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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  Best deal - 2009 Acura TSX
  By pete in ny - June 18 - 8:44 am

  This is my second Acura. The first was a 2.3CL which had 180,00 when I sold it. This car is even better. Not only does it have the same look as the much more expensive vehicles but it is economical. I get almost 34 mpg on the highway. A great, fun car.

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  Perfect out of the box!! - 2009 Acura TL
  By neilman - June 17 - 4:28 pm

  Awesome style, fun to drive - especially the AWD. Ride is firm but not rough at all. Interior is super quiet while on freeway etc. Awesome build quality, drives perfect...and may be the first vehicle I have purchased which will not require a re-visit to the dealer for any mechanical, balancing, alignment, etc. Every other car I have purchased in the last 20 years had to be taken back...Toyota, Lexus, Nissan, GM. Love it, love it, love it. Awesome in black!!

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  355,000 Miles And Still Going - 1995 Acura Legend
  By Loren - June 17 - 2:40 pm

  OK. So what if the air conditioning, the heat and the music no longer work. After 14 years and 355,000 miles this has been the best vehicle ever. It still looks pretty good and is still reliable.

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  Jury Still Out - 2009 Acura TSX
  By Vanessa09 - June 17 - 2:35 pm

  Ive been driving my TSX for a month now and I like it a lot except for the ride quality. The suspension is way too stiff and the ride is jittery on any surface (as noted in Consumer Report). Im told that it will soften with time. I hope so. The 5.1 sound system is outstanding. I dont have a problem with the nav screen because Im short but I can see that if I was several inches higher in the seat, I would see the reflection of the windows in the nav screen. Not good. Excellent build quality overall and no problem whatsoever so far. Ill report again later in the year.

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  2 Years Later - 2009 Acura RDX
  By Levelheaded - June 16 - 9:33 am

  This is a jazzed up Honda at best. By no means does this truck have a true level of luxury, in fact, an Accord V6 may be more luxurious. That being said, its all about performance in the RDX, and a fun factor that you will not find in any other smaller SUV. The RDX is the best driving small SUV out, its faster, handles better, and has fantastic steering - new editions like the Q5 will give it a run, but its price keep it from being shopped together.

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  The Best - 2007 Acura TL
  By oldacuralover - June 15 - 8:09 pm

  This has been the best car overall that I have driven. It looks good, is screaming fast (faster than similar Lexus, BMW, and Infiniti Ive driven). BMW 330xi was a close second to purchase, but a little plain on the interior and definitely overpriced. No problem with rattles except center speaker, and only on extremely rough roads (read eastern Washingtons I-90). The sound of exhaust sealed deal for me. Sweet music to the ears. I often turn off the amazing DVD-A surround just to listen to the car. Beautiful. I have yet to find a smoother V6. Great looks. Solid build. Well thought out. No problems at all. Brakes are fantastic. Kids get creamy leather dirty, but cleans up nicely.

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  40,000 mile follow-up post - 2007 Acura TL
  By ah7771 - June 15 - 4:24 pm

  40k miles and no problems except for battery dying, but Acura replaced it free. This car runs as well as it did when it was brand new. Im reading a lot of posts complaining about squeaks/rattles but on mine, its minimal. Since buying this car, I did drive a friends G35 which definitely has better acceleration off the line. However, the interior trim and lower cost of the TL still makes it the right choice in my book. One negative think I agree with is the ipod connector. I honestly didnt even know it existed until reading these posts because its in such obscure location.

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  Love It! - 2009 Acura RDX
  By Lynne - June 15 - 10:37 am

  I just picked up my new RDX & I LOVE IT! I traded in my 10 yr old Saturn which I loved (low maint. & great reliability) but wanted an upgrade in quality (interior, features, etc). I do a lot of driving & the RDX has NOT disappointed so far. I read a LOT of reviews before buying & I have to say that the ride is a little rough but was expecting the "sporty drive" so I dont mind it. I have to respectfully disagree w/ complaints about the fuel economy. My 4-cyl Saturn ave. 30mpg, so I was prepared for a big bite into my fuel budget. Have put about 200miles on the RDX so far and Im ave. 25mpg (60% hwy). Not bad! I dont dog it on the Turbo but its a comfort knowing its there if I need it.

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  Good value for Money - 2009 Acura RDX
  By corduroygt - June 15 - 12:23 am

  I got my RDX tech for around 32k + taxes. I think for the price, the feature content is great. I dont know why people think it rides harsh, I think the ride/handling balance is just right, sporty and confidence inspiring without being too harsh or floaty. The worst thing about this car is the omission of a couple cheap-but-nice features, and the fuel economy, which could have been better if they put the V6 under the hood. Its got more than enough power to deal with traffic.

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  Handles like a dream - 2008 Acura MDX
  By Richpat95 - June 13 - 3:10 pm

  Nothing on the road can compare to this vehicle. I have driven every one and this is the crossover. Handles like a dream and technology is so seamless and easy to use. Sound system is simply remarkable.