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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  My 05 RSX-S - 2006 Acura RSX
  By Acuraman - September 30 - 2:00 am

  Bought my RSX on presidents day 2005. I have since put 40k miles on it, most of it drag racing at my local track. Its been down the 1/4 mile at least 150-200 times, pulling 1.9 60fts on Drag Radials and it never once complained one bit. Its as solid as the day I bought it, no squeaks, no rattles, no engine or transmission problems. When Im bored of the track, I take it to the canyons and fall in love with it all over again, hearing that engine sing to me at 8000+ rpms while snicking through that perfect gearbox is heaven. This is absolutely the best car Ive ever owned. ZERO PROBLEMS, rock solid reliability!!

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  No Worries, Superb Performance - 2004 Acura TL
  By doug - September 29 - 12:08 pm

  I was a diehard "big 3" car buyer, until I looked at the TL. It had everything I wanted in the German Imports, but had a better pricepoint and more gadgets. Gas mileage, performance, speed, and interior ride all have beaten out the BMW that I was going to buy. Good Job Acura!

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  Fine Car - 2006 Acura TL
  By Stephanie - September 29 - 11:23 am

  I was the "Edmunds Queen" having read all of the info I could possible hold prior to this purchase. I did my research, and I am very pleased with my TL. So far, everything is first class. I had considered the 06/07 Lexus 330/350, the Infinity G35 and even the Toyota, nothing, really nothing compares to this cars ride & comfort. Road noise is minimal. Navi is a blast.

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  love the car - 2004 Acura TL
  By fire - September 28 - 10:00 am

  THE BEST CAR FOR THE MONEY. I test drove the BMW 330,Lexus ES330,Caddy CTS and Infiniti G35

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  2 Good 2 B True? - 2004 Acura TL
  By xpditor - September 28 - 10:00 am

  This is the first car that, after 3 days of detailing and inspecting, I could find NO flaws. The build quality is top rate. The styling speaks for itself. I have a feeling of pride and exclusivity every time I drive it. I recently completed an 800 mile road trip and found it very comfortable, with an efficient and silent climate control system. I averaged 29 mpg. The navigation system and voice command is amazingly accurate and easy to use. You can ride all day without aches, pains, or wanting to get there in a hurry. The power and speed is beyond most peoples wildest needs. The 6-channel 5.1 surround sound DVD is the best car audio I have ever heard. 95% of BMW at 50% of cost.

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  Most fun to drive since - 2004 Acura TL
  By CCasey - September 28 - 10:00 am

  I was a young Marine with a Triumph TR6 35 years ago. I love the ride, handling, power, sound system, satellite radio and hands-free phone system. For the first time in many years, I look for opportunities to get in my car and drive somewhere, anywhere. I have people coming up to me time after time just to say, "Nice car!".

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  Still Happy - 2004 Acura RSX
  By TP - September 27 - 11:18 am

  Ive had a 2004 Type-S for 33,000 miles. Im completeley happy with it and am only sad that 2006 is the end of the line for the great Integra-RSX. I owned an Integra previously and bought the RSX-Type-S because I like the engineering and the car gets exceptional mileage. Its a little noisy but so what? You have the CD player on anyway, and the Bose sound system is quite good. Better than the Integras Alpine. This is a gearheads car, and its a blast to drive. Too bad its easy to get tickets! It looks good, especialy in Milano Red, and is nicely put together and exceptionally reliable. Nice job Acura!

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  I love this car! - 2005 Acura TL
  By A Humphreys - September 27 - 10:03 am

  I do love this car, its fun to drive and amazingly reliable. The navigation system is extremely easy to use and has saved me so much time and money - I suspect navi systems will become standard in cars....

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  Cant wait til 07 - 2006 Acura TL
  By swade - September 26 - 9:18 pm

  One of the smoothest rides Ive encountered. Worth all of the sticker and then some. Unexpected response and power manual and auto.

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  Great Car - 2006 Acura RSX
  By kbballers - September 26 - 11:13 am

  Pros: Fun to drive. Great handling. Good gas mileage. Looks good Cons: Stiff ride but it is the price you pay for good handling. Small backseat but that is how a sports car is.