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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  WOW!! - 2006 Acura TL
  By Chris - October 13 - 12:39 am

  I was in a state of confusion. I was looking for a new vehicle. After my research, I was so impressed with the TL styling. After test driving, I fell in love with the TL. The power, the styling both interior and exterior was to my liking. Also the options I wanted were standard on the TL. After purchasing the TL, I turn many heads. The audio system rivals most luxury cars.The hands free link is incredible. Thank you Acura for building a sports sedan second to none. I am a proud owner!

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  JJs TL - 2006 Acura TL
  By JJ - October 12 - 10:14 pm

  The car has been wonderful in every way. The day after purchasing it, I was driving on the interstate and I saw a sign that said, "Blueridge Parkway next right". I took it and was really amazed! The TL owned the road. It felt like a convertible with the sunroof open and the windows down, and it hugged the turns. Then I got back on the interstate and it felt like a quiet, smooth luxury car. The TL has both personalities, sports car and luxury car, and it excels at both.

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  Buy it and Never sell it !! - 1995 Acura Legend
  By Best Car ever ! - October 12 - 3:23 pm

  I bought my 95 Legend LS 4 door in 2000 with 85,000k. Six years later, it now has 207,000. It runs like brand new without any major repairs. Ive seen many with over 300k. The steering is as tight as it was the day I bought it. This is the best car I have ever owned and still love it after 6 years. My best suggestion: buy any parts from Acura - the quality is unmatched by a local parts house.

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  MDX - 2005 Acura MDX
  By Imran - October 11 - 6:46 pm

  The MDX is a phenomenal car. If you compare the MDX versus the X5, which I was doing, there is NO comparison. It gives you comfort, power and the all the gadgets guys love. I got my MDX, basically fully loaded, for $42K, that is pretty good for the class that this vehicle is in.

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  Simply awesome 3.2TL - 1999 Acura TL
  By fabulous TL - October 10 - 10:54 pm

  After purchasing this high mile car we knew it was an overlooked and underated car. Highway travel is phenomenal great mileage about 27-28 mpg. Noise is minimal and very smooth. City driving yields less mpgs however still decent @ 21mpg. Great handling good passing power and engine is silent even when tested. That engine is bulletproof! The tranny shifted great even through 160k miles of usage, wow! Ergonomics top notch along with a plethora of standard equipment, it blows away the rest of the class. No problems with anything all electronics and mechanics still chugging along!

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  2006 Acura RL - 2006 Acura RL
  By Dave in Mass - October 10 - 5:50 pm

  Considered 3 and 5 Series BMW. 3 too small, 5 OK - both too expensive with the options I wanted. RL has them all. Acura nav system is exceptionally easy to use. Plenty of power from 6 cyl. All I need. Handling just excellent, SH-AWD is as advertised. Excellent. And, most of all, I really like the fact that I dont see myself coming and going every day. The RL is a fantastic automobile, built in Japan with all the features and handling I wanted.

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  Best in class - hands down - 2005 Acura TL
  By tn from sc - October 10 - 1:50 am

  My first car (10 years ago) was an Acura Integra I had for 5 years. Ever since, Ive missed that Acura feel in terms of tightness, quality, drive, etc. Ive only had the TL for a day, but love everything about it. Its amazing what you get for the money compared to everything else. Acura quality throughout. The Nav system is the best Ive seen - perfect size screen, usability, etc. - must better than Toyotas for example. The voice activation is amazing - and again in a car that costs only in the low 30s. I cant see anything else out there that competes with this for the money.

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  Buy it - 2004 Acura RSX
  By lasheric - October 9 - 10:00 am

  Figured I would review my car since so many other reviews helped me. Ive had no problems with this car since buying it a year ago. I have test driven to many cars to count, the Acura has the most amazing handling and engine power. You wont regret buying this car, just make sure you dont pay to much over invoice, like I did.

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  04 TL - 2004 Acura TL
  By sjacura - October 9 - 10:00 am

  Once again, the Acura TL packs the largest bang for the buck. 270hp with a refined body style has really pushed this vehicle to the top of the entry level luxury sports sedan category. It is fun to drive!

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  2004 Acura TL Rocket - 2004 Acura TL
  By acee - October 9 - 10:00 am

  Overall design of the car is excellent. I like the car a lot. Great exterior design and excellent layout of interior. Lots and lots of power but torgue steer is a little to much. The car feels a little unstable when pushed into into curves. I experienced a mild swaying motion in steep curves. I did not like where the change holder is located. It is very hard to get to from the drivers seat, even when the vehicle is stopped. Great job Honda.