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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  Huge disappointment - 2014 Acura RDX
  By todd_d - January 24 - 6:23 pm

  After having nothing but great experiences with our last 5 hondas, the Acura RDX was a complete disappointment. Above 60 on smooth highway, its a pretty good ride. But around town in the sub 45 range, it is horrible! Within 3 months of owning it, we had all of the struts replaced under warranty. This made no difference. I dont understand this since it is basically a CRV chassis and the CRV rides quite a bit better. I thought maybe something was wrong with this particular one, but after reading other peoples experiences on Acurazine, this is the norm. Not just with RDX, but all Acura models at this time. 1st Acura Ive owned, and last! Traded it in after 14 months, 12000 miles.

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  Dont Buy until drivers Window Noise Fixed - 2014 Acura MDX
  By djr0302 - January 5 - 12:58 pm

  After a few months an irritating wind noise developed in the drivers window, right next to my ear. Gets loud at >50mph. I took it in, dealer says it is a known problem for which Acura hasnt put a fix out for. They didnt want to try putting in rubber tape, etc and start messing with the window fit perhaps making things worse. Recommended I wait and see if Acura puts out a fix. Are you kidding me.. $55K for a loud noise in your ear. Not a sign of quality to compete with rivals. Stay away.

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  Not a luxury SUV anymore! - 2014 Acura MDX
  By suitespot - December 15 - 3:03 pm

  Leased my third MDX in late March. Fit/finish not like it was when Canadian made. LED screen control of HVAC began to flicker off/on, phonebook would not load, rattle at left rear wheel. But, real issue was vibration and noise caused by Cylinder Management System. Dealer tried to resolve without success. Called Acura Tech only to be told that they could not help with any of the issues. In the meantime the engine vibration and noise worsened. So emailed Acura. After unpleasant exchange of emails got a call with promise to call back but would make "no promises" re: resolving my concerns. No call back in a week. Obviously Acura did not want me as a customer. Bought a new Lexus RX.

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  Pretty Bummed with Acura - 2003 Acura TL
  By corbin12 - December 5 - 3:13 pm

  Bought this TL with about 60,000 miles on it and was very impressed.....for about a year then it started falling apart. A/C needed to be completely replaced. Transmission never shifts down in town, so it hardly ever runs below 2500 RPMs even at low speeds. The exterior trim is faded, the heat controls inside have a mind of their own...you can turn the system off and still have hot air blasting out. The wiring on the steering wheel stereo controls is fried and never worked right. I thought Acura made a quality product but I was very wrong. Disappointed with this car...its kind of a piece of junk.

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  Caveat Emptor - 2012 Acura MDX
  By gibbsie - September 18 - 9:50 am

  Ive had my 2012 MDX for two full years now (and 25,000 miles) and its definitely a mixed bag. I like the way it handles and with room for 7 or 5 and lots of gear its certainly fit the bill of people hauler and long road trip mule, but for $45k, I expected better--better quality and reliability. I have driven the 2015 model and there are some improvements, but there are too many issues with this vehicle to recommend it highly. I plan to sell it and consider other options.

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  Brake Safety Issue - 2014 Acura RDX
  By mountainbob - August 7 - 5:04 pm

  Mine and all 2014 models have a front end metal on metal clang going over bumps. Diagnosed by two dealers as brake pad metal backing hitting caliper clips. Acura will not fix, dealer has made a temporary fix. Dealers are frustrated with Acura over issue. Dealer says he does not know if this is a safety issue. Filed complaint with Federal safety commission. Metal on metal will eventually break down. Acura will have to fix the problem if more owners complain to dealers. This is a potential dangerous brake issue. The clang is not something that a so called "high end" SUV should have. Acura calls it, "a Characteristic" of the model. If this is so then lower the price to a low end SUV.

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  no spare tire! - 2014 Acura MDX
  By johnkim575 - July 12 - 6:26 am

  Be warned that there is no spare tire on some models. I found out the hard way that Acura has put in a tire inflator/gel rather than a spare tire. What should have been a 15 minute tire change turned out into a 5 hours ordeal where Acura wanted me to have the car towed to a dealership because the puncture on my tire was larger than "nail" size. What would have happened if I was on a road trip with no acura dealership near by because Acura road side service will only tow to an Acura dealership? If you dont tow to a dealership YOU pay to have it towed. A car that nearly costs 50K should have a spare tire/donut.

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  Transmission harness didnt even make 75K miles - 2010 Acura MDX
  By 28if - June 25 - 9:28 pm

  In the shop again for another transmission non warranty covered issue. This time the "D" indicator light starts blinking, no error codes. Dealer says the wiring harness between the engine and tranny needs to be replaced for $2K!!!. No the power train warranty doesnt cover this. Car has just under 75,000 miles on it. Really? The quality is so bad that basic parts cant last 75,000 miles. Putting it on Craigs list as soon as I get it back.

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  Ho Hum - 2013 Acura RDX
  By newro - June 24 - 12:56 pm

  This is my 6 or 7th Acura and it will be my last. The buying experience, with a dealer that I have used for 15 years was not great, switched leasing companies on me and I did not even realize it. Cost me 15,000 extra miles. That said, my wife is the primary driver on this but I drive it on weekends. The car it twitchy, touch the wheel and you are all over the place. Tranny? Upshift, downshift, really annoying. The build quality is Acura but honestly, the interior is cheap, the bluetooth is a step below my 2010 TL and there are so many choices in the small cross over/small SUV market that I would never get another one of these. I was this close to getting a Murano and wound up with the Acura.

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  BUYER BEWARE*LEMON ALERT** - 2014 Acura MDX
  By rollahead - June 9 - 11:11 am

  Have 14 MDX/Tech 9 mo. Complaining since inception #1 Drivers windows rattle lowered a few inches #2 intermittent motor noise from behind dash with recent 3 second**Steering Wheel Lockup**. Dealer duplicated motor noise on 4th visit. Corporate tech advised dealer "theyre aware of "issue" with steering motor, but dont have any solution at this time". Dealer advised car "normal" and I should pick it up!! Problem without solution=no repair? What could happen if the steering wheel locks up again? If you have this problem Please file your complaint immediately with National Highway Safety Administration 888-327-4236. BTW dealer said rattle windows is as per Acura design. Really?