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:

• 

  My first Acura experience - 2005 Acura MDX
  By Dan Lanza - September 15 - 1:46 am

  So far so good. This is a very nice upgrade from my previous vehicle (RAV4L). The voice activated Navigation is worth every penny. I will report back in about 6 months.

• 

  Love my new RDX! - 2017 Acura RDX
  By Hunter - September 14 - 1:38 pm

  Just bought my Fully loaded RDX and its amazing! Beautiful inside and out. The tech is awesome and it practically drives itself. Love the way it handles - very easy to drive - no blind spots thanks to the warnings and collision prevention and its so easy to drive it almost handles more like a car than an SUV. Highly recommend! Love mine.

• 

  2016 Acura TLX - V6 Advance AWD - 2016 Acura TLX
  By ASeedhouse - September 14 - 11:15 am

  I have always been a fan of the Acura TL, and recently went down and test drove the Acura TLX. I loved it, and ended up buying myself one two weeks later. For the money this thing is absolutely loaded with features. Adaptive cruise control, active lane keep assist and the brake hold are great features that make the commute to and from work on a daily basis that much more comfortable. As others have stated it takes a minute to get the hang of all the controls inside, but once you pick it up they really are quite logical. You can either use the spin wheel (similar to BMW and Mercedes but up on the dash), or you can use the touch screen to do a lot of things such as navigation and audio. The stereo is solid and the sub-woofer definitely helps to round it out with solid lows. Prior to owning the TLX I drove a King Ranch F-150 and I never realized how expensive it was in most cars in this class to get some of the features I have grown accustomed to over time such as air-conditioned seats and remote start. The Acura TLX provides excellent value for the money and I am really enjoying mine so far. I would definitely recommend that you check it out if you are looking for a sporty 4-door sedan in the $40,000-$45,000 range.

• 

  Cant Beat It - 1999 Acura CL
  By ExecMom - September 14 - 2:00 am

  This car is a great combination of styling, performance and economy. It loves high speeds and never lacks power in any situation. Ive had no problems with it at all, and the only annoyances are a drivers side seat belt that sometimes catches on the seat lever and a turning circle that seems wider than it ought to be. This is my tird Acura, and Im not likely to buy anything else!

• 

  Jays TSX - 2004 Acura TSX
  By Jason Tressler - September 13 - 10:00 am

  I almost want to keep this jewel of a deal a secret because I look like Im driving 50K car!!!! I have so many heads turn at this car, but most dont know they may be able to afford one. I did not even plan on buying a new car, but when isaw this and drove it I had to have it... Best car I have ever owned. If you get into one of these cars you wont want to get back out.

• 

  Excellent auto - 2002 Acura MDX
  By bobarags - September 13 - 2:00 am

  The car is very quiet although road noise could be lessen. The interior is well laid out and very comfortable. I like the idea that the 6 CD player is part of the radio in the dash rather than the glove compartment or trunk.

• 

  Best Crossover available - 2002 Acura MDX
  By PhotoMan - September 13 - 2:00 am

  15,000 fantastic mile so far, drove it from Massachusetts to Florida and back, 20 MPG average and easily cruises at 90+ MPH all day long. Air conditioning is excellent, handling, comfort first rate. It is very quite even at 90 MPH. Id recommend it to anyone

• 

  Great Car - 2005 Acura TL
  By Bob Carlson - September 12 - 5:36 pm

  This car has a lot of pick up from any speed. Nice handling and a nice ride. It is a sports car, so not a soft ride, but it is quiet. The sound system is awesome! Fun and lively car with the manual shifter, it can also be driven hard.

• 

  A NEW Acura As Good As The Acura Legend - 2002 Acura MDX
  By slkman99 - September 12 - 2:00 am

  This MDX is one of the best craftsmanship found on a new car today for under $40K. I previously owned a Lexus RX300 and let me tell you, the RX300 was a horrible car! Im sorry, but its true. If youre looking for premium luxury at a great price, go for the MDX Premium. Youll love it!! By the way, I also own a 94 Acura Legend, its the best Acura since the Legend.

• 

  Great Car - 2003 Acura TL
  By NewOwner - September 10 - 2:00 am

  I sold my 96 Camry. At the time, I was trying to decide between Accord V6, Camry, Maxima GLE and Acura 3.2TL. After some research, I decided to purchase 3.2TL. It is only about 1-2k more expensive than the other cars, but it is a much better car. I think it is the best car under 30k.