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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  Four years and still love it - 2010 Acura TSX
  By dapper_dan - May 3 - 8:02 pm

  Its been 4 years and 48,000 miles and this is still a fun car to drive. Absolutely no problems, runs great, good balance of performance, handling, economy, comfort. I get over 30 MPG on trips when driving 70-75 mph. Trip computer is always 10% optimistic but I check it and do the math.

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  Do not buy this car - 2014 Acura MDX
  By jsoregon - April 26 - 7:10 pm

  Noisy fuel pump is normal according to Acura. My local Dealer swapped fuel pumps from a loaner and it was quiet for a week. I made a mistake in buying this car.

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  Build quality is poor for a premium SUV - 2014 Acura MDX
  By jedi4knight - April 26 - 9:54 am

  2014 MDX is a huge deal for Acura as over 40% of revenue comes from MDX sales but the overall execution is poor. First issue is not necessarily a bad design, but build quality of SUV that is made in America. If this SUV were built better, there would be a lot less complaint and more appraises but unfortunately, it does not represent a premium SUV class at all. Overall cost cutting also shows how much Acura cut material cost to save money in several areas for loyal Acura owners will realize rather quickly. After first three months and 2400 miles later, the ultimate question remains. Will you buy this SUV again? My answer would be "probably not" I have owned many Acura but this is the worst.

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  A great choice - 2014 Acura RDX
  By jh16 - April 22 - 4:40 pm

  I have had my 2014 RDX AWD tech for about a week now. So far I have been very happy with the car. It drives smooth, brakes well, and the transmission seems to work flawlessly. I am most happy with the turning radius, as my last two vehicles were monsters to turn and try to park. I also looked at the Q5, and besides the Audi being more expensive, I did not like the idea of the turbo 4 cyl engine. Ive driven an audi with a turbo before, and it seemed very inconsistent - thats something that I did not want to deal with again. The RDX has great acceleration (and sounds pretty good too when you step on it), its too bad they hid the dual exhaust tips up under the rear bumper.

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  Great car with a few exceptions - 2003 Acura TL
  By fever1 - April 21 - 10:19 am

  As with most of the 2003 readings, my TL lost its transmission at about 90K. As the warranty was shot after 10 years I had to pay 3K+ for a new transmission, DONT GO TO THE DEALER or you will pay 5K+ with a lesser warranty. The airbag sensor light went on and the dealer asked $650 to fix it, I figure I went most of my life without ever even wearing a seat belt until it was made a law, I can live with out airbags for awhile. So after 100K that about sums it up the major repairs. The comfort of the drive is the best I ever had, the engine is great it can throw you back in your seat. Gas mileage is surprisingly good. The leather interior is average at best.

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  Extremely Comfortable, Storage Could Improve - 2013 Acura RDX
  By briansmi - April 13 - 1:25 pm

  I have owned my 2013 RDX for a year and a half and have 14,000 miles on it. This is the most comfortable car I have ever driven. On long trips I can be in the car for 4-5 hours and not be stiff. The gas millage is very good for the size of the vehicle. The VCE goes from 6 to 3 on the freeway allowing for good millage on longer hauls. If I went 60-65, I could pull 29 MPG on standard hauls (no major mountains). City/Highway combo I get 22-24.

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  My second TL - 2014 Acura TL
  By bpatters69 - April 5 - 5:58 pm

  This is my second TL. My first TL was a 2003 Base model which I traded in for a 2014 Silver Moon TL base model. I have to say, I love Acura and I love my new TL. Even though I have a base model, it comes with all the features and options that I need. Granted, there is no camera or web interface but with all the changes to that technology, anything you buy today is soon outdated tomorrow. I would prefer to just buy the latest cell or table for web and navigation. The ride is superb and the quality and construction is what I have come to expect from Acura. Best of all, the TL is the absolute best value out there! I picked up mine for under $32k! Acura is moving these so grab one!

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  Absolutely the very best! - 1997 Acura CL
  By bernicee - April 5 - 8:31 am

  It took no thinking when I asked my family at the dinner table, of all the cars we have ever had what is or was your favorite one? The Acura 2.2CL by far!!! In fact it has come time to sell the car and I cant even talk about it with out crying...lol! (true story) :/ Anyway if your considering buying one BUY IT! I guarantee you will be 100% HAPPY! Yes I said guarantee...! YOU WILL, NO JOKE! Have a wonderful day...

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  2014 RDX - Comfortable but a vibration issue ruins the fun - 2014 Acura RDX
  By familyguy1 - April 1 - 9:13 am

  Purchased in late Dec 2013 and after 3 months and 3,000 miles, heres my review: Ride is comfortable, agility is great, suspension is fairly stiff. Seats are supportive and comfortable (both front and rear). Sound system is great. BUT... The car has a vibration issue from about 60 MPH on up. Had the tires spin balanced, road force balanced, the prop shaft replaced... still there. The vibration is not severe, but its ever present and on long trips, leaves your feet tingling a bit and ready to get out. Very annoying. Rode with the dealer service tech, he feels it too, but says thats as good as it gets. Because of the vibration, feels like I made a $38,000 mistake.

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  Great reliability fun to drive - 2012 Acura MDX
  By bobrosa - March 31 - 10:54 am

  Approaching my 2 yr. of ownership with just over 22k. and I still look at it when I park and walk away. Only visit to dealer is for regular maint. Speaking as a mechanic for more then 30 yrs. this vehical is solid, well built, and really rocks in any adverse weather conditions with its SH-awd system. Yeah think Im gonna keep this baby for awhile.