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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  GREAT CAR!! - 2003 Acura TL
  By REE - October 10 - 4:32 pm

  I owned at 1993 Acura Vigor GS with 260k miles and had it for 13 yrs before I decided to get a new one. I kept it for awhile after purchasing this TL 3.2S type w/navi sys. I am very happy with this car and have no regrets. The only cons I have is the middle front armrest is not secure and keeps opening up. I use unleaded plus and have never had a problem in either car by doing this.

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  Well rounded - 2002 Acura RSX
  By jeffRT - October 7 - 1:30 am

  I bought the base RSX manual last month and have been very satsified with the car. The RSX is a well rounded machine. It has good acceleratoin, agile handling and smooth feel from the engine. The RSX may not stand out with it appearnce but it has a sharp look to it. The inside combines a sporty look with a refined feel. The only negatives are the few blind spots and the back seat has limited head room.

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  Great, but not perfect... - 2007 Acura MDX
  By alain - October 6 - 2:45 pm

  Bought this a year ago new and its 13k later. Dont let the 300hp engine fool you. This SUV has much less pick up than my 01 V8 Grand Cherokee which it replaced (I leave on hills and the car cant stay 60mph on 5th and takes a long time to shift to 4th which is way too high rpm) - but slightly better gas mileage for a larger car (the onboard mile computer is off by the way). Rear camera takes 10 sec when backing up (making it much less useful). Also mismatching color bumper is tacky IMO for $45k car (I picked silver body which blends the best). Instrument cockpit is WAY too busy with DVD/nav system (and Im a techy).

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  Niggling problems spoil a great car - 2002 Acura RSX
  By creweser - October 6 - 9:13 am

  Fun car to drive, but have had a lot of little problems. Had to have power door lock motor replaced (very expensive - out of warranty) and now the hatch will not open - no way to manually override the lock, even from the inside. Side mirrors need to be heated on a car with such poor rear visibility. Ride is rough and noisy. On the other hand, driving is fun, with perky acceleration and good handling.

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  Great car, but... - 2003 Acura TL
  By Dino - October 5 - 7:29 pm

  Overall this has been a fantastic car, enough so that I will probably buy another when this has come to term (currently 120k). Great performance, and other than a warranty covered transmission problem at 45k, this car has had no work done at all other than routine maintenance. However there are several design flaws that have bugged me ever since purchasing it: no auto headlights, the wipers are under the hood (cant raise them to wash the windshield), the top console compartment spills change out the back end when lifted up, the navi maps lack a ton of US city streets, especially in smaller <250,000 pop cities, and more.

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  1st Acura - 2005 Acura TL
  By Dr. Sprocket - October 5 - 10:00 am

  Nice performance and auto transmission. Could use a slightly higher spring and shock rate, though it handles well for a more lux. oriented car. The TL can be slightly floaty feeling at higher speeds.

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  Brake Rotor Problems - 2008 Acura MDX
  By Brake Problems - October 3 - 10:05 am

  My MDX is mostly a pleasant SUV to drive and own. However, I was surprised when I had problems with the brake rotors at a low mileage and Acura told me that I "brake too hard" and I would "burn" the rotors because of my driving style. Well, I am a rather slow driver and 70 % of my driving is highway driving. I have had 4 Toyota SUVs prior to this one and never had a brake issue. Could there be a quality issue with the rotors on the 2008 MDX? Compared with my previous Toyotas I feel the MDX seats too hard and uncomfortable on longer rides.

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  The Little Things Add Up - 2007 Acura RDX
  By HondaMoCoFan - October 3 - 6:20 am

  I decided to trade in my TL for this because I wanted all wheel drive. I was disappointed to find out that the car lacked some features I thought would be standard across all models. Namely, the navigation screen was no longer touch screen (as my TL from a few years prior had been). I also found both the gas range prediction and mpg to be terrible. On a drive across the country in a torrential downpour, I checked my range vs. the nearest gas station. At the time (about 20 miles away), I had about 12-15 extra miles according to the trip computer. Suddenly, about 10 miles away it jumped to 9 miles and I wondered if I would even make it.

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  Tranny problems - 2004 Acura RSX
  By hondalover - September 30 - 9:07 am

  I have owned Hondas all my life, every version of the Civic or Integra imaginable. This RSX Type S was very disappointing. The 6 speed transmission was a major problem for me, and I brought it back to the dealer several times. These cars notoriously grind 2nd and 3rd gears, and when I brought it back to the dealer they claimed that they could not "replicate the problem" Engine is awesome, suspension is killer, but the tranny is a huge problem! Beware when you purchase!

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  2006 Acura TL - 2006 Acura TL
  By Ernie - September 27 - 5:43 am

  TL is a fine and fun car, but it is neither a great luxury car or sports car. The ride is firm, way too much on uneven concrete surfaces. Several rattles.