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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  Love this Ride - 2010 Acura TL
  By dnmlaw - April 23 - 4:05 pm

  This is my second TL (my other one is a 2006), and this one is even better, which is saying a lot. The SH-AWD is amazing and I appreciated the added hp. I compared it with Audi, Lexus, BMW, and MB. I have no regrets with my choice and feel that I have gotten great value for my money. While the exterior styling is controversial, I appreciate that it does not look like everything else, and my wife thinks it is great looking.

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  Affordable luxury SUV - 2004 Acura MDX
  By Joe C. - April 23 - 3:19 pm

  Driven over 112k in less than 6 years. No mechanical problems. Drives very smooth and still handles/feels like a new vehicle after so long. Some cosmetic problems here and there. Sales person pressured to buy extended warranty, but it is waste of money. Overall a reliable and affordable luxury SUV.

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  leak that cant be fixed - 2010 Acura TL
  By lemon - April 23 - 3:00 pm

  Car has leaked water from day 1 into trunk. After 5 times in shop and no correction. I am filing a lemon law.Only leaks when car is parked on a upgrade. leak is severe. Hoping that honda tries to make it right

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  Big disappointment - 2003 Acura TL
  By cwms97 - April 23 - 2:33 pm

  I bought my 2003 Acura TL-S in 2006 with about 64,000 miles on it. The car would have been perfect except for the bad transmission. Within 3 months of purchasing the car, I had to get my transmission replaced. A year later the transmission failed again. Leith Acura replaced it the 1st two times. Then 2yrs later, the transmission went out again. Acura wouldnt replace it because of the mileage on my car so I had to get another company to fix my car. Then 1 year later, I am having transmission failure again. I am so dissapointed. Such a nice car with a horrible transmission. I will never buy another Acura again!!!!!!!!!!

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  Im in love with my car - 2010 Acura TL
  By Nicole - April 22 - 10:42 am

  I love my 2010 Acura TL. I purchased the 3.5 V6 with technology package in white pearl. The car drives smooth, has quick acceleration and it looks amazing!!! Buy this car, you wont be disappointed.

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  Nice Car - 2008 Acura RDX
  By Lazo - April 22 - 3:30 am

  You will not enjoy this car unless you really have patience and read the guide. I purchased this car for my wife and we are happy with it. This is a strong stable car you can rely on. Many features you will discover as you read the guide. Thanks to Reviews in this site I took the decision to buy this car.

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  I have better cars. - 2002 Acura MDX
  By Barry - April 21 - 3:06 pm

  We currently have 133,000 miles. We have replaced far too many things to say this is a used car best buy. The tranny went at 99k, motor mounts at 110k, wheel bearings at 99k, shocks and struts at 115k, rear heater stopped working at 80k, its starting to rust in the wheel wells and the list goes on. The motor mounts and tranny are a known issue on these cars. RECALL IT! Dealer said to me "Hey, you got your use out of them". I didnt realize parts expired..

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  Very Happy - 2010 Acura TSX
  By Acura1 - April 20 - 6:06 pm

  In this price range you cant get a better entry level sporty sedan. If youre thinking about purchasing one then do so. Driving this car never gets old. Its like a sanctuary with all the features and comfort. The car rides beautifully. I went from a Honda Accord to this and although I loved my Honda I could never go back.

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  Amazing Bang for the Buck - 1991 Acura NSX
  By Ninjaneer - April 19 - 11:35 am

  This car has the highest fun factor of any I have owned in 40 years of driving. Its beautiful looks turns heads wherever I go and it is a LOT of fun at the track or on the street. It is amazing that a car nearly 20 years old can compete in every meaningful way with some of the very best of today. The handling is superb, ergonomics excellent, and the sound of that engine revving to 8000+ rpm right behind your head intoxicating! While I may buy additional cars, I cant see myself ever selling my NSX.

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  Solid car - 2010 Acura TSX
  By Ernie T - April 18 - 9:26 pm

  The car is solid and has a predictable feel and control. At first the ride seemed stiff and rough, either I have become used to the feel or the car has softened up just a hair. Audio is good but not outstanding. Driving is fun and quite.