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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  Cheap Inside - 2005 Acura TL
  By Brooke - December 20 - 8:36 am

  This car is a rattle trap. If you dont mind all the rattles you will be fine however there are many problems with the newer TLs. Wouldnt buy another Acura and this is my 2nd TL - love my 99.

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  Dont Bother! - 2003 Acura MDX
  By JoeBl - December 19 - 10:00 am

  This SUV isnt worth the price! I have only owned this car for 3 months and already I am having problems with rattling. The engine is sometimes noisy as well. Ive contacted the dealer and they said thats just how this car is. My car is too new to be rattling like this. Also, the entertainment system doesnt seem too sturdy. This SUV is not worth the high price! Buyer beware!

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  Legend...The best in its class - 1993 Acura Legend
  By Stir Boy - December 19 - 2:00 am

  I love my rare 5 speed w/o leather Legend. In my opinion it is the best car in its class. My mom and dad just bought a 2003 Toyota Camry and they want to sell it and buy a Legend like mine. I get 24-27 mpg with the 5 speed. Although I have had this car just over a month, I have put over 2.7k miles on it. I started out with 125k. I know that it is a reliable car. The Bose premium sound is essential in this car. It does have its little quirks, i.e. fan motor squeels when it runs a long time. But no major problems that I can see in the near future except a new clutch. It is extremely responsive and fun to drive. I love it too much to sell it.

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  2 years later... - 2014 Acura RDX
  By Ben Camposano - December 18 - 7:40 pm

  I purchased this 2014 RDX AWD Base. Doing comparisons with the CR-V, RAV4, and a Forester XT, RDX had the most bang for the buck as youd have to load up the former cars in order to match the RDX, but with less power and ride quality. But it wasnt all paradise for me when I had 4 instances of transmission slippage during Jan. 2016. Long-story short, the transmission had to be replaced due to the problem actually happening to the mechanic when he test-drove the vehicle. Also, Reno Acura did their due diligence by also warranty-replacing the rear shocks due to thumping noise that comes from the rear. Now, I bought this car since I heard/read so many reviews of their reliability. As a working student, I need this car to get me through a 1.5-hour round-trip commute to the university, and was quite disappointed to learn of the defects. Repairs aside, Im now questioning my decision to purchase this vehicle. Im hoping that itll get me through college before things really fall apart, and then trade it in promptly. For any of you experiencing problems, do your due diligence by documenting the problem.

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  Good Combo of Comfort and Performance - 2003 Acura RSX
  By LFOV - December 18 - 2:00 am

  When I started looking for a replacement for my VW Passat, the RSX wasnt even on my short list. I was ready to buy a Subaru WRX - until I drove one. By chance, I stopped in at my local Acura dealer and test drove an RSX Type S. I came away VERY impressed with the overall package. It has reasonable performance (its a SPORTY car, not a SPORTS car), good comfort and amenities and is a tremendous bargain for what you get. As Honda was also offering low-rate financing, I couldnt pass the deal up.

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  Just drove it from Canada to Florida - 2007 Acura MDX
  By Rick - December 17 - 8:46 am

  Bought it a week ago in Ottawa, Canada and drove it to Florida for the winter. 1400 miles over 3 days and it worked better than my 03 MDX but with close to the same gas mileage. Larger engine gives it a little more power but the interior fit and finish is the greatest part. Feels like a true cockpit and the Nav System was great. Far superior to the last model. Really enjoyed the XM radio and the sound system is fabulous. The new trip computer not quite as good as elapsed time resets with each stop rather than driver resetting it. Most features were easy to operate, very intuitive. Seats with lumbar support cant be beat and I tried them all. Thanks Acura.

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  needs better transmission - 2002 Acura RSX
  By videokideo - December 17 - 2:00 am

  manual transmission is not smooth shifting. going in/out of gear positions is sticky feeling with synchro gears not performing well

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  acura tl 2000 w/o nav - 2000 Acura TL
  By hcmartin - December 17 - 2:00 am

  2000 tl best auto i ever owned,97 acura cl comes in scond,and a 97honda accord se third. im 73 yrs. old and i have owned a new car ever 3 or 4 yrs. since i was 21 yrs. old

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  I love this car - 2002 Acura CL
  By jhslaw - December 16 - 2:00 am

  I am a sports car person. I have had English sports cars, GM muscle cars, Nissan Zs, Supras, etc. This is the best of the bunch for all around driving. The handling isnt as good as a rwd car, but I expected that. The pure power and comfort are astounding, both to me (57 year old male) and my son (22). You can drive this for 300+ miles straight and climb out without any fatigue. I have heard about transmission problems with early production versions (primarily 2001), but I have had no problems, of any kind, with any part of this car. It is a shame the model was discontinued, I would buy another. The new TL is on my short list at new car time.

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  S-type Ride - 2002 Acura RSX
  By WWard - December 16 - 2:00 am

  Overall an excellent vehicle. Well built, nice features and styling. Very responsive and fast, need to watch speed on highway.