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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  great SUV - 2002 Acura MDX
  By mjm - January 12 - 2:00 am

  this drives like a car and has great storage space. I love the 50/50 3rd row sheet my son rides back ther and I still have room to carry stuff.

• 

  Great - 2002 Acura MDX
  By daniel - January 12 - 2:00 am

  Great vehicle

• 

  Best Value for the Money - 2002 Acura TL
  By Franz - January 12 - 2:00 am

  Looking for a car that has performance, luxury options, a quality build, and space. The Acura TL Type-S beats everything in the $30,000 range. I compared the top-end VW Passat (is feature-less in comparison), looked at Saab and Volvo (both are extremely small in this price range). 260 horses and rides like its on a rail, quiet and loaded with features, what else could you ask for?!

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  Best value for money!! - 2003 Acura TL
  By AL1 - January 12 - 2:00 am

  I just love this car!! It is the best value for money on road!! I have Tl-TypeS and I can blow off any car on the road!! Power is abundent and this baby is FAST!!!!!

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  Go! - 2007 Acura RDX
  By jingo - January 11 - 11:15 pm

  I bought this car to replace a small hatchback that got totaled in an accident. I feel very comfortable with all its safety features, and it handles very well. I never was fan of SUVs, but I really love this car. I was looking at the BMW, but in the end I thought the RDX was simply a better ride. I also like the fact that I dont see these very often since its a new model. I live in L.A., and I think Ive only seen one or two others on the street. Its a very hip car!

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  My favorite car, unfortunately totaled - 2006 Acura RL
  By Jim - January 11 - 8:51 pm

  Fun car to drive, unfortunately I totaled it last week. Got hit head-on by a large SUV. Car did its job well, I got a broken foot but Im lucky to be alive. I already ordered another one. The five star crash ratings are well deserved.

• 

  AWESOME - 2004 Acura TL
  By Chris - January 11 - 5:02 pm

  I have loved this car since day one. I feel it is the best looking car on the road. It is also very spacious on the inside. I am 64" and weigh 280 pounds and am very comfortable driving the car. The performance is also awesome. The car is truly fun to drive. The only complaints I had about the car are the premature tire wear on the OEM brigestone tires (lasted only 23k miles), and the original battery and brakes needed replaced at 30k. Also, the leather on the front seats is fairly cheap and wears quickly. Other than that, the car is truly remarkable and fun to drive for the price.

• 

  Still thrilled - 2004 Acura TL
  By Almost three years - January 11 - 2:55 pm

  Almost three years old, only 20500 miles. Still love the car. Great power, great handling, great value. Still look at european alternatives and am not impressed with the value proposition. Put on a new set of Avon tires and am pleased. Camel interior showing some wear and the aluminum trim has dings near where the seat belt buckles, otherwise looks great. Has been trouble free except for fit and finish issues (seat cover, cover on third brake light) that were taken care of by dealer within the first 6 months of ownership.

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  Nice step up from the TL - 2006 Acura RL
  By acurat - January 10 - 11:53 pm

  I really agonized over the decision to trade up from my 2004 TL - I loved the technology, styling, acceleration and fuel economy. The "killer app" on the RL was navigation with real-time traffic. The first time I drove the RL it felt "floaty" to me. Now that Ive driven it for a month, it feels serene. Interior amenities are much nicer than the TL - I dont ache anymore after an hour and a half on the road. The sound system ROCKS and technology is nicely integrated. The real-time navi saves some time, though mainly it gives a sense of mastery over the environment. Handling is secure, especially in the curves. Gas mileage is so-so, around 20. I love that there are no options.

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  Great Used Car - 2002 Acura MDX
  By Rod - January 10 - 2:32 pm

  I bought a MDX touring with nav that had 92K miles and it is great. This SUV drives and handles well. Im getting about 20-21 miles a gallon from driving around town and 24-25 on road trips. Never got that from my GMC Envoy. There were some small problems since the car is 4 years old like timing belts and brakes but overall this SUV is in excellent shape. I would recommend this SUV for anyone looking for a used vehicle.