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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  Ownership - 2005 Acura TL
  By Heislen - February 18 - 6:10 pm

  Have had the car Since 04/04, with no real problems.

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  Nice car - 2008 Acura RL
  By CNJ31Vtec - February 18 - 12:55 pm

  We cross shopped Audi A6, Q7, Infiniti M35x, Cadilac CTS4, Acura TL and RL, after we returned a 2006 BMW 530xiT. We finally decided to lease an RL because it has all the basic elements of being a luxury car. This is the 4th Honda/Acura we had owned so far. And probably the most conservative Honda/Acura we ever have. Having said that, the RL is still a wonderful car to drive. Only hope 3 years later, Acura can have another face lift base on the coming 2009 RL (it is NOT attractive at all) plus a RWD-biasd AWD. Then I think we will continue to be in the Hondas family.

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  Look elsewhere - 2007 Acura RDX
  By Chuck W. - February 16 - 11:39 pm

  Acura is a luxury brand, but this is not a worthy model. Its quick and sporty with a stiff ride. But gas mileage was terrible and we had to replace the front brakes and rotors every 5000 miles. We never felt like it did anything well. If you drove it as a sports SUV with paddle shifters, you paid at the pump and in maintenance. Also, missing some key features at this price including automatic headlights, driver memory settings and iPod interface.

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  Fun and afforadable - 2005 Acura TL
  By Josh B - February 16 - 7:20 pm

  Excellent cornering and handling, like it better then some BMW and VW I have driven. Nice interior for price shocked by all the standard features, so many gadgets still finding new things on it everyday

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  RDX is a rocket! - 2008 Acura RDX
  By Steve - February 15 - 10:23 pm

  Love my RDX. It has exceeded my expectations. Last two cars have been BMWs 3 & 5 Series and will never go back. Acura gives a great car for the money and very solid. Much more reliable than the BMW and performs better. Gas mileage isnt that bad (about 19) considering its a 4000 lb car and it flies!

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  Poor build quality - 2008 Acura MDX
  By wen - February 15 - 5:49 pm

  Bought this car two months ago, sport model with ent-package and other bells and whistles. Supposed to enjoy this luxury vehicle, but having nothing but troubles. Been back to the dealer repair shop multiple times to repair multiple defects. Distorted mirror, defect gas door, leather peeling off the steering wheel and roof molding loosening. Last weekend, the roof rack cap flew away while driving the car on highway. It is very poor detail work on this car. It will be seventh trip to fix gas door and roof rack next next week.

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  Best value in a midsize luxury SUV - 2008 Acura MDX
  By wingshooter - February 15 - 5:06 pm

  Replaced a 2006 Murano with this vehicle and could not be happier with my choice. Test drove the ML350, X5, Lexus GX470, and XC90. The MDX beats them all for THOUSANDS less. The SH-AWD is a technological wonder. Handling is agile and the ride soaks up the bumps well. With 300hp on tap, it move when you want it to. This is my first Honda product and Im really impressed with the fit and finish and build quality Seats are very comfy. All said this SUV has as much Sport as it does Utility, wrapped in Honda reliability.

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  Top Notch! - 2007 Acura MDX
  By Anthony R. - February 14 - 4:15 pm

  I replaced this vehicle for a 1999 4Runner. I also considered the Lexus GX470, BMW X5, and Audi Q7. Extremely comfortable to drive, love the interior and all of the tech features. First class!

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  Gas Guzzler 11 mpg in city - 2003 Acura TL
  By Joycie - February 14 - 10:00 am

  This car takes premium gasoline; a fact which was not disclosed to this purchaser. I get 11 mpg in the city and am filing a lawsuit again Acura and Rick Case. The car rides well, but head room is insufficient. I am down 1/4 of a tank on 50 miles driving. Buyers Beware.

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  Surprising disappointment from Acura - 2007 Acura RDX
  By Acuralover - February 13 - 6:50 pm

  Ive owned 5 Honda and Acura products before, and this is a HUGE disappointment!! The 4-banger feels sluggish from a standstill (although its reasonably quick after the initial lag). The engine is very noisy during acceleration, with a lot of turbo whine (even under some cruising conditions) which "wears down on you" after a while. And I was SHOCKED by the horrendous fuel economy. At 16 mpg overall (mix of hwy/city), its exactly the same as my other vehicle: V8 powered Lexus GX470! Isnt this supposed to be a 4 CYLINDER, SMALL SUV? Helllooo!!