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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  Buyer Beware - 2002 Acura MDX
  By Tom - January 2 - 7:57 pm

  Tranny went at 66,000, and I am having problems again at 140,000! If not for this major issue I love it. Gas mileage OK

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  Great car - 1990 Acura Integra
  By carjunkie - January 1 - 6:21 pm

  I read some of these reviews had to add mine. Had an 88 Integra LS and it was like a tank. Was broadsided by a semi on I-40 in an ice storm. Drove it from AR to KY for the holidays and then down to AL where I relocated. Finally had it fixed. Best car I ever had and only sold it at 137000 miles because 2d child arrived. Too much to pack 2 kids and an 80 lb dog for the trips to see the grandparents. Now Im looking for another for those kids as they start to drive.

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  12 month 25Kmiles update - 2009 Acura TSX
  By highmiles - January 1 - 1:36 pm

  Have owned the car for a year, 25K miles. Average MPG 28 (mostly Hiway, with local thrown in.) Reliability is great, maintenance costs about $400, all oil changes at 5K intervals. Dealer and manual says I can go longer. Have occasional problems with bluetooth. Either phone or car, not sure which. Have gotten used to sharp cutoff headlight pattern, though it is still disconcerting on hilly roads. Car is very comfortable on long drives.

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  Old car for Young driver - 1990 Acura Legend
  By bensterk - December 30 - 8:00 pm

  My grandmother purchased this car used When I got my license she gave it to me. It currently has 171,000 miles. We have had some problems with it. For example, the starter went out and left me stranded at taco bell. Head seal broken which leaks oil on the engine which smokes= embarrassing. We had to get the Alarm system deactivated because it kept going off. Also, the ABS breaks are completely broken. But, this car can be so fun to drive, light steering and great throttle response. Seats are comfortable. The ride is very comfortable over normal conditions yet it can still be sporty. All in all a very fun car full of vigor and character.

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  Definitely love it!!! - 2016 Acura RDX
  By Geene Rosado - December 29 - 7:02 am

  Very comfortable ride, VERY roomy, safety features are excellent, technology pretty good, will definitely stay in the Acura family, they have yet to disappoint me!! Also would like to inform buyers that I had the best experience ever @ Acura in Gainesville☺

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  2003 mdz Tranny Problems - 2003 Acura MDX
  By axelman001 - December 27 - 8:03 pm

  We love the vehicle when we can keep it on the road. Bought CPO but we keep having tranny problems. Third Transmission in two years. Had same problem with our Odyssey, told problem was fixed by Honda by 2003. Wrong. Rest of car is great.

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  Almost Perfect - 1998 Acura Integra
  By butch - December 27 - 12:59 pm

  Vehicle: 1998 GSR 4dr. Color cypress green. I purchased the car in March of 1998, and have enjoyed almost every thing about it, no problems at all. The only improvement it needs is a 6 speed transmission. Highway driving gets tiresome at 70-75 mph. Leave ratios 1-5 alone and drop in an overdrive 6th. Drop rpm down about 300 to 500.

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  My daily driver for 14 years and counting - 2003 Acura TL
  By Ted - December 25 - 4:22 am

  I first purchased my TL-S back in 2002 (2003 model year). The transmission failed in 2003, and again in 2009. Both were replaced under extended warranty. The transmission that was installed in 2009 has been working fine since, with a redesign to prevent future problems. The Acura service department was excellent in remedying the transmission problem, both times. It has been 7 years and 80k miles on my current transmission. My car currently has 190k miles. My TL-S still has strong acceleration and surprisingly compliant yet firm ride quality and capable handling after all these years. The interior materials are holding up well, and the dashboard still retained its original color. The leather seats have aged much better than my 2008 Lexus ES. If not for the transmission issues early on, I wouldve given this car a perfect rating. My TL-S has held up much better than my friends BMW 323 and Mercedes C class, which they purchased around 2002, and both of which fell apart a few years ago. Asides from the transmission and a couple of broken window motors, Ive only done routine maintenance on my car. Kudos to Acura for building a mostly bulletproof car.

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  Deeply Conflicted - 2009 Acura RDX
  By fischb - December 22 - 8:32 am

  I am deeply conflicted about this car. It drives sporty and tight, but on rough pavement it is too bumpy. There are 3 competing electronic displays, but technology is about 8 years old. Voice recognition is the worst as is the nav. Fuel economy is stellar for this segment, 22 MPG, but linear accelleration is impossible due to the mismanaged turbos. The leather is cheaper than Benzs imitation stuff. Handling on snow is bad due to torquiness, so I had to get snow tires. Exterior styling is suspect, but I like its small size. In the end, I am trading after one year for a BMW X6, if only to save my sanity from the tortuous fan whine when you turn on the heat.

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  Acura 2009 MDX Sport AWD - 2009 Acura MDX
  By usaheadhunter - December 20 - 9:34 am

  Purchased after looking at all the rest BMW, Mercedes, Enclave, Audi, Toyota. Sport package took me over the edge to buy. Handling is fantastic. Seating excellent. Controls easy to use. Cost to own seems relatively strong in Edmunds. We will have to wait and see. After two years, this automobile should have 6 speed transmission. Looks like 2010 will finally have one. When I found out it had build parts in Canada, wanted to turn it back in to the dealer!