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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  So far, so good - 1995 Acura Integra
  By wtrix - June 1 - 9:24 pm

  I sold my SUV and bought this car knowing the price of fuel will keep going up, glad I made that decision. Found this car with only 55K miles! So far it has been reliable. Gas mileage is great, Im getting 25 miles per gallon, 30/31 or so on the freeway. I go about 225-275 miles per tank. Handles great, still looks stylish, can fit a lot of stuff when backseats are down. Overall Im happy with this car.

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  A fun SUV with a few bugs - 2008 Acura MDX
  By G - June 1 - 9:48 am

  Bought this car after comparing with the Q7 and X3. Very happy with the engine and chassis, not so with transmission. Fav part is the electronic damping control - when it works. The system went down a few times with scary warning sign on gauge - and car rides like a boat when EDC is down. Dealership tried but was not able to fix it properly. Will try again.

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  nice, but flawed - 2006 Acura TL
  By nccx - May 30 - 4:20 am

  PRO: Lots of engine power,and a nice sound system. CON: It does have several big problems. The torque steer in first gear with a stick is SCAREY. IT CAN almost steer YOU OFF THE ROAD. The low wind dam under in the front will scrape on most downhill driveways. The turning Radius is very large for a midsized car, It remind me a large truck. The lack of a bump strip on the sides has resulted in may dings on the doors. The rear bumper seems to get dinged easily. It not a great amount of fun to drive. It drives more like a good family sedan (Accord, Passat, or Camry) than a sport sedan.

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  Fun to Drive - 2008 Acura RDX
  By 3rdAcura - May 29 - 2:21 pm

  I leased this vehicle back in November 07 after trading in my TL, and have been very pleased overall. There is a slight clinking sound from somewhere under the dash that randomly comes and goes and the dealer cannot identify it. Aside from this which does not affect performance, the ride is both quick and sporty. Pick up is incredible with the turbo engine. I find that the cargo space is adequate for our needs and we can fit our childs stroller in the back easily. I can also get golf clubs in back without having to angle them. It is a fast sporty sedan in a mini SUV body. We proceeded to get rid of our Jeep Hemi Engine and lease an MDX as well putting us into our third Acura.

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  Great Value - 2008 Acura TL
  By acura tl - May 28 - 6:11 pm

  Test drove Bmw 328 & 335 turned off by small interior space & expensive options (i.e. HID light for $800). Loved the engine, though. If you want sports sedan, go w/ bmw. TL is not a sports sedan, its sporty, more like a comfortable cruiser & thats what I was looking for in a car. Test drove both regular TL & type s. Thought TL handled better & quieter. Was not too crazy about the rims & taillight treatment on type s & 4 tailpipes (look like some cheap aftermarket replacments, disappointed for 38K+ car). Like I said earlier, if you want a crusier, TL is it. No matter what Acura says as long as its FWD, never will be a sports sedan but in daily drive, TL is enough for me.

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  Disappointed - 2008 Acura MDX
  By richard mcmullen - May 27 - 8:58 pm

  I have owned 3 Hondas and 2 Acuras before. I had an 05 MDX and a 02 TL-S. I am very disappointed in the rigid ride of this vehicle. I have the base model. My 05 was softer and a more comfortable ride. I feel every bump in the road. I am suprised that Acura would not leave the base model as a more comfortable ride and give the stiffer ride to the sport package. There is a soft thump thump when I first start the car and reach 20 mph. I dont know if it is transmission, engine or suspension knock. There is a rattle on the pass door somewhere. The shifter is on the left of the center console and gets in the way of my right knee/leg. Info center is too small and in wrong place. No compass.

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  Super Handling AWD - 2008 Acura MDX
  By JP - May 26 - 3:33 pm

  One of the best handling vehicles Ive ever owned. Feels much more like a sedan than an SUV (once it gets rolling). Averaging about 20 MPG, feels like less since the tank is relatively small. Stereo is very good. Oil changes are expensive since it requires synthetic oil.

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  Nice car overall - 2008 Acura TSX
  By bengalsfan - May 25 - 7:35 pm

  I bought the 08 TSX for my wife. My wife actually likes the 08 better. I prefer the 09, but love what we got for the money. The car is solid and I maybe just becoming a Honda guy. The value here is way more than you see with the European cars, so I dont think Ill be buying another BMW. Plus the future maintenance costs with this car are much lower than BMWs.

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  No longer a drivers car - 2009 Acura TSX
  By baj - May 20 - 2:00 am

  I had a 2006 TSX that I loved. So when my lease expired, I jumped on a new 2009 TSX without even bothering to test drive. Big mistake. Theyve taken the fun out of driving with the addition of electronic steering. I cant feel the car. I feel detached from the whole experience I used to love about driving. The odd thing is, the suspension is still tight enough to feel the road beneath me, while still giving it stability in the corners, which I can no longer feel. The slight increase in size from the previous model wasnt put to good use. The interior feels cavernous, adding one more level of remove from the "feel" of driving.

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  Much improved over 2014 MDX - 2017 Acura MDX
  By Chuck - May 17 - 11:39 pm

  The styling, handling, and safety features are the biggest improvement over previous models. The addition of the chrome to a black MDX makes it look sharp. The added safety features are vastly improved. The tranny could be a little smoother. Pairing an android phone can be a tricky situation. Overall a very good choice for a family or if you need cargo space. Set your cruise control to normal instead of adaptive and set your tranny to sport mode to improve your driving comfort.