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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  BEST low-maintenance sports compact. - 1998 Acura Integra
  By thedirtybird - November 23 - 2:05 am

  Writing this review is almost as difficult a decision as selling my Integra was. The car was brilliant! People constantly trying to steal it was not. Having worked as a valet and driven virtually every commonly available car on the road, the Integra turned out to be the best balance of sporty, economical, and affordable, especially for a college student on a budget (and not wanting to "settle" for a Geo or Cavalier). To be honest, the non-VTEC LS trim has enough bang for your buck... and when will you -really- be needing VTEC?

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  Stay away from Acura - 2013 Acura TL
  By pasulaka - November 17 - 11:06 pm

  Acura has set new standards for using poor quality materials. My dashboard developed several large cracks after just a few days parked in my parking lot at work this summer in North Carolina. (Other than work, the car is always garaged.) The dealership claims it cracked due to maintenance(!) I own 4 other cars ranging from 1974 to 2006 & have never had a cracked dashboard. The TL has more rattles than your average new-born child. The cover over my cup-holder broke after just a few weeks. I truly wish I had bought a Lexus, BMW or Mercedes.

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  My husband (BMW guy) wants my RDX!! - 2013 Acura RDX
  By sbrows - November 14 - 7:26 pm

  This car is perfect! Traded my 07 MDX for better gas mileage and because I only used 3rd row twice last year. The RDX is so much better than the Lexus RX that I was considering. RX may have a few more options but the Lexus RX ride is "mushy" compared to the quick and nimble Acura RDX. My husband, who drives a BMW 535i, LOVES my RDX - he always wants to switch cars! The RDX is roomy yet sporty super smooth, agile and quick. We have 3 kids and they fit comfortably in the back seat (my oldest is 57"). I would have like one more option pkg (heated steering wheel, heated 2nd row seats, wood grain trim) but not a deal breaker. We are very happy for the value of the RDX for the price.

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  So excited to buy my new Acura ILX - 2013 Acura ILX
  By stevenrose - November 10 - 3:43 pm

  I have owned many cars from Jeeps to Volvos and I keep coming back to Honda products. I owned a 1996 Acura Integra and I always refer to that as my favorite car. I owned a 2007 Volvo S40 that was pretty to look at, but drove very choppy. The 2013 Acura ILX is really smooth and fun to drive. I have read reviews that the ILX car is a Honda Civic in a tuxedo. What is wrong with a Honda Civic? My 2006 Honda Civic EX Coupe drove 10 times better than my Volvo S40 and the new ILX I just purchased drives even smoother and is 10x more luxurious than my Honda was. I think I have found that perfect blend of performance, luxury and style. I think I might have found my new favorite car.

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  Stay away - 2013 Acura RDX
  By dca2013 - November 6 - 8:49 am

  Ive had the Acura for two months and it is not worth the money. I have had several problems with it. I am geting ready to call the dealer again. The ride quality is not up to par for the $37,000- $40,000 car. I completely regret my decision. I am very concerned about the long term durability of this car - which is the main reason I bought it. Cant wait to trade out.

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  This is my second TSX - 2012 Acura TSX
  By drtangalanga - November 2 - 1:32 pm

  My 2006 TSX was a great car, six models later the 2012 is still unbeatable when it comes to value, luxury and sportiness. I considered the usual subjects: Mercedes C250, the BMW 3, and Audi A4. For me the TSX still provides more bang for the buck than any of them, with the vaulted Acura reliability I am used to. My only complaint is about the tech package. You get a lot more features but simple tasks become much more cumbersome and take many more steps to complete.

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  Daily driver for 10 years - 2002 Acura RSX
  By oaklandfan78 - October 31 - 12:48 am

  My RSX has gone through a lot over the past 10 years and put on over 145K miles but its still running strong. Its been through quite a lot. Among the highlights were how many times, it flawlessly handled the California drive from LA to SF. At one point, it also became my utility vehicle and the fold-down seats spent many weekends lugging around DJ equipment. It now serves as my daily commuter with good gas mileage and still evokes a strong feeling of excitement when I get on the road each morning. Hopefully I can make it to 200K one day.

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  Everything that you want - and then some - 2013 Acura RDX
  By english_august - October 30 - 11:57 pm

  The 2013 RDX is the best value for money in the luxury small-SUV segment. While competitors such as the X3, GLK, and RX 350 probably exceed RDX on many or most parameters, a comparably equipped car from those manufactures is $6,000 - $10,000 more expensive. If you are considering a loaded mainstream SUV brand (such as the CR-V EX-L), then you owe it to yourself to put the RDX on your shortlist. For about $5,000 - $7,000 more, you get better engine, aesthetics, reliability, build quality, luxury features such as keyless entry and brand cachet.

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  Awesome crossover for young family - 2013 Acura RDX
  By oaklandfan78 - October 30 - 11:52 pm

  Ive had an RDX for a month and all I can you wont regret a test drive. This is an awesome Crossover with performance on par to sport sedans. Those who say its basically the same as the Honda CRV have no clue what they are talking about. For one thing, the V6 just shines...it instills confidence and I actually look forward to driving. Try drive up a hill in the RDX and you will understand its capabilities. Secondly the technology for value cant be beat. I recommend going for the technology package if you can afford it. You get a very convenient power lift gate and an awesome 410 watt sound system which plays music in all sorts of ways (CD, DVD-Audio, XM radio, Bluetooth, Ipod)

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  Great value for money - 2012 Acura MDX
  By rchary - October 22 - 10:31 am

  Great SUV on the fundamental side. Runs great, has enough power and handles like a small car. But the elecronics inside are sub par. Even non luxury (Ford) has better electronics. For example the screen is not touch screen and resolution is poor. There are duplicate buttons for every on screen function. In other words, navigation screen and the functions available there including audio are a duplicate of existing buttons resulting in cluttered dashboard. Rearview camera is cheap and has poor resolution. Doesnt work well in dark and during rain. Almost monochrome. Wish the side mirrors could be folded from inside. Its a wide SUV and I need to fold the mirrors to park it inside the garage.