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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  Worst car I have ever owned - 2009 Acura RDX
  By Priscilla Morris - December 4 - 8:18 am

  Rough ride, poor interior quality, way too expensive to be this bad . So sad it is such a sorry ride and quality.

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  Rattle Box with Features - 2005 Acura TL
  By Czarcrab - November 25 - 12:23 am

  Havent you all heard lately about the bad built quality of the Acura Body. My car is pretty much a rattlebox with tons of features. It queeks and squeeks at every nick and bump on the road. There is rattling noise from front glove box, wing mirrors, rear seat center etc etc. And very loud irritating noises. Just a RATTLEBOX with loads of features IMHO.

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  My Advice: Stay away from Honda/Acura - 2006 Acura TSX
  By Bad Decision - November 24 - 2:49 pm

  I bought this car new in 2006, I have had it in the shop 2 times every year for the brakes!! They are terrible! Also it has been in 3 times so far for rust repair! Very cheap build quality! My friend got a Chevrolet Cobalt LT a year before I got an Acura and my Acura has had more problems and has been in the shop more than her Cobalt!!!! This really is not a Premium quality car!!

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  Wish I could return it - 2010 Acura RDX
  By amit batt - October 5 - 5:07 pm

  We bought this car to downsize from our Volvo XC90 - and be more "green". What a mistake! The mileage is no better despite the miserably small cabin and trunk (looks big but doesnt hold much). This car should never be bought by a family - if you are a young couple who doesnt drive far or carry much (or mind the 90+ dB road noise) , then, I have a vehicle for you.

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  Documented transmission problems - 2003 Acura MDX
  By tom - September 17 - 10:41 pm

  With problem after problem for my 03 MDX I thought I heard it all when local acura dealer informed me that one out of four 01-03 mdxs will need the transmission replaced! This from a so called luxury car? Check the web and youll see its true. Dont buy this year range, cause youll have a 25% chance of failure.

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  Dont buy - 2004 Acura MDX
  By Steve Jones - September 3 - 8:37 pm

  This vehicle has been the most unreliable vehicle I have ever owned. In the last 5 months, I have spent over a $1000 on the transmission (torque converter and another switch) and another $700 on the power steering (a loud whine). Both of these problems have numerous complaints against them, but Acura wont do anything since its not under warranty. There are service bulletins out for these issues, but Acura wont do anything until forced to by a recall.

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  Problematic RSX-S - 2002 Acura RSX
  By RSX-S - August 21 - 10:00 am

  This is a very problematic car. A lot of them are having big problems. If you really want one wait until 2003 or 2004 models, so that they work out all the bugs.

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  Did I just buy a lemon? - 2008 Acura RDX
  By Not happy in Florida - July 11 - 8:39 am

  This RDX has been a nightmare. I have been in the shop 12 times since purchasing - 4 times for brakes alone. Ive had them cleaned, replaced, rotors and then completely redone again. My memory module has gone, my seat has stopped working, blue tooth stopped working, bubbles on the hood from the paint, everything down to the footrest has fallen off. The rattle in the windows is terrible. Trying to get corporate to take back (WISH ME LUCK). The only good thing about this vehicle is the turbo.

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  Test drive a few times before purchasing an RDX - 2014 Acura RDX
  By kelley shimo - May 6 - 6:52 am

  The RDX rides rough, I can feel every dip, bump, manhole, etc in the road. Test drive on city roads and you will understand what I am talking about. I have encountered some strange brake noises that the Service center said is standard. There is a strange clanging noise in the front when you cross over lane separators or bumps. It is annoying and is standard in the RDX and I also heard it in the TL. It sounds as if the front axle is loose. Substandard paint used on this vehicle, after 1 week, I already have chips. After 7 months, more chips and many scratches some as long as 12". These are not malicious or deliberate scratches; more likely someones purse rubbed against my car as they walked by. I had my Mercedes ML320 for 19 years and did not have this many chips and scratches. The placement of the air vents is nonsensical, the drivers vent is blocked by the steering wheel base and the levers for the turn signal and windshield wipers. I dont see how this design flaw was not noticed by Acura, I need the heat directed toward me not my steering wheel and levers. The heat control is baffling. This car is 3 years old, but in 51 degree weather, it takes a good 10 minutes for the heater to work. Heater set at 73-80 degrees and cool air comes out of the vents. I think for a newer car, I had higher expectations of design and functionality of an Acura. Too many little things add up to an annoying vehicle.

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  Acura kills fun - 2007 Acura TL
  By Doug - April 29 - 11:15 am

  This car has done what I thought was impossible. Its taken the fun out of driving. Outward visibility is useless. Its like living/driving in a cave. The all-back interior is hearse-like and depressing. The transmission is wonky. It has an impossible-to-read mind of its own. The suspension. Dont get me started. It cant decide whether its a sports car or a sedan. The gas mileage is horrible. Sitting at idle in heavy traffic, you can watch the needle on the gas gauge slip down, down, down. The HVAC controls are confusing.