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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  BMW Convert - 2004 Acura TL
  By FormerBMWOwner - December 2 - 2:00 am

  So far, its a great car and fun to drive. I had an 01 BMW 530i and the Acura TL is every bit as nice, fun to drive and $20,000 cheaper.

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  Amazing car - 2001 Acura MDX
  By dave - December 1 - 8:53 pm

  I bought this car used with 92,000 miles it now has 120000 and I have had no problems with it. One of the best, most reliable, fun to drive cars on the road.

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  Quality vehicle - 1999 Acura TL
  By Acura Fan - December 1 - 5:04 pm

  Own two 99 TLs and enjoy them immensely. Powerful engine, great acceleration. One car has NAV and thats fun. The 99 model NAV unit uses a hard drive and you need 7 cards for the US or you can reprogram the hard drive if you have the CD and a laptop. In 2000, Acura went to a DVD format and its much better. Only gripe are the seats, good leather but very uncomfortable, too hard and not quite wide enough. Only mechanical problem is one car seems to keep warping the rotors and I think I will upgrade the rotors and pads next brake job. Requires premium fuel but get 23 city, 30 highway. Great entry level luxury car for the money

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  buy this car!!! - 2005 Acura TSX
  By kdw - December 1 - 9:46 am

  After several years of driving VW Jettas, I wanted a more sophistocated yet sporty vehical. Once I saw the TSX, I loved it - Once I drove the TSX I knew that I had to own it! Sorry VW, but the TSX give a whole new meaning to "FUN TO DRIVE". I bought my new TSX in July and have put nearly 11k enjoyable miles on it! I dont regret buying my car when I did, however, they have added heated side mirrors as well as power passenger seats. I still would buy mine again when I did - I love it!

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  LOVE my Acura! - 2005 Acura TSX
  By Sarah - November 30 - 4:49 pm

  When it comes to cars, I must be spoiled, because my history of cars have all been great (1990 Honda Prelude, 1997 Accord sedan, and 2000 Accord coupe). But since I got my TSX in May of this year, I have been in love! This car is sporty, stylish, sleek, everything you could possibly want in a car, and with just enough a hint of luxury to make this mid-20s chick feel rich! I was in a collision in my TSX recently and felt absolutely safe in my Acura. Its five star collision rating proved to be true, and I am still in love with my TSX!

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  The TSX is perfect - 2007 Acura TSX
  By ponchohasacar - November 30 - 12:03 pm

  The Acura TSX was, for lack of a better word, perfect in all respects. The price was very reasonable and the amount of standard features were amazing to say the least. I could not have bought a better car for a better price, simply put. The handling is a dream come true and in Bakersfield heated seats in the winter are a must. The duel climate control tailors itself to any temperature I desire. The powerful yet efficient 205 horse power engine provides the perfect balance of torque and fuel mileage. I would suggest the 07 Acura TSX to any one looking for a luxury car that outperforms bmw and mercedes with the price tag not much more than a honda accord.

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  Nice car - 2006 Acura TL
  By bjwestner - November 29 - 6:54 pm

  Very good car. Interior design is very nice. Price of the vehicle cannot be beat considering the options that you get. Navigation system is second to none. I have read that other owners got Bridgestone tires on their TL, mine came with nice Michelins. I have had no issues so far. The vehicle runs on 87 - its recommended that you put premium in but I do not and it runs fine.

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  Top Notch Value - 2006 Acura RL
  By R. Tintinger - November 29 - 10:13 am

  I purchased my Acura back in July of 06. If I am shelling out $50,000 plus for an auto I do not want it stuck in the repair shop. This Acura met and exceeded my expectations in regards to handling, comfort, quality and according to a very popular consumers mag, reliability! To sum it up, this is the one of the best values for the money.

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  Still a great value & ride! - 1998 Acura SLX
  By Jewell - November 29 - 10:09 am

  Still own my 1998 canary teal blue SLX, still in great shape. I got caught in a wicked snow storm almost 2 years ago & went careening off the road. The vehicle remained upright & steady even though I ended up on the other side of the freeway & facing in the opposite direction! Still a great drive & ride!

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  RL is a Class Act - 2006 Acura RL
  By Dave in Mass - November 29 - 8:02 am

  This is simply a fine, fine automobile. Wonderful ride, incredibly quiet, plenty of power when needed. Exceptional build quality. Went from a 2004 Acura TL to the RL and, contrary to what most "professional" reviewers say, that is a huge step up. The SH AWD is quite noticeable when rounding curves at speed. The car just wants to go where you point it - no hint of understeer. Nav & sound systems are excellent. Theres another upside to the RL - you dont see yourself coming and going all the time.