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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  02 MDX - 2002 Acura MDX
  By bill_tiffany_jr - March 6 - 5:12 pm

  The MDX has been great although the 02 is well known for transmission failure. Mine gave out at 60K. There are hundreds and hundreds of similar stories, even at much lower mileage levels. You will here a "burr"ing sound between 40 - 50 MPH while traveling in 5th gear. Talk to your dealer and to Acura customer service in order to get a new transmission heavily discounted or best case, for free, even when you are out of warranty.

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  Lock it up! - 2001 Acura Integra
  By Roamingsoldier - March 4 - 1:00 am

  I bought this car in 2002. It has been nothing but good to me. It is a poor mans Porcshe. Its fast and handles great. High insurance, like many mine was stolen...I loved it so much I spent 16k to rebuild it, even though it was a total loss. I have a Benz 430CLK now but I always drive the Teg.

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  Fun Daily Driver - 2009 Acura TSX
  By Mark - February 27 - 2:13 pm

  Ive had this car for 3 months, and it has grown on me with age. After test-driving several other mid-size sedans and sport sedans, I chose the TSX because of its aesthetic appeal inside & out (Yes, I like the grill), overall value and Hondas reputation for reliability. It is a fun car to drive, certainly more sporty and luxurious than the I4 Honda Accord, but it’s not a speed demon. The TSX has been getting 25 mpg combined. It rides smooth, handles with sure footedness, and has some pep when you need it. The iVTEC feels very much like a turbo, there’s lag until it hits around 4K RPM – then VA VA VOOM.

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  Mistake - 2004 Acura TL
  By Unhappy38649 - February 27 - 2:00 am

  I just recently bought a TL and have already had it back to fix a faulty check engine light. Further, the tires case the car to vibrate on the highway and the car has several rattles.

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  Nice, but has some flaws - 2009 Acura MDX
  By JAnn - February 26 - 12:44 pm

  I love driving my MDX. The base model has everything you really need, it includes a lot of upgrades that you pay for in other cars. The negatives: Low quality leather, it wears bad. The black plastic trim would be better replaced with wood trim, for a $40,000 vehicle that shouldnt even be a question. I notice a lot of road noise in the cabin. Also, I have the worst time getting my hands free link to recognize certain numbers. Sometimes I will have to say the number 4 like 5 times before it will actually dial the correct number. That is VERY frustrating. Also, for a $40,000 vehicle, it should have an automatic liftgate. This car does have excellent road handling, overall I am happy!

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  I thought Acura/Hondas were relable? - 2005 Acura MDX
  By JP - February 24 - 11:49 am

  I really liked the features of the vehicle. Drove it one week and started hearing a "rumbling" noise around 30-40 mph. Seemed like the transmission was having problems shifting. Dealer had it for two weeks, had to rebuild the transmission and replace the torque converter. Luckily I will have 3 years/36,000 mile warranty on the transmission. Besides that, nothing else to complain about so far. I thought Acura/Hondas were supposed to be very reliable?

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  Floor Mat - 2007 Acura RDX
  By Mark - February 21 - 10:17 pm

  This is my first and last Acura. At 5K the drivers floor mat was worn through. After some argument, the dealer agreed to replace it under warranty. The replacement lasted about the same. While the overall interior quality appears acceptable, the carpeting and floor mats are very cheap. Mileage is fair, but you must use premium fuel. For the money, the vehicle is not worth the price.

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  Go with the 04 and newer!! - 2003 Acura TL
  By Jennie - February 21 - 4:10 pm

  I bought my 03 TL new. The good: under my ownership, I loved the car. The navigation is still among the best and the seats were very comfortable, even during my OK to CA road trip. The traction control kept me safe in the snow (people from San Diego do not belong on snowy roads!) and saved me from possibly killing myself on the highway. The bad: TRANSMISSION!! Acura will only replace the transmissions for specific failure codes which means many of them are no longer being covered under warranty. If you cant afford the expense, stay away! Stay away! Stay away!

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  Dont buy it - 2007 Acura TL
  By JAY - February 20 - 12:30 pm

  I had high regards for acura but after owning one for almost 2 years, it is going down. Brakes were gone after only 15000 miles, Timing belt Idler pulley needs to be changed after only 20000 miles. Passenger side mirror clicks and every time it needs to be lubricated. My used car for years was not giving me any of these troubles. Rattles a lot. I only use car for fun, I dont drive it to work. I do no consider it as a luxury car and will not buy any Acuras in future and will recommend the same to family and friends.

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  ILX Tech pack. - 2016 Acura ILX
  By 6thman - February 16 - 12:20 pm

  Got the ILX like 3 weeks ago, so far no problems, fast, corners nicely, good on gas, I like better than the A3, felt cramped inside, handles as well as IS250, anyone feels differently about you are subject to your own opinion, I am not a critic just a regular guy typing my own views...