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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  Disappointed - 2014 Acura MDX
  By sadmdx - February 1 - 6:43 am

  If you want a pretty vehicle that vibrates while driving, then this is your vehicle. I have now owned this vehicle for 7 months. The vehicle has been in the shop multiple times for a strong vibration in the front left of the vehicle, and it will repeat over and over at a constant speed on the highway. It feels like I am driving on a rumble strip. An Acura Rep came and saw my vehicle and told me it is a normal function when the vehicle changes from 3 to 6 cylinders. Acura is aware of it and they do not plan on fixing it. I have driven other vehicles with fuel saving systems, and you dont hear or feel it switching cylinders. I am so disappointed that they find this acceptable.

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  Complete junk! - 2014 Acura MDX
  By dantl - January 31 - 9:45 am

  My MDX has been in the shop more than I had the car since I bought it 2 months ago. A handful of owners, including myself, have had issues with the warning lights for various vehicle systems (i.e. lane departure warning, front collision warning, SH-AWD, Traction Control, etc) coming on for no reason and when that occurs, these systems do not work. The car has been to the dealer 3 times for the same issue and most recently, they only reset the computer and gave me the vehicle back so I can test it out to see if the problem happens again. This is my 4th and last Acura. My prior 3 Acura vehicles were reliable and that’s why I came back for a 4th one.

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  I too wish I could return - 2010 Acura RDX
  By sad_owner1 - January 28 - 7:27 pm

  The 2010 RDX drives like a dream. Handles very well especially in the snow. I loved this car until Ive had to make the following warranty replaced repairs... 4 new batteries, Replaced auto start, Replaced Air compressor relay switch, Alternator, Windshield wiper switch and still have issues with windshield wipers. This sadly, will be my last Acura

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  Windshield Washer Fluid - 2014 Acura MDX
  By doc1975 - January 24 - 9:02 am

  Just a warning for everyone, my wife who is six months pregnant was driving the car, the windshield washer fluid froze and she was unable to see the windshield for an hour. It didnt warm up while she was driving. The car is 3 months old. I drive a BMW and this has never happened, not once. We live in Chicago and I was really upset. The dealership didnt provide an explanation, they blamed the washer fluid not the car. There is a fault with the tank and the nozzle. If you live in cold climate, please avoid this purchase. Look into a Toyota or if you can afford it, step up to a German car. You can get good deals on CPO BMW and Mercedes.

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  Well rounded car, Navigation is substandard - 2013 Acura RDX
  By rjxg - January 21 - 7:59 pm

  I have been driving my RDX AWD w/Tech for 7 month now and really like the car. Plenty of power and I find it to be a great value for the cost. My only issue with the car is the poor quality of the navigation system. It is like using DOS commands on a PC. A million things to remember and it take 5 minute to enter an address. I am shocked Acura put it out there for use like this. Otherwise the car is good but it is hard to overlook a Navi system so frustrating I dont even us it unless I have no other choice.

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  More classic than Gone With The Wind - 2000 Acura Integra
  By sammacktruck - January 21 - 11:25 am

  Some people say the looks are dated. It was way ahead of its time, and even in 2014 still is. Nothing compares to the styling. The best design of the 90s, which is the best decade for exterior design of all time. I have the auto GS. Its rated as 27 highway MPG. I have gotten 39 w/o modifcations. Thats right. 39. No joke. Better than most of even the best mileage kings today. And my car has 180K on it. I have fit 3 fullsize mtn bikes in this hatchback. The Euros wish they can make something like this. Overall the GTI aint got nothing on the Integra. Keep dreaming, VW.

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  Not an SUV - 2014 Acura MDX
  By steve526 - January 15 - 1:17 pm

  Nice car! Quiet, comfortable once inside. Decent mpg. Unlike most SUVs, driver is close to the ground, more like a car. Not for certain body types. Short body with long legs will not be able to see over the steering wheel... cannot raise the seat or lower the steering wheel enough to make it work. Larger men under 6 feet will have difficulty getting in because the steering will not go up far enough making for a tough slide-in.

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  Buyer Beware... - 2012 Acura MDX
  By pwr1 - January 11 - 8:39 am

  I spent over $50,000 on an SUV that is all talk and no walk. Everything about this vehicle exudes quality and detail - until you try to go up a steep hill like your driveway. WTF. The vehicle shifts up immediately, then slows down almost to a stall, then shifts down hard, goes 20ft then shifts up again. I was embarrassed as hell, and as soon as I can dump it Im going to. Dont waste your time or money. Im headed straight toward a real SUV like the new Yukon Denali etc... this was a wast of time and money and reputation on Acuras part. The dealers know about the shift problem, but they wont discuss it with you (I know an out of town dealer srvc rep that confirms this). Angry now.

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  LOVE LOVE LOVE this 2002 ACURA MDX TOURING - 2002 Acura MDX
  By grammyjan1978 - January 6 - 10:55 am

  I drove this, loved the looks of it, and it has 187,000 and counting. I would buy another one just like it...got it at 54000 at dealer certified and have had no issues whatsoever. I love my Acura. My only question...I just drove to work and for the first time I clicked the four wheel drive VDX button, how can you tell if it goes off...I clicked it and no change...got me to work in 13 inches of snow...

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  Love our 2014 MDX - 2014 Acura MDX
  By david1965 - January 4 - 8:34 pm

  Bought our 14 MDX in October and have driven about 5,000 flawless miles. We have had a lot of winter weather lately and the MDX does great on snow and ice. We are pleased with fuel economy for a vehicle this large. This is my wifes car primarily and she drives like shes running from the law - still averaging about 22 mpg in mix of city/highway. Only complaint is that touchscreen seems difficult to use as compared to simply having a knob or a switch. But all cars seem to be going the touch screen direction. Also wish Acura didnt do quite so much bundling of packages. Would have purchased the tech package but I am not a fan of the navigation system. Overall, very pleased.