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 Luxury Sedan - 2002 Acura RL
  By Austin TX - December 16 - 5:23 pm

  We have owned the 2002 Acura RL since June 2001 - 2nd Acura and absolutely the best car purchases we have ever made. The Acura RL is a large performance luxury sedan, and it rides and handles wonderfully. The acceleration is brisk, the handling rock-solid and the build-quality is absolutely first-rate. Routine maintenance is all this car has needed in last 7+ years - still has original disc brakes at 78K miles, and dealer says they have 40% wear left. Based on Acuras reputation and our experience, I expect this car to last another 7+ years before I can justify replacing it. No regrets, no complaints... every one should be so lucky to own a 2002 Acura RL.

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  Great Car - 2005 Acura RL
  By Jim Ferrari - December 16 - 5:00 pm

  Love the car. Car is quick, comfortable and very well built. compliments from family and friends on my choice of the RT. Still working on the Nav system, and doubt that I will ever be able to use it to its full potential. Its still fun and it seems like I find something "new" everytime I drive the car.

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  Great handling SUV - 2009 Acura MDX
  By Sean - December 15 - 3:47 pm

  This is one of the best handling SUVs in the market in my opinion. I test drove several other usual suspects (Lexus RX, BMW X5 etc), and MDX has a nice combination of power, handling, convenience / luxury features at a very competitive price. When you think about the balance of power, handling, value, reliability, it is hard to beat this SUV. In 2006, Car and Driver did a comparison test and MDX came out on top. Also, if you are thinking about getting an MDX for the third row seat, note that the third row seat is best used for kids or smaller adults on a shorter trip as space is very limited.

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  The Best SUV on the market today - 2003 Acura MDX
  By Dr. Joel Adler - December 15 - 10:00 am

  This is my third Acura but my first SUV. I am very pleased with this and my other Acuras, as I have never had to take the vehicles into be service. The quality of workmenship is excellent. I have over my live time purchased over forty new vehicles for personal use and all other vehicles needed warranty work.I do use this vehicle (SUV) for personal use and also as a tow vehicle behind my motorhome. It pulls very easy on all four wheels and I do not notice the extra weight behind my motorhome.

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  Bells and Whistle Galore! - 2016 Acura ILX
  By carfever - December 14 - 2:44 pm

  I really love this car. It has everything I wanted for a great price! PRO: ($30,000 out the door) This is the perfect car for me since I am not searching for peoples envy. This car has everything in my opinion. It has great gas mileage(I am averaging 32/gallon), galore of standard features like my favorites(resetting the gas odometer and mileage whenever I refuel, also 3 different backup camera viewing angle was very helpful when I need to back into my garage). The leather are very comfortable. Stereo with 7 speakers and sub-woofer, usb, bluetooth, HDMI, and sat radio keeps me going on my daily grind. Great value for my hard earned cash. I would recommend this car to anybody that appreciate great value and reliability. CON: If you are looking for true luxury entry-level luxury sedan, this is not it. As per the review said, the interior are nice but not as luxuries as Mercedes or Audi. It does not drive with peppiness that you get with Mercedes or Audi. I find the acceleration weak but the thing is because this car is trying to save gas, so it keep shifting below 2000rpm....(you can do manual shifting if you are into burning up your gas and driving faster). Your neighbor is not going to b like "oh my! you got a new Mercedes or Audi!). But you know what? I got good price and great value for my car so F the neighbor...haha!

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  Amazing!!! Love this car!! - 2007 Acura MDX
  By kellycrewmom - December 13 - 5:40 pm

  Im a realtor in Colorado and went up to Whale Rock Road in Bellvue to list a home. The owner said I would need chains to get up and down the hills. I took a chance and drove up the hill without any issues, used the manual transmission to drive down the switch backs and snowy, icey hills to "civilization" and the car basically drove me down. When I wouldve shifted it was already where I wanted it. I generally do not drive off-road and was amazed at the handling capability. This car is quiet, comfortable and stylish with plenty of room. (Love the storage and 3rd row seat when needed). Im thrilled I have the MDX! Thank you Acura you have a fan, who is living to talk about it!

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  A nice car from Acura - 2008 Acura MDX
  By Gunn - December 13 - 2:28 am

  Before to buy this car, I have looked at Lexus 350, ML350 and CX9 finally choose this one because of its price, equipment and 7 passengers capacity. I have owned this car for three months. It works great with no problems at all. Just enjoy the fun when drive it. This is my first Acura, some of my opinions are: Gas mileage is quite low (13 mpg) in local roads. When slowing down speed, transmission gear shift is noticeable. Comparing to X5 3.0 (my other car) acceleration and handling is inferior even MDX has more powerful engine. Cabin noise level can be lower.

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  Most other cars dont even come close! - 1995 Acura Integra
  By Jeremy - December 12 - 1:43 pm

  Ever since I owned this, Ive had nothing but fun and no problems as in other cars. Its 13 years old and people all the time ask me about it and looks brand new. This is built solid as far as the engine goes. As long as you maintain it, change oil, timing belt and keep up on rust when it happens, they last forever it seems. I cant even look at new cars today to buy since nothing even attracts me. This thing drives like new and has pickup that is awesome. Im not a racer by any means but this car is fast, fun and problem-free if you do work yourself and keep it maintained. For 166k on it and looking and driving like a new car, I have no need to buy anything else.

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  Happy Buyer - 2008 Acura MDX
  By JamesT - December 11 - 10:29 pm

  I purchase my MDX with the tech pkg a week before a taking a long thanksgiving trip out of town. I must say that this vehicle is truly amazing. I traded in my BMW for this vehicle and this vehicle is every bit as good. I drove the BMW X5 and Infiniti FX series and the MDX proved to be the better value and overall better vehicle. I would recommend this vehicle to anyone.

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  2008 TL w/ Navi - 2008 Acura TL
  By JerseyGal - December 10 - 1:07 pm

  Ive had the car for about 2 months now and so far so good. Overall, Im very impressed. The ride is smooth, it handles curves well, and the tech package is extremely fun. I am having a problem getting my garage door opener connected to the rear view mirror. Additionally, the moment it gets cold my tire pressure lights come on.