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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  Rock Solid - 1997 Acura RL
  By Rob - February 22 - 11:26 pm

  Bought the car as a lease return. The car has a great ride along with good road feel. Didnt have a repair until it had over 140k. I now have 169K. The leather interior still has no cracks. I use 87 octane gas. No problem. I cant find a good reason to buy another car. The 3.5 RL has lousy resale making it the best value in used car value.

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  08 Type S - 2008 Acura TL
  By Jeff - February 22 - 6:21 pm

  This little car really goes! Great 6m gearbox, super handling and good mileage for the package. My average is 25-28.The downside, lousy interior panels. My unit arrived "new" with a huge U shaped scratch on the dash in front of the steering wheel. Dealer is still fooling with resolution. Ive since scuffed the door getting in & out and the wife put another one across the passenger side dash with her purse, yes a leather purse, while getting in. Beware pulling on hard acceleration, the TL can get a little hairy there. The interior is cramped and the tilt wheel stinks but if you are 6ft./215lb. and want 25 MPG this is one of the best deals going.

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  Excellent Car for Entry Luxury Vehicles - 2015 Acura TLX
  By Tim Johnson - February 22 - 4:18 pm

  The TLX is a well complimented car. The technology, safety and audio packages are outstanding. The 3.5 liter V6 can be a rocket ship when needed.

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  Oh My Vigor - 1993 Acura Vigor
  By BitterJust - February 21 - 3:50 pm

  The older gentleman that sold me the vehicle said that he was getting rid of it because he thought that it was going to start to have problems. 20,000 miles later other then a couple of new cv joints and other small mechanical issues the car is a gem!

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  Wonderful Driving Experience - 1998 Acura CL
  By RMOOS - February 21 - 12:07 pm

  The VTEC engine is well built and engineered, just like all Honda vehicles. Im impressed and still hope to drive this car for over 250K miles. Great used car for the price. Is very much underated for what you can do with engine versus the price of a new model. If you can find one in relatively good condition buy it like I did.

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  So happy, best decision I have ever made - 2008 Acura RDX
  By bballfreak150 - February 20 - 10:26 pm

  Went from a 2001 Lexus IS 300 to a 2008 RDX. Couldnt be happier, all of the things I loved about my IS with the room and comfort of an SUV. It is actually faster than my old car and gets better gas mileage too. Im averaging just over 22 mpg. I love the AWD, turbo is amazing, and its just really fun to drive. If you are looking for a vehicle that is fast and fun to drive, gest good gas mileage, and have enough room to carry all of your gear then this is the perfect vehicle for you. It was the best decision I have ever made.

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  Just got mine - 2008 Acura TSX
  By Rich W - February 20 - 3:35 pm

  Just got my 2008 TSX. I drove the car online using Acuras virtual system and found it to be perfect. I spent less than 30 minutes at the dealership to get a feel for the real car. After a couple of days of haggling my TSX was shipped from Lexington. This is about the 10th Honda/Acura that I have owned and the TSX has the least peppiest motor of them all. My salesperson described the TSX as an Accord on steroids and I would have to say that the statement is accurate. Acceleration is boring but the rest of the car fits me perfectly. Not sure if they changed the stock stereo system in 2008 but my stereo sounds great. It works great with my iPod.

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  2008 Acura RDX - 2008 Acura RDX
  By Dave Willson - February 19 - 10:36 pm

  What a great car. Cant beat the bang for the buck. The tech package is amazing, the acceleration is great and the car is useful and fun to drive. The only two negatives are the gas mileage (I only get about 20 mpg) and the fact that the front passenger seat isnt power. Otherwise, I cant complain about one thing!

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  AWD V6 + Aero kit: Very nice car - 2016 Acura TLX
  By Allen Wellhoff - February 19 - 7:36 pm

  1st week of ownership: very happy with the car so far. Very comfortable, plenty of power. 9 spd trans takes a little getting used to. Surprised Back up sensor as an add on to the Tech package does not mute radio when placing car into reverse but warning beep is loud enough to not be an issue. This is our 7th Honda/Acura vehicle. I expect nothing less then a smooth and reliable experience.

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  Love this Car!! - 2008 Acura TL
  By ingsoc39 - February 19 - 4:42 pm

  My first Acura, researched this auto a good 7 months prior to purchasing, it performed well up to my expectations, and I am extremely pleased with it. You can configure the nav to male/female voice. It was everything and more than the comparable BMW and Lexus, at a much better value. Purchased Moroccan red with A spec special Acura wheels and tires, so splurged a bit, also purchased with ground effects package, its a blast to drive, solid, refined, and Im enjoying it!