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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  Not your typical family four door - 2004 Acura TSX
  By Mark - December 10 - 3:06 pm

  Most drivers, especially us in our 20s are looking for the "latest and greatest" in vehicles that we can combine performance with sleek styling. The TSX does just this to the highest degree. I am only 23 but still wanted a four door for convenience. I searched many other models and found Acura to be well above the rest. Simply tint the windows with a legal tint and add a spoiler and you are left with a fun, stylish, sedan sports car. The compliments never end and their jaws will drop when you tell them about the peppy 4 cylinder under the hood. I recommend to anyone in the market to spend the little extra money for an Acura, you wont be disappointed.

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  LOVE IT! - 2007 Acura MDX
  By Christine R - December 10 - 4:16 am

  Just got the MDX. Love it. It is such a great car for me. I have owned two Hondas in the past (civic and accord) and wanted another Honda but wanted more luxury than the Pilot. So the Acura was the answer. Its a great ride, everything I need. Im a 51 female and I love it. I have a two and a half year old and we added a side rail (step) and glad we did, little guy can get in easier by himself and I use it to buckle him in without stretching.

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  Excellent Value - 2003 Acura TL
  By billbo - December 9 - 10:00 am

  Love all the features. 6CD, Bose system, 260hp engine, sports-shift trany, leg room, interior design is awesome. Test drove a Nissan Altima, Maxima. Pontiac Grand Prix, Kia Altima and everything a could find in its class and this car just fit. What is up with the brakes though? Less than 4,000 and I can hear a grinding sound! Bringing the car in for my first check this week. Paid 27,200 for this car and I want to keep for 10 years.

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  Great Car - Watch the Tranny - 2002 Acura TL
  By KMaude - December 9 - 1:35 am

  Ive had this car for about a year now (85,000 miles) and its been one of the best cars Ive owned (over 12 others). I recently felt a little hesitation in the tranny and took it to the dealer for service. Thank god its still under the factory tranny warranty (7 yrs/100k). The trans needs replacing and thanks to the warranty Ill be getting it for free! Another positive is my dealer loaner is a 2006 3.2 TL with 800 miles on it ... what a great car! I will strongly consider another Acura when purchasing a new car next year.

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  2003 Acura TL - 2003 Acura TL
  By BIG MOE - December 8 - 10:48 pm

  I have been driving this car for about 5 months and i have to say it is one of the best driving cars that I have driven. The handling is amazing, the pick up is quick and the braking is top notch. also the audio system is amazing with the 6 disk in dash cd changer. the only thing that this car needs is a stick. i have to admit it would boost the fun to drive section and would help out with acceleration. One thing that is annoying is the tiptronic transmition. you cant shift in and out of 1st yourself and its a little delayed but its ok cause its an automatic. other then that this is a very good car very realiable and it is an over all good car

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  Sierra Hotel - Great Vehicle - 2006 Acura MDX
  By Chief D - December 7 - 9:47 pm

  This is my first SUV. Having looked for almost a year, I kept coming back to the MDX. Its a great driving experience. The MDX is as smooth a ride as is our Avalon XLS (which my wife inherits). Lots of room with lots of luxury.

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  Happy buyer - 2006 Acura RL
  By Happy Buyer - December 7 - 6:13 pm

  New 2006 RL with Navigation system, Tech package and camera is the great combination of the quality, comfort, and fun. For $54K you get much more than BMW and Mercedes can offer. Voice activation system can recognize any accents. Electronic system is very complicated, but owner manual is very easy to read and understand. Rear view camera and automatically tilted outside mirrors are great addition to comfortable backing.

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  Could have been a Homerun - 2016 Acura MDX
  By SideStepping - December 7 - 1:28 pm

  Owners should know, and DEMAND, that early 2016 models built in 2015 have a software update to the transmission, technical service builletin 15-054, which changes the shifting dynamic of the car, and SHOULD resolve most of the transmission jerkiness issues. Unfortunately, my dealership didnt apply the update, BUT next time my car is in for service, I will DEMAND they fix it, because I too, experience rough shifting, surges while braking and going downhill, and poor overall transmission performance. THERE SHOULD BE A RECALL TO UPDATE THE SOFTWARE ON THE TRANSMISSION. ACURA, ARE YOU LISTENING TO YOUR CUSTOMERS? Acura should be embarrassed to turn away customers. No wonder they are LAST in customer satisfaction. Now...onto the car. Two major issues with this car: the transmission, and the infotainment system. The interior is nice size and comfortable, even though it doesnt feel so luxurious. Handling is great, ride is smooth when the transmission isnt jerking you all over the place. The overall infotainment system, navigation included, is SO slow and my 2008 Infiniti G35 had a better nav system. Its pretty pathetic. This is my first (and probably last) Acura until they get their act together, stop trying to fool customers into thinking their product is the "best in its class," and until they produce a real transmission and a real infotainment system. What a shame. BTW, my dad had 3 MDXs...a 2009, a 2013, and a 2016. He loved (and so did I) the 2009 and 2013. He had the 2016 for 5 months and got rid of it. Thats how embarrassing of a vehicle it is. But, Im sure Acura is laughing all the way to the bank...what a joke of a 50K car.

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  I LOVE THE RSX-S! - 2002 Acura RSX
  By Peter Kim - December 7 - 10:00 am

  Theres nothing like the feel of i-VTEC roaring in your ears as you down shift into gears. The car has great handling and unbelievable power for a 4 cylinder engine thats naturally aspirated. Hondas engineering prides in their normally aspirated engines. Till the day I cant put my hands on a steering wheel, Ill be behind the wheel of a Honda.

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  Great Interior for the Money - 2005 Acura TSX
  By Travis - December 7 - 12:18 am

  I chose this vehicle over many others because of the excellent navigation system and great interior. I spend a lot of time driving, so a comfortable interior and good gas mileage were the most important attributes I was looking for in a vehicle. Now that I have a navigation system, I dont think Ill ever buy a car without it. The resale value and little necessary maintenance were other selling points. My only dislikes are the front wheel drive (I would have definitely preferred AWD or RWD). The exterior styling is sporty on my car, because I have the Milano Red paint with the optional spoiler. Overall a very comfortable, sporty, and economical long distance cruiser.