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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  Japanese Waning - 2004 Acura MDX
  By Catchey - April 28 - 2:00 am

  ACURA is one of the disappointing vehicle experiences I have ever had. The interior is sound but the plastics used are soft and mar easily, numerous trim pieces have broken. Getting warranty work completed is next to impossible. ACURA uses a just in time inventory between its dealers. After several appointments for warranty work. ACURA takes the money for the service work and they claims to "return" the parts ordered for warranty. The mileage rating is overstated, but still better than most vehicles in its class. Acura achieves the better than average rating by using the thinnest sheet metal ever.

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  Ill keep mine, thank you! - 2004 Acura RSX
  By charlew - April 27 - 11:53 am

  My 4 year lease will end in June of 08, and I plan on keeping this car until it starts to rust. Buy-out is well below the cars value. I thought is was just me w/the quirky 2nd gear, but I see others have noticed it, too. Dependably 320 miles per tank (26-27 mpg in city driving). Super reliability - I had brake pads replaced a week ago, even though the originals still had about 3 months left on them. Could have leased it for 4 years & never changed the brakes. Love the VTEC sound, enjoy the handling, especially when I have the chance to cut loose on a twisty. At 64" and 220, I fit comfortably, but nobody ever rides in the back! A few body chirps in the cold,and stereo needs upgraded.

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  Good Value - 2008 Acura MDX
  By Lexy - April 25 - 3:43 pm

  Dealer painted the silver shield on grille the car color giving a sharper look. Traded a 2003 MDX which was a great vehicle. The new car longer wheelbase and more weight gives a smooth ride. Chose the MDX over the Lexus RX. Bigger inside and out with later technology.

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  Good car, poor storage space and MPG - 2007 Acura RDX
  By dpo - April 23 - 1:37 pm

  The RDX performs well and is clearly well made. It drives like a sedan. It is a very good car for a single person, but storage space for families on trips is relatively poor, especially given only 20 mpg. Bringing a stroller severely limits baggage space. The reality is that if you are going to get poor gas mileage, you might as well buy a larger SUV. My 4-Runner gets about 20 to 22 mpg and has far more space. Seats are very comfortable as long as the ride is on a smooth road. Bumps are unpleasant for back seat passengers. Steering is tight and car handles nicely.

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  Just All Right - 2006 Acura TL
  By VirginiaLovely - April 19 - 2:07 pm

  Love the car, with the exception of the interiror quality. After looking at several vechicles, I went with the Acura because I thought the car was fun to drive, looked great, and I liked the idea of an all-inclusive package. I understand this is considered a "luxury" vehicle, but Im getting a little tired of spending $200+ every time I have to service the car. The TL is high maintenance, and very expensive to own, especially with the current gas prices. The gas milage is not great. In 10 months of ownership, Ive spent $325 to replace 1 tire, then probably another $750 on scheduled maintenance. Great car, but be prepared to see your bank account take a hit! Not for the cost-cautious!

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  Awesome and Disappointing all at once! - 2005 Acura TSX
  By Marc B. - April 17 - 4:03 pm

  I owned a 1999 Integra GS-R previously and in shopping for a new car I chose to go with the TSX instead of a 330ci. The initial quality of this vehicle is fantastic. It is fun to drive, handles wonderfully, and acceleration is between good and excellent. It comes fully loaded so you really dont have to think too much when youre making your purchase. One of the bad things I read about the TSX was regarding the paint. A lot of people seem to complain about it but I thought that maybe they were just overly critical. They were right. The paint on this vehicle is of very poor quality. Acura likes to tell people that its Soft paint. Soft? Is that Japanese for poor? Read section below...

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  Good action - 1997 Acura Integra
  By Nick - April 14 - 9:59 pm

  This is a car I would recommend anyone to own. Ive owned the car for over 6 years and have been absolutely thrilled with it. Ive only replaced a radiator and items like drive belts, fuel filter, tires, brake pads, etc. One would change those items on any car over a long period of time. The only complaint I have is that the paint has faded. It has been a rock solid car and will graduate to track duty only.

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  Good, but not all that! - 2003 Acura RSX
  By Dex - April 9 - 10:00 am

  The car is well built but as a performance car it falls short. The handling is above average, the shifter is phenomenal, but the power/torque just isnt there. Having nearly an 8000 RPM redline is great if it would just pull strongly to it. The engine revs so freely that it makes you feel like you should be going faster than you are. The ergonomics are great except for the speedometer; it needs to be in 10 MPH increments instead of 20. And how they built a car at this price without a center armrest is beyond me. Overall its not bad but I should have looked harder at a Mazda 6 or Toyota Celica.

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  Disappointing for a Honda/Acura product - 2005 Acura TL
  By mark - April 5 - 5:36 pm

  I was attracted to TLs sporty exterior, upscale interior, and Honda/Acuras reputation. Overall the engine, transmission, and performance are definitely above average. Like most Honda cars, the TL is fun to drive. The powerful V6 does consume much gasoline with city pattern driving. In contrary to the powertrain, I cant say the same for its fit-and-finish noise problems: windows, suspension, back seat. I had mine taken in multiple times and all the dealership could say was the TL was "built that way". Very disappointing coming from such a large company. Ive even complained to Acura and no definitive fix was available.

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  A bit expensive overall but worth it - 2003 Acura MDX
  By mantrika - April 3 - 10:00 am

  I like this vehicle because of its features, comfort and reliability