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 but - 2007 Acura TL
  By frazbmw - April 13 - 12:22 am

  While I loved the interior of this car I had a hard time getting over the clunkyness of the automatic transmission. The turning radius is terrible! I drove other TLs to see if perhaps there was a tranny issue with my car or just part of the animal, they all seemed to be the same. I may be being a little picky. As far as the interior goes its comfortable and spacious. The car was great to drive on the highway!

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  Excellent value - 2009 Acura TSX
  By ne_ct_guy - April 12 - 10:24 am

  Ive enjoyed my 2009 Acura and am now considering buying out the lease at lease end. This car is an amazing value for the price great exterior appearance, superb handling (I have the 6 speed manual tranny), and comfortable seating for 4 adults. Edmunds kind of pinged the quality of the interior, but I find that the textured materials used on the dash and the leather in the seating to being close to BMW 3-series vehicles. The only real issue I have found is that there has always been a high frequency noise that comes from the car always at 3200 - 3400 RPM. It isnt terribly loud, but it is there and can be a little annoying. The dealer has told me that it is nothing to worry about tho.

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  TL-6MT vs S4 vs 335xi - 2012 Acura TL
  By fcarre2 - April 11 - 10:09 pm

  Had an opportunity to drive all three cars back to back for over an hour per vehicle. Although these vehicles are generally not cross shopped, there may be more reason to do so, especially since the TL redesign. The perfect vehicle would include the BMW exterior styling and suspension, the TL tranny and SHAWD and the Audi engine and interior. Unfortunately, I see deficits, albeit small, in all three vehicles. The TL SHAWD is impressive to say the least. Just hammer the it in a turn and it begs for more. The 6MT is as smooth as it gets. Interior is better than others review.

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  4 Wheeled Vette - 2011 Acura RDX
  By thumper16 - April 11 - 12:55 pm

  Havent had this thing long, but what a step up from an underpowerd Honda CRV. Handling, power, fit and finish, all first class. Dont buy it if your looking for smooth. It is sportscar all the way. Drove the Infinity, Benz, and Lexus, all 10 grand or more expensive. Im 62" and have plenty of room. Acually bought it for my wife and we arm wrestle for the key. If they could make this thing get 30mpgs it would be just about perfect.

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  Great_Car - 1998 Acura Integra
  By integra_driver - April 10 - 5:34 pm

  I bought my integra with 132,000 miles on it. I did a little maintence to it fluid flushes, tune up, etc.. and Ive had zero problems with it. Ive got an aftermarket header, catback exhaust and stickier tires on it. It isnt the quickest thing out there, but for a 1.8 four it goes pretty well. The tires really help in the corners, and its by far the best front-wheel-drive car Ive ever driven. I also love the gas mileage. The worst mileage Ive ever gotten was 30.5. My best is 38.3. The only negative that I can think of is the ride. This isnt my dads buick, but if you were expecting that then go buy a buick. I cant wait for the next 100,000 miles to fly by.

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  MDX with Tech Package - 2011 Acura MDX
  By swedenva - April 8 - 8:51 am

  I purchased 2011 MDX from Pohanka Acura, largest dealer in U.S. Got the best deal from all dealers in DC area. Others not even close. Pro: Fit and finish ride and tech package Con: gas mileage, third row seats for adults cramped visors cheap premium gasoline not enough cup holders Overall, very satisfied and expect to keep 5+ years. Still a much better value then the BMW X5 Mercedes GL/M Class Infiniti QX56 Cadillac Escalade and Lexus GX460.

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  Nice ride, but------------- - 2011 Acura MDX
  By thomas642 - April 7 - 5:49 am

  Living in central Florida but bought in IL. have seen a vast variety of driving situations. Handles excellent on snow and ice and does well with side gusts of wind. Considered Enclave but build quality of Acura far superior. MDX built like a vault. Would like to see better gas mileage and wonder why the need for premium fuel and no cyl. deactivation as in my past Honda van. Mileage as advertised though. Only problem so far is occasional cruise control issues as it will cancel and car has to be shut off to get it to work. No help from Acura on this. Best radio Ive ever had by far and Ive had some good ones. In black with optional chrome wheels, its a beauty I love to drive.

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  2011 RDX FWD Base w/Roof Rack - 2011 Acura RDX
  By drr98 - April 4 - 8:37 am

  With Roof Rack (Installed - $667MSRP) $30,500 - sales price $33705.31 - w/tax, reg, lic, transfer, titling, Ca tire, doc prep & dmv e filing fees... Worked with the two Internet guys at Niello Acura in Sacramento. Both of these men made it so easy. Emailed what I wanted. Got a quote back. A few back and forths, a test drive and only 1 hour of office time. Found setting the c/c and varying gears (3,4,5,4,3...) using s mode is a great way to allow you to varying rpm (for proper break-in) while keeping the same speed while crusing the hiway. We are very happy with the RDX and the great price we got. Cant really review the Reliability when its not even broken in.

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  Great blend of touring comfort and performance in a mid priced coupe - 2003 Acura CL
  By jimmbbo - April 2 - 9:10 pm

  Bought the car new after having had Honda Acuras and Preludes for a decade, and I wanted to move up. Was struck immediately by its spirited performance, good handling and comfort for long drives. The styling is refined and understated, but clearly not head turning. Interior is well finished, and mechanically the car has been excellent. Straight line acceleration is faster than it feels, and its a blast to drive in the curves. The manual six speed is smooth, and perfectly matched to the engine and car... RECOMMENDED!

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  Refreshed Styling sold me - 2012 Acura TL
  By al_donofrio - March 30 - 12:34 pm

  I was considering a buyout of the lease on my 2008 base TL. It was an excellent car, one of the best Ive ever owned. I did however, wish that Id gotten the nav package, and was considering trying to "trade up". Acura is offering excellent discounts and financing on 2011 TLs. We drove the 2011 TL, loved the ride and features, but the exterior styling on it just turned me off. The dealer had just received two 2012 cars, and the improvements in the front and rear styling immediately caught my attention. After a test drive we made a great deal on the 2012, with a loyalty discount and reduced rate financing - it is great.