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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  Whew, So happy to have gotten it. - 2007 Acura RDX
  By Greenboy - May 2 - 9:00 pm

  Just got the car last weekend and am having a great time. This car is quick and responsive yet has all the versatility I need. I go over a mountain/hill in Berkeley/Oakland every day and it is a joy to drive through the woods, taking curves and downshifting manually on the downhills.

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  What an SUV - 2007 Acura MDX
  By Drew - May 2 - 5:30 pm

  Just purchased our 2007 MDX with tech package... what an amazing car. This car has every feature you can think of. The DVD surround stereo is amazing. This car is actually fun to drive, and the handling is like no SUV I have ever driven (Dodge, Chevy, Toyota, BMW). The turning radius is amazing, take a corner and push the gas and just smile. I have three kids ages 14, 12 and 9 and we have plenty of room. The ease of use with the voice activation system for GPS, stereo, climate is second to none. Acura knows how to build a car!

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  I love this vehicle !!! - 2003 Acura MDX
  By shag - May 2 - 2:00 am

  We had to wait 5 long months before we took home our beautiful MDX, but it was well worth the wait. Cant say enough great things about this SUV. It is so comfortable and easy to drive. Not to mention it is pretty classy looking to boot. I especially love the ease of raising/lowering the seats to fit our trunk needs.

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  Wow!!! - 2007 Acura MDX
  By JohnnyT - May 1 - 12:09 pm

  I cant believe I am saying this, but I love this vehicle! This coming from a man who wouldnt even consider an Acura product. My allegiance has always been with my Bavarian brothers but this time I wanted to be different, and besides the Wifey got the new X-5. Surprisingly enough my sled holds its own with the X-5 and its horsepower advantage. Especially using my Sports packages features gets me through the Malibu hills quite spiritedly. Enough oomph to pass on the freeways of LA and enough panache to park at your trendy diners around town. It just blends in rather than the opulent massive bohemoths like Caddies and Rovers crowding our beloved city. Overall, the SUV is a fine vehicle.

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  Acura RDX is an awesome small SUV - 2007 Acura RDX
  By Albert - May 1 - 9:39 am

  RDX is quick and nimble, acceleration feels like v6, it corners like its on rails, suspension is nice & stiff, and it has a great turning radius.

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  Awesome Car Great Value! - 2017 Acura TLX
  By Paul - May 1 - 5:00 am

  I dont understand why edmunds isnt giving the TLX more love, guess they are too caught up in the Audi BMW and Benz bandwagon and turbo craze. I have a 2013 Honda CR-V and love Hondas and decided it was time to upgrade the wifes car from a Mustang to this. Great decision the 4 cylinder has tremendous power even though I thought long and hard about going w the 6, the technology package is definitely worth the extra bucks for all the safety features and technology that comes w it. Absolutely love this car all the way around

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  Best in Class for $ - 2006 Acura TL
  By Mercedes Salesman - April 30 - 11:16 pm

  I am a salesman at a Mercedes, Lexus, Jaguar, Porsche and Acura dealer. I have plenty of seat time in these cars and can offer some objective opinion on this car. The first thing is, NO CAR IS PERFECT. But, this thing comes pretty darn close. If you want to spend $80K+ on a sedan, you can get some amazing vehicles. But for the mid- $30s range, your in a compromising class. Your at the bottom of the elite or the top of frugile and economical. When you look at the TL in that light, hands down, there is no car close to what it offers. The Mercedes C230 Sport looks pretty cocky but is slower, smaller and less equipped. The IS 250 is the same way but a little more equipment than the MBZ.

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  I love this car! - 1991 Acura Integra
  By The Jamster - April 30 - 7:39 pm

  I love this car! I bought one when I was 16 and ended up trading it for a CRX, but couldnt stay away. Im 23 now and traded that same CRX for another Integra!

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  Great Ride - 1995 Acura Integra
  By Bart - April 30 - 2:52 pm

  I needed a quick car because my 1998 Oldsmobile Intrigue fell apart and I didnt have a lot to spend at that moment. I picked it up for $3000 with 163000 miles on it. I changed the oil and replaced the brake pads (normal wear and tear). I LOVE this car. It drives like its brand new, it handles like a dream, doesnt lose any fluids, has terrific gas mileage, and is peppy. I bought it as a short term solution and it may turn out to be a long love affair. I would recommend one of these cars to anyone. It is my first Acura and it will not be the last.

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  A wonderful car if Acura engineers stop stupidity - 2016 Acura TLX
  By Donald Martin - April 30 - 1:15 pm

  A great value at its price point. The car is within a whisker of greatness if those responsible for its design would study the competition and take a lesson is usability design. Sometimes engineers get enamored with themselves . I should know, I am one. This car is an unbelievable value at its price point . I bought it based on that and I dont regret it but it could be the absolute class leader but for a few points: 1. For Petes sakes hear the steering wheel and rear seats. Comes in the Canadian model. Is Minnesota warmer than Canada? 2. Please for the love of god sit down with a few customers who have tried to use your cockpit. It is non intuitive and silly in some respects. Dont you people ever drive this car? 3. I like auto fold mirrors. So do all the people who buy bmw Audi and Mercedes. Its stupid but it makes us feel special. Do it! 4. The nine speed has problems that everybody knows about... Fix it! 5. The lane keeping assist and dynamic cruise are good. Can you stop insisting I move the steering wheel? Turning it off if I dont seems asinine. Its like the car is saying " move the wheel or I will kill us both." Also can you make the dynamic less responsive ? Its like driving with a 16 yo with their first time at the wheel. Even the GM system is better than this. Let me repeat . The GM engineers skunked you on an electronic system! Ok so enough with the negativity. Its a fantastic vehicle with a fantastic engine and an ok drivetrain. It is the quietest car Ive ever driven. I use it as my daily highway commuter and I like it a lot. I got more for my money than any other car I looked at. You could have the line out the door with just a few relatively minor changes. Make them!!!