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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  Great luxury SUV - 2008 Acura MDX
  By bruno - July 25 - 10:07 am

  I bought this car after researching many. It has the best of everything. Most room, most comfortable, great sound, and very spacious. The Lexus and Mercedes were too small, the BMW too rough of a ride, and the Porsche too expensive. Perfect for the price. The only thing I can complain about is a slight tire noise it has, but so did all the other SUVs

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  Great car - 2008 Acura TL
  By Tim - July 24 - 1:18 pm

  Great car, handles well, good acceleration and fun to drive. Very sporty and comfortable. Has all the bell and whistles one could want.

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  Great entry-level luxury car - 2008 Acura TSX
  By Drew - July 23 - 1:42 pm

  This is a great car, with excellent features for its price. I have been driving it for about a week and I love it. Nice handling and great gas mileage. Sure, some people would want a little more HP, but its works fine for me and I have no problems passing other cars. I have the parchment interior with wood trim, it just looks magnificent. Dealer gave an offer that we couldnt refuse. About the same size as my old 2005 Infiniti G35 so it works out great. Been looking to switch to Acura after buying an Accord last year and now my wife drives the Accord and I have the Acura.

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  Great so far! - 2008 Acura RDX
  By af145 - July 22 - 2:04 pm

  Weve had this car for 2 weeks, and both my wife and I love it so far. Turbo works great, giving you the extra boost when needed and staying "asleep" while you are just cruising along the highway. The RDX handles much better than the 2002 Honda Accord V6 we used to drive. The car is truly loaded with features. To pick a few: the navigation system knows your speed and gives you correct instructions even while the satellites are obstructed the HUGE center storage keeps the glove box free of regular clutter (radar detector, Garmin nav) and has enough space for my wifes purse voice recognition correctly understands our accented English homelink replaces the ugly garage door remote.

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  Love those Acuras! - 2005 Acura TL
  By Texas Driver - July 21 - 3:53 pm

  I absolutely love this car. In fact, it is our second TL, our fourth Acura, and my daughter has now purchased her second Acura. This car is very sharp looking inside and out. On the highway, we get 33 mpg. I have not experienced any of the rattles or noise that others have noted. The ride is smooth and quiet - takes curves great. There have been no mechanical problems whatsoever. Ive had the car for three years now and am definitely an Acura fan! Acura is extremely quality conscious.

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  First Acura/Honda Purchase - 2008 Acura TL
  By TMac - July 21 - 12:09 pm

  I looked at many cars before buying this one. Mine is Bronze-Graphite with the charcoal/black interior. I traded in a Porsche and VW Jetta for the one TL-S, and feel it was a good decision. Performance is great, and for the price, what a deal!! Its faster than my 2000 Boxster, and I expect the reliability to be second to none. I just drove from Ft Worth to Houston, and got 30 mpg on the interstate with the cruise at 68. My in-town mixed driving delivers 22.5 mpg, and I drive fairly aggressive. Handling is great for a car of this type, and the fit and finish is as good as I have seen on any car. Interior is very sporty, but still luxurious. Style of Merc AMG or BMW-M Type for much less money

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  My honest review - 2009 Acura TSX
  By Bryan - July 21 - 11:06 am

  Ive been driving this car for about two weeks now, and loving every minute of it. Keep in mind, I switched from a V6 with over 240 HP and torque. I was hesitant about getting a 4 cyl, but you cant tell the difference in every day driving with this car. It has more than enough power, Im not drag racing from a stop sign or traffic light. The handling is excellent. The interior is top of the line Japan quality, and has more room than the Lexus IS. I didnt need the navi system, but the stock premium audio sound systems sounds great!

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  The Best - 2003 Acura TL
  By Tom Smith - July 21 - 10:00 am

  This is the finest car on the market today for the money. The styling, comfort,and drive is without a peer.

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  great mpg - 1999 Acura CL
  By 1972wilson - July 19 - 11:32 am

  Parked the full size truck that gets 13 mpg getting 27-32 mpg with the cl. Solid to drive as well as fun. Couldnt be happier with the purchase

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  Great business car! - 2003 Acura TL
  By lchad - July 19 - 8:56 am

  Ive only had my new Acura 3.2TL for a month but, very pleased so far! The standard amenities include everything but a navigation system! The vehicle is very comfortable, handles well, has good pep and feels solid. I find it far superior to the Toyota Camry V6 XLE Ive been driving. For the price, this is an excellent choice. The lease price was the best in its class!