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:

• 

  Second Acura and keep coming back - 2007 Acura MDX
  By MDXOWNER - December 19 - 8:34 pm

  This is our second Acura (first was a 2005 TL) and I purchased the MDX for my wife because we needed more room for a growing family. It’s been two years and it still turns heads on the road (even mine after I park it) because the styling is simple, yet screams “I have 300 hp under this hood”. Overall, you cannot go wrong with the Acura brand from a prestige, reliability and value standpoint. The MDX is upscale and it’s easy to scoff at BMW or Mercedes because of the superb value of the MDX. Acura has simple options and doesn’t hold you hostage with multiple ‘option packages’ in order to get what you want.

• 

  Love it! - 2001 Acura MDX
  By Barb - December 15 - 7:41 am

  Ive had this MDX for almost nine years (brand new with 14 miles on the engine) and have thoroughly enjoyed owning and driving this SUV. Dealer replaced the transmission about 75K miles ago. Love the strong, stable feel when driving in snow & rain. So roomy and comfortable for trips. Even though I no longer need such a large vehicle (the kids are grown & gone now) I most likely will get another MDX only I will buy used this time. I have over 175K miles and am seeing just how long/far this car will go. Have had most of the preventive maintenance performed which can be pricey but still havent found another SUV I like better.

• 

  Mediocrity and excellence in one car - 2007 Acura RL
  By Gasman - December 11 - 3:53 pm

  Hmm. Where to start... I bought my dealer demo with 5K miles. The drivers door shuts on me on entering and exiting the car--on level ground. The key fob works when it feels like it (I am told its in how I hold it). My wife and I use the car and it has trouble with the seat memory settings. I had to take the car in to get a fender realigned, though I did not have an accident. The doors are very tinny sounding-- especially when you release the handles. It is not powerful from the start and you have to gun the engine to get the torque up to sufficient levels. But its not all bad, the ride is nice, the interior is all of excellent quality, and the seating is comfy.

• 

  Cheap (really!) components - 2003 Acura MDX
  By renman - December 11 - 11:56 am

  This is a great looking car IMHO. And I love driving it, Its got a ton of room and handles nicely. But... the quality of the internal parts... is just ridiculous. Cheap, cheap, cheap. Vents, seat heaters, switches, etc, etc. Parts that should last 5-6 years or longer (cuz they are just not used much) go out after 2-3 years. A slightly better component would cost pennies, add maybe 1/2% to the total price of the car to upgrade all the little things to be reliable. Going to think long and hard before I buy another Acura. Its sad, because other than ALL the little things breaking, its a great vehicle.

• 

  Expected More - 2007 Acura TL
  By Gary - December 10 - 9:38 pm

  This is a fun and extremely comfortable car to drive, however, I was disappointed overall and will be anxious to turn my car in when the lease is up. A $35K + car with tires that didnt make it to 30,000 miles, carpeting that came up and took four attempts to fix, and other minor problems that could never seemed to be fixed in just a day. I had to leave my car at the dealership for repair work for days at a time on more than one occasion. I will miss the drive but not the headaches.

• 

  Is this really sport sedan ? - 2003 Acura TL
  By Kaddy - December 4 - 10:00 am

  If youre after sport sedan, drop Acura from you list in favor of BMW 3, Saab 9- 3, Infiniti G35, Mercedes C. Its too heavy and big. Nose dive in turns, lousy brakes, slow acceleration, awkward ride and stability in curves does not appeal to enthusiatic driver. Otherwise, this is great family/businessman car, just a bit outdated as compared to competition.

• 

  One of the best SUVs on the market - 2009 Acura MDX
  By JRS-CSC - December 3 - 7:21 pm

  I love my MDX!!!! I do not know what SUV the other folks are driving, but my experience has been great. The MDX handles like a dream. The stereo is one of the best I have ever heard and I have had no issues to date. The only bad thing is that I am only getting around 18 miles to the gallon on average, 22 highway. The sport package has some of the best looking wheels and a nice leather upgrade. I love my MDX...

• 

  Best out there in its class [for now] - 2009 Acura MDX
  By tastycakes - November 30 - 12:49 am

  Buying the MDX felt like an arranged marriage, not true love. For cargo storage, vehicle size, functionality, AWD and price compared to competitors, the MDX is great. But driving...well I dont know who said this is a fun drive. 5-spd tranny feels dated and sluggish to accelerate. Feel disconnected from the road more so than other CUVs. Lacks features like keyless entry/ignition, blind spot monitoring. Leather seems cheap compared to all competitors. Fuel economy disappointing at 14 mpg (80% highway) after 3 tanks. Lacks small touches in design - example is doors feel light and flimsy when closed. Chose MDX over CX-9 for the badge but have been feeling regret since purchase.

• 

  Nice Car but less seating room - 2016 Acura TLX
  By Raj Patel - November 23 - 3:45 pm

  Nice Car to drive but less room for seating if tall driver or passenger riding this car.

• 

  6-month review - 2003 Acura TL
  By Red Dog - November 22 - 2:00 am

  Great car so far. I was disappointed that it had a pretty serious water leak in the trunk when I got it, but of course they fixed that right away. Service has been good so far. Engine is strong throughout the powerband. Transmissions shifts kind of hard sometimes when accelerating slowly. Handling is very nice for a large FWD sedan. Seats are very comfortable. Would like to see a telescopic steering wheel since it seems a little far away (maybe I have short arms). Stereo sounds great. Overall, great car and very happy with it so far.