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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  I Love This Car - 2009 Acura TL
  By hemjin26 - July 27 - 1:06 pm

  I have only had it for less than a month but everyday I love this car more and more. The nav, climate control, and other tech features it has takes a little time to get used to. It handles great, the ride is comfortable, and it looks awesome.

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  A wise choice - 2005 Acura RL
  By giorgichigo - July 26 - 3:48 pm

  Drives like a Mercedes and has more features at a lower price point. It took me a while to adjust after years of driving BMWs but I have grown to appreciate this vehicle, its comfort and outstanding reliability.

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  Great Value - 2009 Acura TL
  By Doc6633 - July 24 - 10:53 am

  Compared to other cars that I drove in several different classes this car gave me the most bang for the buck. The space that the car provides and quality of all the finishes compared to other cars at its price point is superior.

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  Excellent Balance of Comfort and Power - 2008 Acura TL
  By HardtoPlease - July 23 - 9:13 am

  No perfect care exists, but the 2008 TL Type S comes close for an attainable price. The vehicle is an excellent blend of power, handling, and interior refinement. A comparable BMW would be significantly more expensive. The competitor vehicles, such as the G35 and the IS350 are good cars but lack the professional finish seen in Acura vehicles. After a week of ownership, there are no visible flaws. The voice command feature of the DVD-navigation system does take some time to learn and perfect.

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  Solid Car - 2008 Acura TL
  By mtlpa - July 22 - 12:35 pm

  Basically bought this car from the inside out. Compared to 330i, Audi A4 and felt the TL was a better value and much more spacious. After a year there have been no defects to speak of, so quite satisfied with build quality. Performance is quite good although torque steer is evident under hard acceleration. Ergonomics are excellent and runs fantastic on the highway. Manual mode transmission is a little disappointing as it does not force the transmission into quicker gear shifts.

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  Great Car - 2016 Acura RDX
  By Frank Bennett - July 21 - 2:46 pm

  Glad we decided on the RDX. Everything we had hoped for in our new SUV. Safety features of the Advance technology are exceptional.

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  3.2 TL - 2003 Acura TL
  By poop - July 21 - 5:40 am

  Great CAr.

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  In love with my TSX - 2005 Acura TSX
  By Robert Davis - July 21 - 4:53 am

  After 1700 miles of driving this vehicle I can say that I am completely satisfied with great looks, over all outstanding handling, performance and total comfort of this car. The 5 speed AT is a smooth as glass. Fit and finish are excellent and the 17 inch wheels are best.

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  Jewel of a Ride - 1997 Acura CL
  By Len Morgan - July 20 - 9:46 pm

  Bought my stick 2.2 a year old with only about 8k miles. Only 65k NOW, due to driving 3 other cars, incl. a CRX and Prelude. (Certified Honda nut!). No significant maintenance or driveability problems, even after getting run off a mountain road into a big (life-saving) snowbank in December.

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  Acura TL - 2009 Acura TL
  By Joe - July 19 - 9:56 pm

  Im a first time Acura owner, sold my 2002 Volvo S60 before purchasing my TL. This car is amazing, comfortable power and fun to drive. The SH-AWD is great, the car is glued to the road at all speeds in turns. I looked at the Lexus RX350 and was sure I was going to buy that but Lexus will not discount the price, so I test drove the TL and bought it the same day.