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 value in luxury market - 2007 Acura TL
  By Jeff - April 26 - 11:40 pm

  Had the car for a year now, its a huge step up from the Accord I was previously driving. Its a great deal, the competition costs thousands more for the same features. Gas mileage is great too, on a 500 mile road trip I averaged 34 MPG! This car isnt for everyone though. Those looking for the ultimate sports sedan (think BMW minded buyers) will say its FWD and not sporty enough. Those wanting a cushy serene ride (think Lexus ES) will say its too sporty and has too much road noise. You cant please everyone but for me this car is what I consider to be an ideal blend of everything. It doesnt excel at any one particular thing but does everything very well.

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  Kumho Tires Transform the MDX - 2005 Acura MDX
  By nIKKIMACH - April 26 - 9:37 pm

  The Michelins lasted 50,000 miles at that point, I was thinking of trading the car. Too much road noise, and a jarring ride. Then I put on Kumhos and my MDX was transformed. The road noise I disliked was cut in half, the handling got sharper and the ride improved enormously. Replacing the windshield, which we have to do every few years because of grit on the highways in winter, costs a cool thousand bucks. I like the auto wipers, but it would be $500 bucks cheaper without them.

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  An SUV with Dollar & Sense - 2007 Acura MDX
  By Dollar & Sense SUV - April 24 - 3:30 pm

  I bought the car on January, 2007, have test driven X5, FX45, and Lexus however, this MDX has out performed all these others by the quality, luxury, and value. Beautiful car, consistent build quality, powerful performance.

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  Sweet Vehicle - 2005 Acura TL
  By Gary - April 23 - 6:16 pm

  The Acura TL has some of the tightest steering and handling for a sedan. It corners extremely well and has great pick up at 60-70 MPH. It is truly a pleasure to drive.

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  Awesome Car - 2008 Acura TL
  By usafsp156 - April 23 - 2:51 pm

  I have had my TL just over a week. What a car! My first Acura purchase and couldnt be happier. So far I am getting 25 mpg which better that I had anticipated. The TL rides so smooth and its also very fast. I love its cornering ability. The nav, voice, and blue tooth are perfect.

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  Great SUV - 2008 Acura MDX
  By Mike - April 23 - 12:08 pm

  This is my first SUV and I couldnt be happier. Choice was between an 08 Highlander and 08 MDX and for a few thousand more you get a much more impressive interior, better handling & steering feedback, a more agile ride, and HID headlamps. Fuel economy has been much more impressive than expected - ~24 highway, ~19 city, 22 avg with 65/35 highway/city driving (1,300 mi on odo). Only major gripes are you cant read the stereo display screen with sun glare from sunroof (even on max brightness) & no compass is present.

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  Like My Acura - 2002 Acura MDX
  By "Wicky" - April 23 - 10:01 am

  We just got our Acura and love it a lot. Its quick, roomy & luxurious. The sound system is great and we really like the memory seats. Bottom line is that this vehicle has outstanding standard options. The only additional feature I wish ours had is the "navi." Weve only had it about a month but thus far it rates right up there in the top 3 vehicles Ive owned.

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  BEST DAY OF MY LIFE - 2004 Acura TSX
  By Love My Acura - April 23 - 10:00 am

  JUST AS SPORTY AND MORE SOLID THAN THE BMW 325i THAT I TRADED IN. THE BIG DIFFERNCE iS THAT I WILL BE GOING TO THE DEALERSHIP EVERY 5000 FOR AN OIL CHANGE NOT AN ENGINE OVERHAUL. BEST DAY OF MY LIFE WAS SEELING THE BMW AND BUYING THE ACURA

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  Still in love with my TSX - 2004 Acura TSX
  By Sydney818 - April 23 - 10:00 am

  This car is a keeper and thats something Id never thought Id say. Im the queen of trading in cars. Ive owned my TSX for 6 months now and still love getting into it every morning just as much as I did the first day. Its such a solid little car and extremely well-built. It was the best choice for me overall and has everything I need in a vehicle at a price of $27,000 with navigation!!

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  Incredible! - 2004 Acura TSX
  By kelsim - April 23 - 10:00 am

  I love this car. Its fun to drive and peppy!!!