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 Good Buy - 2005 Acura TSX
  By scampbell - August 26 - 8:40 pm

  I bought this car about 3 years ago and its been a great car so far. No issues at all. Gas mileage has been much better than advertised and Im getting about 26/34 consistently. I looked at a bunch of cars before selecting this one and I cant imagine getting a better value anywhere else. The price of the car was very reasonable considering all the features you get. I will definitely consider buying another Acura when I decide to upgrade in a couple years.

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  Versatile, attitude, hi mileage(?) - 2008 Acura TL
  By bbence - August 24 - 11:42 pm

  The car performs at your pleasure: it can give you speed, power, comfort, great directions (w/ navi), decent handling, and amazing mileage. Even with a few moments of pedal to the medal, I have been averaging between 31 and 32 mpg, albeit mostly highway miles. Front end torque is minimal unless you accelerate while making a sharp turn. The 6-speed is very smooth, energizing, and lets you drive the car the way it should be.

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  By far one of the best SUVs to date! - 2007 Acura MDX
  By Marco5 - August 24 - 11:36 pm

  I love my new MDX, it drives like a true luxury vehicle, very well built, very low wind noise. I absolutely love the engine, pulls like some V8s with better gas mpg. I was a little bit skeptical about trading my 05 for it, but Im glad I did. Price tag a little higher than expected, but I believe the car will live up to its price several times over, as many of my other honda vehicles.

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  05 RSX Type S - 2005 Acura RSX
  By hydroride - August 24 - 10:00 am

  I love the improvements theyve put in the 05. Having owned an 02, I could feel the difference. The shifting is a little crisper and when it comes to cornering it sticks like glue. I cant believe the review that gave it a 1.0 is for real. Ive owned honda products for almost 20 years & never ever had any problems like that. If the review is real , it must have been taken off roading for a test drive.

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  Car of the Future - 2005 Acura TL
  By benjb53 - August 24 - 10:00 am

  After searching for a mid size luxury sedan with high technology, the Acura TL was the only vehicle that fit into this category. No Japanese, German or American car had all the features that the Acura has, especially not at the same price point. This will be my first Acura and am sure I will enjoy this car with the most up to date features-for a very long time.

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  Great quality car - 2008 Acura MDX
  By Todd - August 23 - 8:11 pm

  Second MDX we have owned. First generation was good but unexciting. New MDX quality matches all of the German competition with Honda reliability. Very solid feel and intuitive electronics. Nav and bluetooth are great. ELS sound system is excellent - especially when surround is turned on.

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  All purpose family vehicle - 2003 Acura MDX
  By Happy Family Man - August 23 - 1:28 pm

  I purchased my MDX used with 64000 miles after I got my wife and father-in-law to leave the Lexus RX300. The ride is very sporty and comfortable. The roominess paid off immediately on a family trip. The navigation screen is big and simple to use, with voice activation, and the rear entertainment system kept the kids quiet and entertained on the whole trip from Texas to South Carolina. The vehicle ran perfect with no problems, just regular oil changes and services. I feel very comfortable putting my wife and kids in this vehicle anytime. The bland exterior should not distract you from the safety and comfort and style you get for the same luxury as Lexus without the 15000 price increase.

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  First MDX - 2016 Acura MDX
  By Shawn Ayers - August 23 - 11:28 am

  The MDX overall comfort with all the gadets is top notch. If I had to write any negatives about the vehicle would be the lack of fog lights for a near $60K luxury SUV. The other, is merely personal with regards to settling for the MDX as it wasnt our first choice because "everyone" seems to have one. On the flip side, after driving the MDX and the overall comfort I see why every seems to be driving an MDX everywhere I look. My wife absolutely loves driving it as our family vehicle. It is spacious and very comfortable. I would purchase again!

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  I travel a lot - 2009 Acura TSX
  By Price Winters - August 21 - 9:23 pm

  I tried 15 different cars while waiting for the new TSX. My salesman told me it would be worth the wait. I am in sales and put on heavy miles. So far I have put over 1000 miles on it. I looked at all the 4 cyls because at 4.00 a gallon gas I thought I needed to move down. I am so happy I did it. This car has been nothing short of spectacular. The ride is solid, the power is fun and all you need in the city. I love the reworking of the Vtec it seems much more useable than the old model was. I am 62" 285 lbs and am very comfortable. The stereo and navi in itself are exceeding my expectations, especially the nav traffic with the re routing feature, in Houston I have to use this a lot!

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  best yet - 2005 Acura TL
  By Jerry - August 21 - 6:03 pm

  Weve had 2 Acuras before this TL. It is vastly superior. Love the luxurious interior, sound system, and looks. Both wife and I like the firm handling in the corners. 32 mpg on road but 22 or so in town.