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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  2004 my 3rd TL . Will not buy another. - 2004 Acura TL
  By hwolf - February 14 - 12:28 pm

  This was our 3rd (and last). The first two never had a warranty issue. The 2004 is a mess. Have had all kind of problems with the 2004 TL. Acura was using defective Firestone EL42 and ended up replacing all 4 tires. The car could hardly be driven over 35 mph for about a month after delivery. It had some engine problems. Was 4 days at the shop. Recently the passenger window would no go up. Another day at the shop. We contacted Acura after delivery regards the tire issue. I was never contacted by their local rep. Took Acura to arbitration. Dont bother as the process favors the manufacturer. In short, we got stuck with a lemon and Acura was arrogant in its response to our complaints.

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  Disappointing - 2002 Acura MDX
  By vegas - February 10 - 3:13 am

  This was one of the more disappointing vehicles that I have owned. Vehicle clunks when shifting from forward to reverse (dealer says it cannot be repaired). Cant drive with the windows down as it creates pressure inside vehicle. The list goes on.

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  This shouldnt be sold as an Acura - 2006 Acura TSX
  By THEGOLFFIXER - January 20 - 3:56 pm

  Is this the best Acura can do to have a sedan under $30,000. Sure it still has Honda quality written all over it, but why would you take a car designed for Europe, as an Accord, an expect it to be suitable for our combined style of driving here. The engine fit, is the worst Ive ever expeienced in a Honda product. Absolutely torqueless and screaming the rpms to take advantage of the 200hp Honda claims it has, doesnt work for normal use. The car really doesnt even ride as well as the Accord with the 4cyl, let alone the 6cyl.The Integra was 10x more fun to drive.

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  Do not be fooled - 2006 Acura TL
  By Blazey - January 3 - 5:43 am

  Saw it in the showroom and fell in love with the style. Had to have it so I traded in my BMW. Well, I drove it about 90 miles when I became extremely uncomfortable. I turned on the heated seats to help. they took way too long to heat up and when they finally did, they turned off? Not good... The car had a thousand miles on it when it started rattling and rattling and rattling. Almost slid off the road when driving in snow. Absolutely no traction. When you hit the gas, it hesistates. The car just feels wrong. If you are a driver youll know what I mean. I am certainly going back to BMW! Acura keeps trying but will never catch the Ultimate Driving Machine!

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  A good design not implemented well - 2006 Acura TL
  By gainful - December 31 - 12:00 am

  Replaced my 2003 TL with this car, big disappointment. The 2003 has been silky smooth and this car is jittery and jerky. It has more torque than previous generation, but you get alot more noise in the cabin, and the hard ride shakes the car loose and create rattles. This car is a good buy if you ONLY travel on perfect roads. I am in PA where the roads are like the moon surface, therefore rattles all over the cabin, some even resonate with engine vibration when you hit the gas. Honda is not spending enough time to fine tune the mechanical of this car as it does before, instead, tries to allure customers with a ton of electronics----not a good way to go

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  OK, but not great - 2004 Acura TL
  By ebw - December 12 - 11:40 pm

  Owned car for 2 years, been to dealer 7 times to fix 12 quality issues. Drivers seat is literally a pain in the rear, due to short cushion and hard contours. Xlnt engine, but handling is only average. Sound system is superb.

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  Could have been a Homerun - 2016 Acura MDX
  By SideStepping - December 7 - 1:28 pm

  Owners should know, and DEMAND, that early 2016 models built in 2015 have a software update to the transmission, technical service builletin 15-054, which changes the shifting dynamic of the car, and SHOULD resolve most of the transmission jerkiness issues. Unfortunately, my dealership didnt apply the update, BUT next time my car is in for service, I will DEMAND they fix it, because I too, experience rough shifting, surges while braking and going downhill, and poor overall transmission performance. THERE SHOULD BE A RECALL TO UPDATE THE SOFTWARE ON THE TRANSMISSION. ACURA, ARE YOU LISTENING TO YOUR CUSTOMERS? Acura should be embarrassed to turn away customers. No wonder they are LAST in customer satisfaction. Now...onto the car. Two major issues with this car: the transmission, and the infotainment system. The interior is nice size and comfortable, even though it doesnt feel so luxurious. Handling is great, ride is smooth when the transmission isnt jerking you all over the place. The overall infotainment system, navigation included, is SO slow and my 2008 Infiniti G35 had a better nav system. Its pretty pathetic. This is my first (and probably last) Acura until they get their act together, stop trying to fool customers into thinking their product is the "best in its class," and until they produce a real transmission and a real infotainment system. What a shame. BTW, my dad had 3 MDXs...a 2009, a 2013, and a 2016. He loved (and so did I) the 2009 and 2013. He had the 2016 for 5 months and got rid of it. Thats how embarrassing of a vehicle it is. But, Im sure Acura is laughing all the way to the bank...what a joke of a 50K car.

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  Used car lemon ..... - 2001 Acura MDX
  By voytekwp - November 30 - 3:48 am

  I traded my Toyota 4Runner & Land Cruiser for two MDX (for me and my wife). What a mistake. After 50-60k I need to repair or replace: two transmissions (recall), front struts, 3 times SRS systems components, front damper springs (recall), EGR valve (recall). This 2001 MDX is a lemon and Acura Client Department is no help .

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  Disappointed With the Test Drive - 2016 Acura MDX
  By Chris - November 10 - 3:56 am

  Ive owned 3 MDXs--2005, 2010, 2014 and Ive loved them all. Each of those years I test drove a variety of SUVs (the usual suspects) and always ended up with the Acura! So when the 2017 Acura hit the showroom last week, I was pretty sure I would end up buying another one. Its not going to happen. Took it for a test ride and noticed immediately how differently it shifted when accelerating onto a highway. Couldnt get out of its own way--thats the way it feels anyway. Back in the showroom the salesperson told me they changed the gears from 6 to 9 back in 2016. I have no idea what that means I only know that the car doesnt feel right going through NINE gears. Like Im towing a boat or something. It has the power; it just takes too long to get to it. What a shame--just when they finally changed the front grill.

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  Wont Buy Another One - 2003 Acura TL
  By turkey-trot - October 27 - 10:00 am

  My wife has owned this car for less than two years. We were sold on its so- called reliability and resale value. In 35,000 miles weve had front pads and rotors replaced, water pump replaced and now the transmission has to be replaced. Were scared to death of what might come next after the warranty expires. This thing has been pampered and its falling apart. Maybe KIA built this thing instead of ACURA. Its got to go.