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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  I love it! - 2002 Acura TL
  By ExecAsst - May 10 - 2:00 am

  I owned an Acura Integra prior to buying this car. Im hooked on Acura. They are reliable, dependable cars. The TL is beautiful and everything comes standard except the navigation system. I love it!

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  Best car for the value - 2003 Acura TL
  By scotts - May 10 - 2:00 am

  Compared with Lincoln LS, Lexus, Infiniti, Pontiac, Oldsmobile, 300M, BMW, Mercedes; by far the TL type S is the best car for the $$$. Well just wait to see what the resale is on the aforementioned vs. the TL. Why pay more for less. The Honda reliablity and value retention will surely pay off in the long run.

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  Safe and solid performer - 2009 Acura MDX
  By IN46321 - May 9 - 6:31 pm

  Love my MDX. Solid build quality and fit n finish. Did a apples to apples comparison with the Lexus RX 350. Hands down the MDX is much better value. The smoothness of the ride and the technology package is just incredible. My 2 kids(8 & 6) are having a ball. Bluetooth and phone book downloads are so convenient. The navigation system with lane assist, traffic updates and other advanced features like Zagat rocks! Xm is a nice icing on the cake..Cant stop looking at it and driving it. Plunge in and pamper yourself. You live only once..

• 

  Absolutely awesome.... - 2002 Acura RSX
  By luvthecar - May 9 - 6:13 pm

  This cars handling, design and overall quality are exceptional. The car rips!

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  Loving it! - 2016 Acura RDX
  By satirical - May 9 - 2:55 pm

  Bought an RDX Advance model and so far I love it. The nav unit and center console took time to get use to but now a I float with ease. Awesome SUV!!

• 

  Outstanding - 2009 Acura TL
  By Golfer - May 8 - 11:59 am

  And I wanted a CTS but my wife said no- glad I listened to her. This is my second Acura (MDX previously) after many years in GM vehicles. This vehicle has it all, styling both exterior and interior, good mpg, tech package is user friendly, great sound system and a hard drive to record your favorite music both from CDs and the XM Radio.

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  After18 years its been a good one! - 1991 Acura Legend
  By Stacey - May 8 - 11:55 am

  I bought this car new in 1991. It has been the best car ever. At 18 years of age it still looks brand new. Classic styling never looks old. My oldest son has been driving it the last 7 years and it now has well over 200K miles on it. It still runs great... a testament to what great engineering and meticulous upkeep will get you. One word about the lack of cup holders. In 1991 they didnt have cup holders in cars other than minivans!

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  Best value in its segment, by far... - 2016 Acura TLX
  By Todd Rutherford - May 8 - 7:13 am

  Bought a fully optioned TLX V6 with SH-AWD and Advanced package with less than 700 miles on it. A little history: The vehicle had previously been wrecked leaving the dealership when the teenager driving it rear-ended another car on the freeway. There was no frame damage and the car was repaired at the Acura dealer back to factory specs. Since the kid didnt want a car that had been wrecked before and since daddy wrote another check for $50K to buy another new fully loaded TLX, this vehicle was subsequently sold to an independent used car dealer for about 1/2 the MSRP. Their loss, my gain! This is my 4th Acura and 7th Honda product in recent years and so far Ive not been disappointed. Though Hondas have dominated our car ownership experience, our family has owned various models from Chrysler, Ford, GM, Mercedes and BMW over the years and theres reason we keep going back to Honda. The build quality on this vehicle is excellent by comparison to other models that weve owned, across all manufacturers. The ride quality is great and the steering feel is good, though still not as good as the 3-series BMW. The transmission can be a little quirky at times but nothing thats unacceptable. Even though my vehicle was essentially new and I paid almost $15K off MSRP because of the previous wreck, it still would have been a good buy at its MSRP based on similar cars in the segment with the same features. Is this car the best in its segment? No, its not. Does it represent the best value in its segment? Absolutely!

• 

  Great Car w/ Big Liability - 2004 Acura TL
  By CRS - May 8 - 7:11 am

  The body style is sleek, its fun to drive and comfortable. Over a few years developed too many vibrations and rattles for high end car. Biggest disappointment was Acura Corp. not backing my TL when the front right ball joint broke going 60 MPH in the center lane. Parts did not indicate failure. This was my second and last Acura. I feel that I cant put my family at risk with a company that will not admit they have a dangerous & critical design flaw with their wheel assembly and unwilling to back the consumer.

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  Want a sport sedan needed an suv - 2007 Acura RDX
  By Turbo Fan - May 7 - 7:28 pm

  I chose the RDX because I wanted sport sedan like handling and power but the utility of an SUV. Gas mileage is not as bad as some say. If I ease into the throttle, I can get about 25mpg highway with some city driving. Ride is firm, but you get lots of grip. Sport mode tranny is neat but not necessary. This is my first turbo engine and overall I like the power surge surprising that a 2.3L can feel this strong in a 3,900lb vehicle. Turbo lag is not bad spools up faster than the 2008 CX7 and 2009 Subaru Forester I drove. RDX felt more powerful than CX7 despite having less advertised hp and one fewer gear. Glad I spent the extra money and chose the RDX over the CX7.