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 Car-like SUV... still miss my car - 2008 Acura MDX
  By JnJ - July 8 - 10:06 am

  My experience with the Acura MDX 2008 has been nice. I came from driving a 2005 Nissan Max and needed something bigger and better with safety for me at the time (10 mth old son). The MDX does get up and go, but not initially. I have had it less than a year with just 11,000 hwy miles on it and have never had a problem until now. Took a trip to NC and came back with a loud humming noise. Turned out it was bad wheel bearings. Hopefully once fixed, will not happen again. Other than that all has been well and I am happy with the customer service I have received.

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  Great mix for the money - 2009 Acura TSX
  By KYPilot - July 7 - 9:30 am

  Took a 3500 mile trip through Colorado, Wyoming, and South Dakota in May. Averaged 30 mpg. Fun car to drive through the mountains. Smoothest six speed and clutch I have ever driven. Steering takes a little time to get used to. Would have liked a few more horses in the mountains, but if you keep the rpm up above 3500 it does well. The DVD audio is awesome. The trip computer is one to two MPGs optimistic. No auto is perfect but the TSX is a good mix and for the money is hard to beat.

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  Love it! - 2001 Acura MDX
  By Beachkid - July 6 - 1:43 pm

  I bought the car the first month it was available in 2001. I now have over 167K miles on it and its going strong. I too received a new transmission during the recall so I should have several good years left. I love the versatility of the vehicle. From sheets of plywood to trees! I wont buy a new one again but will consider a used one or possibly a CR-V. My husband loves his CR-V and I dont mind driving it but my MDX has just a bit more luxury about it -- if youre willing to pay the extra $$. Might even consider a Toyota. But Ive been driving either Hondas or Acuras since 1984..so it might be hard to change now. The MDX handles very much like a car, and Ive really enjoyed owning it.

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  Acura tl sport 2008 - 2008 Acura TL
  By s3rgee - July 6 - 12:29 pm

  Recently bought a 2008 acura tl sport (carbon bronze) used with 125k miles, cant say im not satisfied, iv had a lot of people tell me how it looks more of a year car than a 2008, drivers perspective pretty fast great take offs , spacious, audio system is amazing , only complain no Bluetooth audio , besides that , the car is a great choice , iv had a 2000 civic 2007 g35 , but by far iv really like this car the most, if your a racer its fast but there is faster , you a cruiser , this is a great built up , gas worth every cent.

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  Great Car! - 2004 Acura RSX
  By TypeSGirly - July 6 - 10:00 am

  I love this car! I have had more fun with this than any other car!!! Great Value and Great Fun!!!

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  I love my car - 2004 Acura RSX
  By wonit - July 6 - 10:00 am

  There is no doubt in my mind that I made a good choice with this vehicle. I love to drive and everyone time I get into the vehicle, I am overcome with joy. It is a lot of fun and it looks awesome.

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  I LOVE MY RSX-S - 2004 Acura RSX
  By Abs - July 6 - 10:00 am

  I just bought a new rsx-s in February, and I am in love with this car. The handling is amazing, and the bucket seats hold your body while taking sharp turns. The interior is very functional, and the sound system is excellent. I find myself smiling every time Im about to get into this car for a drive. The shifting is really smooth and quick, and i love the hovering sound the engine makes at high rpms.

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  Great Car - 2004 Acura RSX
  By wigs - July 6 - 10:00 am

  I have had this car for a little over a year and a half and have nothing but nice things to say. I consider this car the poor mans Porsche. I have done minor things to the intake and have put more aggressive tires on it and the car, unbelievably, became even more fun to drive. If you are considering buying on of these do not hesitate. It is just a blast.

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  Very Happy - 2004 Acura RSX
  By Melanie - July 6 - 10:00 am

  This was the best purchase I ever made. I love this car. I haggled over price to the point of obnoxiousness but I got what I wanted. The car is perfect.

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  One year later... not as impressed - 2009 Acura TSX
  By Gritty - July 5 - 9:38 pm

  Loved the car when first purchased. Like the car now. Voice rec., nav, bluetooth not perfected, not close. Very irritating when not functioning properly. Mechanically sound. Thinnest layer of paint under trunk lid, three areas of rust already. Lots of rattles (poor quality control), dealership cant correct to this point yet. Hopefully fixed after this week. ELS stereo best Ive heard (much better than G35 bose, etc...). However, other brands will get much closer look when next new car purchase comes around...