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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  Very impressed with 2010 - 2010 Acura MDX
  By charlie - May 7 - 12:48 pm

  The new 2010 MDX provides a smooth and quiet ride, with excellent body control in the corners (even w/o the Advance pkg). The restyled front/rear- ends lend a more aggressive look, and together actually makes the car appear bigger than before. The voice commands are intuitive and easy to operate, and the premium Milano leather seats are incredibly comfortable. As with the previous gen, the fuel economy is only average for a V6. With an MPG in the teens, I wouldve liked to have a bit more low-end torque, although its a decent performer for that kind of size and heft. The throttle is responsive and the new 6-speed auto is silky smooth. Its a very well-rounded SUV and a great value.

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  2010 MDX even better than the 2007. - 2010 Acura MDX
  By Dr. T. - May 3 - 9:44 pm

  This is my third MDX. It is even better than my beloved 2007 MDX. Much better sound system and much better backup camera. This is the SUV for those of us who love the performance of a sports car.

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  Best Performance car for the Money - 2010 Acura TL
  By Rich Balliet - May 3 - 1:46 pm

  This is the best performance car & most beautiful of the all Honda Products made. My Black on Black TL is so pretty and unique. The engine is more powerful, freer and higher revving than any Acura/Honda I have driven. The brakes are neither too heavy nor too light, I have never felt fade (Seldom hear ABS!) and have a very smooth feel. The car corners absolutely flat (on rails)& the steering is perfectly weighted at any speed. The TL 6MT also has equal or better performance than cars costing thousands more (e.g. Lexus E350, Inf G37x and M-Class, Audi A4, BMW Series 3 and 5, MB C300 and similar 4Matics, Ford Taurus SHO. This is also the quietest “Honda Product” I have owned (MDX, Pilot).

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  2010 TSx/w technology package. - 2010 Acura TSX
  By Craig - May 3 - 1:44 pm

  The 2010 TSX/technology package is a great car to drive. The interior design is excellent as well as the exterior.There is a lot of room in the front. The navigation system is very easy to use use as well as the bluetooth. I tried other cars with the same package but they are more complicated to use. When I drive my car heads turn. Without even looking at the inside I get compliments on the look of the car. This car feels good on the highway plus it has a lot of power for a 4 cylinder. I can just imagine the 6 cylinder. There is a 3 month trial period for the XM radio and that is a must to have. Great Job Acura.

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  Still a Great Car - 2004 Acura TSX
  By Mike - May 2 - 9:37 pm

  I wrote a review 2 years ago. I still have my TSX. I bought it in May of 2004 brand new. Besides normal maintenance its still going strong. Ive got 102,000 miles on it now. At this point Im considering keeping this thing till the wheels fall off. Ive hit 100k, lets go for 200k now!

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  A solid value - 2010 Acura MDX
  By Hilbilly 385 - May 2 - 3:52 pm

  After a month or two of ownership we are quite pleased with our MDX. Build quality and features are excellent. It has a quiet ride and feels stable at 80mph. The seats are comfortable and the Navi/audio system are excellent. While not a sports car it handles very well and gets up to speed nicely. It has an excellent balance of exterior size and interior capacity. Recommend highly.

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  Love at first drive - 2010 Acura TSX
  By Amatista - May 1 - 3:09 pm

  Ive had this car since 10/09 and have put 6,000 miles on it. Driving this car has been a relief since my previous car (2007 Murano) was repurchased as a lemon. The interior is very sharp looking, and will endure over the years. Averaging about 27 mpg, hoping it will increase. Since premium gas is only "recommended" in the 4 cylinder, Ive tried reg. and prem., and can notice the difference. Only using premium now. Love this car!

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  Great SUV - 2009 Acura MDX
  By MDXMAN - May 1 - 12:44 pm

  I love my MDX. I have a black MDX w/technology package. I opted for the roof rails and sport side steps. It is a beautiful SUV. It has a great ride, ample storage, terrific acceleration and handles like a sports sedan. I was considering the Audi, but the Audis handling does not even come close to the Acura. The BMW handled well but was now where near as luxurious or comfortable. MPG are quite reasonable considering the performance of the engine. Ive had the vehicle for 9 months now and have had zero maintenance issues. If youre looking for a fantastic luxury SUV, look no further.

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  Great work horse - 2006 Acura MDX
  By Bills ToyTruck - May 1 - 11:55 am

  Bought certified last year-had only 26k on it, due to some "shop time" having door and fender repainted and repaired. Use it as a music gear and trailer hauler, as well as my sole transportation. Great fuel economy (I average 19-20 mpg), even when hauling our 3,000 lb. Hi-Lo trailer. Also very solid build-no rattles. I put the transmission and power steering coolers on when I did the hitch, as Acura advises this. Also added a brake controller for the trailer. Put 9,000 miles on it and its been great. Looked at new recently, but nothing hit me except the 2010 MDX at 45k. Cant justify banging up a new car that costs that much.

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  Easy entry level choice - 2010 Acura TL
  By Rx4Rex - May 1 - 3:10 am

  I decided to upgrade my commuter with an entry level luxury sedan eliminating several options immediately because I was still concerned about reliability. If Im paying more to get more, more must include reliability - Scratch off the German wonders. I drove the TL and G37 sedan & coupe (Didnt care for baby Lexus). The TL with the Tech package exceeded all of my expectations and was clearly the superior car. It had all the features of the G37 but with much more room inside. Even my wife preferred the more masculine/sporty exterior of the TL. The shifting was also much smoother. I had to do some emergency braking and it was rock steady just like the handling. I love commuting now.