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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  Loooking forward to the 5G - 2012 Acura TL
  By boe_d - March 27 - 10:50 am

  Ive been a big fan of Acuras for a long time. They have excellent build quality and do stand behind their products if there is an issue. The TL has always been enjoyable to drive. The 2G and 3G TL had electronics that were head and shoulders above the competition. The 3G was a significant step forward in exterior styling. Ill admit that unlike some fanboys, when a product has taken a step in the wrong direction, the 5G doesnt do Acura any service. The quality is still there but the styling is wretched. On the plus side the refresh shows they are at least willing to listen a little as the front end got snipped a bit. However there were many things wrong with the styling.

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  My first Acura - 2011 Acura TL
  By kimas - March 16 - 6:53 pm

  My first weekend of ownership, I drove it from Northern California to Los Angeles. The seats are very comfortable for a long drive. I tried all its features during the drive, ie, nav, bluetooth, different audio sources, HFL, etc. Everything worked well. I dont mind the seemingly numerous dash buttons and the exterior. In fact I love them. It took me 30-45 minutes to familiarize myself with the buttons. I have owned a Lexus IS250, ES 300, Volvo S60 and so far, this is the one I love most. My wife currently drives a Lexus ES350 and she cant help but admire my TL.

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  Great Car for the $ - 2011 Acura RDX
  By ljb5966 - March 14 - 3:53 pm

  I was deciding between the Outback (steering wheel issues) and the Prius (breaks, etc.) and reliability was the reason I looked elsewhere which is the #1 thing I have to have in a car, so I turned to Acura which currently has the best reliability rating of all manufacturers. I dont love the car, but we needed towing and I wanted a hatchback and this fit the bill at a decent price, and my husband is a Honda/Acura loyal follower. It is very nice car inside, but it is lacking in some areas.

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  BMW-Honda-BMW-Honda-BMW-Acura - 2006 Acura TL
  By dem3nted - March 12 - 10:23 am

  Ive almost always have had a BMW or Honda product in my automotive stable. Most recently, I had a 1995 BMW M3. Loved the power and handling but hated the maintenance. I also leased a 2006 Honda Accord SE-V6 and owned a 2003 Accord EX-V6 with navigation. Both were very reliable and quick but handling was crappy and interior was blase. Sheet metal seemed like aluminum foil. BMWs always seemed more solid. Recently, I purchased a 2006 Acura TL with navigation with high mileage for a paltry sum of money. I must say that it is in an entirely different league than the Honda. Quieter and better built than Honda. Really gives the BMW a great run for the money.

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  Great family SUV. - 2011 Acura MDX
  By tmh1 - March 10 - 1:08 pm

  I have owned my MDX for 6 months and am very happy with the choice. I looked at the Mercedes M-class, the Audi Q5, a Subuaru Outback, and a Jeep Grand Cherokee Overland. I chose the MDX because it had the best overall package for my needs: nice interior for work, rear leg room, navigation system and electronics, and good handling. The navigation system and voice commands are the best - recognizes the voice easily. However, it is not optimized for all Blackberry phones, so keep that in mind. This SUV drives like a car and is a breeze to park. Kids dont complain in back seat and I have teenagers. Great family car.

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  I like my new Acura RL - 2011 Acura RL
  By rfw3 - March 9 - 10:53 am

  Our 4th Acura. We usually keep them 3 to 4 years. Hold their value. Never had a problem. Great dealer service. Acura includes many features that are extra cost on competitive vehicles. A great car without being pretentious like a Mercedes or Lexus.

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  The Best Used Sedan on the Market? - 1995 Acura Legend
  By ivorytickler - March 8 - 8:40 am

  We bought our 95 Legend L in 2001 with 72K on it and it now shows 126K. All service has been done by Acura, and it has proved the most reliable, durable, fun-to-drive vehicle weve ever owned. Fantastic handling, lots of room, tremendous Bose sound system, very comfortable on the road, and nowhere near the running costs of a Mercedes or BMW (which it will spank on occasion). These cars are now ridiculously inexpensive on the used car market, and many consumers as well as Acura Service Managers insist this is the best car Acura ever made. If you dont know about these cars and are looking for a great used sedan buy, you owe it to yourself to check one out. You wont be disappointed!

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  TSX #2 - 2010 Acura TSX
  By pbacura - March 6 - 9:30 pm

  Replaced 08 TSX with 10 TSX about 8 mos & 8800 miles ago. New model feels larger, more comfortable, and more expensive than the previous one. The comfort comes at the expense of the lively, responsive steering that made the Gen 1 TSX such a pleasure to drive. Although a common complaint is the lack of 4cyl power, I have never found that to be an issue. I still think it is an excellent value as a entry level sports/luxury sedan.

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  Excellent Value - 2011 Acura MDX
  By akanorm - March 3 - 2:57 am

  Ive had the MDX for about 2 months and have driven it about 1k miles. It handles well for an SUV and the quality and the technology is equivalent to that of BMW and Lexus. I also, considered the A4 and A6 Audi, Avante, The A4 was too small and the A6 was not readily availability subsequently the dealer were asking nearly list price for the A6. Overall, Im pleased with the car and would suggest others in the market for an SUV to test drive the MDX.

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  SH-AWD Will Make Everything Better - 2008 Acura MDX
  By marko221 - March 1 - 7:23 pm

  During the recent snowstorm we received at Lake Tahoe, our MDX simply blew past everyone installing chains and kept up with the 4x4 rigs with the huge mud/snow tires and lift kits. Even on icy surfaces, we held our traction. The OEM Bridgestones have 5/32" tread left but the power distribution to the fronts, rears, or left or right was incredible! It can be monitored on the computer within the dash. My confidence kept building during our 3-hour commute up the mountain. A hazard warning blipped on and off when I intentionally tried to "drift" the vehicle on an icy patch at the gas station. Note to all: the commercials regarding the SH-AWD are fact!