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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  Great sporty SUV - 2008 Acura MDX
  By longtime honda owner - January 26 - 7:49 pm

  I bought this to replace my 1998 5.9L Durango. The MDX tows my 4500lb boat + trailer better than the big Dodge! Yes, I was surprised as well. :-) We drive this over a 4100ft mountain pass to our cabin roughly 25 times a year. Its safe and stable in any condition. Nearing 30k miles with no faults and I like the vehicle as much now as when I drove it off the lot. Theres plenty of room for my family of 4, lab and all our gear. A rooftop box makes Ive added lets me take all the stuff I should have left at home to begin with. Seriously, if you are looking for a reliable, sporty SUV you cant go wrong with an MDX.

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  Sporty and Luxury in a small sedan - 2010 Acura TSX
  By Hal L - January 24 - 9:39 am

  I have had my 2010 TSX 4 cyl for a week now. I traded down from an SUV, I wanted something more fuel efficient. I am getting about 26mpg trip average. So my main concern is satisfied there. This is a great commuter car, very comfortable, quick acceleration, sharp steering, and has all the safety features. The Tech package has a great audio system and a decent navi. Interior is slick, without going over the top luxury. No wood anywhere, but nice leather and textured plastic/metal. Some people dont like the exterior styling, but I like it. It certainly stands out in a crowd, looks modern and sleek. Overall, for an entry level luxury, nothing beats Acura.

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  Good value for the money - 2009 Acura TSX
  By PMAZCO - January 22 - 1:26 pm

  The car runs great. Im not a racing freak and use this car mainly as a family car. The interiors look great and the exterior is great too. So far the car has satisfied me the way I drive. I have driven it on highways (mountain roads as well) and it runs great. I would wait for few more months and would then assess its reliability. I bought it as a CPO car and assume that the known problems (if any) were solved.

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  Acura TL SH-AWD Auto first take - 2010 Acura TL
  By Adius - January 21 - 11:30 pm

  Debated between BMW, Lexus and Cadillac AWD. Bought the Acura for dealer support (the better of the three in this area IMO) and the reliability. Not a big fan of the appearance initially but are getting comfortable with it now. Wonderful handling during our initial 2500 mile drive to the Southwest and back. Excellent brakes and suspension feels very well planted. Runs strong especially when into the RPM range where the valve train can assert itself. Engine is smooth. The car is quiet on the road at speed and easily cruises at 80+ if youre not watching. Sound system is amazing. Tech stuff all well integrated. Its quick. Controls are very logical. Would buy it again, no misgiving.

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  Great Car - 2003 Acura RSX
  By My 2nd Acura - January 20 - 10:32 am

  This is my 2nd Acura that I have purchased. I purchased this one because the first one I owned was awesome. This car is now 7 years old and I have only done normal maintenance to it. I wish Acura would make another model that is reasonably priced. I will be holding on to this one until it stops working.

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  Great Car Just Like I Thought - 2010 Acura TL
  By Brad BB - January 18 - 7:22 pm

  This is my fourth Acura, the first being in 1988. A lot has changed. This is a fantastic vehicle. The nav is out of this world and I got 3 months traffic, weather and zag for free. I had XM in last Acura but the reception is better on the 2010. Cant figure out why nav says its 175 to Boston when all my other navs recorded 210. Will have to see if there is a secret route to Bean Town. Overall, the cars performance is excellent but have had it for less than a week. Bought all weather mats but they do not lock while using regular carpeted mats. Have to use only use all weather mats. In 2005 Acura you could snap in two layers of carpet.

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  THE BEST - 1998 Acura CL
  By Cory - January 18 - 2:45 pm

  I own a 98 acura cl 2.3 5 spd tranny and it is amazing . My vehicle has over 200k and STILL RUNNING like new. No Major Problems for the mileage. All my Suspension/steering parts are still factory and not worn out YET. Car is 100% reliable and would rec. to any body looking for a Cheap reliable used car Awesome car!!!

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  understated - 2009 Acura TSX
  By kevin - January 17 - 4:30 pm

  The first big deal is the seat comfort. Im able to drive for over 3 hours without pain in thighs as I experienced in my BMer and my RL. Gas mileage at 75-80 is 34 mpg. Around town its about 21.5 on mid-range gas-- -doesnt need supreme. I miss the 2 compartment (upper and lower full console in which I could put and FIND smaller things. Voice recognition, as usual, isnt ready for prime time---it really stinks! Accepting telephone numbers is near impossible even with my radio voice. Its quick off the gun, passes with ease power to spare and interior room is fine with good trunk space. I probably will go for another TSX as my lease comes due in 18 months.

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  Love it! - 2010 Acura TSX
  By Dan K. - January 16 - 11:04 am

  After 1000 miles I now have the sense of the car and it feels great. I bought it in Nov and only had a couple weeks before a major snow. No issues, and handles well. Sure a little more torque would be fun if youre drag racing, but with 6 speeds you can match to the situation is goes great. Lots of fun to run through the gears with the smooth shifting and great clutch feel. I felt the automatic was a little busy shifting up/down, but the auto does get a little better mpg. I use it mostly for commuting and it makes the drive pleasant and engaging. I get about 25 mpg with mix of commuter driving, and the trip computer says 27, so about 10% optimistic (same as my last car).

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  Love it for 160,000 miles!!! - 2003 Acura MDX
  By Ron - January 15 - 12:27 pm

  My MDX has been great! I have 160,000 miles and have only had to keep on maintenance schedule (although these can get a bit pricey). I would get this car again and am actually thinking of purchasing a new MDX or RDX. Only negative is that after 150K miles started to get a number of interior rattles - much to be expected after so much use. Speakers are excellent.