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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  I love my car! - 1997 Acura Integra
  By Christina Smith - October 19 - 11:46 am

  This has been the best first car I could have asked for! I have owned it for over 6 years, and it has been exceptionally reliable, which is extremely important to me for safety and convenience reasons. It gets great gas mileage. Also, it is so fun to drive (I have a manual)! Because of this car, I have a feeling I will be brand loyal to Acura for the rest of my life!

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  Luxury Honda Accord - 2007 Acura TSX
  By David - October 19 - 11:21 am

  Just got my 2007 Acura TSX w/out nav last weekend. What a great car. It rides similar to my wifes 2006 Honda Accord but holds tighter through the turns and is more fun to drive. There is a little less room in the back than the Accord, but the front and the trunk space seems very comparable. The design is becoming a little dated and the redesign should be coming out some time in late 2008. If you love Hondas but want a little more luxury, then Acura is the way to go. Plus you can get a steal of a deal on the TSX right now.

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  Excellent choice - 2007 Acura MDX
  By JC - October 18 - 8:21 am

  I love this car! It feels secure & solid the handling is smooth & the acceleration is strong. The leather seats are comfortable & the sound system is fantastic great sound quality & easy to use. The nav system has proven to be a real asset. The rearview camera takes a couple of seconds to come on, but gives a good view of whats directly behind the car. The climate control system has been flawless. The power tailgate opens slowly, but works great. I havent used the bluetooth. The headlights work great too, giving a wide area of coverage. Dont know about other drivers, but I love them! Blind spot on the right rear side, but comfortable w/it now. MPG is decent 20/22 combined driving.

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  Straight Up Review - 2009 Acura TSX
  By Charley - October 17 - 2:10 pm

  I just dont get it. In a lot of magazines reviews and forums people slam this car as not as good as the old and not as powerful as the G35, etc. It costs another 5 grand to get the same options on these other cars. For the money this is the best thing going.The old car got great reviews and this car is even more improved than that one. I like the styling, and from what I have seen it is the best looking car in the new Acura lineup. This car is not sluggish at all, but it is not made for drag racing. What I value most of all in terms of performance is the handling. This thing takes corners well and Ive never gotten a ticket for cornering. The tech package is the way to go hands down.

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  "A Well Kept Secret" - 2007 Acura RDX
  By J. Wood - October 17 - 11:55 am

  I knew this was the car for me the first time I test drove it. I tried other small SUVs in this range, i.e, Lexus, Murano, and there was no comparison. This car has a solid compact feeling. I was not aware of this car. Someone talked me into seeing it. Its a quality car and handles well in bad road conditions (heavy rain storms and wind). I love the turbo power when I need to accelerate in traffic. The interior is classy & the techology is state of the art. I highly recommend this car. Its fun to drive - I look forward to driving everyday.

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  30k Review - 2006 Acura TL
  By Bernard - October 16 - 10:16 pm

  Good car overall. Reliable. Good gas mileage for power. Power is good but not good enough. Horrible in snow!! Squeaking noises from interior once in a while. Good build overall.

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  Best Car I Ever Bought.....!! - 2006 Acura TL
  By Bill B. - October 15 - 2:35 pm

  Previous to owning the TL I had a purchased new Jaguar XK8. While I miss the "sizzle" of the Jag, the Acura has it beat by a long shot in terms of comfort, style, performance, reliabililty, quality of workmanship, etc. The car does not break!

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  a real sports car - 2003 Acura RSX
  By armo - October 15 - 10:00 am

  I love my type-S. This car is not for everybody. Its engine is buzzy, the suspension is stiff, and the gear ratios are very close. This is a real sports car. The Bose system sounds great, I dont know why there are so many negative reviews about it. Interior controls are high quality, and it get great fuel economy (I get 28mpg combined). The best thing about my car is the engine and transmission combo. Cant beat the beautiful engine sound teamed with such a smooth and sporty 6 spd.

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  tl-s with navi is a great car - 2003 Acura TL
  By ed2321 - October 15 - 10:00 am

  GREAT CAR!!!

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  I love this car!!! - 2005 Acura TL
  By Jon R - October 13 - 11:03 am

  After about a year the only matinence on the car is oil changes and with a little disappointment tires. It seems the bridgestones that they use on the Navigation cars use a softer compound that wears faster though they do handle incrediblely well. Be it snow or rain the car sticks. With the tires wearing there has only been a slight loss in traction. The performance is top notch and the car is loads of fun to drive. Great for that long road trip too.