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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  Like no other - 2005 Acura TSX
  By Teamunik - February 22 - 12:00 am

  This car has just about all you need in a vehicle. Youll turn heads everywhere you go with this one of a kind sport sedan. The best thing of all......Its a Honda....!!!

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  Outstanding Vehicle - 2009 Acura TL
  By Roger - February 21 - 4:10 am

  I love this car. Previous had a 04 TL and a 07 Type S TL. Must admit at first was not a fan of front design, but after a while I love it. It evokes emotion from everyone who sees it. It is a much better car than previous models. The navi is 100% improved from previous models. The AWD system is the best, I drove a Lexus AWD and this beats it hands down.

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  2016 MDX vibration - 2016 Acura MDX
  By Very disappointed - February 20 - 2:57 am

  I bought a 2016 Acura MDX within the first week I noticed a vibration between 55 to 75 mph, at 459 miles I took it in to the dealer to install the mounding I had purchased and told them it had a vibration they balanced the tires. It did not solve the problem, took it back a second time where I was told by the service writer that there was nothing wrong with the car, I would find nothing wrong with it and it drives just as well as any car on the lot. You can visibly see the steering wheel shake and feel the vibration. I took it in a third time, took a service technician out with me, he witnessed the steering wheel shaking and vibrating. So I asked, ok we are in agreement that you witnessed the steering wheel shaking and vibrating he said yes, I took his name and wrote it down along with date and time. The dealer had my car for about a week, which they did give me a loaner, they called and said they had figured it out, they replaced the brake rotors. Needless to say the vibration is still there, since then I have taken it to a tire store that told me I had three bad tires, took it back to the dealer, they road force balanced the tires, vibration is still there. I have been in contact with Acura Client Relations since the second service appointment, next step is meeting with the District Service Manager. Not to mention how the transmission shifts, I am hoping they come out with a software update for that. Needless to say I am very disappointed and regret purchasing the MDX.

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  Transmission went after 15k - 2016 Acura MDX
  By Krang - February 19 - 7:29 pm

  I have had my SUV in for repairs several times. Window would go up and down. In the fourth try they almost fixed it. It doesnt just go down on its own any longer. It just doesnt stay up if you roll it down. It takes about 4-5 tries. The USB ports dont work. They said its my phone, I have had 6 chargers and a new phone since my purchase. The computer/transmission has been in 3 times. They claimed it was a computer issue with shifting. However when my car failed to go over 30 MPH. I called, their response was there is no engine light on, there is no problem. However after my car being there for a week, they called to let me know the transmission is faulty and needs to be replaced. I called my sales rep (who weve used for 5 cars) to see if he could swap my car out for a similar one. He didnt help and told me to call Acura and file a complaint. He also said they will not do anything to help you. Extremely disappointed after spending 50k on a lemon. I did plan on purchasing this car at the end of the lease.

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  Get the stick! - 2006 Acura TL
  By Camjosh007 - February 19 - 5:03 am

  Just bought the 06 TL Manual with Nav over the 4th of July weekend and I LOVE IT! I swore I would never buy a brand new car but these hold their value so well, stupid to buy an 05 for $30,000 when you can spend another $3,000 and get the brand spanking new!

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  Simply awesome..... - 2004 Acura MDX
  By Rizwan Malik - February 16 - 2:00 am

  I bought MDX yesterday and it is simply awesome with tons of safety features, state of the art gadgets and a silky smooth engine. Plenty of room and an axcellent DVD and Navigation system. I feel this SUV is much better than the lexus GX470, BMW X5, VW Touareg and Mercedes ML, as I test drove all of them in one day and Acura was the winner...well done Acura!

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  Excellent Value - 2004 Acura TL
  By Slimdaddy - February 16 - 2:00 am

  For the short time we have owned this vehicle it has lived up to all reviews. The ride is tight but not rough. The steer is tight and accurate. The sounds system is something from the future with DVD/CD surround sound as a standard feature. The three month free XM radio isnt bad either.

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  Wow! - 2006 Acura TSX
  By Maz - February 9 - 8:33 am

  Im glad I checked out the Acura web site before I purchased a car. I wanted to stick in my budget and yet get a luxury car with Navigation, Bluetooth, Aux for iPod, Xenon lamps,voice activation, and good looking exterior and interior. I thought, yeah right. I test drove a used Lexus GS300, I wasnt impressed at all. I drove a BMW 325i, excellent car, but way above my budget with what I wanted on it (the options add up quickly). I drove a Honda Accura, which impresed me, but no bluetooth and Navitation system wasnt that impressive. When I saw the TSX I couldnt believe my eyes. I got everything I wanted in a car, with Chrome wheels and tinted windows below $30K. Cant compete with that.

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  yeah - 2004 Acura TL
  By chris45 - February 9 - 2:00 am

  great very fast and compfortable interior, also the voice activated navigation system is a fun little feature

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  Good bye poor Audi A4 reliability - 2004 Acura TL
  By TL Gruven - February 9 - 2:00 am

  After only 650 miles in my new TL, Im not going to miss Audi. Ive owned 3 Audis since 1979 and have mostly loved the car, especially the all wheel drive. By my last 2 Quattros have been expensive repair nightmares.