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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  Beware of noise (VCM or modulator?) - 2014 Acura MDX
  By lbjr51 - July 2 - 10:44 pm

  This car is comfortable to drive other than the fact that one must put up with an irritating noise that Acura refuses to fix (5 in all categories otherwise). Some have described the noise as being similar to "a cell phone in vibrate mode going off on a hard surface." My understanding is the noise is identified as being from the Variable Cylinder Management System (VCM) switching from 3 cylinders to 6 cylinders. Unfortunately, the noise gets louder over time. Acura contends it is the all wheel drive unit modulator activating. It apparently is also noted on other Honda models like the RDX, Pilot and Odyssey. At the minimum, Acuras dealers should be required to disclose this issue.

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  Look Forward to Commute Home - 2011 Acura TL
  By joeb30 - July 2 - 9:21 pm

  Bought a used 2011 Black TL with 60,000 miles. My wife asked why does my TL look so sexy (it was parked next to a 2012 Black TL). Mine has the beak painted black, dark tint, painted caliper covers. I keep it clean and it has a deep shine. Do these cosmetic upgrades it the car looks very sexy. It is SH-AWD which translates to fun to drive. Not to be confused with those small foreign sports sedans, my TL drives like an American hot rod. Big interior, big exterior. Except it has all the electronic gadgets you need. In a few drives the buttons become second nature. Reliability - well my 2001 TL has 200,000 miles and still no problems.

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  Great value with Honda/Acura dependability - 2014 Acura TL
  By mqc99 - June 30 - 4:53 pm

  I bought the 2014 TL to replace my 2008 BMW 535i. I love my new TL. It has good power, reasonable gas mileage, and good handling. The BMW may be slightly better in handling, but the TL is way better than the BMW in reliability (I was stranded 3 times and almost stranded twice during the 6 years I owned it, but that’s a different story for the BMW forum). We have had many Honda cars before and it has always been very reliable for us. I am hoping my new TL will be just reliable and fun to drive for many years to come. As someone said here, Acura is trying to clear out their 2014 TL inventories making room for the new 2015 TLX model. So, there are some excellent deals on the 2014 TL now.

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  Transmission harness didnt even make 75K miles - 2010 Acura MDX
  By 28if - June 25 - 9:28 pm

  In the shop again for another transmission non warranty covered issue. This time the "D" indicator light starts blinking, no error codes. Dealer says the wiring harness between the engine and tranny needs to be replaced for $2K!!!. No the power train warranty doesnt cover this. Car has just under 75,000 miles on it. Really? The quality is so bad that basic parts cant last 75,000 miles. Putting it on Craigs list as soon as I get it back.

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  owned since April 12 - 2012 Acura TL
  By enbeuu - June 24 - 8:15 pm

  great TL and best Acura owned since Legend Coupe which wasnt close to this model in drivability and comfort. blind spot is horrible and side view cam is a must for this model Rear cam is wonderful.

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  Ho Hum - 2013 Acura RDX
  By newro - June 24 - 12:56 pm

  This is my 6 or 7th Acura and it will be my last. The buying experience, with a dealer that I have used for 15 years was not great, switched leasing companies on me and I did not even realize it. Cost me 15,000 extra miles. That said, my wife is the primary driver on this but I drive it on weekends. The car it twitchy, touch the wheel and you are all over the place. Tranny? Upshift, downshift, really annoying. The build quality is Acura but honestly, the interior is cheap, the bluetooth is a step below my 2010 TL and there are so many choices in the small cross over/small SUV market that I would never get another one of these. I was this close to getting a Murano and wound up with the Acura.

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  I absolutely love this car!!! Best car purchase I have made. - 2014 Acura ILX
  By aeroj101 - June 23 - 12:50 am

  I bought the manual 2.4 version about a month ago, and I am completely in love with this car. First, I think I am probably the target consumer (young professional at a corporate job). I wouldnt want a Civic Si, but I definitely wanted a manual transmission (and the MT option is the ONE main reason I chose the ILX over a Lexus IS I dont care if the IS is faster, I wanted an MT). The sound isolation is good, road comfort is great (Im not trying to experience all the bumps on the road), and I personally love hearing the tune of engine revving up (its beautiful, and its a manual, and thats part of the fun). I am committed to only owning MT cars, and am glad Acura makes a few.

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  Multiple Acura owner - 2014 Acura MDX
  By geomey - June 16 - 3:14 pm

  I have owned a 2003, 2007, and 2010 Acura MDX all with the top of the line package. I have been very satisfied with all of the vehicles except for one area. The tire balance vibration in the 2007 and 2010 Acura drove me crazy. Everything else worked extremely well. The vibration caused me to purchase a 2013 Lexus RX 350 which was a quieter and smoother riding although smaller. We recently checked out a 2014 MDX and were blown away by the improvement in ride and road noise. The ride is better than the RX, quieter and a substantially better handling vehicle. With the gas mileage we are getting we are extremely happy. You cannot buy a better 7 passenger SUV for any price.

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  Good SUV but Can be better - 2014 Acura MDX
  By icern - June 13 - 3:44 am

  Before i purchased the MDX, i test drove other SUV in or near this 7 seater class. From Explorers, Qx60 and Highlander etc. But it came down to two. The infiniti or the Accura. I went with the MDX. For the reason that it is more enjoyable to drive. Good suspension on minor bumps although the Adv Tech seems to be quiter that the other trims. It has A good Gas Mileage. I get 22 to 24 MPG Combined with more Bostonian/suburb driving than highway. The Interior does not feel cheap at all. Although the Center console looks outdated. It has pretty cool features like the flood lights and interior lighting are LEDs. Safety is also good

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  "CAUTION"---MDX has a driver safety issue! :(( - 2014 Acura MDX
  By flfeds - June 10 - 3:48 pm

  Just bought the MDX two weeks ago and took it on our first trip and was astonished at an interior design flaw. Heading west on a sunny day produced a significant amount of glare off the aluminum trim around the center console and the entertainment center.It was so distracting and bothersome to the driver that we had to cover the trim with articles of clothing.Dealership was notified their solution was to cover with electrical tape. Acura client relations was contacted their response was thx for feedback, no solution because its the design of the interior for the MDX.No other model has that reflective trim!Stay away,there r many other competitive choices.I will solve it with "DUCT TAPE" :(