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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  Fun SUV - 2010 Acura MDX
  By FUN SUV - March 30 - 2:26 pm

  I drove the X5 and the MDX. The MDX won because of the extras, its quiet, fast and I love the gadgets. Everything for me is in its right place. BMW interior mechanics is too complicated and take your attention away from the road to use.

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  Fantastic all round sports car - 2006 Acura RSX
  By David Lee - March 29 - 2:00 pm

  I am a mature driver and really enjoy the performance AND practicality of this vehicle. Ive owned the Civic Hatch, Honda Accord, this one is my favorite by far! - with two small kids, they easily fit into the back and think that the car is a riot. - the hatchback proves invaluable on trips to Home Depot and running errands. Lots of room for sports gear! - when I feel the need for speed, IVTEC gets me up to an illegal speed in short order, and the handling is superb - Fuel economy is pretty good even if you occasionally open it up. - the interior is well appointed and has an upscale feeling Now the bad: - due to the sporty suspension, there is the occasional dash rattle

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  Love this car - 2009 Acura RDX
  By Lindsey - March 29 - 10:08 am

  Im really enjoying this SUV! I really love the size and room it has on the inside! The only problems that Ive had are the speakers, I blew three of them! And I have no idea how! This car is fun to drive and everyone that rides in this car loves it! I looked at many SUVs before purchasing this one! This one was by far the best! Perfect size and not a lot of people have this car! SO you wont have the same car as everyone else!

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  Love it - 2007 Acura TSX
  By CAL - March 27 - 10:31 pm

  Love the car. Great fuel mileage, over 30 mpg highway. Drives great and comfortable even on a 10 hour trip

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  Great car full of great features - 2010 Acura TL
  By Skol1 - March 27 - 10:12 pm

  Have owned my TL for 2 weeks now. Havent gotten through all the manuals yet so finding new features every day. Got the silver which minimizes some of the questionable exterior styling features. Also shopped the G37x, A4 and 328ix, but found the TL the best value for the money. Love the interior design and rear seat room as well as all the audio options. Dont feel like I compromised anything in buying the Acura.

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  Great Car - 2008 Acura TL
  By Tom - March 27 - 9:54 pm

  Sold 04 TL for this. Drive the Chicago freeways 74 miles per day. Fantastic road quality, exceptional nav system. This car has plenty of power and looks ten times better than the 09 and 10 model. In the time I have had 2 TLs, I have never had ANY mechanical problems of any kind. This is a fabulous car for the the money considering looks and features. The Type-S is not worth the extra money to me because the wheels are ugly beyond comprehension.

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  So much better than the 06 MDX - 2010 Acura MDX
  By hamish - March 27 - 9:27 pm

  Have had my 10 base MDX for all of two days now. Biggest difference vs. the 06 MDX is that you actually look forward to driving this one! Reminds me of my 03 TLS, fun to drive, responds well, too fast for the kids to drive on their own!! Handling is very good, sticks to the road like an audi quattro, sporty handling, very little body roll for an SUV. Also very good for tall folk, my 6 ft 4 son, finds it very comfortable as both a passenger and driver.

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  Been a Good SUV - 2005 Acura MDX
  By GatorJeff - March 26 - 9:54 pm

  Overall this has been a solid vehicle. The only problem has been the torque converter at 57,000 miles. Acura paid a large portion of the repair cost though. I really love the MDX and cant seem to find anything worth selling it for. I usually keep cars for three years but after 5 I want to hang on to it for a while longer. I really like the design and interior technology.

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  Ive seen the future - 2009 Acura TL
  By compewterbleu - March 25 - 2:57 pm

  This car is one "Sexy Beast." Test drove both models several times. Previous 2001 CL owner and I have always loved Acuras (Hondas) approach, luxury from a different angle keeping performance, reliability, and quality in the mix. Performance is in the hand of the driver for the most part...I havent notice a lag in acceleration nor any weird steering problems. Solid. Paying more doesnt equate to better. BMWs and Audis and such still have folks fooled(along with media such as MT). I love the design for its daring non-cookie cutter non-euro ultra technical look. Im a design engineer so the art-functionality looks appeal to me and evidently to the ladies, they swoon over it daily.

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  GREAT - 1999 Acura TL
  By Kyle - March 25 - 11:38 am

  I have had no problems with the car. Except I have worn a hole where my leg rests.