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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  Decent Car for the Price - 2004 Acura TSX
  By DB Queen - February 16 - 10:00 am

  My previous car was a Volvo C70 so in some ways its not fair to compare the two. The C70 had an awesome sound system and drove like a charm when it did run. Previously owned a 1989 Honda Preludi Si and loved it!! To me, the TSX is the same car with four doors and more backseat space. The acceleration is decent. The look is beautiful. The instrumentation panel and navigational system are great!

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  Worth buying used if cared for - 1994 Acura Legend
  By Jon - February 16 - 5:02 am

  The car drives very well. Handling and steering are nice and responsive. The brakes are probably the most undesirable on the car, but they are efficient. The interior and exterior designs and features are excellent. The car is very comfortable and luxurious. I bought mine used, and decided to spend 7k repainting it and putting new suspension components in the car. It looks and handles like new, but for a fraction of the cost of a new car with the amenities this has. If you buy a Legend, you will love it.

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  SH SUV - 2009 Acura MDX
  By msam - February 15 - 6:26 pm

  Even though I loved the features of the MDX, I was originally not planning on getting a premium SUV and my preference was the Mazda CX9. I got to test drive both the vehicles in the snow on the same day. I was blown away by the MDX handling in the snow. Compared to the CX9, it was miles ahead. I bought it the same day and have not looked back. I love the features that come standard with the MDX. The SH-AWD system performs great in cornering and I dont have to worry about hitting patches of ice/water. The MDX slows down a bit more than you would expect when removing your leg off the accelerator, which took me a bit getting used to. Overall, I am very happy with my purchase.

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  BMW vs TL - which one? - 2006 Acura TL
  By ap - February 14 - 10:56 pm

  I have had a BMW 328/330Ci over the last 10 years. I almost purchased the 2006 330i, agonized and "setteled" for the TL as it was $10k cheaper. First, if you like to drive hard in the country or town, the BMW cant be touched, period. After that, the TL is the best combination of value, reliability, performace that I have found. As I drive mostly highway mileage now, I would continue to choose the TL over the BMW. Torque steer, front wheel drive, turning circle detract from an otherwise great car.

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  This Will Not Be My Last Acura - 2002 Acura TL
  By Tony C. - February 14 - 8:57 pm

  I use to own a 2006 Ford Escape that I only had for four months and the piece of junk truck keep breaking down on me just was not reliable. When I saw my new Acura I feel in love with it the day I saw it. This car is the best car that I have owned. For as big as this car is it is better on fuel than my 4 cyl Ford Escape was. I like the fact that when I lock the car I do not have an annoying horn that sounds just a quite beep.

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  Excellent Car - 2009 Acura TSX
  By TSX Owner - February 14 - 1:30 pm

  I bought this Acura TSX two weeks ago, and I absolutely love it. This is a fun car. Love the hi-tech features such as the USB port (connect a USB thumb drive or an iPod and listen to music). I like the fact that it charges my iPod and I can control the play list and songs from the dash console. This car has an excellent 360 watt sound system. I also love the gas mileage. This car gives me 26 MPG combined in city and highway and gives me 34 MPG on highway. You wont find many cars in its class with 201 HP, which will give you this kind of mileage. The overall build of this car is great, with superior quality. Dont waste $3000 for a nav, just pay $200 and get a nice nav. Proud & happy.

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  My new Acura RSX is perfect! - 2003 Acura RSX
  By angel22 - February 13 - 2:00 am

  I recently purchased my RSX & so far its perfect! When I was looking at cars, I was mainly looking into the Celica and Tiburon. I had been to numerous dealerships, but I just couldnt find what I wanted. Finally, I "discovered" the RSX and immediately knew that it was the car for me. I havent been disappointed. From looks to performance to price, its a great car.

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  Great ride! - 2007 Acura TL
  By ah7771 - February 11 - 5:10 am

  In my opinion, this car beats the G35 and IS 350 hands down. Everything is standard and you get the honda quality plus lowest TCO in its class. Ive read people complaining about its fuel economy but thats bogus. I get 23 mpg average between city and hwy and I have fun with this car. If you want 30 mpg, then be willing to settle for less than 286 hp and slow down your driving. For the power this engine pumps out and the size of the vehicle, it gets great fuel economy!

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  Excellent - 2009 Acura TL
  By Satisfied Customer - February 10 - 7:22 pm

  Best bang for the buck. Pleased with super duper performance.

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  Another great car - 2009 Acura TL
  By Virgil C. Hicks - February 9 - 7:01 pm

  I traded a 2007 TL on this 2009, while it is slightly larger it still handles and is fun to drive. The tech package is a little overwhelming it has been fun to learn. It is smooth and handles very well. It is quieter than the 07