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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  just love to drive!! - 2003 Acura TL
  By Fanta - November 12 - 2:00 am

  Bought it about a year ago. Just fell in love during the test drive itself -- excellent driver, very good road manners, good power, and loaded with features which makes it a "deal".

• 

  One month anniversary - 2003 Acura TL
  By newacura - November 12 - 2:00 am

  Went from 1988 Suburban to Acura TL. Really enjoy performance and handling. Getting used to the 5-speed auto shift points as opposed to three. Engine is quiet and despite what some say, I find the stereo just fine. Looking forward to years of enjoyment.

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  113k and going - 2002 Acura TL
  By Colorado Springs TLS - November 11 - 1:33 pm

  Still running strong after 4 years of ownership and 113k. No problems with the car whatsoever. Just the normal maintainance, tires, brakes, etc. I cant complain about this car. I have had 2 Hondas before this one, and I still see no reason to trade. I havent had any transmission problems. Aegian Blue is still appealing each time I see the car. Good MPG around 30 MPG highway, 22-25 city.

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  Just a few minor quirks. Love the car - 1990 Acura Legend
  By Amelia42188 - November 10 - 8:50 pm

  I got the Acura legend about a year and a half ago. Ive driven it across country 3 times already. Its a 1990, and when I bought it it probably had 150,000 miles on it, now its in the mid 70s but its been great. The only major problem ive had is the alternator dying. Other than that its just an amazing car, fun to drive. I guess there are a few things, it makes a weird noise when I turn, and i have to replace the breaks now, as well as the exhaust but it does have a lot of miles on it so i guess that kind of stuff can be expected.

• 

  Fun car - 2008 Acura RDX
  By RDXTech - November 10 - 5:35 pm

  Bought this last month replacing the RX 300 we had and the features are so much better. Very comparable luggage space to the RX 300. Just had a kid and the big Chicco stroller fits in easily along with bags from weekend grocery. Have never towed, so no complains about the 1500 lbs capacity there. Still need to try the paddle shifters.

• 

  WOW! Awesome compact SUV - 2008 Acura RDX
  By AcuraFan - November 9 - 7:58 pm

  I purchased this car about a month ago. What a great ride. Its Honda reliable, love the navigation system, very comfortable. This is also a VERY stylish car. No complaints, just suggestions. Good price range for a luxury crossover. From this car, I will likely drive Acuras for a long time.

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  Best Acura To Date - 2009 Acura TSX
  By D - November 9 - 12:46 pm

  I have owned every Acura model except the RL since 2004, and this is my favorite of all! I bought this car the day it came out, and I must say the car is worth every dollar! This car is better than any Lexus, BMW, or Infiniti in its segment for a much less cost. Great space, build quality, and style. This car is a head turner that I highly recommend!

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  Pure joy - 2008 Acura TSX
  By Tyrone - November 8 - 12:38 pm

  This is my 4th "Honda" and 2nd Acura over the years. The ride is quite smooth with very little bumps to be felt. The car is semi sporty so the suspension will be a little stiff. My wife made a note at how it felt like we were going 40mph when I was actually doing 75mph. It is small enough to fit into small space and large enough to fit a family. The navi is just wonderful and so easy to use. For a 4 cyl, it has nice pick up. We have an RDX that has the turbo, I cannot imagine how fast the tsx would be with 260hp. I hear the 2009 may have this?

• 

  The perfect SUV for us - 2008 Acura RDX
  By Alex - November 7 - 11:36 pm

  Handling and acceleration are far better than the other SUVs we test drove - Lexus RX 350, Honda Pilot, Toyota Highlander. Feature for feature, none of the other SUVs we considered could beat the RDXs value. Good thing too, because none of them were nearly as fun. This is an SUV that will provide us plenty of utility, allow us to grow in it, yet small enough for the city, and will continue to be fun so that we wont mind keeping it for a while.

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  BEST ACURA - 2003 Acura CL
  By candy - November 7 - 10:00 am

  Too good to have munual tranny!