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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  The nav system is tied into the radio/CD - 2005 Acura TL
  By jzucco - January 6 - 11:28 am

  I love the car but it is now 2009 and the nav system no longer works. H2O damage most likely due to condensation sense it is in the trunk. Now that the nav no longer works my entire console is worthless. No DVD/CD, radio works but dont know the station. Only solution from Acura is to purchase a new 3k nav system. I would not buy this or any vehicle that ties all these system together like this because there is no aftermarket solution and you are stuck with a 3k bill just to listen to a DVD!! I am not happy. I filed a complaint with Acura but they do not have a solution. This is a severe design flaw!

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  Some Remorse - 2009 Acura RDX
  By RZeman - January 4 - 9:25 pm

  This is my fourth Acura. The last being an MDX. While I realize this is an "entry level" SUV the quality and luxury of Acura has been scaled down on this vehicle. When my Lexus RX350 lease ended I didnt want to get the same car twice and the MDX has gotten to big with no more kids or large dog to haul around. There some features left off of this Acura which should be standard issue i.e. automatic headlights and power rear door, rain sensing wipers. The gas mileage is ridiculous. We celebrate when I can hold the average at 19 mpg for more than 10 minutes and that is with freeway driving. I will not purchase another RDX.

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  My 2009 MDX - 2009 Acura MDX
  By kurtkbee - January 3 - 10:38 pm

  I researched this car for over 1 year before purchasing. While I test drove the BMW X5 (3.0) and the Audi Q7 I always came back to the MDX (Tech/ent). While the other SUVs offered some minor technologies not found in the MDX, those features would have satisfied less than 1% of my needs but when they were configured with all the features of the Tech/Ent MDX the competitors were $8k-$10k more. The performance of the car is really great and even when taking a bend at a high speed it seemed to handle the road better than my coupe. The exterior design is very nice and gives the SUV and aggressive look. My wife and I love the SUV but really miss the efficiency that we once had with a sedan

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  Good Performer - 2009 Acura RDX
  By hsm - January 2 - 3:39 pm

  I have had this vehicle for a litle over 2 months now. Just got back from a ski trip with the family. First, let me say the SHAWD is the best AWD system I have ever had. The vehicle handles snow like you are on asphalt! Mileage is all in how you drive - I am getting between 21 to 24 mpg combined with conservative driving. Beware that the suspension is stiff - trade-off the vehicles handles very nicely.

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  The good and bad of the Type-s - 2007 Acura TL
  By scorched_675 - January 1 - 5:37 pm

  Most cars I have owned I either loved or hated, my 07 Type-s is a true love/hate relationship. I love the looks and styling, as well as the performance and sound of the engine. OK now for the hate, I hate that my almost $40k car rattles everywhere inside! The center speaker cover rattles. The rear subwoofer make the deck rattle. The interior itself is very impressive, perforated leather seats and all. After a month I also added tint to the windows, and had it immediately ruined by the drive scraping a cut in the tint.

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  2008 Acura MDX - 2008 Acura MDX
  By JERRY - December 30 - 12:51 am

  I bought this car about a year ago and have about 13500 miles on the car. This is a really great SUV. Remembering that this is an SUV the mileage is not too bad. I get about 17-18 mpg mixed (more freeway) and about 21-22 mpg freeway at an average speed of 75-80 mph. The back seats are comfortable. They can recline a little but not all the way flat. The third row seats are only meant for kids. Have had 2 problems so far. The air vent on the top of the dashboard pop out and was fixed by the dealer on the third try. I told them glue it down. The CD player jammed and was replaced by the dealer at no cost. All in all, I am very satisfied with this car and have already recommended it to friends.

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  The Verdict after 1 Year of Driving it.. - 2008 Acura MDX
  By qwik_footed - December 26 - 9:47 pm

  Had the car 1+ years now and can now give objective feedback without the bias of "new car purchase" emotions. My wifes been the primary driver to haul around our daughter (now 16 mo. old) and she loves it. Bold exterior style & big interior compared to other vehicles (RX330, FX35) was a big reason for buying. We went with the Entertainment system as it was the only way to get the power tailgate at the time, but its been great for entertaining the baby on trips. The car has been perfect EXCEPT for a constant, infuriating rattle around passenger door area (even at low speed) that shouldnt exist on a $40k car (dealer couldnt fix). Overall, love it, but its really a 2nd tier luxury SUV.

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  Great car - annoying flaw - 2007 Acura TSX
  By billtheprinter - December 25 - 10:23 pm

  This is a very fun car. Just the right amount of luxury for me. I sell for a living so I have to look a certain way, but it isnt ostentatious at all - I like that. Just the right amount of power in my opinion but you have to be used to the no-torque Honda way of engine building. Fantastic in snow! Weve had a week of BAD snowpacked roads, and between the traction control and the ABS, theres been no need for chains or 4wd.

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  Jeep upgrade - 2001 Acura MDX
  By Rick - December 23 - 1:19 pm

  Purchased in 02 with 11k on it. Grey market but was able to have maintained through local dealership. Previously had 3 Cherokees over 8 years. Best upgrade ever. More room, comfort, visibility than the jeep. I found the seats especially comfortable since I had a bad back. Good handling in wet weather or snow, but would not want to take it offroad. Has carried my family for 155K and convinced me that my next car will be the same one (not the newer smaller version). No reliability issues, predictable maintenance.

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  Great car but too many rattles - 2006 Acura RL
  By tony - December 11 - 4:20 pm

  I bought this vehicle used with 6800 miles. Very comfortable, very quiet (with exception of some minor rattles) and decent gas mileage for AWD. Im waiting for snow to see how well the SH-AWD performs.