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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  Acura TLS Type - 2002 Acura TL
  By Paul C. Daily - June 14 - 2:00 am

  Problems w/ air and brakes were minor. Dealer service is abhorant. Worst I have experienced in 18 new cars. Sales personnel, however, are helpful but have no control over service. Bought new BMW just to avoid going to Bradshaw Acura for service on 3.2 TLS

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  2007 Acura RDX w/ Technology Package - 2007 Acura RDX
  By T. Gray - June 13 - 10:24 pm

  The is my first ownership of an SUV, a term I generally despise being somewhat of a car snob. Ive owned Acura sedans before, the last being a 2004 TL, so I was mildly skeptical that the RDX could provide the comfort and performance of the TL. This vehicle redefines for me the term sport ute. The straight line performance, particularly while using the paddle shifters, is the equal of the more powerful V6 TL once you get used to the mild turbo lag on initial throttle tip in. And the RDXs handling actually outperforms the TL on my favorite two-lane country roads and city round-abouts.

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  Test Drive It Carefully... Major Regrets! - 2007 Acura MDX
  By DisappointedOwner - June 9 - 10:12 pm

  I have owned two other MDXs and loved them. This one is a major disappointment. The steering is tough. The steering wheel is impossible to find a place to grip it comfortably. The joystick navigation is annoying and distracting to use. No touch screen navigation. The rear/side blind spots are overwhelmingly dangerous. You simply can not see out the rear/sides. The front seat feels crowded and I have to crouch down in my seat to see the front of the car. The rear view mirror appears to block 1/3 of the vision of the front window. Overall, a very uncomfortable driving situation. Test drive it for a day before you buy it. A ride around the block wont reveal the problems.

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  1st time MDX buyer - 2005 Acura MDX
  By luckyd - June 8 - 10:33 am

  I compared the 05 MDX with the RX330. I ultimately purchased the MDX based on the value for the price. I love the voice command system, still trying to learn the commands. The ride is smooth for an SUV, nice acceleration, quite interior, & clean console setup. I like the clean integration of the front radio with the dvd system. The MDX was much larger than the RX330.

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  Type S - Happy So Far - 2003 Acura RSX
  By RobE - June 8 - 10:00 am

  Previous car was a 99 Integra GSR, and this car is a huge improvement. Really feels and drives like a sports car in comparison to the GSR. Test drove the Celica GTS and GTI VR6 - both nice cars, but I think I made the right choice and every review Ive read confirms that.

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  Tales of the TL..... - 2005 Acura TL
  By dave k. - May 26 - 7:37 am

  This is my first non-GM car in 35 years. I am very pleased with the TL. It looks great, is fun to drive,and it has been problem free so far. All the gauges and controls are well-placed and easy to use. I was able to change the oil, plugs and brake pads, but more involved repairs will require a trip to the dealer. The only downside to it is the headliner and pillar post fabric is difficult to clean.

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  After 18,000 miles and 10 months - 2007 Acura RDX
  By rdx - May 25 - 10:49 pm

  Throughout 18,000 miles of 60% city and 40% highway driving, gas mileage is 17.9 miles/gallon. Did not have any major problem other then air vent warranty fix. However, I have minor rattle and ticking noise problem. Oil change $70 x 2. Rear differential fluid $100 at 15,000 miles service. Not a comfortable ride if one is seeking an ordinary SUV ride. Some improvements on coming year (08 model) would make this car better and outstanding.

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  Love this car - 1992 Acura Integra
  By Craig - May 20 - 8:18 pm

  Ive owned this car for over 5 years and 100,000 miles. Its got over 180,000 miles on it now and still runs great. Its fun to drive, has good power, handles great, and is extremely reliable and efficient. Its nice to get 30 MPG while still having enough power to be fun. Ive never had to do any major repairs. Id recommend this car to anybody.

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  Id Rather Have a BMW - 2007 Acura MDX
  By adam - May 20 - 9:52 am

  Good car, handles nicely, I expected a little more kick. The car has the technology I need but it may be a little too technologically advanced. My only complaint is that it is the ugliest car on the road.

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  Nice But Lacks Some Acura Tradition - 2007 Acura RDX
  By RDX Fan - May 19 - 9:52 am

  I ordered the RDX in May and received it in Sep 06 and it was worth the wait, mostly. Great handling and performance, sporty and comfortable around every corner & on the highway. Acura did a good job bringing the RDX to this class of SUV. But I do wonder why Acura went away from what worked in the MDX family (I left the MDX to come to the RDX). With all the good there are some things missing (see Suggested Improvements). Some toys just detract from the experience and others should have carried over from the MDX. Maybe they should have actually asked Acura drivers what they liked before building something with so many less functional add-ons.