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 TSX - 2009 Acura TSX
  By Ryan - April 16 - 6:49 pm

  I purchased my Acura TSX 5 days ago and I love it. At first I would kind of skeptical about buying a 4 cylinder vehicle, never even drove one before, but I cant even tell its a 4 cylinder. If you are looking for an entry level luxury car, go and test drive one today! I bought mine from Smail Acura in Greensburg, PA and they showed me top of the line service.

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  No Remorse - 2009 Acura TL
  By Emerson Gibbs - April 16 - 12:30 am

  I am very satisfied with my purchase... with a few exceptions. The gas mileage is not very good. I did my research and expected this. However, in city driving, I am only averaging 14.3 mpg (according to the computer). Hopefully, the mpg will get better as more miles are racked up. I have had nothing but raves from friends and co-workers about the exterior and interior of the car. I chose Palladium Metallic with the taupe interior. I think this combination looks very good on the car. Not one person has mentioned the "beak". I am not someone who likes to spend money so I did a lot of research before purchasing this Acura. I believe my decision was correct.

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  My First SUV - 2007 Acura RDX
  By Ed in Illinois - April 15 - 11:26 am

  This is my 1st SUV and my 1st Acura. I couldnt be happier. The car is a blast to drive (love the turbo) and handles great. I wanted an AWD for the northern IL winters and the SH-AWD should be perfect. Interior looks and feels very nice and quality is heads above other SUVs that I test drove. The sound system is the biggest suprise. I read how good it was, but you cannot believe it until you actually hear it. The DVD-nav works great and helped me avoid a traffic jam driving home from the dealer the day I bought it. Highly recommended car.

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  Great Exterior Design - 2009 Acura TL
  By NewKid - April 15 - 3:13 am

  I traded my 97 Acura CL. The new 09 TL has the wow factor. So many cars on the road today all look the same. Once again Acura has brought a bold new look on the road. I didnt want to pay for a Big L on the back of my trunk. Blending with the rest of the crowd does not work for me. I am an Acura fan all the way.

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  09 Acura TL-SHAWD Best Bang for the Buck - 2009 Acura TL
  By TLSHAWD Lover - April 14 - 6:27 pm

  The 2009 Acura TL-SHAWD w/Technology Package is very fun to drive while offering interior amenities and technology that are second to none. The 09 335x is more fun to drive and faster but lacks the interior space and modern amenities. The 09 Infiniti G37 is faster but lacks the driving refinement and interior space and amenities. The 09 TL offers it all at a very competitive price. Very happy with my purchase.

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  Great Bang for the Buck - 2009 Acura MDX
  By Ryki - April 14 - 4:57 pm

  This is my 3rd MDX. Great vehicle, reliable, comfortable, quick and fun to drive. Dollar for dollar there is no better SUV on the market today. I have put about 100,000 miles on the 3 MDXs with few if any problems. My only real gripe is that the few problems I have had, have been dealt with poorly. The service departments of the Acura dealers are well below par, in fact they are poor. This is my 4th Acura in 7 years and as much as I love the vehicles, because of the quality of Acuras service, this will probably be my last. Honda get your act together you aint no Lexus.

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  Amazing car - 1998 Acura RL
  By judes car - April 13 - 11:14 pm

  This has got to be my favorite car of all time. It has been a rock for me! As a single girl I need a reliable car that would not break down on me. This car was more than worth the total cost I paid. I have a 98 3.5RL and it has never broken down on me and I drive a ton of miles. I am currently at 325,000 miles and it is still going strong. I have taken good care of it and have had oil changes consistently. I highly recommend one of these cars!

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  Great car - 2009 Acura TSX
  By Stathis - April 13 - 7:12 pm

  This is a great car... premium feeling for not that much $. While the engine is adequate, the lack of torque at low rpm is obvious.

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  2 years with the MDX - 2007 Acura MDX
  By wasatch7 - April 13 - 12:33 pm

  First luxury crossover SUV I have owned. MDX won out over the Lexus, and cost less for a very well equipped base package. Handling, power and ride are outstanding. Back seats are a little less comfortable for my tall teenagers. Back cargo area is very roomy, and easily expandable with 3rd seat folded and back seats down. I drive up snowy, often treacherous mountain canyons to ski in the winter. The SH-AWD system, coupled with the manual shift mode (for descents), is outstanding. The MDX is much better in the snow than 3 truck base SUVs, I have owned previously.

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  Top-of-the-Heap SUV!! - 2007 Acura MDX
  By TNCPA - April 13 - 7:13 am

  With the exception of gas mileage, the new MDX exceeds my expectations - handling on par with best sport sedans, very quiet, rides better than most luxury cars. Build quality very good. Improved overall from an excellent 2001 MDX. Trip computer very inaccurate - overstates mpg by at least 10%. MPG an actual 20.5 for 2000 mile trip, primarily interstate at 70-75 mph. Surround sound system is excellent, perhaps better than my 04 Acura TL.