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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  Too many Problems - 2003 Acura CL
  By Roynj - July 27 - 2:00 am

  The good things about the car are its awesome transmission and the engine power. It also looks great. OK enough of that. The low profile tires have given me nothing but trouble. So far Ive had to replace two of them at over $200 each due to sidewall bubbles. No, the tire manufacturer does not warranty the side wall. The guages are crude. The sunroof only opens about (what seems) six inches. What a waste! The cupholders should be called cupholder (singular!). And Ive had to have the drivers side interior door panel replaced. In addition, I dont think that the "auto" rearview mirror is working. Probably wont buy another one.

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  Best one available in the market - 2003 Acura MDX
  By allu - July 27 - 2:00 am

  I test drove all the upscale SUVs but this one is the most powerful one and best value for money.

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  mdx review - 2003 Acura MDX
  By Jennifer P - July 27 - 2:00 am

  The only problem I have experienced is a weird sensation with the tires, as if they are "wobbly" or unbalanced. The dealer says there is no problem, and I have heard others with similar complaints.

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  Former Audi Owner - 2003 Acura TL
  By Spud - July 27 - 2:00 am

  Best for the price

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  Very nice - 2006 Acura TL
  By Dennis - July 27 - 12:51 am

  Overall, an excellent car and just a few misses on interior fit like lining up the aluminum trim on the right side of the dash with the door trim. Some interior ticks and creaks now and then from the dash. Nice materials though. Power, comfort, lots of do-dads and nice sound system. Too bad DVD audio did not make it universally. Hard to find good DVD audios. Handles like a front driver and lots of understeer but controllable and improved from the 2002 model. Rides nice and not too noisy for a Honda product. Stock tires a joke and wear fast.

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  Wow, what a ride! - 2007 Acura MDX
  By ssundy - July 26 - 3:42 pm

  Ive had my MDX for about 4 months now and its a fabulous vehicle all the way around. Fantastic styling, very fun to drive and pretty good on gas mileage for its power and size. All my family and friends want one now lol!

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  Good fun in a small, practical package - 2005 Acura TSX
  By al - July 26 - 10:30 am

  Fun car, busy ride at slow speeds but really settles down at 60 plus for a great ride.

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  Just the basics - 2005 Acura TL
  By nabbox - July 25 - 10:36 pm

  I recently bought an auto 05 TL w/o navigation. I like the suspension but feel the trans does not properly shift under heavy throttle. I know I should have got a 6 speed. Overall, a nice car but the G35 is better tuned for sport driving. But looks, no contest, TL all the way.

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  A great all-purpose SUV - 2005 Acura MDX
  By JCPHX - July 25 - 8:59 pm

  Extremely comfortable, quiet ride with excellent performance. I purchased with all the bells and whistles, including DVD with rear speaker control - perfect for long trips with kids. Also, with two rows of seats that fold down, easily converts to a good SUV for hauling stuff. Bluetooth for the mobile phone is now a must-have. The voice-activated nav system seemed cool at first, but it was the one thing that didnt always perform perfectly. Still, this is my first Acura and the best vehicle I have ever owned.

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  Acura Does It Right - 2007 Acura MDX
  By HockeyFox - July 25 - 11:40 am

  After owning a Honda Pilot and an Acura CL type S, I am a Honda fan. My confidence is being tested with tranny issues on the CL, but we absolutely loved our Pilot. The MDX is a step up at every level. The navigation system, initially appearing complex, is easy to use and very informative once you get the hang of it. The build quality is very good with a few minor issues (one being a ding in the quarter panel when we went to pick up the car). Power is just fine for a vehicle this size, and the interior is wonderful. If we experience the same reliability as we did on our 2003 Pilot, we will be very happy campers.