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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  Clutch problem - 2003 Acura CL
  By INUD - June 24 - 2:00 am

  This car was a great car for 30,000 miles, until the clutch went out. I babied this car. I had no warning of a clutch failure, no slippage at all. Riding on a flat raod and went to shift and the clutch pedal stuck to the floor. Thats all she wrote. cloast me $800+. Have had lots of manual shifts and this was a first for me. Also have had trouble with the home link.

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  Acura Sucks - 2004 Acura RSX
  By Matthew Stewart - June 24 - 2:00 am

  The enigne block was cracked after 5,500 miles. I took it in becuase it was leaking oil. They replaced the oil filter. Still something wrong so they had to "call" Acura to find out the small block was cracked. Seriously. It took 17 days to fix and when I was intially told I could get it the dealer said my car was not ready because my engine was "laying in pieces on the floor". Not a comforting thought. They clutch just went out at 45,000 miles and they would not replace it for free because it is a wearable part. Well, I guess the enigne is "wearable" too but it still does not go bad after 5,500 miles. The seal around the drivers door was coming undone.

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  Love my Red Rock MDX - 2004 Acura MDX
  By cheri loyd - June 24 - 2:00 am

  Only complaint? Its difficult to thoroughly clean front seat interior area around the "cracks"-near gear shift,cup holder and door panels. I am very pleased with gas mileage-I have gotten over 23MPG on the highway twice. Probably would have been 25 if I had kept it down to 55. LOVE MY ACURA!

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  Typcially Excellent if uninspiring - 2003 Acura TL
  By Joersc - June 24 - 2:00 am

  Gas mileage is poor, averaging 15-16 MPG in city driving. Ergonomics are good unless you are over 62" when front seat headroom becomes prime real estate. Seats are firm but unsupportive - downright uncomfortable on long hauls and persistent squeaking in both front seats. Sound system is nice on paper (6 disc CD changer in dash a real plus) but 4 speakers with a so-called "sub-woofer" is PUNY. Cannot upgrade without changin whole system - speakers are 1 ohm and aftermarket speaks are not compatible. Marvelously capable, but the FUN FACTOR is missing completely.

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  Best Car I have Owned - 2005 Acura TL
  By TampaMike - June 23 - 3:10 pm

  I waited over a year to buy the TL as I avoid 1st year redesigns. No car is perfect, but the TL is the best car I have ever owned. I have always bought fully optioned cars, but the TLs extensive features overwhelmed me. I still do not make use of all of the features. Admittedly, I have spent hours in the garage learning my TL, as well as admiring the wonderful stereo. By the critics, this is not the best handling in its class (being FWD), but the TL far exceeds my driving characteristics. Acura has done an amazing job of balance here with performance, features, power, relative efficiency and Ultra Low Emmision Vehicle (ULEV) and all for an unmatchable price.

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  Dazzled, amazed, and absolutely giddy! - 2002 Acura RSX
  By Speedgirlie - June 23 - 2:00 am

  I found the RSX to be very unassuming. It didnt look excessively showy or overly flashy. I really liked that, kind of like a wolf in sheeps clothing... I swore Id never own a Honda product, even though they have an excellent reputation. An Acura was as close as I could bring myself to a Honda. The car is a blast to drive, it makes even the most mundane errand enjoyable. Insurance is high on this car, but when you factor in the shear delight you will get from driving the RSX, it suddenly seems worth the added expense!

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  I love this car!!!!! - 2000 Acura TL
  By 2000TLOwner - June 23 - 2:00 am

  What else can I say. This car has been everything I could ask for. I spend 2-3 hours a day in my car so I need one I like and I have found it. 93K miles and still no major problems.

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  My MDX - 2004 Acura MDX
  By olie - June 23 - 2:00 am

  Absolutely the best I have bought. I was originally going to purchase a BMW X5 but changed after driving the MDX. It has more features and creature comforts at no extra charge. I also was impressed with its handling ability at higher speeds.

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  Best Car I Ever Owned - 2007 Acura RDX
  By Mi Ami - June 23 - 1:30 am

  From the second you open the door to this high tech monster you know you made the right choice. It is fast, secure, comfortable, fun, safe. The sound system is beyond the finest. Navagation - wow. This one is a no brainer to own. Best car I ever owned and I had them all. This is the least expensive and the best.

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  Cant hear the music - 2016 Acura MDX
  By Michael - June 22 - 10:52 pm

  Loved the RDX and followed with the MDX. Mistake. From cold start the car takes a few seconds to download (or open) its software and the initial start is "jerky". The transmission/pick-up is initially slow. But the one awful feature is the radio- It has been to the dealer to check all connections-claims to have found none which I believe since the radio still cannot hold a station. Every station wanders/gets static. Think this is the worst car radio Ive had since I was a kid in my fathers 1958 Dodge.