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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  Acura TL - A W E S O M E - 2005 Acura TL
  By Bonnie Campbell - April 25 - 1:53 pm

  Absolutely pure fun to drive! Has the great combination of power and handling that Ive been looking for and has been more than reliable in snow and rain. No skidding, hydroplaning. Perfect feeling of safety in this car. Sound system is superior and find myself taking the longer route so that I can drive longer because I dont want to get out of the nice warm seat (bun warmer) and the great handling of the car combined with the awesome stereo sound and the XM satellite radio.

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  2nd Acura - 2009 Acura TSX
  By lots of miles - April 24 - 9:07 pm

  TL was last minute compromise on the last day of 2008. Still have a 2000 TL with over 160K on it so Acura reliability is a big plus. I looked at TL-SHAWD, but could not get over the BEAK. I also wanted a manual, fund to drive car with high reliability, low maintenance costs and good gas mpg. This car fulfills all of that and is a pretty comfortable driver to boot. Mileage is averaging 28-31 mpg, 6 spd is easy to use and car is not so "hot" that I am adding too many speeding tickets to my collection. Stereo is good, I dropped XM subscription after new car trial and use an Ipod instead. Overall, a pretty good deal with a low cost of ownership.

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  GREAT car - 2002 Acura RSX
  By flipboiee - April 24 - 2:40 am

  great car! great value! great maintenance! LOTS of fun! enjoy

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  A worthy successor to the old TL - 2004 Acura TL
  By Bobbo - April 23 - 10:00 am

  I upgraded to the 2004 TL from a 2002 TL (non-S) and have been amazed. Compared to the previous model, the interior is truly luxurious. The seats are firm but comfortable. Driving this car is much more fun than with the old model because of the increase in power and the improvement in ride control. In all, this car stands head and shoulders above the old model in looks, interior, and driving. Its my favorite car yet.

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  BETTER - 2004 Acura TL
  By Virg - April 23 - 10:00 am

  After driving a 2002 type S TL. this is a top driving experience. A good driver and riding vehicle.

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  First on the block! - 2004 Acura TL
  By mathvixen - April 23 - 10:00 am

  I was able to buy my TL the first day that they were available. I work at a community college where we train Honda mechanics. When I drove my car to work, I was surrounded by students enjoying the look of my new car. Many of them were going to be working for Honda. The car is as much fun to drive as it is too look at but the best surprise is the audio system.

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  Great Car - 2009 Acura RDX
  By Leonid - April 22 - 8:19 pm

  I have been driving this car for about a month and I have really enjoyed every moment in it while at the wheel. It accelerates and runs great. The turbo engine is amazing. My wife and I like the RDX exterior and interior. The ergonomics is virtually perfect. I think the RDX is one of the best buys on the SUV market.

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  Happy customer - 2015 Acura TLX
  By Markus - April 22 - 3:07 pm

  Don’t go by reviews! Well just consider people complain much much more often than they praise. Just like all my ACURA cars, this one has been equally fabulous! Not a single problem 3years and 68k mi later..Flawless and I have found an honest dealership which never happens. I trade every 3-4 yrs. I may not. I think this thing cruises to 100k without a whimper.. dang good car.

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  1997 Acura TL - 1997 Acura TL
  By todd - April 22 - 11:44 am

  This is the best vehicle I have owned yet. It currently has 285,000 kms and going strong. I just replaced my cv axle. It drives smooth, quiet and peppy as ever. I do find my fan (blower) isnt working as well as it used to but if thats my only problem... then I really dont have any. Still keeps up with the best of them.

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  Good for me - 2007 Acura TL
  By bigmac - April 21 - 8:29 pm

  I purchased an 07 TL after owning 2 accords. Notable step up. Fit and finish is superb. Comfort is fine for a 6 footer. Performance is generally very good. Low speed torque / gearing can sometimes be annoying. Brakes are as smooth and quiet as any Ive experienced. It does not handle like a race car, but it is not a race car. For its purpose and market, handling is fun and responsive. Mechanics and reliability after 22,000 miles is perfect. I do not share other writers experiences with rattles. This car is well insulated. Not the first rattle in my experience. BTW, the sound system is great, but I do agree that the ipod jack is poorly located.