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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  Good ride - 2002 Acura MDX
  By Mike_Platini - September 20 - 10:00 am

  Always fun to drive this vehicule

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  black pearl - 2002 Acura MDX
  By sivaveera - September 20 - 10:00 am

  good build, very good mileage

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  Great value - 2007 Acura TSX
  By harshad - September 20 - 9:44 am

  I bought an arctic blue 07 TSX last weekend. This car was not on my radar at all. I was sold on either 328i or IS 350. But when I looked at all the features that are standard plus honda i-vtec engine, couldnt pass this up and I am glad. The seats are firm and supportive. The engine is sweet after 3000 rpm. Not bad to drive in automatic (I am a manual tranny lifer). The gadgets are great. Although the stereo system sounds little bit artificial, its not bad. My wife loves it, even though I am driving it to break it in. I guess that break-in is going to be at least a year.

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  Nice Ride - 2006 Acura TL
  By Dennis - September 20 - 1:23 am

  The TL is a find car. Some minor trim misalighnment on the passenger door at delivery. A few minor rattles that went away in the dash and door. Some complain about the ride is to rough. I think it is fine for a sports sedan with 45 series tires. Check tire pressure folks. I would recommend this car. I bought at thousand dollars over cost...a very good deal. I had a previous TL-S and this is a big improvement in features, handling, comfort, and the design of the body and interior.

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  Good for the price range! - 2003 Acura TL
  By Sal - September 18 - 6:00 pm

  I bought this off a lease return with 45K miles on it a year ago. Now I have 57K miles. Overall Im happy with the car. I have the Aegean Blue, with navi. Looks pretty gangsta, plus nobody where I live has an Acura, so I stand out. But I do notice that the tranny is shifting a bit harder now and is starting to have a bit of trouble picking appropriate gear between 40-50 mph. But then again, I think Im due for a transmission fluid service at 60K, so it may resolve itself after that service.

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  Performance and comfort - 2005 Acura MDX
  By Mary Ann Moss - September 18 - 11:03 am

  I find the ride of the mdx to be smooth and comfortable. Interior is roomy and stylish with extras that I expect out of a luxury suv. gas mileage is usually 20 to 21 miles per gallon for me. That is good for this size vehicle. its not hard to get in and out of (not to high, not to low). If Acura wants any suggtions, the only thing is, I feel like for the price they should have added more wood grain to interior, such as the steering wheel and control panel. This should have been standard the the touring package.

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  Nice car - 1999 Acura CL
  By ScorpioEddie84 - September 16 - 10:08 pm

  I bought this car around 4/07 from a private owner with 100k on it. They were the original owners and kept the car up well. I like this car a lot and wish Acura would bring it back (currently they have no 2-door cars available). But anyway, so far this car has treated me pretty well and is fun to drive. Only strange thing that has happened is the brake light in the dash... it will not go off sometimes when I start up the car even though the emergency brake is comletely off. The light usually goes out once it has been driven a few minutes. Also the cruise- control light sometimes does not light up at night. I assume it is very minor electrical stuff to blame for both.

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  Lovin my Ride! - 2017 Acura RDX
  By Andih - September 16 - 11:27 am

  Conducted extensive research on the RDX before I went to the dealership. I scored an excellent deal and got the car that I wanted. I agree with Edmunds review that it is quick to brake when there is plenty of space that does not require the over reaction. Love the dual screen and while there is a learning curve on the navigation, my phone app has a better navigation then what Acura provides. Still. Its not a deal breaker and I look forward to when I get to drive my car- which is a first for me. Definitely a smooth, quiet ride. And very comfortable on all fronts. Just love it.

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  Awesome automobile - 2004 Acura TL
  By GColone - September 16 - 10:00 am

  Just bought the new TL last week (7/20) and couldnt be happier with it. I was impressed with the 2 test drives I took over the last 2 months, but let me tell you....the test drives didnt really do this thing a lot of justice. Owning it and driving it every day is a dream come true for me. I traded up from the duldrums of the GMCs of the world and WOW what a difference, Well worth the $$$. Smooth strong performane, incredible interior and an awesome sound system. Its also very roomy inside for my wife and 2 boys. After all my research of cars priced in the low 30s I came to the conclusion that the new TL is very much the best in that price range. Try it!

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  Hot Car! Buy it! - 2004 Acura TL
  By gzing2 - September 16 - 10:00 am

  A real eye catcher, nothing but compliments from friends and general on-lookers. Im extremely happy with the purchase. High performance driving experience.