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 for Acura - 2006 Acura TL
  By Bri Bri - April 22 - 9:38 pm

  Ive owned Volvo, Mercedes-Benz, Saab, Infiniti, and Audi and this in the best total package Ive ever owned. Ive now had my TL for two years and have yet to take the car in for anything else other than schedule service. Acura has created the best blend of performance, luxury, and reliability. By the way, the standard bluetooth technology is great.

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  The Best of Both Worlds - 2007 Acura RDX
  By michael - April 22 - 9:19 pm

  I have been in the car business 18 years, and have had a few front drive cars and 4 rear drive pathfinders. One day I was driving a front drive passenger vehicle and took a corner to fast and the rest is history. That day I test drove the 07 RDX SW AWD and the rest is history. I have never owned an all wheel drive vehicle with VSA. Being in the business, I have driven this vrossover hard. It corners better than any thing I have ever driven. Bring on the rain. Floor it from a dead stop and the car just launches forward, comfortable on long trips, the navigation is great.

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  Acura Fan - 2005 Acura TSX
  By Sharon - April 22 - 2:50 pm

  10-yr owner of a 1994 Integra. Toss up between TL & TSX, but could not see a reason to pay the extra $6k for the TL. Wanted the flexibility of the rear fold down seats. Regularly get 23-25 mpg. The trunk now seems small since I’ve put a stroller in it. Battery replaced under warranty at 2.5 yrs – was in for an oil change & battery tested low so they changed it FREE. There was a rattle in the dash at cold temps – told it was a cantilevered dash, so basically a design flaw. Tried to fix 3 times & then a month or so after the last try it went away on its own. Most recent problem has been a side-to-side rock in the driver’s seat - fixed under warranty.

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  Go Kart Honda - 2005 Acura RSX
  By Jymmijamez76 - April 21 - 4:14 pm

  I have had this car about 2 months now, and it just begs to be revd to 8k. Handling is very good, suspension needs to be tweaked a little if driving at high speeds. Loads of after market and online support. Really reminds me of the old CRXs, with some modern features and comforts. Leather seats are very supportive and comfortable. Bose System is great, plays my old Miami BASS cds and sounds great considering the small sub.

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  Luv my 08 MDX - 2008 Acura MDX
  By rt - April 21 - 1:04 pm

  Replaced a Honda CRV with this but not before test driving the Mercedes ML350 and ML320, BMW X3 and X5 and the Lexus RX. This vehicle was by far smoother, more comfortable, more powerful and somehow more economical!

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  Love my TSX!! - 2006 Acura TSX
  By Alison311 - April 20 - 12:56 pm

  This car is so much fun to drive, I just love it. I had an RSX for three yrs. prior to this car and all I can say is you cant beat an Acura. The Navi is lots of fun (it is impossible to get lost!) the audio system "bumps" and I love the in-dash changer! The dash is beautifully illuminated at night..all controls are right at your fingertips. I was always afraid a 4- door would make me old or at least feel old, but not this car. This car is sporty and super cool too! The value for the money is beyond amazing! This car does everything but drive itself, and thank goodness for that, cuz driving it is sooo much fun!

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  2007 Acura RL - 2007 Acura RL
  By Bill Fischer - April 19 - 8:55 am

  This has been an excellent purchase and both my wife and I are very pleased with the car. My only comment is that I feel the passenger seat should have the same power features as the drivers side - i.e., the seat is too low for my wife.

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  06 TL - 2006 Acura TL
  By acuralegend1 - April 19 - 7:07 am

  Wanted this car for years. Finally purchased a CPO last August. Had to go back for service twice in first month - once for rear deck speaker rattle and second time because the power steering hose came off, lost P/S fluid and began making a terrible noise. This was a fluke so dont let this deter you from the TL. This is the fourth Acura Ive had in the last 15 years and certainly wont be the last.

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  A true Legend-should bring em back - 1994 Acura Legend
  By UNITY - April 19 - 12:04 am

  I may be biased but this car is phenomenal! Everyone who sees my car thinks its a much newer model than it really is and I let them believe it. Even my mechanic is surprised at what good shape this 14 year old car is in. This car has torque. Parts are expensive but who cares cause if you take good care of it the car probably wont break down anyway. An all around good, stylish, dependable, comfortable, reliable car & girls love it. Thank you Honda.

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  Love, love, love my Acura - 2007 Acura TL
  By acuramomma - April 18 - 11:01 pm

  Went from a 2001 Chrysler Concorde to this car--amazing difference. Wanted something sporty coming off of the big gas-guzzling luxury car with no power. Love merging onto a highway and blowing everyone away. Mechanic friend was very impressed by it. Dont think I could find another car this size I would love as much. I am fortunate to not be experiencing the rattling or problems others are having.