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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  Really fun But..... - 2010 Acura TL
  By kev001 - June 9 - 12:36 am

  Driven SH-AWD TL now for 2 years. The car is awesome if you have for the right purpose this is a sports car not a cruiser. It gets horrible mpg and really crashes on speed bumps. I highly recommend using sport mode and paddle shifters to complete the sporting feel. The engine signature and agility of this car is really impressive. Again, I love the car but am now wanting a more comfortable car to ride in as my daily commute has gotten longer with the new job. Also the road noise at highway speeds is so loud, I cant use my Bluetooth.

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  acura finally got it right! - 2014 Acura RLX
  By jtienda - June 7 - 12:33 pm

  Just bought 2014 rlx advance, had 2011 rl the difference is like night and day. WOW! what a great car , we love it. rlx does it all , great ride, tech is state of the art. looks great. jg

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  Time to part... - 1991 Acura Legend
  By vasyliy - June 6 - 3:44 am

  This is the sturdiest car Ive ever owned. I abuse it everyday and it still runs like a monster. The transmission is jerky, but thats my fault. I accelerate by pressing the pedal to the metal. Its really expensive to repair and parts are hard to find. Gas mileage is about 12 miles per gallon ( how I drive ). Overall its really comfortable, the exterior is really nice as well.

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  How to Make a Car - 2014 Acura RDX
  By troyruttman - June 4 - 8:49 am

  The RDX does everything a car is supposed to do -- its comfortable, fun to drive, pampers you a little and makes financial sense. Its less expensive than its competitors but drives as well or better. The combo of auto and manual transmission is practical and fun. Manual downshifting on mountain roads saves on brake wear -- and with cylinder deactivation mpg can jump suddenly from 20 to 30 or even 40 with no change in sound or feel. Bluetooth and USB audio work beautifully. Seats are very comfortable and storage space is good. I upgraded from a Honda and the family resemblance is clear. This company makes high quality cars for those who wish to balance comfort, convenience and value.

• 

  2013 Acura TL SH-AWD Advance - 2013 Acura TL
  By jason60051 - June 3 - 2:43 pm

  I traded in my 2011 BMW 535i for this vehicle. My 535i lacked x-drive and was a manual transmission so I was looking for something with awd, automatic, great resale value, and reliability and this Acura fit the bill. Having driven the BMW a couple years I was pleasantly surprised by how this Acura handles and the acceleration. The only gripe I would have is that it rides a little stiff with the 19s. But it isnt an uncomfortable ride. The build quality is very good and the gas mileage so far isnt bad...21 mpgs combined city and highway.

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  BASE RDX IS EXCELLENT - 2013 Acura RDX
  By plmrdx - May 24 - 4:19 pm

  The RDX is worth the $35-40K price compared to other luxury SUVs. The ride and performance of the 2013 model is excellent--see Consumer Reports. However, the Navigation Sys. is not worth the price. Unless you are an audiophile, the Tech Pkg. is not worth $4K. Buy it without, then get a good Garmin GPS of $100+. You will like it better.

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  Love it! - 2013 Acura RDX
  By lisas55 - May 23 - 4:39 pm

  Have had my RDX one month, averaging 25.5 MPG in mixed driving. Very comfortable, nice interior. Good for taller folks - we are both over 510. Great value - cost 6K less than than a comparatively equipped Volvo S60 - which is the other car I looked at - and the gas mileage is much better. I got over 30MPG on the highway. And you never know when the active cylinder management system is in use - its smooth and seamless.

• 

  167k and still running strong, sold at 204k - 2001 Acura MDX
  By livinginnova - May 23 - 2:57 pm

  I purchased this SUV with 59k on it and have been driving it for the last 7 years. Ive taken onto the beach, into the woods, slept in it at campsites, and up and down the East Coast. The transmission and engine are still running strong. I did have to replace a blown A/C hose and a bunch of tires, but I couldnt be happier with the vehicle. I got the dreaded P0740 code twice in 3 days. The car had to go and Im pretty sad about it. The car has been fantastic. Of course, I had to do regular maintenance, replace a computer module, and A/C compressor. I would say thats pretty good for owning a car for 15 years and 204k miles. My next vehicle has some big shoes to fill.

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  Great car to drive - 2002 Acura TL
  By luvtypes - May 22 - 8:45 am

  Bought my TL about 4 years ago, and didnt have any major issues. All acura and Honda buyers have ideas about the bad transmission problem but still does not maintain it the way it should be taken care of, i changed transmission oil every 10K and now its just over 300KM on my car and still running strong...Love the car

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  Acura does not belong - 2013 Acura RDX
  By mgtu273 - May 15 - 12:44 am

  I am the owner of RDX for six month and I am quite disappointed. Reading other reviews seems like I am driving a different car and Id like to share my view to help future buyers understand what they are buying. In one sentence: Acura does not belong to the club of Audi, BMW, Lexus or Mercedes, do not compare RDX to Q5, X3 and do not read reviews that attempt to do so. Main complain: whoever designed this car never drove in it. Ive bought top of the line model and it is missing basic features that come free in Toyota.