5 Of The Most Reliable Acura Engines Ever Made, Ranked
Acura is Honda's luxury division, so it just makes sense for its cars to use Honda engines. In fact, all Acura models produced so far had a Honda heart, except for the second-generation Acura NSX. However, this is an advantage to Acura and Acura owners, as they inherit the reliability, efficiency, and cost-effectiveness of Honda engines. It's also why Acura is among the top brands in our list of the best major luxury car brands.
Nevertheless, some Honda engines are a bit more reliable than other models in its stable. So, we're looking at the most dependable engines inside Acura models. Because the powertrain is a significant part of any car model's reliability figures, we're picking engines found in the most reliable Acura models ever made. Aside from the reported reliability of the models that use these engines, we also looked at the dependability of these engines as they're used in other Honda models, if applicable.
Honda R20 Series
The Honda R20 engine is a four-cylinder naturally-aspirated engine found in many Honda models, such as the 2009 Honda Accord and 2018 CR-V—some of the most reliable Hondas ever made. You can also find this engine in the 2.0-liter base models of the upmarket Acura ILX.
The R20 is generally a reliable engine, especially if you carefully follow its maintenance regime. However, you should avoid the R-series engine from 2006 to 2008, as these engine years are prone to cracking because of a defect introduced during its casting process. Although it will not cause catastrophic failure, the hairline cracks that appear on the engine can cause coolant to leak out. If you do not monitor this, you risk losing all your coolant while driving, causing the engine to overheat. But because Honda has fixed the issue in newer engine years of the R20, getting an Acura with this engine means getting a car that will last you a long time.
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Honda L15 Series
Many car enthusiasts look at horsepower and torque figures and prefer renowned models like the B16 and K20 engines. But if you're after reliability and fuel efficiency, you wouldn't go wrong with the L15 engine. The 1.5-liter L15 engine has been around since 2001 and has found its way into many four-cylinder Hondas, like Civic, CR-V, and Accord.
However, you should know that the L15 isn't designed for performance. In fact, some race engine builders say that if you plan to build a project car and then race it, you're well advised to stay away from the L15. But if you're looking to buy a well-maintained, lightly-used Honda, you should be able to get 100,000 miles out of the L15 without any major overhauls or expenses.
Nevertheless, the 2023 Acura Integra gets the L15CA engine, which can produce 200 hp @ 6,000 rpm with turbo. Since the L15CA is relatively new, we have not yet received any long-term reliability reports from the engine. However, given its reputation, we expect the L15CA engine to be as reliable as the other motors in its lineup, provided it's properly maintained and used as intended.
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Honda K20 Series
While the B16 engine is a popular motor among tuners, the Honda K20 series is often the next best option, especially as it was used in Honda's most desirable cars, like the Civic Type R. You can also find several Acura models, like the Integra Type S and RSX, that use this engine, as they're essentially the luxury versions of the Civic.
The K20 is an inline-4 engine with a dual overhead camshaft and four valves per cylinder. Despite having just a two-liter displacement, a naturally aspirated K20A can produce up to 250 hp @ 8,600 rpm. However, a turbocharged K20C2 found on the 2024 Honda Civic Type R allows the engine to reach 315 hp @ 6,500 rpm.
We also listed the K20 as the best engine in the K-Series, as it's sturdy. But if you want to push more power out of it, you should upgrade its internals to avoid blowing it up on the race track. Nevertheless, because of its availability and popularity, you can easily find K20 engines and parts in the market, so you don't have to break the bank to keep your K20 engine running. If you push a K20 engine to its limits, it can even hit more than a thousand horsepower
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Honda J35 Series
The J35 series are V6 engines with a 3.5-liter displacement, and you can find it inside the Acura MDX, TLX, RLX, and RDX models—all of which are included in our list of most dependable Acuras. Furthermore, you can find this engine in the Accord, Odyssey, and Ridgeline, which we consider among the most reliable from Honda.
This engine saves space by using an aluminum cylinder block and a 60-degree angle between its cylinder banks. It also has an aluminum cylinder head and a single overhead camshaft driven by a timing belt. Of course, the J35 series engine also features Honda's VTEC system, allowing it to be both powerful and fuel efficient.
If a J35 engine is properly maintained, it's a reliable engine. There is only one major issue that plagues this engine family: the variable cylinder management (VCM) system, which shuts off three or four cylinders if you don't need them for fuel economy, is prone to gasket failure. Nevertheless, this is a well-documented issue, and Honda has since addressed it. In case you encounter this problem, replacing the VCM gaskets is an easy fix, and you should just keep an eye on it during every maintenance cycle.
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Acura JNC1
The Acura JNC1 stands alone in the Acura lineup, as it is only available in the second-generation Acura NSX. According to Ted Klaus, the President of Honda Performance Development and the Global Development Leader of the newer NSX, "The engine of the NSX: it's created and executed exclusively for the NSX."
Since it's the beating heart of Acura's flagship product, the company had to ensure that it created a bullet-proof engine that delivered the performance required for a supercar while still ensuring that it would maintain the reliability that Honda (and, therefore, Acura) was known for. Some NSX owners swear by their cars, with only a few reporting issues on the 2018 and newer models. However, others say that early 2016 and 2017 models were prone to electrical problems. Nevertheless, some say this was due to first-edition problems and has since been fixed.
The JNC1 is hand-built in Anna, Ohio, with only one master builder working on each engine—similar to the legendary Nissan GT-R R35, where only one highly skilled master builder builds the engine for each car. Since Acuras are made in the U.S., and the NSX's engine also comes from the country, you can say that the Acura NSX is an American car with Japanese parentage.
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