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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  2011 MDX BASE..GREAT !!!!! - 2011 Acura MDX
  By svofan1 - September 26 - 2:00 am

  Just purchased the MDX base model this past Saturday, and so far I am very impress with the quality of build, features (bluetooth is great ) and in general very please with the purchased. I know is too soon but so far I am not regreting getting the base model over the TEch....afetrall $4k difference to me is a lot for nav and a few other features that I will not ahve a great use for

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  First and Last Acura I will ever own - 2000 Acura TL
  By Nels - September 25 - 2:00 am

  Purchased used in 2004 from a relative who bought it new. Found online the tramsmission had problems which had not yet been mailed to the owners. Took it in to Acura service who said the gears werent discolored so the recall instructed them to increase coolant to the gears. Took it in last year because it was stalling and paid Acura service over $1000 for FUEL INJECTORS! Now at 68K miles, the transmission is almost dead. Acura service says I should have changed the transmission fluid every 15,000 even though they didnt mention this the several times it was brought in and the extended warranty for this known transmission problem expired after 7 years or 100,000 miles. Never again Acura.

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  Not so happy - 2010 Acura MDX
  By steve - September 24 - 2:00 am

  Have had 4-MDXs. The 10 model is the worse. Second row seats dont fold flat unless the second row headrests are removed. When removed there is no place to store them. More squecks and rattles than other 3 MDXs. Milage is not good for having a 6-speed trans. Recommended is 91 octane fuel. If use less the engine gives a fluttering noise. Dealer says tht is normal. This did not happened in any of my other 3 MDXs. Overall not happy with vehicle. Will look elsewhere when purchasing replacement vehicle.

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  Honda Quality, Reliability 20K Mi later - 2007 Acura TL
  By Slash - September 24 - 2:00 am

  I agree with other posters that this TL is rattle prone. Ive had mine in the shop 10-15 times for various rattles (and a leak in the trunk when I first purchased it). The car has been extremely good terms of reliability of the transmission and electrical components. Ive had to replace rubber sealant on the drivers door and the sideviewmirror motor mechanisms (on both front doors). Acura service alone justified the purchase of this vehicle (always available to provide loaners and offer excellent service). I will be extending the Acuracare warranty, as a result. Overall, the car has been as dependable as the two Honda Civics Ive had (with 200,000+ miles). I rate this as a steal of a car.

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  bad trans - 1999 Acura CL
  By 99 acura - September 23 - 2:00 am

  although it is a nice car with a great motor the trans is garbage ive had mine for 2 years and just put another one in and ACURA extended the warranty it doesnt fix the problem they should have recalled and redesigned the trans.

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  one minor hitch, but great now - 2010 Acura MDX
  By kf - September 23 - 2:00 am

  5K miles so far and loving it. Rattling noise after purchase, took 2 visits to discover defective strut that was replaced without hassle. Great for family trips with 3 little ones (and there are 3 latch connectors 2nd row which is nice). Highly recommend.

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  Great car for money - 2000 Acura RL
  By jayglynn65 - September 22 - 2:00 am

  I bought this car three years ago with 110K on it. At the 200K mark I am just now starting to have issues: small leak at tranny, fuel relay just went, and a rear sway bar (?) makes a bang sound but is not a safety issue. So for $8500 I got 90,000 trouble free miles out of it. Rides great, very reliable, and quite comfortable for a 6 4" guy. A seatbelt switch went at about 150K. All in all minimal expense ($1000-ish) on top of purchase price to get 90,000 miles of luxury ride. I will be buying an 05 or 06 RL to replace this one. Lots of bang for the buck.

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  1 month down - 2010 Acura TSX
  By easyeman - September 21 - 2:00 am

  I just purchased a 2010 TSX base, w/ 5sp. auto. LOVE the Basque Red color. Car rides well balancing the sport- luxury soft ride well. SMoother than the VW GTI I also looked at. The GTI has more bells and whistles but in the long run, VW lack of reliability swayed me to Acura. Im getting between 22-25 city and close to 30 hiway. Only disappointing issue right now is the driver seat comfort. Im not small nor am I huge, 6 225lb. The seat is not comfortable all the time but has enough movement to be ok. More than enough room. NOw that its broken in, 600 miles, Im starting to enjoy the engine and handling. Pittsburgh has tons of twisites!!!

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  Good Experience - 2010 Acura TL
  By New Owner - September 20 - 2:00 am

  Thecar is exceptional in its handling and performance. Best car on the market for the price and the lease options are sensational.

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  No need for aspirin - 2004 Acura TL
  By ceenite - September 18 - 2:00 am

  Purchased with 30K on the clock and at 81K today. All Ive had to do to this car is put gas in it, change the oil, and put a new set of tires on (replaced crappy and fast wearing factory rubber). Solid vehicle all around.