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 -loaded - 2015 Acura TLX
  By Rob - September 23 - 11:05 am

  I also have not had any problems with the transmission . I am totally happy with my purchase . I did decided to upgrade the rims and tires and also added the body molding and trunk wing. Car look awesome with the upgrades from Acura

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  Still going strong at over 100K mi - 2007 Acura TSX
  By cmi - September 21 - 1:15 pm

  I bought my 07 TSX new 8 years ago, 110K, and still really enjoy driving it. It has also held up well in the looks dept. After a few rough winters was thinking of trading it for something with AWD, but there is much to be said for no car payments. Aside from basic maintenance, the car has been trouble-free. Mechanic said I am nuts to get rid of it as it will easily hit 200K+. If you want reliability and value, let the Germans keep the snoot factor while they sit at the dealership service dept all day.

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  Upgrade from 2013 ILX - 2015 Acura TLX
  By Eddie - September 12 - 10:12 pm

  I have experienced NO, that is, ZERO transmission problems with my V6 TLX. I get 25MPG city/highway combined at a minimum. Personally the 2013 ILX was a disappointing replacement for my Acura 2003 RSX my 2003 RSX had better performance in my daily driving and did not have the annoying dash noise of the 2013 ILX. The dash rattle combined with poor performance led me to trade up. Im glad that I did. The TLX is quiet and performs extremely well on my daily commutes. I have had no problems using the dual screen controls. From my personal experience Acura service is excellent for both my 2013 ILX and 2003 RSX and my wifes 2003 TLX and new 2016 RDX.

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  Acura has gone back to their roots!! - 2015 Acura TLX
  By Andre Dunlap II - September 4 - 12:58 am

  Purchased a 2015 TLX last week. Originally was looking at the ILX but decided to also test drive the TLX. I loved how well the car drove. It doesnt feel like youre driving a midsize at all! The acceleration is very good (Sport and Sport+ are AWESOME!!). I love the interior and all of the little touches (ambient lighting in the rear seats is a nice touch). The car really does feel luxurious yet sporty. Sat in the car today on my lunch break and didnt realize how much there is to customize. I def think Acura/Honda is in the right direction with their new sedans. I would recommend getting the Tech Package, its def worth it!

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  Poor Customer Service - I will NEVER buy another! - 2014 Acura MDX
  By David C. Laredo - September 1 - 1:22 pm

  As an owner of an Acura MDX I must express my sincere disappointment with the companys customer service (or lack thereof). The dealer from whom I bought my car lost its contract with Acura. (This can happen.) Acura has never contacted me to advise as to where I should take the vehicle for warranty work. The nearest Acura dealer is a 2 hour (one way) drive for me, but an certified Honda dealer is only 10 minutes away. Acura now sends me a recall notice informing me a bolt needs to be replaced. The Honda dealer tells me they can do the work, but it will be covered by Acura only with prior authorization. Acura denies authorization and will require me to undertake a 4 hour trip to effect this recall. Oh... and it took Acura 4 weeks and multiple calls on my part to decide my request to deal with the Honda dealer would be denied. Never once did Acura return my call. Oh. Acura did send me a letter to wish me a "Happy Anniversary" in recognition of my Acura Ownership. Based upon their lack of caring, and lack of responsiveness, I WOULD NEVER PURCHASE ANOTHER ACURA!

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  I want a new Acura TL just like my 2002 - 2002 Acura TL
  By DGF - August 28 - 11:00 pm

  Best car Ive ever had. It never left me stranded. Ive had it for 12 yrs.

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  7 months into MDX AWD w/ tech - Using everything - 2015 Acura MDX
  By Christopher - August 26 - 4:25 pm

  My first MDX. Owned a TL and a TSX so familiar with the Acura style. Overall - great SUV. The most striking thing you will notice 1st is the ride. Here in N. Texas, very bumpy riding on hard concrete roads that heat crack and leave you wishing for quite & smooth blacktop. The MDX performs extremely well taking a lot of the smashing right out of the ride. The leather on the seats is the softest Ive ever encountered. Handling is great with the AWD. Engine power is throaty and responsive. For improvements, the NAV is crazy. Found the best way is to just type in the address (good display for such). Trying to use the voice recognition for NAV is just stupid. You say, "Dallas, TX" and it says "Ft. Lauderdale, FL." Whatever. Also stupid is that the NAV system locks (most features) while driving. Come on! Hey Acura, there is a passenger who can NAV while driving! Any new car with a lot of features will eventually make you reach to understand the system instead of being intuitive. The NAV takes time. Once you have the address in, the NAV works great. Storage is good so long as the 3rd seats are not used. Using the seats leaves you with a small space left. Also, these 3rd-row seats are kid seats as grown ups will have a difficult time getting to them and being comfortable. Ive had luck with the quality- no issues. Got a recall notice for the bolt on the compressor for AC. Easy fix they say. Dealership experience is great. Give you a free Acura loaner if your request. This is my wifes car and she loves it for herself and our daughter. In fact, my daughter always wants to take the MDX over my car.

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  Stop reading online and go buy an Acura TLX! - 2015 Acura TLX
  By Doug L. - August 12 - 10:19 am

  We cross shopped against just about every other mid-size sedan. Almost bought a 16 Maxima, but glad we didnt. This is seriously the nicest car my wife and I have ever owned, and weve owned some very nice fully loaded vehicles, we just love it! We got the 2.4l powertrain with 8 speed automatic and Tech Pkg in Blue Pearl and Cashmere interior. Beautiful color combo IMO. This thing is really surprisingly fun to drive with just a little 4 banger engine. Pop it into Sport+ and hang on! Lots of fun factor with this car. I was initially overwhelmed and blown away with the Tech Pkg, just too many features to play with and learn about. The two screens up front was a great idea and perfectly executed by Acura, extremely functional and pleasing to the eye. ILS sound system rocks! This car is just about perfect in every way, we love it. Do yourself a favor and go test drive one, youll want to buy it. I would definitely recommend opting for the Tech Pkg. Dont feel like you need the V6, the 2.4l engine has plenty of pep in normal driving mode. Sport+ mode is crazy fun. Also, after reading other negative reviews about the 9 speed ZF trans V6 powertrain Im glad we got the little 4 cylinder 8 speed!

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  i would buy it all over again - 2007 Acura RDX
  By george - August 9 - 1:46 pm

  the first thing i have to say is "quick". there is a slight turbo lag but when it kicks in...youre gone. and if you use the paddle shifters, forget about it. with the 4WD even on wet surface you get great acceleration. the ride is very comfortable and you feel youre on top of the world sitting in the back seats. i have 2 gripes with the car. premium gas for the turbocharger and the rear windows dont go all the way down.

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  Baby Acura for the Win! - 2003 Acura RSX
  By Steve - August 6 - 3:33 pm

  I bought this car to replace a gas hog (mustang gt) for college. My job is roughly an hour and a half away and I needed something decently efficient on gas that didnt have the price tag of a Prius, and could still do the work and school trips on one tank. I came across one of these on a local craigslist and havent had any regrets. Its one of the only Acuras (to my knowledge) that doesnt require premium gas or throw a fit if you dont put it in the tank. It usually does in the mid 20s mpg in the city and high 20s if not low 30s mpg on the highway. As long as you dont stomp on the gas pedal this car will do amazing no matter where you drive it which was one of the selling points for me. The only downsides to this car come when you have to either replace belts, headlight bulbs, headlights or taillights. Because the car is so small, space under the hood is in short supply therefore things like belts typically mean removing the entire front bumper to replace. The headlight bulbs (usually for the passenger headlight) also require removal of the entire bumper, which means youll need to schedule some time aside for certain "simple" projects. If you need to take an entire headlight or taillight out of the car, the bumpers need to be removed completely as well since the retaining bolts are underneath the headlights and taillights. Besides those downfalls, the car is amazing. If you can find a type-s (200+hp) and dont mind driving a stick, those are the way to go. If a manual transmission isnt your thing the base models still have a good amount of kick to them (150+hp), and parts for these cars are extremely easy to find and arent a whole lot of money either.