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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  Amazing Vehicle - 2004 Acura TL
  By John_Ohio - August 19 - 2:00 am

  Picked up my 04 TL two days ago. This is one amazing vehicle. Manual shifting is smooth as butter. Navi. system works very well. XM radio a big plus. Styling of the car is a huge improvement over the 03 model. There is some torque steer at fast acceleration, managable if you anticipate it. Comfort is great. Gadgets are great. A major step up from my 01 Accord Coupe EX-V6. First car with the high intensity headlights and they are simply amazing.

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  Youll love this car!!! - 2002 Acura RSX
  By Mike001 - August 18 - 10:00 am

  This car is addictive. I have been test driving cars for 6 months, and I didnt test drive this one right away because the review ("sport coup comparason") in Edmonds said there was some rear suspension problem. Well there isnt, at all, I dont know what they were taliking about. Anyway, I test drove Lexus IS 400, BMW 330i, Nissan spec V, Suburu WRX, and some others, and this was easily the most fun to drive, and some of those others were almost twice the price, HA! In fact, this is the most fun car I have ever driven (and my last two cars were a 1999 Ford Mustang Cobra and a 1997 BMW 540i) Anyway, just test drive it, youll see, its awesome!

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  should have known... - 2002 Acura RSX
  By not2impressed - August 18 - 10:00 am

  I test drove the RSX last week expecting to fall in love with it. It didnt happen. I thought the handling was above average even at higher speeds. It looks great inside and out. The 4cyl. performance was quite decent. Overall I have to say that its a nice toy. On the other hand the visibility is horrible, the seats are uncomfortable as the lumbar support is too prominent and the seat itself (not the back) is too short for taller people. I also didnt care for the layout of the controls.

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  Good Vehicle But Not a Luxury Ride - 2018 Acura RDX
  By N1128Q - August 18 - 1:37 am

  The 2018 RDX is good but basically a Honda with some nice touches and a different grill. Ive leased Audi vehicles for several years but decided to go with the Acura because the 2018 Audi Q5s lease quote was about $100/month higher for a similarly equipped vehicle. After driving the RDX for a couple of months, I can see why. The difference in interior materials, engineering, and overall luxury show that the Audi is far better. In particular, Im disappointed in the assembly quality. Exterior panels have uneven gaps, bolts and screws are visible, and there are other areas that show that Honda took assembly and materials shortcuts which a "luxury" brand should not do. In addition, the dealership experience left a lot to be desired as the RDX was not prepped correctly, tires were over-inflated, the front license plate bracket was not attached, and (not to sound petty but this goes to the "experience" factor) I did not receive a full tank of gas. When I said something to the salesman, he brushed it off. Since then, I have not heard from the dealer or from Acura - even to see if Im enjoying the vehicle. Overall, Ill keep the RDX but think Ill go back to Audi for my next vehicle. This is an update of the review I posted in October. Since then, my RDX developed squeaks, rattles, and buzzing that demonstrated the indifferent quality of assembly and the poor choice of materials. The voice recognition system got even worse and trying to work with it in traffic almost resulted in accidents on two occasions. While the navigation system could ultimately find the desired destination, it never chose the best or even safest route. The seats became more uncomfortable over time, to such an extent that my wife had to use a seat cushion to even sit in the vehicle for a drive longer than 30 minutes. Finally, at 7800 miles on the odometer I gave up, "bit the financial bullet", and got out of my lease. Acura may aspire to premium status but I know Ill never get another one. The materials, assembly, fit and finish, and technology are, at best, equal to Honda but at Lexus prices. My wifes Hyundai Elantra is a better vehicle than the Acura RDX.

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  My MDX - 2004 Acura MDX
  By PinakinDesai - August 16 - 2:00 am

  Excellent performance overall. The only thing that they could improve upon is the wind noise. I also wish they had not taken away the Sun glass holder. Other than that excellent car.

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  Love it! - 2005 Acura TL
  By B omilakin - August 15 - 11:02 am

  Contenporarily excellent! Sporty, agile, and fun to drive. Ultimate reliability!

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  Horrible Car - 2003 Acura TL
  By Much Wiser Now - August 15 - 2:00 am

  All about Acura is total hype. Terrible car inside & out Seat is hard on back during trips. Just found out about transmission recall when it malfunctioned. Acura didnt contact me (Im at same address as when purchased) found out by researching NHTSA when tranny broke. NHTSA says this car (& other Acura models 2001 - 2003) may lock up & result in a crash. Experience w/Acura has been a rude awakening. Service in past has also been sub-standard. No more Acuras or Hondas for me. Worst performance of a new vehicle ever. No wonder it is priced well below competition -- it cant compete in its class.

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  A True Gem at a Charcoal Price - 2004 Acura TSX
  By Paddy O - August 14 - 10:00 am

  I upgraded from a 95 Honda Accord V6 since I appreciate the reliability of Honda/ Acura. After driving the TL, the Accord, the 330, then the TSX. This is the perfect car except for the premium fuel. I paid $25,200 from Santa Monica Acura with 2.9% financing.

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  Sweet! - 2005 Acura TL
  By abirvalg - August 14 - 9:33 am

  Amazing car for the money. Very happy with everything but a few quality issues with the interior. Love the looks inside and out. Fun to drive! Looked at ES, IS, A4, TSX, Camry, Accord. TL has it all and more. Dont buy a ~33K car without looking at this one.

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  Nu hotness still in effect - 1991 Acura Legend
  By Kevin_Gthype - August 14 - 2:00 am

  Ive been fascinated with Acura Legends since 1994. Even though I have a 91, it still performs like a later model. The car is 13 years old but it drives like brand new. I got a deal with it. In fact the night before. It was broken into, but they werent even able to steel it due to the coded radio and alarm. Mercedes, Bmw , Audi ,and all those other luxury cars cant touch this car. It lives up to its name. With performance and style its truly a legend. My suggestion get one and feel the power.