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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  Thermometer/AC problem - 2015 Acura MDX
  By avv - June 3 - 11:59 am

  I havent seen anybody else mention this, but its probably my only problem with the car since I bought it last December. If I drive the car awhile, and then park it for an hour or so, the next time I take it out, the car thermometer will read about 10C to 14C degrees higher than what it should be. As a result, the AC will then blow full blast for about 5-10 minutes until the thermometer gradually adjusts itself to the correct temperature as I drive around. For instance, it could be about 17C degrees out, but when I take the car out later, the temperature might read about 29C degrees for a little while. If it stay less than 1h there is no problem at all.

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  Bad Smell coming out of AC vents - 2014 Acura RDX
  By njjan - May 26 - 3:16 pm

  I am wondering if anyone else had this issue where there is a chemical smell emitting from the vents. It doesnt happen everyday, could happen 10 times a day and not happen for a week. I am concerned as to what the health aspects are. I also smelled it in a loaner car that happen to be a 2014 RDX also. I happen to be a repeat customer of the Acura and this is my 2nd RDX.

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  Nice certified off-lease ride - 2011 Acura RDX
  By njrdx - April 15 - 9:48 pm

  Purchased my 2011 as an off-lease Acura certified SUV. Got it for just under $23k with 30k miles and warranty good until 65k miles. Bought it Fall of 2014 and used it thru a tough winter, the SH-AWD was great! Has 36k miles now so have had it enough time to get very familiar. Do a mix of local and highway driving and it handles both well. With the rear seats down, plenty of room to haul things, the dog, etc. This is a good used car buy if all maintenance and servicing has been done. Turbo engines need on time oil changes. Buying as certified used from Acura is a good way to make sure this is the case.

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  A Nice SUV ripe with electronic issues - Too bad really - 2015 Acura MDX
  By goddo - April 14 - 7:35 am

  I feel like a guinea pig. I was sold a vehicle and I am the one testing it. This SUV is an amazing highway cruiser and family hauler when its not in the garage for electronic issues. My vehicle has been in the garage for multiple two-week periods trying to fix an electrical issue and now the newest issue is the keyless entry/start system doesnt work. I cant even unlock the doors without removing the key from the fob, and I have to hold the fob next to the button just to start the car (even then you wonder if it will work). I have rattles, knocks, and electronic issues that you would expect from a $15K car but not from a luxury brand. I want to like this car, I really do.

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  beware the 19 in wheels - 2015 Acura MDX
  By Carrie Shaheen - April 2 - 12:45 pm

  very happy with my new MDX with 2 exceptions, one serious, the other just annoying. the serious issue, the 19 in wheels are a huge problem if you need to replace a tire anywhere but a large city. NO ONE carries the 19 in tires. i had a flat in Lake City, Fl. My choices Macon or Tpa. 200 miles in either direction. 2 closer Acura dealers did not carry the tire. 200 mi on a donut is too much. worse yet the dealer says a full size spare wont fit. Until these tires become more available Id stay away from them. The annoying issue: the voice controls for navigation, radio etc are just flat hilarious. Call home pretty routinely either adjusts my AC or finds the closest drug store.

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  My Second and Last Acura - 2003 Acura TL
  By GERALD P GENNARO - March 6 - 7:33 pm

  Purchased new and currently has about 50,000 miles on it. While this S-type is fun to drive, continues to get good gas mileage, and looks good, I remain disappointed in the many little things that do not now and rarely have ever worked right (garage door opener auto-dim rear view mirror). Have frequently had total battery failure that, in turn, makes it impossible to even open the trunk. Repairs and maintenance are expensive as compared to my Honda.

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  TLX has safety issues - 2015 Acura TLX
  By amalcr - February 26 - 5:26 pm

  I have bought at least 8 Acuras in the last 5 years....always reliable. The new TLX has some problems. First, there is NO emergency brake....absolutely dumb and stupid! They ask you to electronically put on an emergency brake and then to get it off, electronically, you have to press on the accelerator. Well, that can cause an accident, especially if you are pointed downhill. Second, when you put the transmission in park, it drifts backward or forward, however you are pointed. These defects need to be fixed, pronto. If you like a hand emergency brake, dont buy this car!

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  Worst SUV/auto I have owned - 2009 Acura MDX
  By Stanley Eilers - February 26 - 1:11 pm

  My experience with a 2009 ACURA MDX with 71,000 miles driven 1. AC Unit had to be replaced 2. Struts had to be replaced 3. AC Control module had to be replaced (illumination led lights on control board did not work) 4. Control module overhead had to be replaced (illumination lights on control board did not work) 5. Front wheel bearings had to be replaced My best advice to anyone buying an ACURA MDX is to buy their platinum extended warranty. If you have the experiences I have had with this vehicle it will set you back a pretty penny.

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  Good basic reliable luxury car - 2004 Acura RL
  By Harriet Voloso - February 25 - 4:46 pm

  recently bought a 2004 acura rl sedan. paid 9990.00 before tax and lic. Blue book on this car is about 7500.00. So i paid more than i should have at the dealership. But 2004 acura rl are scarce in southern california at this time. So i sense that many people that have accords and older RLs are grabbing these 2004 one owner acura rl up. this RL is a one owner 18 service record car. Had all major service done on it. Including timing and water pump. if you are familar with hondas and acuras you will be right at home with this car. California car with no accidents on the carfax. very nice driving car very smooth. Not a lot of power but can hold its own. grab one if you can find one.

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  Great Car Poor Climate Control System - 2015 Acura TLX
  By v4f1 - February 9 - 7:43 pm

  Purchased a TLX Tech 2WD AWS V^ in October, love the way the car drives, handles awesomely, very quiet interior, the Stereo system is great, the electronics touch screens and such are very nicely put together. This is my third Acura had a 08 TL and 09 MDX, the climate control on this car seems to only work well for about an hour, when you drive on the freeway with the temp set at 74 for example the car gets very drafty and cold, the climate control never seems to adjust for the temp when needed, I live in a cold climate city, have driven two others and have experienced the same drafty interior.