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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  2013 RDX FWD With Tech Package - 2013 Acura RDX
  By pdamelio - May 13 - 12:00 am

  My wife and I have been researching the RDX for about 8 weeks once I heard about the new improvements that Acura made. We purchased our 2013 RDX FWD with Tech Package today. MSRP is $38,020 + Destination Fee of $895 = $38,915. The invoice price to the dealer is $36,665. The inventory on these 2013 models has not built up at the dealers yet, so some dealers are not come down on the prices, but if you are persistent you can get it for much cheaper than the MSRP list prices. I have been in contact with 8 different dealers all over Northern California via email and phone. We ended up buying it from the dealer in our home town for $37,000 + Tax & Lic.

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  Like a Honda but Better - 2006 Acura TSX
  By gringoviejo - May 12 - 12:21 pm

  We recently replaced my wifes 2006 Accord EX-L coupe with a 2006 TSX. The Accord was a gem, but it was difficult for passengers to get in and out of the back seat of the coupe, so when this TSX came along with less than half the mileage on it (24,000), I bought it for her. There were, as they say, no flies on that Accord, but the TSX just does everything a little bit better: 25% more power from the same basic engine, bigger brakes, a better grade of leather, upgraded sound system. Also, the TSX feels *eager* at any speed. My old Lexus (2004 ES330) has some nicer convenience features and is roomier -- really not a bad car at all -- but is nowhere near as much fun to drive.

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  Great Car - 2004 Acura TSX
  By nas2688 - May 8 - 12:27 pm

  Bought my car in May 2011 with only 50k, one year later its at 70k, and I still like it as much as the day I bought it! Its very comfortable on long road trips, has a good amount of power for a 4-cylinder (the manual is a blast!) and Ive even got 33 mpg on the highway with it. Good build quality- the only exception being a some very small buzzing/rattling, but even then its only on I-5 which is terrible and bumpy anyways. The car is over 8 years old, and the only "repair" Ive had to make is to get new tires. It does consume oil, not leaking or burning, but as long as I top up every once in a while its not a problem. Overall, a great-looking, comfortable, and FUN car to drive!

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  17 and loving my car! - 2004 Acura TSX
  By tkachuk94 - May 1 - 7:55 pm

  I have had my car since i was 16 and i have always loved it. My navi went out a while back sadly but i do plan on replacing soon. It has about 218k Miles on it because it used to be a commuter car for my parents to SD and Home so around 120 miles a day for 6 years. But, It still runs amazingly and by far is one of the best looking cars in my schools parking lot (I say one of the best because theres quite a few BMWs for some reason..)

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  Lemon from the factory - 2002 Acura MDX
  By bfoley80 - April 29 - 9:19 pm

  Bought the vehicle brand new off the lot and from day 01 the vehicle had issues, i.e. bubbles in the paint, EGR valve recalls (numerous), etc. The latest is the transmission. This is the second one in 160K miles. The first one was under warranty & the second was while still under warranty as well, however the Sunnyvale Acura dealership did not identify it and has now changed ownership & theyre not taking responsibility. The repair will be between $5K~$7K. This is the 1st and last Acura which I will ever buy. They use the term "Luxury Vehicle" - dont be fooled. My prior Lexus was a true Luxury Vehicle, over 250K miles on the trannie w/ no issues.

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  Major improvement in comfort & gas mileage on 2013 model - 2013 Acura RDX
  By gofitguy - April 26 - 5:57 pm

  Ive had my 2013 RDX AWD for two weeks now. My lease was up on my 09 Murano SL AWD & I wanted something a little different. I drove the RDX in 2009 & felt the ride wasnt comfortable & the gas mileage wasnt great. On the 2013, these two issues have been 100% corrected & its a far more comfortable vehicle to drive. The V6 performance is more than adequate, handling is stable & its fun to drive. A few features Id like to have are missing on the base AWD but I wasnt willing to spend the $3400 more for the Tech package when I dont need the navigation system. Compared to the BMW X3 or Q5, Im pleased with the value I got here & lots of extra comfort features are included. Way to go!

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  Better than I expected! - 2012 Acura TSX
  By oldsnwbrdr - April 24 - 4:04 pm

  Its interesting to read reviews from those who traded "down" from a European brand. I did the same, and my monthly lease payment is $120 lower than the Mercedes C300 AWD Sport I traded in. My family actually prefers the Acura for a lot of reasons... the only things I miss are the 6-cylinder refinement and the Mercedes bank vault build quality.

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  2000 TL - 2000 Acura TL
  By romandiaz - April 21 - 6:08 pm

  2000 TL has 164,000 miles for original owner. Other than the usual recommended maintenance items, the only unscheduled repair was the $5,000 transmission replacement at 120,000. The car just runs with 28mpg, freeway, 23 around our hilly town. All 4 struts have been replaced by dealer ~$2000 and the tires have been replaced 3 times. Battery replaced 3 times. Brakes have been replaced once. The leather looks great inside but drivers side has some cracks. Carpeting is fine. I bought a 2003 in addition and will eventually purchase another Acura if they keep their record up. Just love this car!

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  Great car for the money - 2012 Acura TL
  By mihink - April 20 - 10:00 pm

  After driving BMWs for the past 6 years..I decided to try out the TL. What a pleasant surprise. Drives smaller that it really is. The SH-AWD handling is on par with most RWD German cars. The TL is actually the size of the 5/E/A6 class but is priced cheaper than 3/C/A4 class. The gas mileage so far is 25 mpg combined..not bad. The punch off the line is not as immediate as the 335i I had. I do miss some luxury touches - rain sensing wipers, one touch triple turn signals, swiveling headlights, auto dimming side mirrors. Features you grow to appreciate and really miss when you dont have them. Overall great car..no regrets on purchase!

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  Nothin But 5 Stars...Except - 2004 Acura TL
  By steveet - April 20 - 5:05 pm

  There havent been many cars in my lifetime that make me smile when I sit in the drivers seat, but this little Acura TL makes it happen every time. Its a kick to drive with the auto/manuel tranny. Im the original owner with 89000 I have to say this ride is still pretty tight. I keep good rubber on it at all times so handling and cornering is very good. The down sides? If the battery goes dead, which it will w/o warning as has happened 3 times, Acura neglected to put in a chip backup for things list your Bluetooth phonebook! Bluetooth mic is on the low to poor scale - Had to mark it down for that. Torque steer - yep, only if you mash it from a dead stop. Overall, Best car Ive ever owned.