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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  Honest 2013 Acura RDX FWD Base Review - 2013 Acura RDX
  By madrye28 - June 29 - 9:11 pm

  Great overall vehicle. Was a little nervous that they moved to electric power steering and took away the SH-AWD, but this car is SUBSTANTIALLY better than the outgoing 2012 model. The handling is precise and the ride is fantastic....a great balance. Fuel Economy on premium has been 23-25 MPGs on mixed city/highway use,FWD model. Pretty stellar for such a powerful 3.5 V-6. Overall, a fantastic vehicle. Even though some key features are missing (will explain later), you CANNOT get any car in this price class with this amount of standard equipment. Test drove BMW X3, Mercedes GLK and Audi Q5, and neither has the ride quality/handling balance that this car has, AND for thousands less

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  A great choice! - 2013 Acura RDX
  By cyclistman - June 27 - 9:55 pm

  This car/crossover rocks. Ive got 1700 miles on it, with no problems whatsoever (its an Acura). I researched the Q5, X3, a quick look at the XC60, and briefly considered the RAV-4 V6. Glad I went with tech. The car was the best "package" for me - a great blend of performance, luxury, comfort, utility. For the most part (and Im picky), its got all the features I wanted in my next car, and it continues to impress me with the ride quality, power on delivery, fit and finish, interior quality, awesome sound system with the tech package. The ergonomics make sense to me, the size is roomy, but not big. Loving the gas mileage! I highly recommend it, and aim to keep it for many years.

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  13 RDX w AWD & tech pkg - 2013 Acura RDX
  By rambob - June 26 - 7:43 pm

  Im constantly surprised at just how much I enjoy this vehicle every day. It is just the right size- not too big nor too small. The engine gives grunt when you want it- Ive chirped the wheels a few times :-) The interior is very comfortable and spacious-everything is right where it is supposed to be. Fit & finish is perfect-no issues popping up in the first 30 days of ownership. City mileage has been 19 so far with little highway driving. Was waiting for 13 Escape, 13 Terrain Denali- both priced higher similarly optioned- glad I didnt wait!

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  Great car but oil burning issue is SERIOUS - 2004 Acura TSX
  By gipmeister - June 25 - 11:44 am

  I have enjoyed this car very much and it is generally very reliable. However, there are issues with this year/model that are common to many owners: - the door lock actuators die - the a/c system can die prematurely - the clutch in the 6MT dies early - the car will begin to burn oil My car with >130k now burns about a quart every 1-1.5k miles. If not regularly monitored (before the oil light comes on when youre down 2qts) Other people have had the console lights die and the dealer fix is hundreds of dollars. I STILL give the car a decent review, but I would not advise someone to buy an 04 used because of this.

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  This is my secon Acura 2.5 T L - 1997 Acura TL
  By ave8tor - June 24 - 8:03 pm

  I have now owned two Acura 2.5 T Ls. What an excellent automobile. The first one I sold after putting on almost 300,000Kms with just regular maintance. The only major problem is the manifold cracked and was not repairable, a $2,000 fix. Other than that I loved the car. The paint was excellent, and the interior stood up well, with just a few cracks in the leather interior. I purchased my second 2.5 t l in Geroria with only 40,000 miles on the spedo. Drove it Canada and had it totalled in a rear end collision with a pick up truck this week. I would recommend this car for its comfort, economy, and reliability and driving performance. A true five (5) star automobile.

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  Great Performance and Value - 2009 Acura TSX
  By djrobinson1 - June 23 - 10:02 am

  Purchased 2009 Acura TSX, with 21K miles, for my wife. Wanted reliability, performance and attractive design. Got it all ! She couldnt be happier...ergo Im very pleased.

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  Incredible Value - 2012 Acura TL
  By tinmantt - June 22 - 3:12 pm

  This is my second TL. I gave up my 2000 with close to 200k miles on it, because it needed some minor repairs, but also because my family wanted me to switch it out for something newer. It would have run much longer- no major problems in all that time. The new car is a great value. Only paid $2500 more for it than the 2000. Good news- rock solid, better handling, excellent stereo, very comfortable. And, of course, the fact that it is a reliable Honda. But heres where they dropped the ball- too many buttons, incomprehensible logic in the controls, downgraded nav system (compared to the ease and logic of my 2000 version). And the trunk- what were they thinking? Cant get too much in.

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  IN LOVE WITH THIS CAR!! ITS A HEAD TURNER! - 2013 Acura ILX
  By ohmygoshitsme - June 21 - 9:59 pm

  My dad and I spent months trying to find the perfect car to me. When I finally sat in this one at the dealership, things just clicked and I knew that this was the one. I love the sleek, exterior design, and the interior has really nice, soft leather. Now Ill never get lost thanks to my navigation, and lovely backup camera!!! I just wish this car had blind spot monitors and had memory seating feature, so I wouldnt have to adjust it everytime someone sits in my car! Also, I dont like how the front and wheel interior is black and the rest of my car is beige! But otherwise, amazing performance and a real money saver when it comes to gas. Couldnt be happier with it! Love my birthday present

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  Near ...Perfection. - 2004 Acura TL
  By fastone4 - June 20 - 12:48 am

  The Acura TL is a near perfection automobile. It handles nimbly and has great power when needed. The dashboard navigation is fantastic and loaded with XM and very good (not Bose) sound. If you are fortunate enough to find one in good shape get it!

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  Surely NOT just a "glorified Civic" - 2013 Acura ILX
  By boudouris_3 - June 19 - 9:10 am

  Just upgraded from my 5-spd Saab 9-3 sedan to a brand new Acura ilx w/premium package and the 2.4L 6-spd engine. The premium package comes with nearly everything that you could ask for minus navigation. Very nice engine note that gives the car some personality without sounding like a cheap tuner. The only knock I could say about the ilx is the interior space which is expected to be small due to the price point and market that Acura intends to target. If youre in your 20s or early 30s and are looking for something fun to drive without sacrificing the luxury amenities, look no further than the ilx. Oh and by the way, Im getting 35-40 highway mpg.