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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  Just the Best - 2002 Acura MDX
  By prl - October 6 - 2:00 am

  Simply the best and not a lot of hype. Everything they said is true and thats what really counts anyway.

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  This is the BEST!! - 1994 Acura Legend
  By slkman99 - October 5 - 2:00 am

  WoW! This car is utterly amazing! Im a car dealer and Ive driven other cars such as BMW 328i Sedan, Audi A4, Honda Accord, Mercedes E320, & Acura 3.2 TL (2002). NONE of those cars measure up to what the Legend offers. The Legend has quality that is UNSURPASSED! I have loved mine since day one and I have NO intentions on ever selling this car. Even if I win the lottery and become one of the richest people in America, I will still park my 1994 Acura Legend L Sedan next to my Ferrari F40 & Bentley Arnage Turbo in my garage.

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  Acura MDX - Best Value - 2002 Acura MDX
  By Silvia Suttle - October 4 - 2:00 am

  I compared all Mid-sized SUVs and the Acura MDX was the best value. I waited for about a year before finally getting the MDX and it was definately worth the wait. I love my car!!

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  High Quality, Economical, Great Value! - 2005 Acura TSX
  By Ronabi - October 2 - 9:00 pm

  The TSX is an extraordinary value with great quality and style. It is very well equipped, including VSA and a full array of air bags. The parchment interior is well designed and very attractive. The auto transmission is smooth and responsive. Fit and finish are excellent. Two concerns: (1) the ride is good on highways and smooth streets, but rougher than desired on bumpy streets, and (2) the passenger seat which has no vertical adjustment and is too low for my wifes comfort and ease of access. (I bought a matching pillow for that seat for added height and comfort.) After 4000 miles, gas mileage is excellent, averaging 27 in mixed driving, 33 on the highway, and still improving.

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  The Best Value - bar none. - 1999 Acura TL
  By #4 and counting... - October 2 - 2:00 am

  In the past 10 years, Ive had 4 Acuras, 92 and 94 Legends, and 96 and 99 3.2 TLs. This one beats them all - and for thousands less. You cannot go wrong!

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  MDXcellence - 2002 Acura MDX
  By Scott Flood - October 2 - 2:00 am

  I have been driving my MDX for 2 years and have loved it. This vehicle is so big on the inside and still fun to drive. You can handle it with ease in a parking lot or a winding road. Better gas mileage than many cars. I have even seen 29.5 mpg on a couple of highway trips. Usually 24-25 mpg on hgwy. I have had it on dirt roads and fire trails as well as family trips with golf clubs and gear for six. This vehicle is great. Bigger second row than Tahoe and easier to get in and out.

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  92 GS - 1992 Acura Integra
  By Rey-Ray - October 1 - 2:00 am

  loving it ever since it came out...the best body style...excellent motor..fully loaded...the best car i ever had...EVER

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  You got more for your money! - 2003 Acura TL
  By Momooe - September 30 - 6:33 pm

  This car is the best buy in its class. No regret and highly recommend

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  Dealer invoice is BS! Love my 2016 AWD Acura MDX! - 2016 Acura MDX
  By Jim Wickstrom - September 30 - 8:53 am

  Three days after we purchased the Acura MDX, we drove it 500 miles to Lake Tahoe through blizzards! The AWD works better than my 4/4 Toyota Sequoia! We passed cars, trucks with chains. .stuck! We drove right though. At one point in time we were up to our door panels in snow! On the way up we got 24 mpg and on the way home to San Diego, 28 mpg, thanks to a nine speed transmission and half the cylinders shutting down on cruise control! It is unbelievable how well this works with 290 hp to boot. Consumer reports rated this vehicle an 89 rating, tops in the luxury mid size SUV category. To be clear, we looked at SUVs from Porsche, BMW, MB, Lexus but none of them have the top rating and best repair service record as the Acura MDX. BTW, if you are buying a car, "bait each dealership against each other. That is how we got this MDX for $44,500 when list was $50,250! Do not believe the "dealer invoice" number as it is fabricated. You should be able to beat dealer invoice by at least a grand! As it seems, even Edmunds believes this BS dealer invoice number, too. Oops!

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  I loved this car - 1993 Acura Integra
  By bct - September 30 - 2:00 am

  I am selling this car because I just had a child and 2 door cars dont work. I never had any problems with this car. I am selling it for $4,000 and only paid $16,000 new. (This car cost me about $1,000 a year to own. What a value!) I never had to put any money in this car except for routine mainance. The transmission and engine have never needed repair. I would recommed this car to any single person.