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! - 2012 Acura RDX
  By austonian - January 13 - 3:14 pm

  I traded my 07 BMW X3 for the 12 RDX. I wanted reliability in a small luxury SUV - which I expect from and Acura and was not getting from BMW. I expected the RDX to be a bit of a let down from the X3 from a driving perspective, but I was way wrong. I absolutely love driving the RDX! Its peppy, has a lighter, crisper feel, and I love the interior, which has very comfortable seats. No complaints from me. This has turned out to be a very good choice. (BTW, the 13 RDX was revealed at the Detroit Auto Show this week. IMO, the new body is very generic and too rounded. Get thee to an Acura dealer fast if you want the current RDXs distinctive look and lines.)

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  NO PROBLEMS AT ALL!! - 2003 Acura TL
  By 1soccerfan - January 5 - 8:42 pm

  I bought this car Sept 2010 with 110K miles. I drive at least 2,000 miles per month, this car has 141K now. 14 months and Ive driven it 31K miles with NO PROBLEMS OR ISSUES. Oil changes and tires only. I drive my cars hard and I expect something to go wrong but the transmission shifts perfect and everything works perfectly. I go on 2-3 hour road trips at least twice a month with no worries. I trade cars about every 2 years and I have to say this is the best one Ive had in a long time.

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  Back to lexus - 2008 Acura MDX
  By raindude - January 1 - 12:59 pm

  So i bought my mdx with 80k miles on it dec 2009. The technology, room, power, etc were great. I thought that this was finally e vehicle that i could run to 300k. Not. Turns out the torque converter was going bad at 95k miles. The dealership said that these things happen. I brought car to a local transmission place for a better price. They said their are many many problems with the mdx and pilot transmissions. They recommended a full trans rebuild since it would need one eventually anyhow. Not sure why acura and honda havent corrected this but the problem has been going on for 10 years. Bye bye acura. Bought my lexus instead....

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  Comparing the RDX to BMW X3 - 2009 Acura RDX
  By jmh12 - December 28 - 11:16 am

  I traded my X3 for a used RDX. While the X3 was a good car, its reliability was waning after 100K. The RDX was a great choice. Reminds me of the X3. Ride is about the same (choppy over rough spots) but handles even better than the X3. Seems roomier and gets a bit better gas mileage. Sure you can get low miles if you keep your foot in the turbo. Im getting 23 to 27 on the highway and 19 in town. This is the AWD version too. I have an MDX thats been a reliable car. I expect the RDX to follow suit. Its a great car for one who enjoys driving and isnt put off by the tight suspension. Plus its an Acura.

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  Disappointed about my dream car! - 2011 Acura MDX
  By maxbailey - December 27 - 6:40 pm

  I have been waiting nearly 7 years to buy an MDX. I purchased my vehicle just over 6 months ago. I love it...it is beautiful! However, it has left me stranded several times and the technicians at Acura are stumped. A message keeps appearing..."check starter system." Acura has had my vehicle on several occasions now. They replaced the computer system and thought the problem was solved. However, this morning after the vehicle sat in my garage for 3 days, I got in the vehicle and the XM radio stations were all reset to the preview channel, my #1 driver memory was gone and the a/c was on max. I never leave the a/c or heat on when I shut off the vehicle. Tonight the vehicle wont start:-(

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  Acura cost cutting ruins this car for me - 2012 Acura TL
  By jr171 - December 27 - 4:52 pm

  The TL is fun to drive and is well designed. Unfortunately, after living with it for 6 months the cost cutting Acura is so obvious that it ruins the car for me. Here are my annoyances, individually none of them are deal breakers but combined they kill my TL enjoyment Issue 1: The wheels of my 44k car are plastic. The 2011 model were metal and looked a ton better. Issue 2: The bumpers of my white TL are a yellowish white that dont come close to matching the body when its cloudy outside (bought the car on sunny day so I didnt notice) Issue 3: Misc quality issues. All the chrome paint has flaked off my key fob, the leather is low quality and wearing quickly, the back speakers rattle, etc

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  My first Japanese car - 2012 Acura RDX
  By scotch1 - December 20 - 6:22 pm

  My first choice was a BMW X3 or Audi Q5, but the price was about 9K to 10K more than the RDX. The car is sporty, fun to drive, good seating confort in the front and rear seats. Love the surround sound stereo, Nav and Blue Tooth. The voice commands to operate most controls is hit or miss. Have about 3K in miles so far, average about 19 to 20 in town driving. The ride is a bit stiff, but NVH is good. Have owned 4 Volvos, the RDX is much more compliant with impact harshness than any of my Volvos. Yeah, I hate the beak front end, but at least is does not look like the Nissan Joke, I mean Juke. Most Japanese cars lack the sense of design when to BMW or Mercedes.

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  What a snatch! - 2009 Acura RDX
  By itzsyk - December 17 - 2:16 am

  Its been 2 great years since I first picked this baby up. The biggest reason for choosing this car, is because the 2.3 liter engine from Honda is only used in the RDX. The small turbo is also very peppy. Theres virtually no lag - VTec kicks just under 4k rpm. Unfortunately, the drop in peak power is very noticeable. The ride is stiff, but supple. Just enough to feel confident without suffering back pains. I put regular gas for 1k miles recently, and to my surprise, there was no loss in power. But, there was loss in the stiffness of the steering wheel. Regardless, I advise premium gas. The brakes were the biggest disappointment. They feel like they stop 60-0 in 130-140 ft.

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  Acura MDX 2012 Advance+Entertainment - 2012 Acura MDX
  By dragon64 - December 13 - 2:08 pm

  Looked at all models from Mercedes (GL), Lexus (GX), Toyota, Land Rover. Our needs were to fit full size cello in the back, 3 kids, 7 sitting capability occasionally for a car pool. Drivability and passenger comfort with technology to protect them. Acura MDX won at the end with the Advance and Entertainment features and space. Mercedes GL was close, had good room but much more expensive if decked out and the reliability history was not as good if reading feed back from internet. Did not drive as easy as Lexus GX and Acura. Lexus GX was best liked by driver sitting but not by the passengers (kids) secondary to cramped 2nd sitting and incredibly cramped 3rd row even for kids.

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  Great compact sedan - 2000 Acura Integra
  By andreroman21 - December 6 - 8:33 pm

  Had the car for about 2 years now. I love this car. From its styling to its nimbleness its a great all around car. The MPG is good as well. It is definately a classy sporty sedan. Interior is stylish as well. It comes with power everything and cruise control, Sunroof. 4 ABS disc brakes. Very well equipped for its day. Almost purchased a GS but I enjoy cloth seats much more and they last longer than leather. Only mods are the radio head unit, as well as coilovers and HID lights on the car. Tasteful mods. I recommend this car to anyone who does not have kids. If you have kids the Accord or TL would be better for you. I am only selling because I recently had child