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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  A step down - 2013 Acura RDX
  By newro - February 19 - 12:12 pm

  I have had 6 Acuras and have come to expect a certain level of quality from them. My last one before the RDX was a 10 TL. Although I was not crazy about the styling, the car flew, handled well and the interior had a style to it. I have had the RDX for about 2 weeks now and the over riding feeling that I get is that it looks and feels cheap inside. Plastic all the way through, even the sun visors feel thin. The blue tooth is a giant step backwards from what I had in the TL, it makes zero sense. I got this car for my wife to negotiate the snow in the NE because the TL was not very good. I looked at the Murano and honestly, it is a nicer car inside.

• 

  I really love this car - 1997 Acura CL
  By allien88 - February 18 - 9:09 pm

  Bought this car a few months ago with over 120,000 miles on it. The previous owner made some modifications (adjusted shifting, 18 in. rims, huge air intake, ) and it made the car so much livelier. the best part is starting the car... actually driving it is a dream the engine is a bit sluggish in the lower speeds but the car puts the driver in total control around 60 mph. The car is very powerful and graceful, its kinda ugly but its all that much more endearing. `

• 

  Think what do you buy first... - 2012 Acura MDX
  By carguy1972 - February 18 - 1:19 pm

  People, if you had "germans" and think to buy this car - think first, this car do not have even close value to what it cost. I will go through it: Motor vs tranny - never mach torque to gear, so looks like you have 300hp for nothing. Make it to up/down hill you will see how hard it goes. ergonomics do not exist in this car at all, just start your search for clock, where it is? you will catch yourself - Im still looking ... while driving right? who is watching the road? SHAWD is a joke, torquevectoring more looks like rawing left/rigt, take it on freeway sport mode full gas - everytime gear change stearing wheel jerks. I can go and go about it. New car value ~ 30k top, just good quality buckt

• 

  I love my RDX. - 2013 Acura RDX
  By hondacom - February 16 - 3:34 pm

  I purchased my 2013 RDX three months ago. I downsized from a full size truck to this SUV. I wanted one a few years ago but decided to wait for the V6 engine. It uses about 30% less fuel than my truck did. I do most of my driving in the city and the shorter wheelbase makes maneuvering in traffic and parking easy. This vehicle fits me like a glove.

• 

  TSX V6, no navigation - 2012 Acura TSX
  By mountainroad76 - February 15 - 1:53 pm

  I wanted a good sounding engine, reliability, and refinement as the three dominating factors in that order. I was sick and tired of hearing a nasty exhaust, the constant problems, and lack of refinement that my inherited 04 explorer had. This Acura is better in every way except cargo/seating capacity that I never needed. It is especially fun to drive it begs you to drive it hard. The deep, refined growl of the engine is priceless, though the effervescent purring of the I4 would have satisfied me. Handling is excellent, but the ride is quite stiffer than a Lexus, and it is louder at high speeds. At least you wont fall asleep! Not a great city commuter, but very fun for highway/mountainous.

• 

  My Last Acura - 2003 Acura TL
  By tcross - February 14 - 1:10 pm

  I bought this car new in 2003 and have had it serviced at the dealer religiously. I kept it washed, waxed and cleaned inside and out. The car is a lot of fun to drive. Its a little noisy on the inside, though. The transmission went out (second gear recall defect) at 70k miles. The dealer replaced it for free. I spent about 5k to replace motor mounts, timing belt and other major maintenance at 100k. At 101k the clearcoat began failing. At 110, the drive train started wobbling and/or slipping at certain speeds and power settings. At 150k, the car looks awful and isnt worth further repairs. Im done with Acura.

• 

  Very happy but would like more options - 2013 Acura RDX
  By sbrows - February 14 - 12:49 pm

  We traded in our 2007 MDX for the RDX for the better gas mileage. We have had the RDX for 3 months and are very happy with the gas mileage. We are averaging about 23 to 26 miles per gallon with mixed highway and city driving. The RDX has plenty of pick up and drives very smoothly but still sporty. My husband likes it so much that he is now driving it and has left me with his BMW five series because he finds the RDX so much more comfortable (hes 61" and theres plenty of leg and head room) We have not experienced any of the other negative ride quality issues that other reviewers have complained of.

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  Meets my expectations - 2013 Acura RDX
  By spottedone - February 13 - 4:27 pm

  I have close to 11k miles on my RDX. I wanted an SUV that was fun to drive and yet got better gas mileage than my 2011 Highlander. I know I did not need the size of the MDX. I call my RDX my high performance sports car. The gas mileage has met my expectations. I mainly drive in the city and am averaging 23-24mpg. The only complaint I have is the tires losing traction while turning from a stop. This makes me wish I had opted for the AWD. I believe that the naviagtion system is too cumbersome having to press too many buttons. Further the car designers could have opted for more flair. The RDX is rather bland.

• 

  Too many problems in 1 year - 2012 Acura TL
  By kway - February 13 - 2:58 pm

  During the year I have had this car, I have had to have the battery, navigation system, stability, push ignition, and a bearing replaced. Acuras response, there is nothing they can do. This is not what I expected from a brand new car. Additionally, the car does not sense when my mom is in the passenger seat. She weighs 130 lbs. this is a big safety concern. I would not Uyi this car!!!

• 

  Best car ever. - 2004 Acura TSX
  By jesse357 - February 12 - 10:24 pm

  This is without a doubt the best car I have ever had. Always puts a smile on my face. Flawless quality. Not one single problem in 100,000 miles. Over 30 mpg on highway and maybe 25 in city. Im 45 and have always driven cars with Manual Transmission and they simply do not come any better. The snickt snickt feeling of that tranmission and turbine smooth vtec cannot be matched by anything I have had since. Acceleration and handling just top notch as close to BMW territory as you can get with front wheel drive but with much better reliability and handling in weather. Sold when I went overseas and will buy another when I get back to states. Just absolutely perfect.