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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  Transmission Gone at 7400 miles - 2016 Acura MDX
  By Darrin Mangiacarne DO - August 12 - 8:02 am

  My car was making a loud squeak sound while shifting gears. I was told that there is a leak of coolant into the transmission. They need to replace the transmission already. What a piece of junk. Cant believe that I bought this car. Going to go after the Lemon Law for assistance.

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  Fantastic! - 1993 Acura Legend
  By Monz - August 12 - 2:00 am

  Best car I ever had. Bought used and is very low maintenance... Powerful, fun, luxurious and still love my car even after four years. I will always have an Acura in my driveway!!!

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  Solid - 2004 Acura RSX
  By alejonio - August 12 - 2:00 am

  I have had the car for 30k miles. I used to have a civic, and I wnated the reliability of it, but more stylish design. The RSX is what I wanted, love the design, inside and out, and the quality is super. This is by far the best on its price range. Actually, I think a type-s is better, overall, than the Audi-TT or Mercedes-SLK, but 20k cheaper!

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  Satisfied on Cape Cod - 2004 Acura MDX
  By kj on cape cod - August 12 - 2:00 am

  Very pleased with purchase of Acura MDX. Decided to trade-in a 4 door BMW due to lifestyle (18 month old)and am very happy I did so. She is so much happier now that she can see everything when we drive. Of course, love the spaciousness, esp. of the back when shopping. Truly enjoy the ride, the interior design and all the features. Test drove many SUVs before we bought and have no second thoughts on purchase.Almost bought a Honda Pilot, but felt for a few more dollars, the MDX gave you alot more. Other SUVs (X5, Toureg, Land Rover) much more overpriced for what you get.

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  Love, love, love this car! - 2004 Acura TL
  By Enuj - August 12 - 2:00 am

  I have owned 3 Hondas and decided to make the move to the Acura. This car is an attention getter for sure. I purchased it to use for my new sales position and my sales agents and customers love this car.

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  Love our TL - 2004 Acura TL
  By Just Peachy - August 12 - 2:00 am

  Excellent acceleration and handling. Comfortable and stylish interior. Fun to drive. Handsome exterior body style.

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  Disappointment - 2007 Acura MDX
  By ralph frank - August 11 - 5:56 pm

  After purchasing I realized this vehicle is very overpriced for the quality you receive. Options such as rain sensitive wipers which were on my 06 MDX are no longer available. Very poor fit and finish, not to mention orange peel paint which the dealer assures me is normal. The vehicle is tight and confining. I think I will trade it in before I lose too much in depreciation. I would have to sum up to say that this vehicle is a very big disappointment.

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  great little car - 1994 Acura Integra
  By cat - August 11 - 2:00 am

  I purchased my intergra when it was 2 years old in 1996. Since then, the only things I have had to replace are the timing belt, the radiator, and the master cylinder. It has been a very reliable car...great gas milage. However, it is not a very comfortable ride for long trips. I am now ready for something a little more luxurious, but it is still a great little car.

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  Cheap thrills? - 1993 Acura Integra
  By Integraholic - August 11 - 2:00 am

  My Integra GS is like a Civic on steroids. Classy car, fun to drive, generally reliable but very expensive to fix. Bought two years ago at 100k miles: since then have driven 40k and have replaced the motor mounts, brakes, radiator, and alternator. A/C compressor (its 2nd) is going south, and the evaporator leaks Freon. Plus, it rattles a bit (the frames not rigid enough). All in all, love the car, hate the repair bills.

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  They cant all be winners - 1990 Acura Legend
  By ceo_mr_man - August 11 - 2:00 am

  Every time I drive this car, I wish I hadnt bought it. It had 145,000 miles, so I expected to make some repairs. Ive replaced the motor, the master cylinder, the alternator, the radio, some calipers, and inumerable other things. Its on its third transmission. The power seat is stuck, the seat memory broke, the ABS motor is shot, the power windows are broken, and the power antenna is stuck down. The A/C compressor is dead, the vent only vents hot air, and the car reeks of exhaust when the windows are down, as they have to be, given the above problems. There are too many more things wrong with this car to list. Oh, and its rusting out badly.