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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  The best car I have owned - 1999 Acura RL
  By jtp225 - May 29 - 2:00 am

  I purchased this car used in August of 2000 with 9,000 miles. It has since given me no problems of any kind and has been a pleasure to drive (38,000 miles now). I paid $30,000 and feel I got a great bargain!

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  Brakes wear quickly A/C control fails - 2000 Acura TL
  By pomeroyb - May 29 - 2:00 am

  Tech Service Bulletin 01017 "Brake Pulsing", where they ecommend "goodwill replacement" even after warranty expires. Climate control (A/C compressor) that freezes up on long hot drives. It works if I reach over and turn it off for 5 minutes and then back on for 5 minutes. Acura claims "your air conditioner is within spec and car is now out of warranty". They had stalled me during warranty saying it was a known problem (having to do with poor sensor location and they were waiting for a fix from Acura." Acura denies this.

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  Great Car! - 2008 Acura MDX
  By Mike - May 28 - 2:40 pm

  I just purchased a new 2008 Acura MDX. We have 2 kids and were looking for an SUV with a 3rd row of seats. Test drove the X5, Buick Enclave and Mazda, Lexus, Volvo and Chevy. This car was by far more superior for the room, price and comfort.

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  Great car, great performance,great price - 2006 Acura TL
  By sukumar - May 28 - 10:56 am

  I have had the car for two days now, preliminary feedback. Got the black on black with nav. Excellent build quality, awesome road performance, great road handling. Filled with luxury features and still like 10-12K cheaper than a corresponding Lexus with not so good performance. This car beats a Lexus or Infinity hands down. Best value for money at this price. Dont waste your money on BMWs built in European welfare states, you are paying for their high taxes and state provided freebies.

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  176,000 and has NEVER let me sit. - 1992 Acura Vigor
  By bobsealover - May 28 - 2:00 am

  My father bought the car with 40,000 on it. It now has 176,000 and has never had any problems other than the normal wear items (brakes, bulbs, and a power antenna mast, wheel bearing) All services have been performed on- time. Thats the key to keeping these on the road. Quite good in the snow, awesome in the rain (on Bridgestone Potenza RE950s) and excruciatingly reliable. Theres a big online support group for these cars too.

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  Avoid - Poor - 1997 Acura RL
  By Mark Olson - May 28 - 2:00 am

  During the 5 years that I have owned this vehicle, the 5th year has been a MONEY PIT. I have replaced both arms at $686 each, both rear window motors and now have an emmission contol problem. I now have to take the vehicle in YET AGAIN because of a revving engine. I would avoid purchasing an Acura 3.5RL

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  the best of both worlds... - 1997 Acura NSX
  By dave jones - May 28 - 2:00 am

  some say the nsx fails in both classes - its not "exotic" enuff (power, agressiv e looks) to be a great exotic and its not "friendly" enuff (more seats, quiet, truck space) to be a luxury car for commuting/cruising. but I say what acura has done well with the nsx is find the perfect balance of b oth. if you can buy a viper and a mercedes than go for it... but if you have the money for only 1 car the nsx gets both jobs done well. I commuted in mine for over a year - its possible to enjoy both worlds at the same time day in and day out... but only in an nsx.

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  Sweet - 2000 Acura Integra
  By BrianB from CT - May 28 - 2:00 am

  Great Car. Gotta have the 5speed. Unbelievable handling. Wouldnt know its only a 1.8L 170hp engine. Gas milage is great.

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  Always loved Acura - 2005 Acura TL
  By paul heemskerk - May 27 - 9:16 am

  Everything is awesome about this car. My favorite Acura out of the six I have so far owned in the past. The only complaint where those horrible Bridgestone Tires. Flat spots terrible vibration. Once replaced with Michelin Pilots driving the car was totally different and smooth and quiet no vibration or flat spots. I love the growl of my exhaust and enjoy my XM satelite Radio too. Blue tootrh is so cool and with the power and smoothness of the V6 I am happier there then in my sleepnumber bed. Get a TL you wont regret it.

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  New Transmission at 6,000 Miles!!!!!! - 2016 Acura MDX
  By Loren - May 27 - 4:07 am

  I began leasing this 2016 in December of 2015. After 5 months and about 6,000 miles I noticed a "clunk" sound only on the upshift between 20 and 30 MPH. Took it to the dealer and had a test drive with service manager. He hears the sound and says "I have never heard that sound before!" I actually let him drive the car so he could hear and feel what sound it was making. Sure enough they want to replace the whole transmission. I was told something about a seal allowing some fluid into the transmission. This is not what I would have anticipated for a car that costs this much! Very disappointed, this is going to be a very long lease period that cannot wait for it to end.