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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  This car rocks!!!! - 2004 Acura RSX
  By loanguy - January 15 - 2:00 am

  This is my 2nd RSX. I get 30+ mpg everywhere I go. Plus it is fun to drive!

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  EXCELLENT.. - 2004 Acura RSX
  By CARMTAN - January 15 - 2:00 am

  excellent car..i was looking into alarms..anybody has suggestion of which is the best active alarm..since acura dealer told me they take it somewhere else to install it..

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  Acura in Valley Park Mo. - 2004 Acura MDX
  By Anthony Tallo - January 15 - 2:00 am

  The car is incredible. I traded in a jeep liberty because our family needed more room - boy did we get it! The car seats 7 comfortably - key is no wheel well in second row! The dvd is outstanding quaility and the navigation sytem is reliable and efficient. The car handles like a dream...the cars turning radius is supurb! And the camera when the car is in reverse is a life saver!

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  Trying to love it! - 2009 Acura TSX
  By Diana - January 14 - 3:42 pm

  I recently traded my 04 TL for the 09 TSX and I am not yet convinced I made the right choice. I chose the new TSX because the new body style somewhat resembled my old TL which I absolutely loved. Also, the TSX had great gas mileage and the price with lots of accessories was unbeatable. However,I miss the power of my old car! The TSX takes a bit longer to get going after you accelerate. The ride is not as smooth as my other Acura. Also, although the design is much bigger, it still lacks leg room in the back seat. The old TLs still had more room. All being said, I do love the look of the new TSX and I am sure I will enjoy it more as the time passes. Saving $ on gas alone is a big plus!

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  Still running - 2002 Acura TL
  By TomB - January 14 - 3:33 pm

  196,000 miles. Last week go 29 mph in very cold conditions, often get 30 and always 25+ even in town. Front brakes @ 89K, rears at 112K, but 4 transmissions, all paid by Acura cheerfully with loaner car for each 3 day repair. Great car but boring and I told dealer never another until they fix the trans. New Acura still has 5 spd that wont hold 1st or 2nd. 2009 is too ugly, so I am waiting or going Genesis or 328 BMW. Too bad, as I would love to buy from them again.

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  Simply the best - 2002 Acura MDX
  By RCN - January 14 - 10:00 am

  Weve owned our share of SUVs and have test driven about 20 and the MDX bar none with the exception of the BMW X5 compares. Value, reliability, roominess.

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  Acura for Life - 2002 Acura MDX
  By John Q - January 14 - 10:00 am

  This is my second Acura. My first was a 1990 Integra that I still own with 135,000 miles which has no rust and still runs like a dream. I thought of buying the BMW X5, but I couldnt resist the MDX. Maybe next time, but Ill always have at least one ACURA in my garage. ACURA FOR LIFE!!!!!

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  A Driving Experience - 2003 Acura TL
  By DJ & IA - January 14 - 10:00 am

  From the first monent behind the wheel of my 3.2 TL at the dealerships test drive, I knew that his was my car. This car hugs the road like a race car and has more power than you can legally use in this country. The ride is very smooth and quite even at the higher hwy speeds. To say the least its the best handling car Ive ever driven.

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  Super fun to drive - 2009 Acura MDX
  By gregs - January 11 - 7:49 pm

  - Mazda CX9 was initially my #1 choice - After test driving CX9, I was disappointed with the driving experience (the ride is very shaky) - I tried the MDX, and was blown away by how it handled in the first 5 mins. The experience was silky smooth, yet at the same time aggressive, assertive and very sporty. - The SH AWD is amazing. During the test drive, the dealer encourage me to take sharp highway on-ramps at 60 mpg - I could feel the outer wheels "pushing" the car away from the turn - the feeling was totally exhilarating - I kiteboard - the adrenaline rush from the SH AWD (when used aggressively) is comparable to what I feel when on water - I would have never imagined that to be possible

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  Happy owner of 2009 TSX - 2009 Acura TSX
  By ggs2 - January 10 - 9:42 pm

  We purchased our new TSX a few days ago and love it so far. Got the base model without the technology package which I felt was not worth $3000. I personally feel this car looks best in a dark color so we went with crystal black pearl with parchment interior. I traded a Nissan Altima for this car which had been reliable but I never liked the look or size of the car. The TSX reminds me of the BMW 325i that I previously owned with regards to handling and interior comfort.