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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  A real smile creator - 2009 Acura TSX
  By Joey Sugoy - June 8 - 3:47 pm

  I am thrilled with this purchase. I have never had an instant of buyers remorse. I smile every time I see this car. For a four cylinder that delivers such great mileage, this car is incredibly responsive and a blast to drive.

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  We Love It - 2005 Acura MDX
  By dmdm - June 8 - 3:30 pm

  Decided to abandon the minivan this time around for something a bit sportier but with the same seating capacity as the van. I cannot say enough good things about our MDX. It handles much nicer than the other SUVs on our shopping list (feels like driving a sedan not a truck). The interior is very well done and we love the new exterior color Steel Blue Metalic. Gas mileage could be better, but we expect it to get better as it breaks in. Great choice!

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  Most Powerful Acura - 2009 Acura TL
  By Julius L. S. Penn - June 6 - 11:03 pm

  The SH-AWD model is not a car...its an automobile. The seats hug your body. The steering wheel grips your hands. The sound system is an on-demand DJ. And the power is to be compared to a 200 meter sprinter...not super fast... but fast. But, the coolest thing about the car is its smarts. My wife keeps her key in her bag. She attempted to put her bag with the key in the trunk and the car beeped and popped back open the truck. Oh yes, I am most certainly enjoying my 2009 TL SH-AWD. :)

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  Great All-Around Car - 2003 Acura TL
  By L. Do - June 6 - 6:44 pm

  I have been driving this car for over 100K miles now, and still love it. The performance is strong, handling is good, very comfortable and roomy, and super reliable as expected from a Honda/Acura. Of course, unfortunately, this year model has the transmission recall and Im on my 3rd tranny now. Despite the tranny problem, I still love this car because its one of the best all around performance sedans you can buy. This car is very fun to drive hard with Vtech rush to keep driver enthusiast smiling. Other than the tranny, I had no problem with anything else, just regular oil change is all its needed.

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  Run to your Acura dealership - 2005 Acura TSX
  By SunnyG - June 6 - 4:10 am

  I was looking for a 4 door sport sedan for a few months now, and am extremely glad i went with the TSX. i dont know any other car that gives you so much (sunroof, leather, XM, xenon, 200hp, and a very slick 6spd) for the money, all with a dose of style, solidness, and personality. if youve been thinking about a car in this category, you owe it to yourself to check out the TSX.

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  Acura - 2005 Acura MDX
  By Jeff - June 6 - 3:13 am

  Weve had vehicle for 1yr and its only been back to dealership once due to a slip in transmission. Dealer checked it out and right away they decided to replace transmission because Acura wanted to disassemble and assess. We were impressed! Great family vehicle, its much roomier than you would think by looking at it.

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  Great Car!! - 2009 Acura TSX
  By iwantone - June 4 - 3:48 pm

  I havent had my tsx a week yet, but coming from a Honda accord I feel right at home in fact a much better home. I am still learning the tech package, but I am having fun learning it. I dont need the speed of a V6, so this car is very peppy to me. I am glad I made this choice.

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  Best of its class - 2008 Acura TL
  By stoney - June 3 - 9:49 pm

  I researched this car at length while also considering the Lexus IS 350, BMW 3 series and the Infiniti G. This car definitely represents the best combination of size, comfort, sportiness and value for the $$. Like a previous post I too was at first disappointed by the cars jerky transmission, however after a few months of ownership this cars drive seemed to transform (or I got more accustomed) to very smooth, fun car to drive. After testing both the standard TL and the Type S, without question the Type S is a vastly superior automobile and is worth the extra two or three grand.

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  Great Car - 2005 Acura TL
  By Lisa Gall - June 3 - 7:06 pm

  My TL is over 10 years old now and its still a great car! No problems at all. Complete confidence in reliability - would not hesitate to take it on the longest road trip.

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  My new 2017 MDX - 2017 Acura MDX
  By Marianne Kanning - June 3 - 9:18 am

  This is a great car for the price. This is my third MDX since 2001 and I put many miles on a car. With regular maintenance, this car can go at least 200.000. A very stylish ride.