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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  No complaints on gas economy - 2007 Acura TL
  By NIKKIMACH - April 4 - 10:24 pm

  Over the last 4800 miles, the computer tells me Im averaging 28MPG. Nothing wrong with that. Getting a fuel warning at 13 gallons is annoying dealer tells me it cant be fixed. Otherwise, this is a great car - wonderful integration of electronic and mechanical bits, thoughtfully engineered, quick and comfortable. This is my fourth Acura (2 TLs, 2 MDXs) and Ive never been left by the side of the road, something my BMW-owning friends cant say Plus, my TL will suck the doors off a 528, sounds just as good doing it, and costs 10 grand less similarly equipped.

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  Dont think Ill ever leave Honda - 2004 Acura TL
  By DexDiamonds - April 4 - 12:01 pm

  I just purchased my TL certified preowned (needed the security) and havent stopped smiling everytime I look at the car. It really moves, blinding acceleration between 30-50 and 70-110. I raced a the other car I was strongly considering (G35 coupe) and it seems there is no difference in performance and speed. And it great to just cruise in (a lil bumpy for the performance trade off). It has everything one could want (performance, reliability, luxury, and looks) at a price easy to appreciate. I want to modified the engine a little but dont want to void my warranty :-(

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  Legend lives up to name - 1990 Acura Legend
  By Acura - April 3 - 9:31 pm

  I bought the car at a steal, $1000.00 So far the only things wrong with it are the cruise control, a loose rear view mirror,and a loose drivers side mirror. It moves great and is fun to drive, buy one if you can find one.

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  Loving the 08! - 2008 Acura TL
  By dap2006 - April 2 - 7:27 pm

  I traded in my 06 TL after 2.5 years - I needed a change. The 2008 TL-S w/auto surprised me with how much better it is! A bigger engine, daytime running lights, auto headlights, active noise cancelization, better brakes, better transmission (love the smooth downshifts), back-up camera, etc. It rides and drives much better than my 06! In carbon bronze its a looker, too. Im extremely happy with my TL-S!

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  Finally Impressed - 2004 Acura TL
  By movinup - April 2 - 1:10 am

  After having driven a full-size 4 door pickup for the last 5 years and hoping to move into a stepdown vehicle, I agreed to purchase my 2004 Acura TL. Having owned 2 Acuras in the past, I knew the reliability was going to be in place. Approaching the car from the outside, the car screams seriousness, class, and carries an appeal to people across the board. The interior is well put together, offering a quiet ride at all speeds. Nothing compares to being in the cockpit of the TL at night, with the glow of blue from the guage cluster along with the comliment of a subtile white from the center pillar. Its a car that runs great and is great to be seen in. In this car, youve arrived!

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  Pretty Awesome - 2005 Acura RL
  By Phil - April 1 - 11:36 pm

  Handles very well, nice power. Also very luxurious and a smooth quiet ride.

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  Love this Car! - 2005 Acura TSX
  By Fred&Wilma - April 1 - 9:22 pm

  We love this car. It handles so well and has plenty of power. The engine hums at 80 mph and stops on a dime. The interior is very comfortable and everything is in easy reach. We like the navi system and touch screen panel. The voice command system is ok and its often quicker to use the touch screen. The car is much nicer than the Accord or Camry and costs about the same. Great value!

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  So far, the best car I ever owned - 2008 Acura RDX
  By JohnnyV - March 30 - 11:01 pm

  I traded in a 2005 Subaru WRX STi which I bought new after months of research. It was terrible. Ive had the RDX a month and its an extraordinary vehicle. For someone w/ low back problems the drivers seat/position is perfect, unlike the poor seat in the Toyota RAV 4. Ill check back in a few months.

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  My Acura TL after 3 months - 2008 Acura TL
  By Jim - March 30 - 10:44 pm

  Excellent performance. Good mileage in town driving, excellent mileage in highway driving. I really like the interior except the power outlets are not easily accessible. The dash outlet is difficult to use if car is in park and the console outlet is far down inside console. It is an exciting drive and power is more than adequate. I have not noticed the interior rattles others have commented on. Door panels do scuff easily.

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  Wouldnt want anything else - 2008 Acura MDX
  By Big Fan! - March 29 - 4:08 pm

  Previously owned (and loved) an 01 Jeep Grand Cherokee. Looked at another JGC and found out that mine was superior to the current JGCs. I shopped BMW, Infiniti, Lexjus, BMW X5. MDX is easiest and most comfortable car or SUV I have ever owned, very quiet and smooth. Navi took practice, but now is easy to operate. I wont own another car that doesnt have it. AWD is like youre on rails. Stereo is second to none & iPod adapter is simple. I dont use XM or real-time traffic, but I would b/c they were great during the free trial period.