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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  One of the best affordable cars ever made - 2000 Acura Integra
  By shadokreep - June 22 - 1:05 pm

  I have owned this car for 6 years and it still runs great. The gas mileage is on par with most civics of this time. This car is still comfortable and was a great investment I made. Couple of months ago, I thought about selling my car and getting something bigger, but since gas prices went up I changed my mind.

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  Fun Stuff! - 2003 Acura TL
  By ConceitedDJL - June 22 - 10:00 am

  Has been a great experience. This is an excellent highway car. Great for trips. It has everything you need and maybe a little more. Functionally, the car is perfect. I definate strong buy.

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  Very Good Car - 2003 Acura TL
  By Shelley10 - June 22 - 10:00 am

  I love the car........I will definitely buy another one.

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  Love it! - 2004 Acura TL
  By Sold - June 22 - 10:00 am

  I went to test drive the TL, expecting to eliminate it from my search. As soon as I sat in it, I fell in love! The ride is so smooth, the interior design is great, the new exterior is so much sportier than last years model.

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  Acura TL 2004 "the new sleeper" - 2004 Acura TL
  By jyraccord - June 22 - 10:00 am

  You must test drive the new TL. 270hp 0- 60in 6seconds. The car is loaded for $33,ooo Heated front seats and outside mirrors. Great XM radio,8speakers surround sound,17inch rims to many to list.Iv had it for 3weeks and I loved it.

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  Shouldve bought the CX-9 - 2008 Acura MDX
  By Disappointed - June 22 - 9:06 am

  Was shopping for a replacement vehicle for my Honda Pilot late last year and was looking at the Mazda Cx-9, Toyota Highlander and the Acura MDX. Narrowed it down between the Cx-9 and the MDX and chose the MDX based upon the Acura reliability history. Now looking back I wish I would have selected the CX-9 as my MDX has numerous issues that should not accompany an Acura. My radio randomly resets all the preset settings. No one can understand anyone in the car using the Bluetooth. When the moonroof is open you cannot read anything displayed on the radio. Rattle coming from back cargo area, etc. At this pricepoint, you get much more with the Cx-9.

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  Great Car!! - 2004 Acura TL
  By Chrisana33 - June 21 - 9:58 pm

  I have had two Acuras now and have no regrets! I get awesome mpg (25-29) per tank. The comfort of this vehicle is amazing. The car is very easy to handle and great on curvy roads. I have the anthracite gray which is very easy to keep clean! :) I have no problems with this TL or my previous 01 3.2 CL. I put 180K miles on my CL and currently have 72K on my TL. Both vehicles run excellent and I have absolutely no complaints to say about my choices!

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  safe, but no acceleration, noisy steering - 2017 Acura MDX
  By Simon C - June 21 - 4:51 am

  I agree with previous post the transmission sometimes is jerky. Also when you turn the wheel it makes a noisy grinding sound.

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  14 years old and looking great - 1994 Acura Legend
  By SJB - June 20 - 10:24 pm

  I always was allured by the body style of the Legend. Even after the fact that it is a 14 yr old car the design is unsurpassed. The Legend was way ahead of its time. I bought this car with 120k and the motor is as if it was off the showroom floor. It squaks the tires from 1st to 2nd gear, without me trying. It is luxury and sport wrapped into one. Nough said!!!

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  Great car - 2008 Acura TSX
  By Terry Flynn - June 20 - 8:54 am

  Very economical for a luxury brand. 25 MPH in city. High in quality. One problem is that it takes premium gas. Excellent pick up. Third Acura I have owned. Other two were Integras. Will always stick with Acura.