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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  Used 07 TSX was a good move - 2007 Acura TSX
  By jg88 - March 12 - 11:17 am

  Bought this car used two years ago for my daughter to drive and its going very well. Very solid build quality. Believe Acura missed on its replacement in comparison. Acura also did a realy nice job by including everything one could want as standard equipment. The Germans fail miserably at this. We also looked into the Audi a4 fwd and the BMW 3 series and it was hard to find similarly equipped cars anywhere close to the TSX. In testing them, neither blew away the TSX, in fact, in daily driving, the TSX was more than a worthy competitor. It handled better than the a4 and ride/steering is better than the 3. FWD did not seem to me to hurt it and I like FWD for poor weather.

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  Great Vehicle for Price - 2013 Acura MDX
  By ken117 - March 11 - 1:15 pm

  Have had the MDX for about two months. Other than MPG, nothing to complain about. Performance is outstanding for an CUV/SUV. MDX is actually fun to drive on a winding rural road. No noted squeaks or rattles. Things seem solid. Had a 2012 RDX and the MDX is far better. Acura dealers discounting due to coming 2014 model can result in a very attractive deal.

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  My 3rd Acura and the last one - 2007 Acura TL
  By inunez - March 10 - 9:49 am

  Is my third Acura and i never going to buy another one. I purschase the Tl 2007 new. 1. Dash crack. 2. Power steering leak. 3. Transmission problem. 4. Electrical problem.

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  Worth Every Dollar! - 2013 Acura TL
  By wisconsinfire - March 5 - 11:25 am

  Im uncertain if people are trying to compare this car to a Ferrari or to their 1974 Gremlin at times. For what this car was designed for it is amazing. Superior comfort, amazingly refined lines, cornering like a race car, and get up and go that doesnt like to sit at 25-35 MPH. Quick stopping, average MPG, and definitely a head turner. The sound system? Well after hearing DVD Audio with DTS 5.1, the XM sounds like AM. Love this car so much I dont want to get out of it!

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  Well-engineered luxury vehicle - 2013 Acura RDX
  By clinicianph - March 3 - 9:44 pm

  A well-thought engineered vehicle your money can buy for a luxurious wants that depreciates. Ride is comfortable and quiet. Handling is responsive and well-behaved. Powertrain and controls are conservative, characteristics of timeless approach in design and execution of a good product. It burns regular or premium, coupled with just the size and weight, cleverly at lower consumption than other vehicles without adverse ills. Interior and exterior look and feel are modern and eye catching to the weak human will. Center display is positioned safely allowing quick glances, without touchscreen that can distract you to overreach.

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  2013 TL AWD-SH w/Advanced PKG - 2013 Acura TL
  By thehonesttruth - March 1 - 6:41 pm

  Ive only had the car for about a month (900 miles), so commenting on reliability, etc. is impossible. Given Hondas track record though, Im sure its excellent, especially when compared to cars in its class. I know from what Ive been told and read, BMWs, Mercs, and Audis are somewhat unreliable and extremely expensive to repair. Furthermore, resale value on all of them is awful. Im not rich, so not throwing my money away was a big factor in my decision. Lexus and Infiniti make a good car too, you just have to buy whats right for you.

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  BEEN IN THE FAMILY SINCE NEW - 1990 Acura Integra
  By bigbearhunter - February 25 - 10:08 am

  My mom bought a 1990 acura integra GS in the summer of 1989. I had never seen anything like it. It was small and sleek and yet so nimble. I wanted it. .. ten years later. I got it. I always thought Id only have it for a few years, and that turned into 13. Now its old now and cosmetically falling apart, but the second you turn the key and take off, all the scuffs, scratches and dings disappear. Its the most fun Ive ever had driving a car. Its like a cross fit champion wearing an awkward and ill fitting suit. Its time for me to finally move on. But this car never required anything but replacement parts that couldnt last the 250k miles I put on it. Most reliable car Ive ever owned.

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  LOVE - 1998 Acura Integra
  By acenter - February 24 - 8:26 pm

  If you get the chance to buy one DO! Make ppl jealous. This was my first car. I bought it in 2006 with 101k miles and will never regret it. It has been a great car. Its very fun to drive: stops great, accelerates quick, and takes corners like nothing. After moving a few times, Im amazed at how much stuff you can fit in the trunk! The back seat is tight and no one likes to ride back there, but Im the only one in the car most of the time. It now has over 204k miles on it and still runs like a dream. I average 29mpg and have gotten up to 33mpg hwy miles. I will never sell it. I just bought a new car but will keep this one for a fun weekend car. It has held up well and had no major issues.

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  Impressive,very impressive - 2013 Acura RDX
  By vegasmurano - February 22 - 4:45 pm

  Let me start by saying I have owned over 80 cars (yes, but my insanity is another subject),and can easily afford ANY car I choose. This SUV blew me away by how nice it is for the price you pay. As like other reviewers, I looked at X3,Q5,Evoque,SRX and a few others. Feature for feature the RDX was $6k to $14k less and it drives smoother on the road than most of them. Handling is certainly not as sporty then many, but much smoother and more refined. And surprisingly in straight line acceleration it is as quick or quicker than my Acura TL-SH AWD and all of the trucks listed above (assuming the base engines).FYI I also currently own a BMW X3....

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  tech package overkill - 2012 Acura TL
  By tomtrav1 - February 19 - 1:49 pm

  this is our 3rd acura and we are pleased overall.smooth and quiet,handles well.