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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  This car delivers - 1999 Acura CL
  By gabi76 - April 20 - 8:38 pm

  Bought this car with 110k on it for 4k. I put on it 70k miles in 3 years and the only "big" investment has been a set of tires and brakes. Still drives like the day I bought it. Dont intend to sell it. Ill never regret the purchase.

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  Dont want to trade it in! - 2002 Acura TL
  By sm - April 20 - 5:58 pm

  I bought my 2002 Acura TL certified pre-owned in 2004 and its going on 5 years now. It still looks new inside and out. I was thinking about upgrading to the new Acura but was very disappointed in the look of the new models. Tacky interior trim and bulky looking exterior. My blue 02 is SO much better looking. I guess Ill be keeping it for a while. Zero issues with maintenance, no transmission problems.

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  RDX offers the best overall value for money. - 2016 Acura RDX
  By Spark2003 - April 19 - 11:52 am

  This is my 2nd RDX. The first was approaching 10 years old original owner no problems aside from normal maintenance items. The 2016 RDX has come a long way - is extremely comfortable fun to drive and loaded with Technology and safety features. The adaptive cruise and lane keeping assist work very well. If youre in the market for a reliable new car with state of the art technology this is one you should take a good look at. While im not big on extended warranties, especially not having any issues with my first RDX, they did sell me on a transferable 4 year extended "bumper-to-bumper" warranty (9 years total). If nothing else it adds re-sell value. My only con is interior/exterior color selection. Youre pretty much stuck with what they offer but not a deal breaker. Overall very happy.

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  Awesome Driving Experience! - 2005 Acura TL
  By JBM - April 18 - 1:16 pm

  I recently purchased a 2005 TL w/nav, Black on Black (59k miles). I cant imagine a better driving experience. Great power/handling/fun/wow factor/super highway ride/pretty good gas mileage. Awesome body style that gets max attention--and thats before they get inside! Amazing features and luxury feel to sporty car with great driving characteristics. A little first gear handling issue under full acceleration, but nothing one cant manage easily.

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  First impression - 2009 Acura TL
  By Crystal River John - April 17 - 9:02 pm

  Just picked up car at dealer today. 75 mile drive back home convinced me that I had purchased a fun car!! Plenty of power at any speed, and very quiet on road. We had a mix of city and interstate driving, so car got a minor testing... it passed!!

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  118000 MILES - 2005 Acura TL
  By Nobama - April 17 - 8:26 am

  Mpg hwy averages 30. City averages 26. Replaced brake pads only once at 110,00 miles. Pads still had 50% thickness from new. Other than oil and tires thats it. May replace spark plugs soon... nah its still running great. Tires are problematic. Came with Turanzas, got 70,000 on those but the tires were merely ok. Put Pilots on but only got about 35000 on those. Now have AMERICAN MADE goodyear eagle gt2 with the funky looking tread. These tires stick well but ride a bit more harshly than the others and I think one is slightly out of round. I can live with it. But theyre cheap. Got 380000 out of my last Maxima, will see if 400,000 can be hit with the TL.

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  MBs review - 2004 Acura RSX
  By JayMB - April 17 - 2:00 am

  this is a terrific automobile.

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  Love the MDX!!! - 2004 Acura MDX
  By crazyhutch - April 17 - 2:00 am

  Awesome from top to bottom. The navigation system is simply amazing and the DVD is great for traveling with kids. Great gas mileage, features, and design.

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  Comment Needed - 2004 Acura TL
  By Lawrence - April 17 - 1:06 am

  After reading a couple poor reviews I had to give my input. This is the best car I have ever owned. It is super quiet, fast, handles like it is glued to the road. The best sound system I have heard in a car. The quality is flawless. After reading a couple reviews I have to wonder if they are talking about the same car! When I was first driving it home all I could think of is as Wayne would say. "Im not worthy, Im not worthy!" Oh, and by the way I get 32 MPG on the highway, is that poor fuel economy?

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  Bigger Bang for your Buck! - 2009 Acura TL
  By LOVIN MY TL - April 16 - 10:58 pm

  My boyfriend tried getting me into the Cadillac CTS like his. I was not having it. After looking at Audi which I have wanted forever. I happened to pass by the Acura dealer. I wasnt crazy about the service we received at the dealership initially, but had to go back to see if the 2nd time would be a charm and it was - the car sold itself. I have a little boy in a booster seat, there is plenty of room and we all fit comfortably. I love my TL. BIGGER BANG FOR YOUR BUCK!