2) There is no air conditioning vent in the rear. If it can be in smaller and less expensive cars, I see no reason why this can only have the cut out for it. 3) There is no light in the luggage compartment. That is ridiculous. Aside from these "small" issues, I love the car but these little annoyances can and should be easily fixed.

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  Almost got everything right - 2015 Acura MDX
  By mrso718 - July 24 - 10:11 pm

  My first car was the 2013 RDX so when a 2014 MDX redesign was coming out, I knew I had to get one. Because of the over design and value of this vehicle, two years down the road we (my wife and I) traded in our RDX, which was great, for the 2015 MDX. Fell in love with the vehicle immediately, BUT not a minute longer of driving off the lot, we started to discover little things that the quality of this vehicle is REALLY lacking. Loud adjustable seat motors, scraping noise coming from the steering wheel louder, louder then normal engine, a paint job gone bad, bad outside temperature gauge and the list goes on! Acura what have you done?

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  Really Good Car - 2014 Acura RLX
  By billg8 - July 24 - 12:15 pm

  This car is alot better than reviewed from my perspective. I think the issue is this: This DOES NOT compete with the BMW 5 series or MB E-Class (regardless of what Acura would like)...really more like Lexus, Infiitniti or Lincoln based on my experience. That said, based on actual purchase price-- strong discount to MSRP/Invoice so well below BWM/MB this is a high quality, nice driving (love teh AWS) vehicle. My personal feeling is, while not flashy, the car is also sophisticated looking. So far Im very pleased with the overall package

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  My 2013 RDX Tech - 2013 Acura RDX
  By nwjgoodguy - July 22 - 2:08 pm

  Ive had my 2013 RDX since January, purchased used with 30K, got a great deal and it looked brand new. Prior to my Acura I had a Honda Accord V6, amazing car, then purchased a 2008 Lexus IS250 and what a nightmare! Car was beautiful, eye catching, but at 30K engine oil rings and pistons needed to be replaced, car was burning oil, fortunately all covered by Lexus! Once the car hit 100K and after several repairs it was time to unload and get back into a reliable Honda/Acura! My next car will be an Acura again! As I read reviews people complain about this attractive SUV, what most people dont see if the reliability of Acuras and overall value!

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  Acura RDX is a great choice. - 2015 Acura RDX
  By road_gypsy - July 17 - 12:51 pm

  I was originally considering a Honda Crosstour, but also looked at the Subaru Outback 3.6r, lots of 4 cylinder SUVs, the and the RDX. My extended family has had good experiences with Hondas, but poor ones with BMW and Mercedes. The RDX quickly became my favorite. Didnt like the CVT and driving exp. of the Outback although it had more space. The Crosstour was felt heavier and had worse maneuverability, although real 4x4. The RDX was an instant top choice on the test drive. I like that its fast and agile when I need it to be and saves some fuel with the VCM tech. on the highway. The tech. package has a lot of things I dont need, but the stock AWD has some great features.

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  Our first Acura: 25 year old 89 Legend with only 15k miles. Love it! - 1990 Acura Legend
  By kcbobo - July 16 - 2:42 pm

  I love this car! Our first Acura is a 25-year-old Legend L with only 15k miles. Like a time machine, its new inside and out. Was purchased new in 89 by a family member. Always garaged and dealer-maintained, it had been sitting in a garage unmoved for 4 years. Trailered it home, drained fluids, replaced belts, tires, a few hoses and this baby is wonderful. One of the best cars weve owned, powerful and luxurious. Automatic trans shifts smoothly, quiet on the highway, great road manners. Well-mannered is the best description for this car. It moves capably and confidently, handles well and was built to last. Bravo to the Honda engineers...they certainly got it right on this one!

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  Great Alternative to Boring Commuter Cars! - 2014 Acura ILX
  By david_d82 - July 15 - 10:51 pm

  I bought my 2014 ILX 2.4 a little over a month ago, and its been a great purchase. I did a LOT of research before purchasing this car, and I am very happy that I was not scared off by some of the reviews from the automotive journalism industry. First, this car is not a rebadged Civic Si. different dimensions, different suspension setup and hardware. Also no garish wing or ugly red interior inserts like the Si. Yay! Great manual transmission, too. clutch pickup is spot-on, and shifts are super smooth. nice enough features for the price, but infotainment screen is kinda chintzy, and rear seat passengers really need HVAC vents! Reminds me a lot of my 2006 TSX with a manual only better

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  no spare tire! - 2014 Acura MDX
  By johnkim575 - July 12 - 6:26 am

  Be warned that there is no spare tire on some models. I found out the hard way that Acura has put in a tire inflator/gel rather than a spare tire. What should have been a 15 minute tire change turned out into a 5 hours ordeal where Acura wanted me to have the car towed to a dealership because the puncture on my tire was larger than "nail" size. What would have happened if I was on a road trip with no acura dealership near by because Acura road side service will only tow to an Acura dealership? If you dont tow to a dealership YOU pay to have it towed. A car that nearly costs 50K should have a spare tire/donut.