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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  The Best Used Sedan on the Market? - 1995 Acura Legend
  By ivorytickler - March 8 - 8:40 am

  We bought our 95 Legend L in 2001 with 72K on it and it now shows 126K. All service has been done by Acura, and it has proved the most reliable, durable, fun-to-drive vehicle weve ever owned. Fantastic handling, lots of room, tremendous Bose sound system, very comfortable on the road, and nowhere near the running costs of a Mercedes or BMW (which it will spank on occasion). These cars are now ridiculously inexpensive on the used car market, and many consumers as well as Acura Service Managers insist this is the best car Acura ever made. If you dont know about these cars and are looking for a great used sedan buy, you owe it to yourself to check one out. You wont be disappointed!

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  Fun to drive - 2010 Acura RDX
  By hmsq5 - February 28 - 6:37 am

  This car puts a grin on my face every time I drive! Granted the front shield can be polarizing but overall the car is incredibly fun to drive. I had a 08 A4 prior to the RDX and the RDX handles corners better than the A4. And with way more power. Noise level between the two is about the same but the turbo growl on the RDX is really pleasant. I find the ride to be very comfortable, steering with good road feel and the interior clean and functional. We have a 11 Q5 2.0 and the RDX is much more fun to drive. The Q5 is bigger, quieter and feels more numb on the roads. It doesnt handle as well as the RDX, costs $8000 more comparably equip and Acura dealers are >>>>> than Audi.

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  Very Good Value, Fun, Some Improvements Needed - 2011 Acura MDX
  By panic492 - February 26 - 11:00 pm

  I have had my 11 Nav/Tech for about a month now and I am overall very happy. The engine is silky smooth and the seats are very comfortable-it is a pleasure to drive. The tech "stuff" is great-nav, voice, IPod recognition...I also looked at the Audi Q7 (close 2nd choice) and BMW X5 (distant 3rd choice). My small complaints about the MDX are the fake wood trim, it is plastic. When the sun hits it, it blinds you. Also, the visors are very flimsy. No big issues so far other than my AC is giving me a bit of a funny smell, probably needs a new air filter. Should be a reliable, fun SUV.

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  Snow machine! - 2007 Acura MDX
  By nregier - February 8 - 8:21 pm

  We love our MDX Sport. Smooth, powerful, stylish, great looks, handles like a sports sedan. Weve had lots of snow and ice lately and this Acura handles it like a champ. The vehicle stability control, ABS, big tires, and 300hp V6 make for a formidable all weather machine. Driving it inspires confidence. We get 14mpg in city, best ever is 24 on highway.

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  Excellent - 2010 Acura TL
  By waltercmarsh - February 7 - 4:46 pm

  I bought my Acura TL about 1 year ago. I did the auto research on Edmunds and test drove similar cars from other manufacturers (BMW, Infinity, Audi, Mercedes, etc.). Not only did I find the Acura TL to be the most fun to drive (the Infinity was a close second) but the price made it by far the best deal. I have not been disappointed. The car drives great - it is a pleasure. I recommend it highly.

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  Great car - 2010 Acura TSX
  By rdawg23 - February 6 - 10:35 am

  I traded in a "glitchy" Honda Civic Hybrid for a TSX Tech last year and am not regretting my decision. The TSX offers good gas mileage for the class of vehicle and has enough power so you dont feel like youre going nowhere when accelerating. The navigation unit is good, and yes, while it doesnt have some of the latest features you get from a TomTom or Garmin you buy from your neighborhood electronics store, it can hold its own. My advice is to read the manual and really learn how to use it just like you would any other computer. The ELS audio system included with the tech package is an incredible audio system. When using any digital source, the sound has a lot of depth and quality

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  TL Junkie - 2005 Acura TL
  By bgump - February 2 - 2:40 pm

  This is the second TL we have owned and I think once you own a TL you are hooked. I have absolutely nothing bad to say about this car. It is such a pleasure to drive and so comfortable. A very reliable car. In the winter my husband puts snow tires on the car and I have absolutely no problems getting around the hills of Pennsylvania. We love the TL so much that we are thinking about trading it in for a 2012. This car has been so reliable that we dont even look at other makes of cars because we know we will be disappointed in the quality.

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  Great Car let down by Awful nav system - 2011 Acura RL
  By scatback - February 2 - 12:02 pm

  Get the non tech package RL and youll have a great bargain. The new six speed tranny is great, the ride is the best, and the new wheels do cut interior road noise (wind noise doesnt exist below 90), plus all materials are to Acura standards. Drawback: the awful navigation: inaccurate, difficult to learn and glacially slow, with low res and voice command thats hopeless - worse than on my 2005 or 2007. I have a Garmin 1450T which is incomparably better. Im going to put it on the dash and leave the acura system off. Then it will be a great road car, and just got 26mpg over 1600 road trip

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  ACURA QUALITY - 2008 Acura RDX
  By flip110119 - January 29 - 5:01 pm

  I have the 2008 RDX with Tech package - 33,000miles & it has delivered as expected. NO problems what so ever!! All that I have done so far is change the Trans fluid, rear differential fluid & Oil. I love the SUV from the performance to the comfort & utility. Its the perfect size for utility & still can parallel park in the city with no problems! Ive seen a few reviewers complain about Gas Mileage but I havent really experienced anything less than the 17/22 which Acura expects. Ive been getting 19.6mpg in the city & 26.1mpg on the highway with the cruise control on at 70MPH. I keep the tire pressure at 40PSI & I drive with a roof rack. Id buy this car again!!

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  This Car Was Made for Me - Update - 2010 Acura TSX
  By david_r - January 28 - 6:54 pm

  Have now owned car since June 2010. Would buy another without a second thought. Outstanding value given all the features in the technology package. The handling is superb chassis limits/FWD limits can not be legally reached on public streets. It took me a 90 degree turn with slight drift to get inside front tire to lift enough to engage the stability control. Traction and vehicle stability control work extremely well in snowy or slick conditions. Took a 3000 mile road trip from Seattle area to western Nebraska car was loaded. Had no lack of power or acceleration issues with mountain passes or passing other cars.