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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  Outstanding - 2004 Acura TL
  By DeskJocky - July 11 - 1:48 pm

  This is a great car with a good blend of fun and practical. I just cant believe that the TSX beats it in these Consumer ratings! My 2004 TL beats every TSX Ive been in (including 2008) in every way except one: the exterior styling on the TSX is way better. The TL needs cosmetic surgery, but its a fantastic ride.

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  Solid ride - 2008 Acura MDX
  By cb - July 10 - 11:23 pm

  So far a great purchase. Gas mileage has been better than expected. Ride is smooth, shifts quietly, handles very well, lots of power, brakes are very responsive. Plenty of leg room. Base model is very well-equipped with everything we wanted.

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  Cheaper than Lexus - twice the features - 2005 Acura TL
  By DPCarrier - July 10 - 9:04 pm

  This is a great car that after 3 years of ownership I still love. Beautiful styling, excellent fit and finish. The nav system is incredibly accurate (although I was not impressed with the upgrade DVD which cost $250 and was not much more helpful than the original one) Why did they stop making DVD Audio, the quality is phenomenal in this stereo.

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  Youll love it - 2007 Acura TSX
  By Kathy - July 10 - 6:11 pm

  After owning three minivans I purchased my TSX. I love it. It obviously does not have the room of a minivan but I seldom needed that much room anyway. I am getting 37 MPG on the highway. Ive had the car for over a year now and still say "I love my car" when I get in it. My husband wanted a six cylinder of some sort but with the price of gas skyrocketing, hes pretty happy I didnt budge on my pick. I wish I could afford to put the other three drivers in my family in one. The two teenagers would love it and my husband would appreciate the mileage.

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  Sweet ride!!! - 1998 Acura CL
  By kevin - July 10 - 3:28 pm

  Ive only had it for a week, and its super fun to drive! Bought it with 97,500 miles on it for $5800, worth every penny so far!

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  Amazing car for the price! - 2005 Acura TSX
  By Matt - July 10 - 3:16 pm

  Excellent car for the price, and its loaded with options as well! Great entry level luxury car!

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  3-yr leasee - 2005 Acura TL
  By deed766 - July 8 - 10:20 pm

  I had leased this vehicle. 2005 Acura TL with navigation, for 3 years. The car was very reliable, very attractive (even after 3 yrs. the car still got head turns), and the price was very affordable compared to other cars in its class. As far as pricing, you cant get any better when purchasing an Acura because this is the only make i that gives you all of most desirable add-ons in the base model. Plus if leasing, Acura has a great leasing program and gives the best natural wear and tear policies. Needless to say, I was very reluctant to hand this car over to the dealership at the end of my lease term. The only reason was due to high gas prices. Now i am looking for a better gas mileage

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  Excess tire wear - 2004 Acura TL
  By Goodcar - July 8 - 6:27 pm

  4 years and I am still pleased with the car. the "bumps along the way" - went through a set of Avon tires in 12K miles. Complained to the dealer and the parts manager was able to diagnose that there was a suspension recall (the bump stops) that may cause the excess tire wear. They comped two tires, did the recall and so far so good. Well see in about 20K miles!

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  No (Major) Complaints - 2001 Acura CL
  By cat - July 7 - 4:45 pm

  Great car all around. Had problems with initial transmission, but Acura happily replaced it. (It helps that I had bought the extended warranty.) Everyone I know loves my car (and most of them are jealous of me for driving it...oh well, thats their problem!).

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  A Great Second Car - 2005 Acura RSX
  By Hondalover - July 7 - 12:09 am

  This is my second vehicle. As a younger driver I find this car absolutely perfect for me and the things I like in a car. Easy, fun, good enough on gas, sharp style, commanding appearance, and amazing handling.