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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  Very satisfied salesmans car - 1997 Acura RL
  By Masjae - December 3 - 2:00 am

  Bought this, my third Acura, as a sales car. Car is stately, professional in appearance and speaks of good taste and appreciation of quality & value. This car has only let me down once when the battery went after three years, (I bought is used). Very smooth ride and quiet cabin on long road trips. My wife loves to drive it, especially after I installed the cd- changer in the trunk. At 149,000 miles, I would absolutely recommend this car to anyone looking to buy a solid dependable car capable of high mileage, and low long term cost to maintain.

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  satisfied - 2004 Acura MDX
  By MDX Challenge - December 1 - 2:00 am

  Test drove a good number of SUVs. This Acura SUV got my attention because of all its safety features, good looking body style, very good gas mileage, good Bose audio sound, and nicely powered 265 HP engine which makes it fun to drive with some pep. Interior audio controls as well as somewhat complicated NAV system the only knock

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  Another good one - 2003 Acura RL
  By wgreen - November 29 - 2:00 am

  This is our 4th Acura. Reliability has always been our experience. Keep up with recommended maintainence and experience few if any problems. Price of 04 RL was terrific, comes standard with Navigation system and satillite radio-we would not have purchased them seperately. There is not $15-20K difference in the Lexis, BMW and Mercedes models.

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  Wrecked Acura - 1990 Acura Integra
  By wapnlht - November 26 - 2:00 am

  I have driven the heck out of my car and its survived ok.But I had a few probs:a/c broke,axels replaced 3 times in 3 yrs,alt,radi,trans grinds,clutch, brakes replaced every 2ks,antenna,etc. But I love my car.It has 250k but still runs great.It had been wrecked before so it isnt perfect,but it starts up every time I turn the key.

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  Poor ACURA - 2001 Acura CL
  By Silver-CL - November 26 - 2:00 am

  Well, if you like to spend time in the dealership, then I suggest you buy this car. I am currently on my fourth transmission. 52K miles. Time for a new car. Sorry ACURA.

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  Bold New TL! - 2009 Acura TL
  By PetesTL - November 25 - 6:40 pm

  Overall, this car is a great value for all thats included in the price. I like the bold exterior styling that sets it apart from all the other boring "vanilla" cars out there. Performance, handling, ride, features and build quality is much improved over the previous generation. Interior is also greatly improved and roomier than before. The nav system and ELS surround system are both top-notch. Fuel economy is also decent: Im averaging about 20-21 in city driving.

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  Love My TL - 2004 Acura TL
  By Love my TL - November 25 - 10:00 am

  I have had my TL since February and love it! It is fun to drive and I absolutely enjoy my XM radio! I traded my SUV Expedition for this and what a difference! Total recommend this car. I am also getting great gas mileage.

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  Great Car for City and College - 1997 Acura Integra
  By DarkangelofBaltimore - November 24 - 2:00 am

  Ive had my Integra GS 2-door for three years now. NO PROBLEMS! Quite possibly THE most reliable car Ive ever owned! Quick, fuel efficient, parts are cheap, FUN to drive, strong engine for its size (buy a radar detector), and youd be surprised what you can fit in the trunk when the back seats are folded down! The backseats arent terribly comfortable for any trip longer than 2 hours. Seriously cramped. Front seats have lots of room, esp. head room. Im 62" and have PLENTY of headroom. I HIGHLY recommend the car for college students who need cheap reliable transport. EASY to parallel park and small.

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  A Great Car---A Great Bargin - 2000 Acura RL
  By nc_pilot - November 24 - 2:00 am

  I just purchased my 2000 RL certified pre-owned with 36000 miles on it. I already love the car. Performance is outstanding, handling and ride is incredibleÂ…I canÂ’t think of a negativeÂ… and all for the price of a new economy car. Mileage is not as good as I had hoped, about 19-20 overall, and I imagine my driving style (fast) impacts those numbers. I have read several reviews criticizing the drivability of the RLÂ…I canÂ’t understand thatÂ…I think the car performs great, even considering my previous car was a VW GTI VR6. The RL handles like a much smaller/sportier car...that just happens to be in a luxury car package.

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  Great car - 1994 Acura Integra
  By Jeremie - November 22 - 2:00 am

  This is a great worry free car made buy Acura. from good handling to a smooth ride this car is in the top 10. the only negative SMALL back seat.