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:

• 

  Love my Black Beauty!!!!! - 2007 Acura TSX
  By Kara R - August 5 - 8:54 pm

  My mom has been an avid Acura lover for as long as I can remember. The first Acura she bought was a Legend back in the early 2000s...that car is still running great to this day. Since then, we have owned a TL, CL, and a TSX. I bought my own 2007 TSX a few months ago. I LOVE THAT CAR!!!! No issues, she runs like a dream. Great acceleration and braking, very sporty and so much fun to drive!!! I bought mine with 217 k. My sister has over 300 k on her 05 TSX. Just a great car! Im so happy with my purchase and I find Acura and Honda vehicles to be very reliable vehicles. If you are looking for a good car, the TSXs are amazing!!!!

• 

  Literally the best car out there - 2004 Acura RSX
  By Zack - August 4 - 10:42 am

  I purchased a 2004 Acura RSX base model with 28,XXX miles on it a couple of months ago (Id still be driving it if I hadnt rear ended somebody). In the tim i had this amazing car, the only thing thag went wrong was an o2 sensor and it only cost me $40 tp replace. This car is absolutely impeccable! Everything about it is extremely amazing. The only complaints i had were the comfort of the seats at long car rides and the quirky shifting from 1st to 2nd gear. Other than that, I wish i still had this car.

• 

  farm wifes truck - 2014 Acura RDX
  By mp - August 3 - 8:43 am

  THis car is one of the best I have driven. I have had Mercedes, and Lexus. My Acura is s mudder, and a snow machine. It is convenient to haul everything from grain to kids. The awd is super, and handles all weather. Also is a nice dress up car for church. One thing...........terrible connections for my iphone. You have to have a flashlight to find the charger. I would buy another rdx.

• 

  Practical Sports Sedan - 2014 Acura TL
  By JackSafro - July 21 - 12:22 pm

  As a lifelong car enthusiast with a baby and a frugal spouse, the TL fit the bill. The car is an underrated sleeper. It gives four-door, mid-sized, practicality, sporty driving dynamics, comfort, and tasteful style to my otherwise "nose-to-the-grindstone" life. My wife insisted I buy a Honda Accord. So I did! Only, I got the one with the big engine, super-handling all-wheel drive, and great stereo/technology. It was a good compromise between the mundane Honda sibling and a used BMW. My friend bought a very nice BMW 335 sedan when I bought my car. He is already talking about selling it because of the cost, poor BMW customer service, impractically small dimensions, and the many eat [dirt] looks he gets from other drivers. The TLs "anonymity" is a plus in my book. It is a nice looking car (I particularly like the interior) but not flashy. What most people do not expect is that the car is FAST. It handles great too. Having strong pulling power on the highway is a huge plus, particularly when merging in metro-Atlanta traffic. However, my favorite thing about the car is the SH-AWD. When pulling out into traffic from a stop or speeding into a left turn to beat traffic, the AWD system provides supreme confidence. Wheel spin is (at most) a brief chirp. The car hooks up and pounces like a hungry cat. No drama, just direct, immediate, acceleration. This is immensely helpful in day-to-day driving (again... metro-Atlanta traffic...). The ride is smooth and relaxed in normal driving, but comes alive when pushed. The SH-AWD is like having a magic carpet under you. It begs for you to stay on the power to "push" the car through turns. It is addicting, and I find myself goosing the throttle all the time--much to the dismay of all the dead dinosaurs out there (more on that later). One thing to consider though is that, when taking turns off throttle, SH-AWD is not active and the car (front heavy as it is) under-steers. This means you need to plan a bit ahead to take advantage of the torque vectoring, especially if your car has a manual transmission like mine. The car is smooth on the highway and appropriately taught around town. It is quiet (much quieter than my fathers 2010 model) and an overall joy to drive. I find it to be very secure and reassuring in inclement weather. The clutch is typical Honda (consistent and relatively light) and the shifting is quite good. The only knock is that I think it has a clutch delay valve. This means lightning quick 1-2 shifts will result in grinding synchros (and a jarring blow to your sporting mood). Gas mileage is ok. I average about 18 mpg (premium recommended) in mixed driving. But a heavy right foot will drop my mileage as low as 15. This has happened a couple of times, but is rare. On the highway, I will get 25 or more mpgs. Easy driving will yield decent mpg and the car feels very relaxed and smooth if driven that way. It is just so difficult to refrain from experiencing the horsepower and SH-AWD. The interior is a very nice place to be. I find the seats pretty comfortable, though with maybe too much lumbar support. I personally prefer buttons and really like the layout of the center stack. The gauges are clear and sporty. The lights on the car are excellent, casting illumination bright and far. With the fog lights on, you can see pretty well into turns too--a nice plus in poorly lit neighborhood driving. The bluetooth, navigation, stereo, etc. are excellent. I would love better Pandora integration (thumbs up/down, etc), but it works fine. Did I mention the stereo is great!? I have had two minor intermittent rattles. The dealer poured over the car and found a couple of un-seated retaining clips. What I found remarkable was the high level of quality service and attention from my local dealers service department (and I didnt even buy the car from them). They provided a (super nice) loaner and made sure to address my concerns. No BMW dealer offers such a high level of service. My buddy who bought the BMW went to pick it up after purchase. They were supposed to fix a paint chip and address several other issues. They had not completed most of the work. The BMW dealer handed my friend some touch-up paint and told him to do it himself (unbelievable! It was a $50,000 car). Dont get me wrong. BMW makes incredible cars. But Ill stick with good service and value. Overall, I LOVE my TL. It is nice without being too flashy, sporty yet comfortable, and very practical (though the trunk could be a smidge bigger). As anyone whos ever driven a Honda product knows, it is all about quality and value. The TL is not the fanciest or the sportiest. But it is arguably the most practical mix of traits that a practical car-enthusiast could want. And with Honda/Acura reliability and high re-sale values, I am confident about my purchasing decision. So go ahead, pick up a used one and enjoy! No one will look at you like you drive a BMW--even if you drive it like one.

• 

  Just a Great Car Overall - 2010 Acura TSX
  By Brian - July 13 - 10:09 am

  I have a 2010 black TSX (4 cylinder, no tech) that I bought certified in the summer of 2012 with 26k miles (now has 57k). I could not be happier with this car. To summarize, this car may not be #1 in any particular category, but it does everything well. Its sporty, its comfortable, its technologically equipped even at the base model, its reliable, and I like how it looks (especially in black). I had a 2003 Audi A4 before this car, which was an amazing performer, but was a disaster with reliability. The A4 had so many issues that I got nervous every time I turned the key to start the car. Also, (not that it was necessarily the A4), but I had 4 tires go out on me in 5 years on that model. With the TSX, I like that it gives me a digital output of my tire pressure, so I always know I am good. If you are looking for a fun, reliable, and pretty well equipped car, the TSX is for you. Acura is not for everyone, but I am now sold and would like to get the TLX as my next model when the time is right however, I know I can get so many more models out of the TSX so will hang onto it for some time.

• 

  Great Great Value - 2015 Acura TLX
  By michelt - June 20 - 12:45 am

  Ive had this car for only a few weeks and im quite impress by how it delivers on all fronts. It is a quite and comfortable cruiser. I average 38 MPG on a 250 mile trip cruising at around 70MPH. You can really feel the different driving modes from Econ to Sport +, absolutely love the 8 spd DSG, no lag or kick whatsover. The 2.4L never feels underpowered. I know that there are cars that are faster and handle better but you would have to take them on a track to see it. Sound system is crystal clear

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  Mine must be the exception, but I doubt it! - 2014 Acura RDX
  By lo55 - June 12 - 4:18 pm

  Reading through the reviews I see things Ive never experienced in 18 months/19+K miles. Low right seat position mandated by feds stupid regs. No brake noise, no chemical odor, no problem with bluetooth, no tranny noise, etc, etc.. Was skeptical of lack of rear AC vents. Florida resident with only AC complaint from rear seat being its too cold back here. Only down side is NOT fault of car or Acura. Its the moronic regs that limit the use of certain navi functions. The feds must think its safer to hold your cell navi with one hand while driving with the other...go figure!

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  A greatly improve version of the TL / - 2015 Acura TLX
  By fjlf1 - June 6 - 10:13 am

  after other Acuras including a TL ,I think this a very good solution to a smaller ,better gas mileage,and affordable car.If performance is what you want I dont think this isthe car but a fun car to drive and very comfortable this is a great value for the money

• 

  Great SUV - 1999 Acura SLX
  By eskew - May 22 - 1:28 am

  Bought my 99 Acura used with 103XXX miles. I absolutely love everything about it. Decent mpg, roomy and very comfortable for the whole family. Had never even heard of them until I seen it sitting on the lot and it was love at first site.

• 

  Love my Acura! - 2005 Acura MDX
  By cfischer15 - May 19 - 7:39 pm

  I am the original owner of my 2005 Acura MDX. Love my car! I have owned this car for over 10 years with no problems. The only thing has been the electric door locks that needed the actuator replaced. Other than that issue, this car is so reliable and comfortable to drive. Love my Acura!