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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  Happy MDX Owner - 2003 Acura MDX
  By Happy MDX Owner - March 30 - 9:11 am

  This has been an extremely reliable and dependable vehicle to own and to drive. I would recommend highly as either a new and/or used purchase.

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  Nice Solid Car - 2005 Acura TL
  By hd_cath - March 25 - 7:23 pm

  Bought this car a month ago, finally gave up my 96 Volvo GLT Wagon with a 5 speed. A little disappointed with the automatic transmission, hardly seamless. With all the high tech stuff I cant believe it doesnt have automatic headlights. My 96 Volvo had that. The ride is pleasant enough and the sound system is awesome.

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  Nice Solid Car - 2005 Acura TL
  By hd_cath - March 25 - 3:30 pm

  Bought this car a month ago, finally gave up my 96 Volvo GLT Wagon with a 5 speed. A little disappointed with the automatic transmission, hardly seamless. With all the high tech stuff I cant believe it doesnt have automatic headlights. My 96 Volvo had that. The ride is pleasant enough and the sound system is awesome.

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  RL and Star Wars - 2005 Acura RL
  By Bill Kowalski - March 23 - 10:26 am

  The quality and overall technology put into this vehicle is outstanding. The voice recognition features and use of technology is the best Ive seen in any vehicle. Ive owned BMWs, an Audi A6 (Quattro) and Mercedes. I and have test driven Infinitis M35. Based upon my experience the Acura is the most user friendly vehicle Ive encountered. While it is quick, the Acura could use more low end torque to get it off the line quicker and a little more responsive, such as Infiniti has done with the M35.

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  Great value - 2004 Acura RL
  By NickP - March 11 - 10:55 am

  This is our 5th used RL. All have been bullet proof. While it lacks the go of a V-8 it still has good performance with excellent comfort. Excellent sound system and navigation. Averages around 20 mpg. Is a great highway cruiser and is wifes favorite car. Its no wonder it is hard to find a low mileage one!

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  Quality - 2003 Acura MDX
  By Jamo - March 10 - 10:00 am

  Bought MDX over Highlander (second seats like a board) and Pilot (too much road noise); worth the additional cost. Inside decor is excellent as is sound quality on Touring pkg system. Nav-didnt really want but now think its great. Crash ratings, stability system, front & side airbags, plus a solid, relatively quiet atmosphere give sense of security.

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  Great car for the money - 2006 Acura TL
  By Geekybiker - March 5 - 2:25 pm

  The Acura TL is the best blend of luxury and performance that youll find at this price point. It has outstanding power for a sedan with a wide and very drivable powerband. It had a beautiful, well finished interior. Especially so in the two tone color combinations. The seats are very comfy and supportive enough to keep you from sliding too much during agressive driving. On top of all of this it maintains good fuel economy given its power. Only downside has been the 6 speed manual gear box which is occasionally fickle about going into 3rd on quick shifts. Though reportedly this can be dealt with by using a different gear oil. Overall I think its a top runner in a very competitive class.

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  Awesome SUV - 2001 Acura MDX
  By Richard - March 3 - 11:48 am

  I purchased this vehicle with about 56000 miles a couple years ago. I have had no issues other than a small coolant leak which was covered under warranty. The car is smooth riding and fun to drive. I pulled a 20 ft boat with ease, I could not even tell it was behind me. I even took it on some light 4 wheel drive excursions and it performed great. Plenty of room for 7 passengers. Gas economy is about average on mine, clocking in at around 18 mpg. I do have a few gripes. Mirror weeps after washing vehicle causing serious water spots down the side of the car when you drive it after washing. Also, some annoying rattles which went away after purchasing new tires. Great SUV.

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  Disguised minivan - 2003 Acura MDX
  By bmwguy - March 2 - 1:03 pm

  Bought a 1 year old used MDX with 14000k, drove about another 45k over 2.5 years. Roomy, mostly reliable, but NOT sporty. Closest to a minivan in ride and handling. Neither tough enough for offroad nor secure enough for sporty driving. Replaced starter under warranty, but scheduled dealer service pricey with frequent transfer case oil changes. Did I mention my dealer maintained creampuff did not hold value for a trade at an Acura dealer? Dont let Acura tell you this a a luxury car, just because it has leather seats. Mediocre stereo.

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  Like it, but problems - 2003 Acura TL
  By Dave - March 1 - 6:07 pm

  I really do like this car. Great interior appointments, Nav is great because you can use it while you drive (good and bad, but you can find restaurants on the fly) and the car has excellent acceleration in the limited powerband. However, I am on my second transmission. The shuffling through gears is rough, and it has issues picking a gear from 45-55 mph. The seats are squeaking, and there is a rattle in the dash. I am going to take it to the dealer to have these fixed before I give it back to them at the end of my lease. Good car, but beware of the transmission and engine issues.