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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  I Love My 02 TL-S!!!!!! - 2002 Acura TL
  By incinerary - October 13 - 6:53 pm

  This was MY first car. Parents supplied me with a 90 Civic for a year. Bought my TL early fall of 2012 with 169K and the fixed tranny and now a year later it has 187K with no problems. I take very good care of my car, I do 5000 mile oil changes with Mobile 1 Extended Performance oil and FRAM Ultra Synthetic Filter, & I dont beat on my car, keep it below 4K RPMs. When looking for a car, i wanted something nobody else has with a great mix of everything from looks to performance. This was the perfect match! It has a very smooth, quiet, and comfortable ride I can go for a 2 hour drive and not feel soar afterwards. If something happened to this car, I would no doubt get another one!!

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  Handling + Braking + MPG = Great Car - 2014 Acura MDX
  By deannie - October 5 - 10:24 pm

  Wow. I expected excellent fuel economy, but I did not expect to regularly exceed the mpg rating. Light throttle at 60-70 mph = 30-32 mpg. This is HYBRID-LIKE fuel economy! Make no mistake, handling and braking are crucial to active safety, and this car has it. It was upsetting, though, to have to opt for the tech pkg in order to get the 19" wheels/lower profile tires which make tech pkg cars handle and brake marginally better than those non-tech-equipped. Short people MUST test-drive before buying. My 52" wife BARELY found a suitable driving position. Love the side mirrors reverse-tilt feature, but prefer both mirrors tilt down when in reverse, not just one.

• 

  Bought it brand new. Amazing Car - 2005 Acura RSX
  By nateprice - October 4 - 9:48 am

  Bought it off the lot in 2005. Have had it for 193000 miles. The only thing Ive had to replace is the rear calipers which siezed up at 150,000 miles. Still have the original clutch. No other repair costs. And I drive this thing HARD... Brakes last, tires last, amazing gas mileage. 5 spd manual is fun, 160 hp engine could be a bit beefier. Type S isnt that much faster and requires premium. Friend has type s, He barely accelerates faster up to 60 mph. From 60+ the Type S really accelerates better. Handles amazing! Take turns fast with confidence and ease. Steering is responsive

• 

  Certanty Not a Lexus - 2014 Acura RDX
  By rdxcali - September 29 - 9:09 pm

  - A/C does not work very well. -Transmission shifting is jerky,,, not smooth. - The new car smell was so strong it made me and my wife nauseous for several weeks. - Certainly feels like a step down from my Lexus in all areas!

• 

  Acura RDX - 2014 Acura RDX
  By pr1 - September 29 - 8:24 pm

  I have had my Acura for three weeks and I remain very satisfied with my choice of the RDX. I had narrowed my search down to three brands when I arrived on the Acura sales floor in Tustin California. I always felt that a root canal was preferable than shopping for a new car. The salesman I was put in contact with, Kevin, knew his product, easily explained the cars features and then stepped back to let the car sell itself. During the next few weeks I found myself back on the sales floor several times to ask Kevin questions about some of technological features. Thats when I found Kevin to be as accommodating after the sale as he had been before.

• 

  Best 2014 (7 Pas) SUV - 2014 Acura MDX
  By nav11 - September 29 - 2:28 pm

  Former 2012 ML350 owner, the 2014 Acura is $5k cheaper and offers so much more for the money. I test drove Infiniti Q60 and it did not compare. No contest the MDX is the by far superior than ML, RX, Q60 and the XC. The MDX provides an Excellent ride, best mpg in its class, sexy jewel headlights, roomy, prompt acceleration. Acura did a great job.

• 

  Overpriced so-so SUV - 2010 Acura RDX
  By ezma - September 25 - 12:56 pm

  I hoped the turbo is fun to drive. In order to get a car like this, performance is a must, but it doesnt. Use premium gas plus high priced in maintenance, this car is failed to qualify as a luxury SUV. The NAV is the worse one on market. I dont even want to use it because the lack of touch screen. To operate the NAV feel so dump. Turbo kick in is similar to the down shift gear. Bit just too slow. I would say even RAV4 V6 is way better than this junk. So this is a way overpriced with really bad performed SUV. 2010 to 2012 are the same. 2013 and later changed to V6 but no more SH-AWD. I dont see whats the position of this SUV.

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  Not great for a petite woman! - 2011 Acura RDX
  By sylvanpt - September 22 - 4:14 pm

  When I test drove the car, it seemed perfect for my height--5. It is not. Since buying the car and driving it, Im having difficulty parking it. I can see over the hood, but something about the front end--length?-- causes me parking problems. Seat height limited--needs another 1-2". Seat belt doesnt lower where attached and cuts me across the throat. Passenger seat does not go up and down husband needs a high seat to enter the car due to back problems and now has a difficult time getting in. Would not have bought the car had I been aware. No push button to lower rear door--have to stand on tip-toe to grasp the handle. Looks more like a station wagon, not SUV. Want my RAV 4 back!

• 

  Not bad, but needs improvements - 2012 Acura TL
  By 71peters - September 17 - 9:27 pm

  I have had my 2012 TL for a year now. I bought it as a CPO for $28K...4K miles on it. I traded in a BMW 328I. Ok, it is a nice car with a lot of options. The interior is nice and very modern. Been on a few long trips and it is very comfortable. Where I have issues is with its performance. Two things right off the bat, 1) The transmission, second gear to be exact seems sluggish on take off. It really drags the the engine down and makes for a jerky ride. Granted, coming from a BMW...the Acuras performance is not even close. But it makes up for it in other areas. 2) The steering is not sport-tuned and you will feel torque-steer if you get in the gas. Feels like a Buick at times.

• 

  Great with a few flaws - 2013 Acura RDX
  By dbnutmeg - September 16 - 9:56 pm

  After ten months and 22k miles I love this vehicle. Its super comfortable, quiet and has a stable ride on all kinds of roadways. On extended interstate trips I get over 30 mpg. The back-up camera is fantastic. Theres excellent space in front, back and cargo area. All the basics are well done: its a great value. So, whats not to like. The onboard navigation system is effectively useless. Too dated and too many basic destinations not in the database--or not findable. Voice recognition just doesnt stack up even if you can remember the hundreds of commands and proper syntax. And you cant make adjustments to the route while driving. I now use my old Garmin portable GPS.