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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  An Exhilarating Luxury Sedan - 2009 Acura TL
  By JP2000 - September 20 - 11:34 pm

  I have had this car for three months now. I applaud Acura for finally taking the lead with a fresh bold design for the TL. The carÂ’s styling is simply brilliant--- inside and out. The superbly integrated Tech. package brings the carÂ’s substance on par with its stunning looks. For the last 15 years, IÂ’ve only driven German cars. Before buying the TL, I also considered Audi A4, BMW 535x, VW CC VR6, Infiniti G37x, and the Lexus ES350. All things considered, my final analysis led me straight to the TL.

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  Awesome beginner car - 1998 Acura CL
  By happy Acura owner - September 20 - 1:07 pm

  I bought this car six months ago, glad I did. Didnt really know what I was looking for in a car but got this one cheap, because it had been wrecked. No internal damage though. Runs great and reliably, good acceleration. Wonderful handling, I had the tendency to take corners at high speeds and this machine took my abuse with grace and function, on multiple occasions, and I love the leather interior and effective air conditioning and power moonroof. I will never own a car that doesnt have a black leather interior or faux leather (at the least). Very comfortable.

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  Great all round SUV - 2003 Acura MDX
  By acuraman12 - September 20 - 2:00 am

  Everything was great about this Vehicle. It rides and drives like an Honda/Acura car product. It has great power with the 260hp engine. Theres no problem accelerating with four people inside. Note that the last 2 seats are good for short trips and are for kids at best. Just one nag. The interior driver door handle came with a defective molding setting but an Acura dealer took car of it without no hassle. I only give "build Quality" a "9" and all others 10. I used to have a 96 Honda Accord EX and it had no problems up to 134,600 miles (sold it afterwards) so I expect this SUV to last.

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  9 month update - 2009 Acura TSX
  By Acura_Numbr_2 - September 19 - 9:52 pm

  Have had car for 9 mos. 17.5K miles averaging 29-31 mpg. I change oil every 5K no matter what oil life indicator says. Car runs fine, and fast enough to get a couple of warnings. 6 speed and clutch work fine. Two complaints. 3400 RPM @ 80mph cruising is a little high, my 2000 TL does about 2150RPM at same speed. I still have trouble with headlight pattern, sharp cutoff of light field makes hills exciting when driving in mountain passes.

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  18 Years old! Luxury, Power, Comfort - 1991 Acura Legend
  By 1991KA8 - September 18 - 11:08 am

  Fell in love with my Legend as soon as I bought. Reliability with comfort along with luxury and power. What more can you ask for? Youll be lucky if you will find another great car like this ever again. First and last car. Guaranteed that is how you will feel.

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  Documented transmission problems - 2003 Acura MDX
  By tom - September 17 - 10:41 pm

  With problem after problem for my 03 MDX I thought I heard it all when local acura dealer informed me that one out of four 01-03 mdxs will need the transmission replaced! This from a so called luxury car? Check the web and youll see its true. Dont buy this year range, cause youll have a 25% chance of failure.

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  A lot of car for the money - 2009 Acura TL
  By omnimax - September 17 - 9:59 pm

  The TL packs a lot of car for the price. You can easily pay 1000s more for a comparably equipped German car. Enjoy all the tech features they packed. For a 1st year car, it feels pretty darn solid with no rattles so far. The ride is sporty but yet still maintains a luxury feel as well. The interior space is more than adequate to seat 5 in comfort. I like the high-tech look of the dash. The exterior style had me at first glance so it just works for me. I could think of improvements but I think Im being picky at that point. The TL presents a value proposition that cant be beat.

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  Its a Great Car - 2009 Acura TSX
  By harrison - September 17 - 8:23 pm

  In a nutshell, the tech package is the icing of a great cupcake. The car itself is a inline 4 but its better than my old accord v6. Its not as fast my other tl type s - but the horsepower and torque is not wasted either. Thats what this car is, its the comfort of the tech package (do not get this car without it) with a car thats designed for everyday use with some sport appeal. Its definitely fun to drive, it comes to stock with a stability bar for handling, can you believe that? Its car loaded with value and a fun drive factor to boot. Ive test driven other cars that were reviewed and found this one to be the best.

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  The best used car...period. - 2005 Acura TL
  By That Guy - September 16 - 9:11 pm

  Been driving my 2005 TL for a few months now and I am convinced that this is the best car I have ever owned. The exterior is slick and sporty. Interior is clean and classy. Love the leather seats. My TL came with a sport package that included factory 18" wheels and a factory body kit. It was love at first sight. Im up to about 71K miles now and its still running strong. This car is definitely a keeper.

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  what to expect from Honda - 2003 Acura MDX
  By ks - September 15 - 2:00 am

  I have loved this car from day one I owned 2 other Hondas in the past and was extreemely happy with them I am conviced that this MDX will not be any different Still the best looking SUV out there