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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  For the price, it cant be matched - 2006 Acura TSX
  By gftgrill - December 30 - 3:49 pm

  The 6-speed manual is very smooth shifting. All of the controls are right where I expect them to be. I never have to reach far for anything. Bluetooth hands free connection built into the car. This is a great feature for anyone who drives a manual. I can now answer or make a phone call without ever having to remove my left hand from the steering wheel or my right hand from the shifter.

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  Amazing - 2007 Acura TSX
  By Dan - December 30 - 2:59 pm

  It has the right amount of luxury and sportiness. I dont know what it lacks - its even fuel efficient. It comes with a 205HP engine which provides enough power for anything one needs to do legally on the road.

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  Love It! - 2005 Acura TL
  By T - December 30 - 12:50 pm

  I was a little reluctant to start the car shopping process when my 10 year old car started to die on me. But once I drove the TL, I knew that I was in love. This car is so fun to drive and is it just a gorgeous automobile. I get compliments at the gas station or just in the mall parking lot. It handles well and the acceleration is powerful.

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  First import - 2008 Acura TSX
  By Timd38 - December 30 - 9:01 am

  It does nothing really special, but does nothing poorly. The longer I have it, the more I like it. I bought it looking for cheap car that was also reliable with good resales. It does all that and more.

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  Great Bang for the Buck! - 2007 Acura TSX
  By Nogard13 - December 30 - 8:18 am

  I decided on the TSX after looking at the BMW 3 series, the Lexus IS 250, and the Infiniti G35 Sedan. Compared to the other three models, the TSX offered all the creature comforts I wanted for 6K less than the G35 and Lexus and 10K less than the 328i. Really easy choice to make, even after driving the other three cars twice each. While the TSX doesnt have the speed and pick-up of the BMW or the Infinity, the engine is more than adequate for my style of driving (mostly city with some road trips now and then). My MPGs are around 20 for the city driving and 32 for highway.

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  2005 Acura TL 6M - 2005 Acura TL
  By JIMBOS TL - December 30 - 8:00 am

  I just took delivery of the 05 TL last week. This is my 3rd tank fill-up so far and love it more and more. The 6M tranny with the short throw shifter shifts crisply and smoothly. I traded my 03 Type-S for this car. It rides and corners like a champ! Engine turns 2k at 80 mph. Good power at any speed, better fuel economy with the 6M than my previous 5AT. I dont know how the brembo brakes will last compare to the stock brakes on my previous TL. The stereo system is better than my last one. Im new to the navigational system, so I dont have any comment on that. This is my 3rd Acura and it wont be my last, you cant beat Hondas reliability (unless compared with the Lexus). Thats it.

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  Best Acura yet - 2005 Acura TSX
  By jayroam - December 30 - 12:57 am

  By far, this is has been my favorite car Ive ever owned. The interior is one of the best Ive ever been in, and the exterior looks great and is timeless. For a car under $30k, its a steal.

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  2006 Acura TSX - 2006 Acura TSX
  By centralOH - December 29 - 11:21 am

  This is the car to own for "bang for the buck". Not many people have the TSX which is a bonus. Nothing touches it in its price range, NOTHING.

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  Tuly a Legend - 1990 Acura Legend
  By Larry - December 29 - 9:25 am

  Honda built these cars and never again matched their performance, height, balance, economy, space efficiency, durability, and fun to drive quotient. WE had this car from 122K to 180K and just got a 08 Accord to replace it. I am not a happy camper - no more sport mode transmission, no more multi - link double wishbone rear suspension, no more silky smooth v-6 that even at 180K would happily sing to is redline and still go 120+ with ease. What an engine that 2.7 liter was- and 161 HP??? Please - NO WAY. This car would fly, and 80-100 on the interstate? In a snap. Fantastic car and I miss her already - after only one day. shell forever be a yardstick against which I measure others.

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  My third Acura - 2005 Acura TSX
  By Heather - December 28 - 9:36 pm

  This is my third Acura. The other two where Integras and I was ready to move up to a bit of luxury. I didnt need a new car but I wanted this one. I knew I would not be concerned with reliability and quality of the build. Just about every feature is standard which just made it that much easier to buy. It is fun to drive and suprisingly my gas mileage is improving. When you close the doors it has a nice solid, snug fit sound that rings of quality. Of course, the downside of buying this car was moving to premium gasoline especially right at the time gas started going so high. But it is a low emissions vehicle so at least Im spewing less pollutants into the air.