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 car minus the transmission problem - 2003 Acura TL
  By Ed - January 6 - 12:19 pm

  The styling was good now the car looks really dated, honestly it is a glorified Honda Accord. Bought car with 50k on it, at 78k tranny went out covered by dealer. Now at 120k it went out again this time costing me $3000 worth of repairs. Dealer was no help this time around. Car is reliable like any Honda starts up every time. Steering has a real heavy feel to it. Drive is nice, interior is ok, the display on radio and hvac look too old now like 80s digital watches black font... I would not recommend this car due to tranny issues. all of them suffer from it.

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  Great Improvements - 2010 Acura TSX
  By Chris - January 5 - 10:03 pm

  Great car and fun ride. Just got out of an 07 TSX into 10. Quicker off of the start, and shift timing has improved a lot. Added features since the 07 model such as auto locks and auto headlamps are great. Interior is great and very comfortable, and of course the fuel economy is one of the best.

• 

  Sexy mom car - 2009 Acura TL
  By jppalooza - January 5 - 9:10 pm

  I am a 30 something mom who drives this car. I really do like it The pros about this car for me are: -very attractive outside styling -not having to use the key to unlock, start, or anything. LOVE IT! Especially when I am carrying a baby around -interior fit of the seat and space inside the car -the tech package with the hands free phone and how I can talk commands rather than finding the button Cons: -trunk size is small/oddly shaped -no rain sensing wipes -I dont think the sound system is excellent -no sun shade in the rear window -sat radio is only complimentary for 90 days -wish the radio would still play after I turn the car off for 5 minutes (my old Olds did...why cant this?)

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  Not what I expected - 2002 Acura RSX
  By aspen9120 - January 5 - 4:39 pm

  This is my first Acura and I was buying it for the quality, both in reliability and solidity, but Ive been disappointed in both. With under 50,000 miles Ive already had two sensors go out, both of which were extremely expensive (think 10x more than other cars Ive had!). The other complaint I have is with the noise level. I really expected this car to be solid as a rock and it was when I bought it in the summer. In the winter the dashboard sounds like it may fall off whenever I hit a bump. This seems to be a common problem with owners though Acura has never heard of it. I really had high hopes for this little car and maybe I was just unlucky.

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  This car is amazing. - 1994 Acura Integra
  By Acura Fan - January 5 - 12:12 pm

  This is simply the BEST car I have ever owned. With 4 studded snow tires and a few sand bags in the trunk over the axle, it is great in the snow. Fun to drive, reliable, and cavernous with the back seat down. Acura service is also terrific. I have 150,000 miles and have had almost no repairs.

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  What a machine - 2009 Acura MDX
  By Myron Yorks - January 4 - 8:56 pm

  The MDX is truely a SUV with excellent handling and is fun to drive. Ive had the MDX for one month and yet to find anything that requires me to go back to the dealer for. The craftsmanship is something else. I would highly recommend the MDX. I have no regrets with my purchase. My wife and I have driven our new MDX to the coast twice over the past month and it handles so good thru all the twist and turns on highway 1. What a awesome ride. Yet it is still a family SUV. The MDX is the complete package.

• 

  Excellent Luxury Value - 2002 Acura RL
  By Andy - January 4 - 7:24 pm

  I purchased my 02 RL used with 36,000 miles and now have over 140,000. No issues except for regular maintenance. Have seen others with over 200,000 miles with no problems. I drive a mix of city and highway and this car is very predictable and secure. Very low cost of ownership. It has a logic layout to the controls. Although not as "sporty" has others in this class, it has one of the best rides out there smooth and quiet.

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  Love this car! - 2008 Acura TSX
  By ginny - January 3 - 10:49 pm

  Loved the 08 so much, I hunted down a leftover at at CA dealer and had it shipped to NY. Was not disappointed. The 6 speed manual was definitely the way to go. Its more fun than the auto and I get great mileage - 34 on the hwy, 27 commuting. So far the winter handling with Blizzak snow has been excellent. Im planning on keeping this baby for a long time!

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  Keeps Getting Better - 2009 Acura TL
  By Chuck - January 3 - 8:47 am

  Took my Acura TL SH-AWD into its first snow & ice. Car handles well, low center of gravity, solid feel - AWD on demand function works great. A 4WD SUV next to me slid off the road into the guardrail but my TL did fine. Great car, nice quality, good dollar value. 5 Star safety rating doesnt hurt, either.

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  Buyer Beware - 2002 Acura MDX
  By Tom - January 2 - 7:57 pm

  Tranny went at 66,000, and I am having problems again at 140,000! If not for this major issue I love it. Gas mileage OK