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 My Car!!!!!!!! - 2006 Acura TL
  By deedbxx - May 24 - 10:29 pm

  After reviewing the history and consumer reports on these cars I was sold before ever driving one. This car has more bells and whistles than you can imagine. Quick and sleek, plenty of power when you need it. This by far is the most awesome car I have ever owned or driven. Have had it a month and still get excited about driving it. You will love this car!!!!!!

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  Amazing little car - 1997 Acura CL
  By Catx - May 24 - 3:22 pm

  I bought my 2.2. CL with 126k, two years ago. It is now at 164k, after a few road trips from California to Texas and back. Not to mention a dozen trips from Mcallen to Houston. Ive done all the regular services and the 150k major service. I have not had one problem, it starts and is ready to go at anytime. Great car, good fuel economy, and very reliable.

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  Great value for the money - 2008 Acura TL
  By Brad - May 24 - 11:58 am

  I purchased my TL-S in July 2008 after seeing the spy pictures of the 2009 models. So far I have 7,500 miles on the car and it has been flawless. The 3.5L makes this car a sleeper, its plenty fast for me. I shopped the G35, Lexus IS350 and BMW 3 Series before buying the Acura. The nice part about the car is the value for the money, this car comes loaded. With Lexus, BMW and Infiniti the options are expensive and add up quickly. An IS350 with the same equipment as this car stickered at over $45k, same with BMW. I was able to purchase my TL-S for $33k, that was $5,800 off the sticker. Was able to get a good deal with the ugly 2009s ready to hit the market.

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  great car - 2004 Acura RSX
  By anao85 - May 24 - 10:00 am

  fun and i love it

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  THIS IS THE BEST CAR EVER!!!!! - 2004 Acura RSX
  By j-jay - May 24 - 10:00 am

  yo this is the car of any persons dream the power and handeling behind this car is unlike no other. this is the perfect car sexy, stylish, sleek. i love driving it. and after i did everything to it i get all the attention everywhere i go. girls love it!

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  Fun little cruiser - 2008 Acura TSX
  By KS Local - May 23 - 2:02 pm

  I have owned a variety of makes and models. I have pretty much settled on Honda and Acura as the vehicles of choice for me. I sold an RL to get the TSX. I wanted something with better mileage and sportier look and feel. I am very happy with the TSX. It is smooth and stiff in the right places and times. The VTEC really hums when you crank up the RPMs. I am getting pretty good mileage too.

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  Review Update - Better than expected! - 2009 Acura TSX
  By mshw777 - May 23 - 9:28 am

  After 6 mos of ownership, I have to say that Im very impressed with my 09 TSX. It handles very well, has lots of pep for a 4 cylinder, and is fast! The interior build quality is very good, outstanding sound system, and awesome gas mileage sticker says 30mpg highway, but I got 34 highway on a recent road trip. This is a very nice compact sports sedan - great value for the money. No regrets on this purchase!

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  Best Car in its class and best value - 2009 Acura TL
  By Woyoyo - May 22 - 1:15 pm

  I bought my TL with Technology package a week ago and I love it. I compared the TL to Infinity G37 and Lexus ES350 and here is what I found. The G37 was great to drive but has unimpressive interior and feels small , the ES350 is very comfortable to ride but un- sporty to drive and large, the TL has amazing interior, advanced technology package, fun to drive and but ugly grill (beak). So I decided that was easier to live with that “beak” after painting it.

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  Turning a Leaf - 2002 Acura RSX
  By ConvertedToImports - May 22 - 10:00 am

  Everyone knows AcuraÂ…but I dont think everyone knows how affordable the RSX is. Its really a great deal because everything is included in the base price 4 yr/50,000 warranty, 10,000 mile oil changes, total luxury care, there are so many perks. but whats important is you fall in love with driving again. Ive been burned by terrible american made cars - and you should know theres resonable priced imports that will take care of all your needs!

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  Excellent peformance crossover - 2007 Acura RDX
  By Chapel Hill - May 21 - 10:18 pm

  We purchased an 07 RDX brand new when they first came out (we purchased in Aug 06). We are in the process of selling it, not because we want to, but because our family has simply outgrown it. We put 40k miles on it in almost 3 years of ownership and have thoroughly enjoyed the RDX. Weve used it around town & on family trips. Extremely reliable. Quiet ride. Incredibly comfortable interior w/ awesome styling. Multiple compartments for storage, & many tech features. Front & back seats are quite roomy & backseat easily folds down flat (2/3 / 1/3) to expand cargo space. The AWD RDX drives better than most performance cars - handling is incredible & it is a fun, solid drive/ride.