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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  continued saga..same car:? - 1991 Acura Legend
  By BartmanSF - December 5 - 2:00 am

  CONT>>Now car is clicking whenever I take off or turn the wheel.(needs front axle shafts & cv boots a common problem on Honda/Acuras?) It now has 126k,the clear coat/paint is peeling off roof despite wax & a garage.Brake Lt warning always on but no malf. The seats have cracked worse underneath the "vinyl spray"(applied to simulate good lthr) I read the reviews B4 buying and my expectations for this lux car were much higher. The point Id like to make is not all acuras live up to the hype. A car is only as good as its maintanence. Two more things..I WOULD NEVER BUY A CAR FROM THESE GUYS ON EBAY & I WISH I HAD ONE OF YOURS-CAUSE THIS ONE SUCKS.

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  my acura - 1990 Acura Integra
  By Espino - November 5 - 2:00 am

  fuel economy not good,horsepower not good.Interior needs to improve,needs better value of radio,paint is not of good quality.

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  Over Rated - 2005 Acura TL
  By John Hiam - October 9 - 11:00 pm

  Car was chosen based on a brief test drive and belief in the "expert" reviews. I was very disappointed in the interior. The tachometer is 50% blocked from view by the steering wheel, the climate control buttons are randomly scattered (half of the buttons are on the passenger side of the car!), the visibility out of the car is dreadful (style took precedence over function) and driving in slow heavy traffic turned out to be a chore since the throttle control is too sensitive resulting jerky progress. I have found torque steer to be a problem also whenever trying to accelerate on bumpy roads which are the norm in Ohio. On long journeys the car has proven to be tiring because of hard ride.

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  So Very Disappointed! - 2016 Acura ILX
  By Cheryl Steeper - September 15 - 3:42 pm

  Wanted to stay with Honda products, having been an owner of Honda or Acura since 1980. Like the exterior styling of this car very much. However, I have a spine condition and find the buckets are too deep and make my back hurt after 30 minutes. Hate the hesitation with acceleration & feel like Im driving a tank, but need to make allowances here since I am coming for a car that has 260 hp. Wish I had gone for the Navi on upper level package because there is a stupid black screen behind the clock that is distracting. The cabin feels claustrophobic and small. The seating adjustments are not enough. Im trying to find a seat cushion to fix the bucket issue, but everything pushes my head into the headliner. Ive had this car for 3.5 weeks and am counting the days until I can sell it & get something else. Ive sat in every Honda and Acura product and only found 3 seats that were comfortable for my back...Honda Fit & HR-V, and Acura TLX. Latter is too big and hated the push buttons (had those on my teenage car and not going back!), car also too big. Fit is OK, but feels like Im downgrading from old Acura. HR-V was OK, but dont want an SUV. Finishes on interiors of Honda & Acura products really cheaped out now. Still looking for something to replace this Acura ILX. SOOOOO very disappointed in Honda/Acura now. Feeling really let down by this manufacturer.

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  Second MDX is disappointing - 2016 Acura MDX
  By Mike S - September 7 - 2:58 pm

  I traded my 2013 Acura MDM in for a 2016 and am very disappointed in the new cars transmission. It is very clunky and shifts in and out of gears unnecessarily. Based on the transmission alone, I would not recommend this vehicle. The old transmission was a 6 speed and was much smoother than the current 9 speed. At highway speeds it is fine, but in ordinary city stop/go traffic it is not. I do like the lane change warnings and the warnings that you get when you are backing up that another car is approaching from the sides. This is very helpful when pulling out of a parking space when another truck or SUV is next to you. The car informs you someone is coming before you can actually see the oncoming car. Very nice feature! I wish Acura would offer a HUD, I have one on a BMW and it is another feature that once you have, you dont ever want to give up. The navigation system display is not very well done and the software it uses is not very efficient, also much better on my BMW. All-in-all, I would rather have my old MDX back.

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  dissapointed - 1997 Acura CL
  By ALJABR - August 15 - 2:00 am

  We bought this car used in 2000 (45,000 mi)and weve put about 32,000 miles on it since then. So far weve had a check engine problem-$250+ , a window motor failing- $300+, a bad alternator, $300+. This is not my idea of reliable. During the same time period Ive spent less than $300 fixing my 1989 Honda Accord (186,000 mi.) The tires are awfully expensive to buy for this car and hard to find. About $150-200 EACH. This car is definitely overrated.

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  Wished I kept my Honda - 1997 Acura TL
  By ktwill904@yahoo.com - August 8 - 2:00 am

  Worst car Ive ever had. Everyone else has the exact same problems with their cars. A technicians told me that the 2.5 TLs were the worst cars Acura makes. I will NEVER buy another Acura. Hard to believe that these people make Hondas. Ask a TL owner about problems theyve had with their cars. Youll get a list. Here are things to worry about: parking brakes, regular brakes wind noise, radiators, if your car goes dead and you dont have the code to your radio you are screwed,inside brake lights, power lock shortage, the center piece in your rims will fall out,numerous recalls

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  Disappointed - 2003 Acura RSX
  By roenick - July 24 - 2:00 am

  Thought I would be getting better performance but in the end,this car is not so quick. Ive decided to trade in for a WRX which is much quicker, more fun to drive, and has AWD system. There are superior cars out there at this price level - make sure you shop around and dont get lured in by a commercial that makes the RSX seem like a sports car. Its not.

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  Old Acura - 1990 Acura Integra
  By bitemebut - July 20 - 2:00 am

  you need to fill it up with oil & water a lot because it leaks, needs power steering fluid, horn doesent work.

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  Wind noise is ATROCIOUS - 2002 Acura MDX
  By Jerry D. Gibbens - June 28 - 10:00 am

  My 2001 MDX has been a DISASTER from the second week. I get TERRIFIC wind noise at speeds in access of 60 miles per hours. The dealership smiles and works on the MDX, but they wind noise continues. I have had the RUN AROUND from the Acura National folks. I would DEFINETELY NOT buy another ACURA.