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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  Overall a great car for its class - 2007 Acura MDX
  By Sun - November 2 - 6:23 pm

  I looked into BMW X5, Benz M350, and Volvo XC90. I lastly checked out the new MDX and fell in love with all the features the car has and its new look. Definitely the most bang for the buck in every aspects compared to other vehicles in its class.

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  No regrets - 2004 Acura TL
  By still love it - November 2 - 9:56 am

  Have owned the car for about 15 months and have about 10,500 miles on it. I still get the new car giggles and look forward to driving the car beyond my very short commute. Have had a couple of fit and finish issues that were resolved by the dealer (replaced pasenger seat cover, replaced third brake light cover), have had no other problems. The biggest surprise is that the tires are only expected to last for about 15K miles because of the speed rating are of a softer material (per the dealer). Will likely search for a comparable tire with a lower speed/higher wear rating. I do not have the rattles or

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  Great SUV for price - 2017 Acura MDX
  By Amit Patel - November 2 - 3:15 am

  Definitely a reliable safe SUV that you can depend on for years. Great price point that you cant pass up. Although Acura puts out great reliable cars I always purchase the extended warranty from either the dealer or credit union.

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  2005 better than 2003 - 2005 Acura MDX
  By mark martin - November 1 - 11:33 am

  Had 2003 updated to 2005 the nav is great improvement and the voice activated features are a nice addition

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  Sweet, sweet car - 1994 Acura Legend
  By Bob Rinkel - November 1 - 2:20 am

  2nd Legend, 1st was a 88 coupe (loved it) that gave 185k spirited, trouble free miles. I have 120k on my GS (AT) and it feels as solid as a tank. At $42k new in 94, it is loaded with high (for 94 and today) technology and qty materials and parts. A few: dual piston front calipers, automatic traction control (really works on Colorado snow), pretensioners on seat belts, knock sensors so you can choose to burn regular (a little less power), excellent auto climate control, distributorless ignition, high qty, durable leather, and other interior material that look near new 11 years later. Its fast and easily moves away from 99% of other cars. It is cheap to keep and a tremendous used car value.

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  Critical owner not disappointed - 2006 Acura RSX
  By HappyRSX-S - October 31 - 6:32 pm

  When this car debuted in 01, I knew I wanted one. Four years later and able to buy one I set out to fulfill my dream. It was hard not to rush in and just buy it but after visiting two different dealerships and driving two different cars (04 & 05), I knew it was what I wanted. I wanted a fun manual car. This is exactly that. The six speed is fun yet can be driven every day for commuting and for gas mileage (I get 28 with a 50 mile round trip commute). I wanted an attractive style that wasnt overpopulated on the road and I have seen 3 other Type-Ss in the 3 months of driving I have done. I wondered if the happiness I felt when I first got it would wear off, it still has not.

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  Value for your money - 2002 Acura MDX
  By Bman - October 31 - 10:00 am

  Traded in 98 Acura TL for extra space, went back to Acura for reliability & comfort. This thing is a dream to drive - good power (particularly for weight of vehicle), smooth transmission, great handling, very comfortable/convenient. Looks great inside and out - catch a lot of people taking notice when you drive by. Lets face it, SUVs arent cheap, but you get your moneys worth with this one.

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  MDX - Beat out Navigator, X-5, etc. - 2002 Acura MDX
  By Vance Moore - October 31 - 10:00 am

  Excellent vehicle! Build quality was well above average. Navigation system simple, intuitive, comprehensive. We looked at Lexus, Mercedes, Lincoln, & Infinity. This was the best overall for handling, convenience, and fun!

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  Luxury at Honda Prices - 2002 Acura TL
  By tinmantt - October 31 - 10:00 am

  This has been the best car Ive owned. Had European cars including Volvo, Audi, etc., but as an overall experience, they cant compete.

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  I love it - 2005 Acura MDX
  By guye - October 31 - 7:53 am

  Just converted from a long run of Volvo sedans and I love it. Gas mileage isnt great but not much different than other SUVs.