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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  A very good but not great car. - 2004 Acura TL
  By khmer - July 19 - 10:00 am

  My first TL & Acura. Ive had it for 11 months/13k miles now. I really like the performance and styling, but the annoying rattles (since the car was a few wks old - front doors, front center speaker - unrelated to the sound) prevent me from "loving" the car. Ive not had the time to get them looked at. Maybe next month during the 15KM service. Wait and see what the dealer can do. Sound system is great in specs but the sound is not that great. Thanks to the cheap speakers. Overall, Ive been "fairly happy" with the car (except when I realize that this is a $33K plus car and, more importantly, its an "Acura." This is when the disappointment kicks in).

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  2003 TL Review - 2003 Acura TL
  By TENNJED - July 17 - 2:00 am

  I purchased my 2003 TL because of the reliability record, good ride, good resale value. I am unhappy with this car. The car is just not exciting, an adequate Sports Sadan, but should not be referred to as a LUXURY Sport Sadan. I just cant get comfortable in this car, and my legs feel cramped (it needs telescopic steering wheel and higher padded center arm rest). The TL is not as quiet(road, engine, wind etc.) as others in class. The ventilation fan is noisy !! I am very disappointed with the sound system ( desperately needs A-pillar speakers). The TL is a safe choice, but I should have went with the 325i or G35.

• 

  Great Fun To Drive - 2006 Acura TL
  By Greg M. - June 27 - 7:16 am

  Have enjoyed car very much. Was best value for money that I found after comparing Lexus, Cadillac and Infinity. Has a few flaws but overall excellent car that I really enjoy driving. Definately feel it was a good value. Car sells itself in test drive. Interior quality is Great! Love the sound system.

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  RSX TYPES worth every cent. - 2002 Acura RSX
  By terdonal - June 22 - 11:16 pm

  This is a great little sport coupe. It is well made,peppy,economical to drive and most of all fun. It is not race car but and there are other cars that are equally good cars but I love Acura service and have always had the best and will only change if the service declines.

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  new tls - 2003 Acura TL
  By jugg - June 21 - 10:00 am

  New TL S--used to have a BMW 540. Mine gave me probs galore--snobby service people, heart -attack repair costs, angry, went for more conventional car. Amazed at value of tl s. Phenomenal power! Pretty impressive handling. Looks great. Warning!!! The seats are weird--I removed the lumbar device from mine, now its super comfy. Every day, I feel smart owning this car, and in the stick mode, its a rocket. It aint a 540, but for 30k less, it comes surprisingly close. Ill review again at 15000 mi. So far, damn happy.

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  4 door S2000 - 2004 Acura TSX
  By hockeydad23 - June 7 - 10:00 am

  If you love sports cars [I wanted an S2000] but have a family that wants you to have four doors, this is the car for you. I absolutely love my TSX!! a PERFECT blend of performance, luxury, and some practicality. Ive taken on every sports sedan and more on the Blue Ridge Parkway; this car performs big time. Not the fastest car off the line but drop it into second and the fun begins. you dont even feel the power until you get above 4000 rpm. get there and youll leave BMWs in your dust. the ride is great too. FYI; drive it hard and youll need to give it a quart of oil before your regular oil changes. A small price to pay for owning what could be the best car for the $ on the road today

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  6 month review - 2016 Acura RDX
  By 6 month lease holder - May 12 - 4:50 am

  Very comfortable, more than adequate power, a pleasure to drive, especially on the open road. This suv could easily go all day smoothly and quietly at 80 mph. No maintenance issues so far.

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  2001 mdx - 2002 Acura MDX
  By GN - May 4 - 10:00 am

  Has drivability problems: Engine hesitates slightly when first started, engine cold, going approx. 20 MPH When engine is at full temp., and parked for approx. a half an hour, it will not start. It takes 3 to 4 tries and then starts and runs w/o a hitch. This has happened twice within 5 months. 11,000 miles on it. Acura dealer cannot help. Also DVD does not have all eastern cities in detail such as Naples, FL

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  2001 Acura MDX - 2002 Acura MDX
  By Rufus - May 4 - 10:00 am

  As a family of four, plus a dog, we have found the MDX to be satisfactory in meeting everyones requirements. The towing ability more than handles our ski boat. When we need extra room for long trips, we use a roof mounted carrier. The car handles just as well with the carrier on top. The only performance drawback is the uneven accelaration up hills. It seems to downshift frequently when faced with any grade of more than a minor degree.

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  Not so great - 2005 Acura TSX
  By Bizzenn - May 1 - 2:56 pm

  Ok, the pros: Looks nice inside and out but quite conservative, very comfortable for front driver and passenger. pretty smooth engine for a 4Cyl. Awesome tranny. The cons: All 4 detention rods in the doors went bad, brakes had to be replaced 2 times in 8000 miles, was told next time I would have to pay. Creaks and rattles in the doors. Paint oxidizing and scratches easily. Bad on gas and no torque.