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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  4 door sport car - 2002 Acura TL
  By lefty - January 1 - 2:00 am

  well rounded with many features at a good value

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  great suv - 2003 Acura MDX
  By MitMan - January 1 - 2:00 am

  awesome car!! test drove several vehicles narrowed down between mdx and land rover discovery. I made the right choice!!

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  big bang for the buck - 2005 Acura RL
  By 3rdrcn - December 30 - 9:26 am

  I have driven a lot of different vehicles from Cadillac to Jaguar and this vehicle is all around one of the vehicles that is most fun to drive. It is a great trade off for the gas mileage and creature features.

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  So far, so good! - 2006 Acura MDX
  By TR - December 28 - 7:23 pm

  I just bought my MDX after owning an Yukon & Odyssey. I loved, loved, loved my Yukon, but the MDX is neck and neck. I certainly have more options with the MDX and paid a lot less. Its the perfect size for me to haul my 3 pre-teens and their friends around in. I dont give anything a 10 rating, so consider my 9 your 10. Would highly recommend it. The back lift gate is light enough to close. No need for a power lift gate.

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  Love this car - 2001 Acura CL
  By acurafun - December 28 - 5:19 pm

  I bought this a few months ago bc of the low miles and i must say I love everything about it and will prob own this for another 100k miles. I bought an extended warranty but doubt I will ever use it. I replaced an 04 TL and must say this car is older but much better and I am so glad I went used with Acura.

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  Great Automobile - 2005 Acura MDX
  By Lincoln Wilmot - December 27 - 7:53 pm

  In a nutshell, this is the best value for your money out of all the SUVs I test drove. This vehicle is beautiful to look at and drive. It is the best experience I have ever had in an automobile. For the money you pay for this vehicle, everything is standard. The braking and power is unbelievable and it also has a tight turn radius. I am extremely satisfied and would recommend this vehicle to anyone.

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  "Best of Breed" - 2008 Acura TSX
  By Vikram V. - December 27 - 10:53 am

  Coming from a long line of Civics (parents bought me a new 98 Civic LX sedan my freshman year of college, moved on to a 03 Civic LX coupe, then a 03 Civic LX sedan, and finally a 99 Civic EX coupe) you would think buying an Acura would be a no-brainer. My next car was going to be a 06-07 WRX, however I wasnt ready to buy one in 06 and I couldnt land a good deal on an 07. I test drove the 6-speed TSX and was sold, offers luxury and refinement ALONG WITH great looks and sporty handling. People complain about the power, but with the closely geared 6-speed transmission I really dont think Id need any more power unless I was tracking the car. I love this car!

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  No regrets at all! - 2003 Acura RSX
  By silo77 - December 27 - 2:00 am

  For less than $25,000, its hard to find a better car that combines sportiness with a little bit of luxury. To be honest, I didnt even bother with looking at the Eclipse or Celica because I knew that I would be getting a better deal and overall value for the RSX. Considering Hondas reputation, and coming from a family that drives mainly Hondas, theyve become a company I can trust.

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  Great Car!!!!! - 2008 Acura TL
  By PaulS - December 26 - 1:13 am

  Purchased the TL Type S auto and love the car. Narrowed down my search to the G35 and TL. Final decision was based on convenience of the dealership and the fact that I love everything about the car. The ride is firm with a ton of power (286 hp) under the hood. The interior has all the conveniences and then some like the real-time traffic nav system, XM radio and Bluetooth. The interior quality is top notch. Love the exterior and I think the TL has a unique look unlike a lot of the other models.

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  Meet the New Boss! - 2009 Acura TSX
  By dag14qb - December 25 - 6:30 pm

  The New TSX is nothing like the old one, it has sharp crisp lines, ground effects, beautiful wheels, and a very aggressive look. The first think I noticed is the Cockpit, with the new gauges, revamped center console, and the Navigation screen now indented into dash, there is no "cabin" feel to the car, it feels like a cockpit! The ride is amazing as well, if i drove it blindfolded i would swear it was a six cylinder. The 09 actually has 4 less hp than my old 05, yet it is faster due to more torque. I am completely enthralled by this vehicle, it is as dramatic a change as i have ever seen since i test drove the 04 TL when compared to the 03 TL. This is a beautiful car inside and out