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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  Great Birthday Gift! - 2005 Acura TL
  By akaprls20 - May 7 - 3:24 pm

  I bought my TL for my birthday and have been happy ever since. After months of researching the TSX, I checked out the TL and never looked back! I purchased mine from a private owner and got a great deal! Dont be fooled by the dealers who want you to think that you get so much more buying a CPO. More money for no reason. The owner who sold the car also had an 06 TL and said the 05 drove a little faster. Apparently there was some change in that year. Oh well, my gain!

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  Best Car I Own! - 1995 Acura Integra
  By Mitch - May 7 - 12:39 pm

  This car is awesome!I Have had this car for almost 5 years now and it has never let me down, the only thing that I have had to put into it is routine maintenance. It is a very reliable car. It gets good MPGs (about 26-27 city and 31-32 hwy) and the car runs smooth. I have taken it on a 2000 mile round trip and it was very comfortable and the car had no problems running the 13 hours trip. The 5-speed tranny still shifts smooth and after putting over 60,000 miles on it, the car still runs like the day I bought the car. The car currently has 107000 miles on it and I have no doubt that it could make it to 200,000 miles easy. Its hard to find reviews on cars this old thats why Im writing this.

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  Best First Car - 2002 Acura RSX
  By redline8x1000 - May 7 - 2:00 am

  This was my first car that I had bought on my own. Got it when I was 27 and now Im 34. (I just got a cpo BMW 328i with all the bells & whistles). This car had it all for the money. I was one of the first to have it. It was the TYPE S too. The handling was great for its classes. However I noticed that in the last couple years the suspension started to give a bit. The hatchback was great since the backseats could fold down and I could carry a lot of things in the back. The car had over 130,000 miles on it when I sold it to carmax. Im sure it could have lasted several more years but I didnt have a need for 2 cars. Ill miss this car for sure, but Im really enjoying my new ride! =)

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  Nice ride... - 2009 Acura MDX
  By shooterj - May 5 - 10:09 pm

  Switched from RX400H to MDX due to the need for more room to haul rugrats. :) Test drove X5, Fx35/50, and GX470, somehow overall MDX gave me the best combo scores in handling, performance, luxury amenities, and reliability... not to mention the safety rating on this 300 HP beast...

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  Best Bang for your Buck - 2009 Acura TSX
  By MWTSX - May 5 - 7:07 pm

  Acura did a great job giving performance of a sport car along with comfort and convenience of a luxury car! Its slightly bigger and wider than the old TSX but it comes loaded for the price... I would have had to get so many upgrade packages in other makes to get the base model on the TSX! I didnt get the navigation but it doesnt matter. I had driven other models and Acura gives a nice tight drive with sold performance.

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  Best car ever owned - 1994 Acura Legend
  By CarlD - May 5 - 12:09 pm

  I purchased my 94 Legend GS from my father in law with 187000 mi on it. He kept it in top shape. Every service was done on schedule and at the dealer. I have since done the same and now have over 340000 mi on it. It is fun to drive and a great looking car. Acura needs to bring back the Legend. I have a 99 RL and enjoy driving the Legend more. Everything on the car works. Have only had to do normal repair work. Engine still strong and burns no oil and passes emissions with no problem. Love this car!

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  The wonder wheel - 2007 Acura MDX
  By The wonder wheel - May 5 - 4:20 am

  I recently picked up my 2007 tech and entertainment MDX on 2-23-07. It has been truly a great purchase. I traded in a 2006 Mercedez-Benz that had multiple problems to an upgraded dream. All of the technology is great. I offer to drive my friends around just so I can feel the comfort of the seats. I am a stay home mom with 2 kids. This car has plenty of room for everyone. I highly recommend it.

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  Spoiled Honda Owner - 2007 Acura RDX
  By LoveACURA - May 4 - 6:50 pm

  I owned Hondas for years but strayed to AUDI a few years ago. I loved the AWD of my AUDI but hated the UNreliability - Ill NEVER have another Audi. Finding AWD for under $40K was a challenge. LOVE my RDX - a suped-up Honda with AWD! All the bells and whistles of a more expensive model but at a great price. Gas mileage is wonderful when I drive it like a 4 cyl. When I need the power of a 6 cyl, I have it with the Turbo. Drive it like a 6 cyl and youll too complain about the gas mileage.

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  I like - 2009 Acura TSX
  By Eazgon - May 4 - 4:50 pm

  When I drive it, I just feel so in control of the car. Its comfortable, the display is intuitive and it just feels like the car is one with you. Sound quality is excellent as well and you can hook up your ipod directly and see a listing of all your songs on the console. There are just so many gizmos to this car. Yes, with 4 cylinders you dont feel that extra umph of power you get from a V6 but its more than enough, especially from city driving. I get 29.4 miles to the gallon (calculated). The backseat feet area can use some more room but its roomier than the IS for sure. All my friends who have been in my car love it as well. Its definitely an excellent value for what you get.

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  Technology is fun - 2007 Acura RDX
  By NYC=Fun - May 3 - 8:00 pm

  Its not often that I take the time to write about anything, however this crossover with the Tech. Package is a must. I have a Lexus RX and it doesnt hold a candle to the RDX. If you are looking for a sport car/suv you must test drive this one. You will be sold.