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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  The new TL - 2004 Acura TL
  By Hammad - November 22 - 10:00 am

  The new Acura TL really out did itself this time, beating all other componenets in its class. Its new vsleek body and refined 3.2 liter v6 engine gives it a smooth ride

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  Gorgeous inside and out, kills the G35 - 2004 Acura TL
  By eugene7 - November 22 - 10:00 am

  After test driving the G (coupe) and the TL, the only question in my mind was which color of the TL to get. Although the handling of the G was superb, the interior felt very cheap. The raised center panel made me feel very crammed in. The TLs design is incredible inside and out, and the value that you get in the TL is unmatched. The TL is very roomy and extremely comfortable for everyone (especially the driver). In terms of features, I loved the sound system with DVD Audio and Satelite Radio, Bluetooth, and dual climate control, all of which are standard. Oh yeah, I got it in black with a gray interior!

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  Could it be - 2004 Acura TL
  By X P Ditor - November 22 - 10:00 am

  I was expecting an excellent car from Acura. I spent first day detailing for 10 hours. I have yet to find a flaw or defect in anything, anywhere. It is a dream to drive, loaded with high- tech goodies. The 6 channel surround sound is superb. It is a true luxury/sport sedan with gobs of power and nimble handling. Forget what you thought you knew about FWD.

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  Beauty and Peace of Mind - 2000 Acura TL
  By Green Dragon - November 21 - 2:02 pm

  Bought her brand new and named her "Perfect". She is. No mechanical issues. Maneuvering capabilities are unsurpassed for the class. Enough horse power (225) for the local and highways. Sufficient acceleration power to merge traffic. Xenon lights are long lasting.

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  Quality - 2004 Acura TSX
  By bob hoare - November 21 - 7:40 am

  It is a fabulous car to drive. The handling is tight and precise and its biggest quality is the quality of interior materials used and the overall assembly of the car. I have had it for 2.5 years without putting a dime into the car. Only negative is the turning radius. A bus is easier to park.

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  Love my new MDX - 2007 Acura MDX
  By RJ - November 20 - 9:26 pm

  Just purchased an 07 MDX with Tech package. The more I drive it, the more I love it. Takes some time to get used to all the buttons, features, voice commands, and the GPS system, but the car rides awesome, nice pick-up, and everyone just loves the look of the car. AWESOME!

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  I Love this car! - 2006 Acura TSX
  By Dawn - November 19 - 10:45 pm

  I love this car! I bought it 4 days ago and every day I cant wait to drive the 30 miles to work! I had been looking for a new car for 4 months and no car had everything I wanted. I was so frustrated. Then a friend told me about Acura! I didnt think we could afford it, but after taking one test drive, I was in love! It has everything! And, its all included in the base model! Its everything I ever wanted in a car! Its just 100% pure class! And I love the fact that you dont see a million of them everywhere! I love it!!

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  Best Overall Value - 2003 Acura TL
  By Normin - November 19 - 10:00 am

  This car comes with everything: leather, HIDs, size airbags, 6 CD in- dash BOSE stereo...etc. The only factory installed option would be a Navigation system. Features like these would drive the cost of either the BMW or Infiniti over $35K. I paid $29K flat for the type S. Great acceleration and fun to drive. It makes you want to drive really fast. Im very happy with the purchase. And because its a Acura(Honda), I know that the reliability factor is high. Can the same be said about BMW or Infiniti ?

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  I Could Not Be Happier! - 2003 Acura CL
  By Robert Clarke - November 18 - 7:18 pm

  I found a very low mileage 03 (12,135) with the tranny warranty until 100K! It has a very comfortable ride and it is extremely quiet also. 25 to 27 MPG highway with mid-grade. It does not need premium. Plenty of power, she can get away from you. I have to keep my eyes on the speedometer. All the bells and whistles and I dont see any other ones around. This ones a keeper!

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  What a car!! - 2005 Acura MDX
  By Brandi - November 18 - 3:06 am

  After test-driving 15+ different SUVs, the Acura won out. We seriously looked at the Lexus but with only 5 seats, it wasnt large enough for the option of my childrens friends accompanying us anywhere. The navigation system is awesome, and a lot of fun to use. The reverse camera is very useful, although you can be fooled with the scale of it (everything looks far away). You can get spoiled with the automatic wipers, speeding up/slowing down as needed. Very useful for city driving. The Bose sound system is awesome. The entertainment system displays the XM songs and artists on the screen, which the children have been having a lot of fun with. I cant gush enough - I love this car!!!!!!!!!!!!