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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  Good SUV but Can be better - 2014 Acura MDX
  By icern - June 13 - 3:44 am

  Before i purchased the MDX, i test drove other SUV in or near this 7 seater class. From Explorers, Qx60 and Highlander etc. But it came down to two. The infiniti or the Accura. I went with the MDX. For the reason that it is more enjoyable to drive. Good suspension on minor bumps although the Adv Tech seems to be quiter that the other trims. It has A good Gas Mileage. I get 22 to 24 MPG Combined with more Bostonian/suburb driving than highway. The Interior does not feel cheap at all. Although the Center console looks outdated. It has pretty cool features like the flood lights and interior lighting are LEDs. Safety is also good

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  "CAUTION"---MDX has a driver safety issue! :(( - 2014 Acura MDX
  By flfeds - June 10 - 3:48 pm

  Just bought the MDX two weeks ago and took it on our first trip and was astonished at an interior design flaw. Heading west on a sunny day produced a significant amount of glare off the aluminum trim around the center console and the entertainment center.It was so distracting and bothersome to the driver that we had to cover the trim with articles of clothing.Dealership was notified their solution was to cover with electrical tape. Acura client relations was contacted their response was thx for feedback, no solution because its the design of the interior for the MDX.No other model has that reflective trim!Stay away,there r many other competitive choices.I will solve it with "DUCT TAPE" :(

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  2001 Acura Cl 3.2 Type-S Coupe -- Excellent - 2001 Acura CL
  By jrswifty - May 5 - 11:09 pm

  I loved my 2001 Acura so much that I figured Id share my great experience. I drove my car for three years running it up to 180000km. This car never let me down and started every single time - even in the -40 Canadian winters. I never had any problems with the transmission or any other part of the car. The Acura Cl Type-S is truly a joy to drive, lots of power for all sorts of fun. Handled excellent in the winter and on gravel roads. Unfortunately I was hit in an intersection writing my vehicle off. That being said, the car kept me safe and the necessary airbags deployed when and where they were needed. I now drive an Infiniti and it is not at all comparable to my great Cl.

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  Build quality is poor for a premium SUV - 2014 Acura MDX
  By jedi4knight - April 26 - 9:54 am

  2014 MDX is a huge deal for Acura as over 40% of revenue comes from MDX sales but the overall execution is poor. First issue is not necessarily a bad design, but build quality of SUV that is made in America. If this SUV were built better, there would be a lot less complaint and more appraises but unfortunately, it does not represent a premium SUV class at all. Overall cost cutting also shows how much Acura cut material cost to save money in several areas for loyal Acura owners will realize rather quickly. After first three months and 2400 miles later, the ultimate question remains. Will you buy this SUV again? My answer would be "probably not" I have owned many Acura but this is the worst.

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  A great choice - 2014 Acura RDX
  By jh16 - April 22 - 4:40 pm

  I have had my 2014 RDX AWD tech for about a week now. So far I have been very happy with the car. It drives smooth, brakes well, and the transmission seems to work flawlessly. I am most happy with the turning radius, as my last two vehicles were monsters to turn and try to park. I also looked at the Q5, and besides the Audi being more expensive, I did not like the idea of the turbo 4 cyl engine. Ive driven an audi with a turbo before, and it seemed very inconsistent - thats something that I did not want to deal with again. The RDX has great acceleration (and sounds pretty good too when you step on it), its too bad they hid the dual exhaust tips up under the rear bumper.

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  Extremely Comfortable, Storage Could Improve - 2013 Acura RDX
  By briansmi - April 13 - 1:25 pm

  I have owned my 2013 RDX for a year and a half and have 14,000 miles on it. This is the most comfortable car I have ever driven. On long trips I can be in the car for 4-5 hours and not be stiff. The gas millage is very good for the size of the vehicle. The VCE goes from 6 to 3 on the freeway allowing for good millage on longer hauls. If I went 60-65, I could pull 29 MPG on standard hauls (no major mountains). City/Highway combo I get 22-24.

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  2014 RDX - Comfortable but a vibration issue ruins the fun - 2014 Acura RDX
  By familyguy1 - April 1 - 9:13 am

  Purchased in late Dec 2013 and after 3 months and 3,000 miles, heres my review: Ride is comfortable, agility is great, suspension is fairly stiff. Seats are supportive and comfortable (both front and rear). Sound system is great. BUT... The car has a vibration issue from about 60 MPH on up. Had the tires spin balanced, road force balanced, the prop shaft replaced... still there. The vibration is not severe, but its ever present and on long trips, leaves your feet tingling a bit and ready to get out. Very annoying. Rode with the dealer service tech, he feels it too, but says thats as good as it gets. Because of the vibration, feels like I made a $38,000 mistake.

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  2004 6-speed manual - 2004 Acura TL
  By teddygram - March 29 - 10:00 am

  Overall great car. Outside explains itself from the pictures. Interior leather seats fit me well, smudges and dirt wipe away with ease (treat the leather every half year, Armor All leather gel). Only preventative maintenance done, I checked tire pressure, liquid levels, and cleaned outside and inside weekly. Never found a problem leaking liquids or tire pressure. Take care of your car and shell take care of you. I drive in West Virginia mountains and around DC. Could accelerate easily at 80+mph on uphill mountains without mashing petal. Fun to drive on backroads. MPG is around the stated 20/30 expected, if youre not racing (I dont drive grandma style either) No surprises from the car

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  Ignore the automotive writers and just drive one yourself - 2014 Acura ILX
  By scorpio69er - March 18 - 1:16 pm

  I own the 2014 ILX base 2.0L 5-sp auto. First off, the 150 hp engine is just fine, thanks. I can cruise at 80 mph on the interstate all day long. Ive had no issues running at very high altitude climbing fairly steep grades, and getting up to speed is quick at about 8 sec 0-60 -- once the engine is broken in. Its also economical. Im averaging 30 mpg with ~8K miles of mixed driving. The differences between the 2014 and 2013 are not minor. The 2014 now comes standard with heated leather seats (drivers is powered), rear-backup camera, 17" alloys, and additional sound deadening, including active noise reduction. Im 61" and I fit in the car just fine. Go test drive one yourself.

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  2004 acura tl (2yrs ownership, 160K review) - 2004 Acura TL
  By wuhantang - March 10 - 10:51 am

  ive had my acura tl for the past 2 years and bought it with 95,000km on it and now it has 160,000km. So this review would be a long term review things that went wrong during 2years: -navigation system stopped working -rear brake light stopped working -driver door lock stopped working my satisfaction: -overall i would buy this car again, all the things that broke were small things that were easy to fix except the navigation (common problem among 04-06 models) -this car is relatively reliable, with low cost of ownership