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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  Great all round SUV - 2003 Acura MDX
  By acuraman12 - September 20 - 2:00 am

  Everything was great about this Vehicle. It rides and drives like an Honda/Acura car product. It has great power with the 260hp engine. Theres no problem accelerating with four people inside. Note that the last 2 seats are good for short trips and are for kids at best. Just one nag. The interior driver door handle came with a defective molding setting but an Acura dealer took car of it without no hassle. I only give "build Quality" a "9" and all others 10. I used to have a 96 Honda Accord EX and it had no problems up to 134,600 miles (sold it afterwards) so I expect this SUV to last.

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  18 Years old! Luxury, Power, Comfort - 1991 Acura Legend
  By 1991KA8 - September 18 - 11:08 am

  Fell in love with my Legend as soon as I bought. Reliability with comfort along with luxury and power. What more can you ask for? Youll be lucky if you will find another great car like this ever again. First and last car. Guaranteed that is how you will feel.

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  A lot of car for the money - 2009 Acura TL
  By omnimax - September 17 - 9:59 pm

  The TL packs a lot of car for the price. You can easily pay 1000s more for a comparably equipped German car. Enjoy all the tech features they packed. For a 1st year car, it feels pretty darn solid with no rattles so far. The ride is sporty but yet still maintains a luxury feel as well. The interior space is more than adequate to seat 5 in comfort. I like the high-tech look of the dash. The exterior style had me at first glance so it just works for me. I could think of improvements but I think Im being picky at that point. The TL presents a value proposition that cant be beat.

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  Its a Great Car - 2009 Acura TSX
  By harrison - September 17 - 8:23 pm

  In a nutshell, the tech package is the icing of a great cupcake. The car itself is a inline 4 but its better than my old accord v6. Its not as fast my other tl type s - but the horsepower and torque is not wasted either. Thats what this car is, its the comfort of the tech package (do not get this car without it) with a car thats designed for everyday use with some sport appeal. Its definitely fun to drive, it comes to stock with a stability bar for handling, can you believe that? Its car loaded with value and a fun drive factor to boot. Ive test driven other cars that were reviewed and found this one to be the best.

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  The best used car...period. - 2005 Acura TL
  By That Guy - September 16 - 9:11 pm

  Been driving my 2005 TL for a few months now and I am convinced that this is the best car I have ever owned. The exterior is slick and sporty. Interior is clean and classy. Love the leather seats. My TL came with a sport package that included factory 18" wheels and a factory body kit. It was love at first sight. Im up to about 71K miles now and its still running strong. This car is definitely a keeper.

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  what to expect from Honda - 2003 Acura MDX
  By ks - September 15 - 2:00 am

  I have loved this car from day one I owned 2 other Hondas in the past and was extreemely happy with them I am conviced that this MDX will not be any different Still the best looking SUV out there

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  Nice Car - 2009 Acura TL
  By Adam B - September 14 - 11:26 am

  Although the exterior of this styling seems a bit awkward, the first time one of them drive past me on the freeway, I was hooked. Its angular styling is actually quite brilliant. I purchased one for my wife in the pearl white color and we get nothing but compliments. The ride is pleasant and the engine has plenty of power for entertaining launches onto freeways and long jaunts to LA. In fact, the day after I bought it, I put over 400 miles on it driving to southern California and it was excellent. I also have a loaded Honda Accord, and Ill admit that I used to think Acura TLs were just a dressed-up Accord. But I am a believer now that the Acura is a much nicer car, even in standard trim.

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  Kick ass sports sedan with SUV cargo space. - 2010 Acura MDX
  By Pedro Rivera - September 12 - 1:32 pm

  I was looking for an SH-AWD TL, but after a long story with a dealer ended up with this MDX; and LOVE IT!!! It is a fast SUV, with sports sedan like feel. Loving the dealers screw up!!!

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  2007 Acura TL- Type S Rocks! - 2007 Acura TL
  By rkahrmann - September 11 - 1:32 pm

  I really love my Acura TL-Type S. The fit and finish of this car is really nice. Every time I walk out and get into the car I look forward to turning the ignition key. It drives very well on the open road and the freeway. We took a 6K+ trip this summer and the car turned out to really be a great touring sedan. I think it is the best looking car on the road on the outside. I find the seats comfortable. Braking is superb. Overall I think it is one of the best designs ever. If you can pick up a used one, what a great value it will be.

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  TL=FUN - 2009 Acura TL
  By John - September 10 - 5:20 pm

  Just got the car. Tried to buy a Genesis first, but could not get right with the dealer. Glad he wouldnt bargain. TL is like a sports car, lots of fun to drive. Great handling and performance. Only drawback is interior space.