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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  Too much fun! - 2007 Acura RDX
  By Kathy - May 18 - 10:41 pm

  After six weeks of my son and I driving and researching all types of SUVs, I narrowed it down to the RDX and still enjoy every minute in it. I dont want to go to work in the morning, I want to keep going! This definitely has a sporty ride, but the handling in snow and rain is great. The controls are very easy to use, yet I am still getting use to the nav. I dont need to use it a lot, but it has been great when needed. The sound system is awesome. Still looking for some DVD-A discs of the bands I like. The size of the center console is great and I like that it locks.

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  NOTHING ELSE Compares! - 2007 Acura MDX
  By Rich - May 18 - 4:07 pm

  Like BMW, Audi, WRX STI, only judge the MDX after it has a minimun of 8-10K miles. Improvements in power, suspension performance, quietness, door seals/wind-noise occur. Fast, smooth, 300 HP. Experience 17-22.5 MPG. Computerized SHAWD/Delphi-Magneto-Rheological Shocks and Michelins, corner like on rails with no tire noise/squeal. Suspension allows powering through steep/fast turns like no other car. “Comfort Switch” allows MDX Sport a Lexus-Ride (leveling tar-strips!) or in “Sport Mode”, MDX will exceed any other SUVs handling capability. Min. hydroplaning and goes through snow like tank.

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  Amazing - 2007 Acura TSX
  By Arctic Blue 07 - May 17 - 11:07 pm

  I really do love the car, and do not regret the purchase whatsoever. The car is great fun to drive, accelerates smoothly, but youll pay for the fun at the gas pump.

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  Super MDX for 07 - 2007 Acura MDX
  By louieo - May 17 - 11:01 pm

  Traded in 04 MDX for this years upgrade and both my wife and I thoroughly enjoyed this new vehicle. Somewhat disappointed in the rear view mirror, low quality for the type of vehicle. Great 18" Michelin tires and the superb stereo system is a joy to listen to. Roomy and very comfortable. Just a joy to drive!

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  All that and more - 2007 Acura MDX
  By Dennis - May 16 - 9:42 pm

  Bought the sport with ent package in Feb and have already taken 2 trips over 300 miles. Gotten 22 MPG ave about 70-75 on the hwy. In town getting about 16-17. The handling is a dream and plenty of power to spare. Kids love the rear ent and we love being able to let the kids listen to their music while we listen to ours. Kids also love being able to bring the game cube or ps2 and I just love being able to plug it in. Best SUV for the money.

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  Wow!! What a ride - 2007 Acura MDX
  By Mitman - May 16 - 2:50 am

  I didnt have to test drive any other after I test drove the MDX. I bought the car on the same day. The ride is excellent. I love the interior design. With 300 hp, you will feel that pick-up. I chose MDX with Tech package, didnt go for the entertainment package since I dont have kids yet. Good luck.

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  Type-S - 2004 Acura RSX
  By Unicode2021 - May 16 - 2:00 am

  I have the vehicle for over a year now and its the best sports coupe that I have ever hade...VERY FUN to drive and very modifyable.

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  Just love having it :-) - 2007 Acura MDX
  By chennaivasi - May 15 - 5:15 pm

  What a fantastic one. This is our first SUV, and first luxury car. So much difference to driving comfort compared to my earlier Camry. Just feels stuck to road, DVD is awesome, crazy voice commands and GPS is too good to be true, accurate. Too bad I have just one so my wife drives it and I get it only on weekends... something I look forward to the whole week :-)

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  Acura RL review - 2005 Acura RL
  By TOMMIE - May 15 - 1:00 pm

  This is an autombile that is a joy to drive and the comfort is unsurpassed. I will say that the RL experience from the day I purchased until today has truly been an enjoyable experience.

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  MDX - 2007 Acura MDX
  By kg - May 14 - 1:48 pm

  Just purchased and have not found many flaws with this vehicle at all. Great features, fun to drive, plenty of space, and it looks great.