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 has a good value - 2009 Acura TSX
  By Nick - January 10 - 10:22 am

  I changed my mind a day before to purchase an 09 Accord EXL V6. I made a great deal on both vehicles. I only had to pay 1000 more to get a TSX. The new V6 Accord engine is new in the market with the 3/4/6 cylinder running mode. Didnt like that. Didnt know the TSX is in my price range. TSX was quieter than Accord. Better suspension, better material (leather), comes with HID, and better interior. With only $1000 difference Im going for the TSX. The engine is slightly noisier than my 08 TL, but 4 cyl. is expected to do that.

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  Love my MDX - 2004 Acura MDX
  By TNMDX - January 10 - 10:00 am

  We purchased our MDX out of state to get a better deal and enjoyed trying out the navigation and DVD in a new city and on a long trip. The navigation was wonderful and helped us get around the city with ease. Also, the restaurant locator was excellent. The rest stop finder is nice too. If you travel, the navigation feature is a must-have! The DVD is nice too. Very solid in the ceiling and doesnt block the drivers rear view as much as some other models. The ride quality is excellent. The seats are comfortable and it has good room in the 2nd row. We have two carseats in the back seat and I can still sit very comfortably between the two seats.

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  3 Months, No Regrets - 2004 Acura TL
  By Mattlock26 - January 10 - 10:00 am

  The TL has been an absolute blast to own and drive for the last 3 months. This car is extremely strong from a standstill and also at speed on the highway. Ive beaten a WRX off the line. Power even at 75 mph comes on in buckets. Yes, there is torque steer on hard acceleration, but unless youre particularly atrophied, it shouldnt be much of a concern. I remain convinced this car (and the G35) is by far the best value in its price point. In addition, it is as comfortable a car Ive ever been in and extremely fun to drive. Throw in good gas mileage, nearly every option known to man, and reliability, and what else could you ask for?

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  Really Satisfied! - 2008 Acura MDX
  By Farid - January 10 - 3:08 am

  Im a car enthusiast and then for buying this car I searched and test drove many cars during a 3 months period. Between all SUVs that I tested - such as BMW X5, BMW X3, Mercedes ML 350 & 500, Lexus RX, Mazda SUVs and many others - I am 100% certain that you can not find such a combination of handling, comfort, space, reliability and design with a very competitive price in another car. Also I love the technology package and I think that it has one of the best navigation systems. I have driven the car for near 15 months and 18000 miles and Ive never had any problem with it. I think the seats are very comfortable with a good design. Handling is awesome and drivers position and view is perfect.

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  2009 Acura - 2009 Acura RDX
  By Mrgoody - January 9 - 9:52 am

  Just got my Acura RDX, overall I like the truck. 0-60 is great and mileage is decent. Build quality is excellent and the cabin is very quiet. However I am disappointed in the way it handles in snow - the car tends to lose rear end during turns in snow, especially if you take the turn fast. I was expecting esp would help but it does not. However in a straight line the truck is solid.

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  1200 Miles and Happy - 2005 Acura RL
  By FlyBye - January 9 - 8:06 am

  This car is a great value for the money. This car has the best paint job around (body is hand sanded before paint). The acceleration of 6.7 seconds to 60 is fine for day to day driving. Brakes are good but a bit "grabby" when nearing to a complete stop. Tech features such as navigation, XM Radio, Voice Control, etc. are awesome! The RL has to have one of the best factory sounds systems on the road-especially when playing DVD- A in 5.1 channel surround. Interior ergonomics are excellent overall. This car just fits in every way. The steering wheel mounted shift paddles are too slow for me however. I added the color coded mud flaps and spoiler. To top it off, AWD and 5 star safey rating.

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  Love the TL - 2008 Acura TL
  By Daniel - January 7 - 2:54 pm

  I drove a 2005 Honda Accord V6 before the TL and was so happy with the performance and reliability that I had to stay in the Honda family. There was a little buyers remorse b/c I didnt feel comfortable spending this amount of money on a car but I can honestly say I am very happy with the 08 TL. This car rides smooth and I love the interior. The navigation is wonderful with all its capabilities and voice recognition works pretty well. And, best of all the resell value is great for these cars. If I have one complaint it would be the rattles from the interior... they come and go as they please. But, I can deal with it if this is all I am unhappy about.

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  Not worth the money - 2008 Acura MDX
  By Bill - January 7 - 11:08 am

  Problems galore - AWD problems 2 times - Wouldnt start due to AWD problems - replaced DVD player 3 times - side dash panels replaced 2 times - seats losing color after 20k miles - replaced batter after 12k miles - front rotors warped after 10k miles. I was a lover of Acura, they have really changed in quality for the price.

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  I love my MDX! - 2007 Acura MDX
  By Debce - January 7 - 8:27 am

  I have owned my MDX for about 1 1/2 yrs & have loved every minute of driving the 24k problem free miles on it! It is so much fun to drive looks & feels luxurious so no problem pulling up to upscale places! I didnt want to give up space to pop things in the back and go so I keep the third seat down & purchased the rubber mat for the back. I have plenty of room while at the same time I am "zippy" easily pulling into parking spaces and getting around town. I love the navigation system, although it does need updating and the bluetooth is wonderful, although for some reason it keeps unhooking my Treo phone which the Acura people say is the phones fault. LOVE IT & would buy it again.

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  Exceptional Used Car Value - 2000 Acura TL
  By lake for work - January 7 - 12:02 am

  Been buying cars for years. Had this Acura for longer then any. Best car Ive ever had. Performed even better and quieter after I put a set of toyo tires on it. Now drives actually better than new. Corners like on a rail. Plenty of power. Gas mileage? An unbelievable 30.5 mpg over cross country trips with my foot into it a little bit. Better to verify all servicing is done before you buy used. Make sure the dealer or private party has all records. Timing belts, water pumps, etc only need replacing every 110K miles or so, but when they do they are spendy. Otherwise, these cars are so inexpensive to maintain, you wont believe the quality of a car with over a 100K miles on it!