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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  Interior design - 2016 Acura MDX
  By Jeffrey Jauer - July 31 - 4:18 pm

  My wife did not like the tricolor interior - the dash drab gray, the seats are whatever the trim color is supposed to be and then there are simulated wood appointments in the middle. I could have lived with it but it sure was not attractive. Were going to wait to see what 2017 or 2018 brings for Acura and Lexus.

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  HODTSX - 2005 Acura TSX
  By HarryD - July 30 - 2:23 pm

  Incredible features for the price. Aggressive styling. Roomy in front. Negative feature is location of Drivers power door lock button - should be by door handle.

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  not reliable - 2003 Acura MDX
  By Victor - July 30 - 2:56 am

  Ive owned this car for less then two years and have a bunch of headaches. The fifth spark broke when i drove on a highway, 200 ml away from home. These days I am having a problem with starting the car - unbelievable. Something wrong with electronics and the dealer is not able to figure out. After having this problem happening to me on a parking lot for several times, I switched to my old Pathfinder truck - 105K miles, but never failed me.

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  A "great" Deal - 2004 Acura RL
  By willie - July 29 - 12:22 pm

  I was fed up with high maintenance $$$ of my BMW. Refused to pay high price $$$ for Lexus. A friend, car salesman, suggested Acura RL which has everything but is not flashy! Got it for a steal "brand new" on ebay! I admit it doesnt handle like the BMW, BUT its a better value for the cost. I actually like the more classy, conservative look of the 04 vs the "all- look-the-same" look of the 05!

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  Read this if considering buying one - 2003 Acura TL
  By Long Islander - July 28 - 4:46 pm

  Nice large-size car. I am over 6 and am comfortable in rear seat on trips, so is mother-in-law. Very reliable, powerful engine and handles great in all weather, thanks to traction control. Have 30,000 miles, and had front discs replaced due to warping. Had to argue with dealer to get them replaced for no charge. Uneven heating for front passenger - several people complain of burning left foot. Center vents have no shut off feature, unlike the side vents. This has been a constant annoyance for anyone not wishing to get hit directly with cold air. Dual climate control would solve this problem. Very large trunk. Have been on many trips with very large stroller and luggage. Mediocre MPG.

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  Great Car - 1992 Acura Integra
  By JorgNic - July 26 - 4:16 pm

  This was my first Acura and it has been nothing but a wonderful car. It has a very quick 1.8 liter motor. And with minor performance upgrades will striaght up haul.

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  No problem car. - 1991 Acura Integra
  By HondaFan - July 26 - 9:59 am

  Have had my Honda Acura (Integra), manual, for more than 6 years, 125000km (total on the clock 176000km), no problem so far, just basic maintenance - breaks, cam belt, clutch, belts, antifreeze. The engine is like a new one and I have the feeling that will last for ever. This is a model more than 14 years old and it still looks good. I have full confidence in the car. Probably I will try to buy Honda again one day if I am looking for another car. The greatest car Ive ever had.

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  EXPENSIVE HONDA - 2002 Acura RL
  By RLK - July 25 - 1:57 pm

  Vehicle has many impressive points but sitting position still reminds me of my Honda. Lexus has better driver visibility. Its time for Honda to give these cars their own chassis. Lexus designs their cars for American size drivers but Honda/Acura designs their cars for Japanese size drivers. A lot of car for the money.

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  Best Car Out of Last 10 I Owned - 2004 Acura TL
  By Spensky - July 22 - 10:00 am

  Best Car Out of Last 10 I Owned.. I drive 25000 miles a year and for the money this is the best car I have ever had. Plus I am looking forward to the higher than most trade in value Acure is known for.

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  Love My MDX - 2003 Acura MDX
  By MDX King Seattle - July 13 - 2:00 am

  After doing all of my research and finding out from the Acura dealers, they will work on any Canadian vehicles, I went ahead and purchased my 2003 MDX Touring Edition from Platinum Wholesale Autos, I saved about $4,000 dollars from the best Dealers price. Kurt the Internet manager made it so easy, I never even met him until the day I picked up my MDX. I love my MDX even if it did come from Canada, dont they all!?!?