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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  Bought New - 1991 Acura Integra
  By buckbo - July 18 - 3:42 pm

  We bought this car brand new and even though it is my main daily driver to work it still has just 70k miles. Its garage kept and still looks new. Only complaints is the rear brake occasionally sticks and I have to remove the wheel and pop it open again and the high engine noise at freeway speeds. Very comfortable for short trips (Im 6 3") but anything over an hour and I get sore on those hard seats.

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  acura got it right - 2009 Acura RL
  By analyzethis - July 18 - 1:11 am

  acura nails it with 09 rl looks are great inside and out have 05 rl, which has been excellent 09 looks better, drives more in control with road drove m3 nice car, overpriced, not particularly in control of road drove audi a6 tired look, overpriced when compared to all options built in to base rl drove m 35 same old car, also not competitive price-wise if you load up the options to compare it with the rl gas mpg is strong for awd very hard to beat without spending at least $10,000 more on competitors

• 

  Great SUV for family - 2008 Acura MDX
  By jp82765 - July 17 - 1:50 pm

  I looked at many luxury SUVs and loved the MDX. It is extremely spacious, comfortable, fun to drive, navigation is great, sound system is great, and handles very well. The only thing it lacks is it could use a smoother ride. The ride is not as smooth as the Lexus or EMrcadise, but it is also much less. Great for 2 kids and 2 small dogs. I have yet to experience any problems with the truck and the fuel eco. is average for an SUV.

• 

  A great car that improves with age - 2002 Acura TL
  By BMW Enthusiast - July 17 - 10:56 am

  We have had the 2002 Acura now for 6 years and the darned thing looks and performs exactly as if it had just pulled out of the dealership. It has always been a surprisingly nimble car, great handling, nice acceleration when you need it but whats most remarkable is how well it has aged. Still feels like new. Never a single mechanical issue. Rock solid quality. I originally got it for the value and it has more than delivered. Its made me an Acura fan.

• 

  Good Car/You should own one! - 2004 Acura TSX
  By Rebounding Ron - July 17 - 10:00 am

  This car handles great. While it is a fast car, the acceleration is weak. The TLs 3.2L 6cyl should be offered in this car. The car looks mint and gets good gas mileage. If you like a car that is quiet, this car is for you. When its on, you can barely hear it running. Plenty of room for passengers and trunk space. Dont turn the volume up too loud though if youve got music on with a lot of bass; The "360 watt" stereo system is not supported by good 6x9 speakers in the rear. Ive replaced my speakers w/ JBLs (Read suggested improvements) The 6speed manual is a must for people who actually want to control their car. Shifting is sweet.

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  Great car - 2004 Acura TSX
  By Busoni - July 17 - 10:00 am

  I have tested drive Audi S4, BMW 330xi and Infiniti G35, but I finally choose TSX. It is a great car. So great that I cannot think of anything to complain.

• 

  2006 Acura RL - 2006 Acura RL
  By steve - July 17 - 7:31 am

  Love my new Acura RL. Have gone over 30000 miles now with no problems at all. Comfort is second to none. I put a K&N air filter in right away and only run synthetic oil with lucas oil stabilizer. I average 23 mpg around town and get 28mpg highway.

• 

  luv my mdx - 2007 Acura MDX
  By vc - July 16 - 8:51 pm

  This is my second MDX after surviving a roll over in my 2003. That car saved my life. For comfort, dependability, class and affordability, this is the car for me!

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  Ultimate pre-owned - 1999 Acura RL
  By Jeffrey Williams - July 16 - 1:52 pm

  What a great pre-owned vehicle. Paid 12,000 for 1999 with only 48k miles. Looked like it had been stored in a time capsule. Its just like new! After considering and shopping luxury sedans, MBZ, Lexus and BMW, this is without a doubt, the best value out there. All the luxury with ultimate reliability as a bonus.

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  great car - 2006 Acura TSX
  By reverberation - July 16 - 7:30 am

  great car! this review may be biased since ive only purchased honda products in the past. the exterior may not be too exciting, but once you get inside the car, you will fall in love. great intuitive layout, comfortable seats, nice dashboard. even though its only a 4-cylinder, i cant even tell at times. people complain about lack of low-end torque, but i dont find it a nagging feature at all.