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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  having fun - 2004 Acura TL
  By beverly casciano - July 15 - 2:00 am

  This car provides true driving pleasure with an element of fun and sportiness. The blue tooth enabled phone system and the XM radio are state of the art compliments to an already classy auto. Gets admiring looks while on the road, ( and the jealous glances from the neighbors are noted also).

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  Great SUV for sedan lovers - 2006 Acura MDX
  By xprepairpro.com - July 14 - 9:21 pm

  I wasnt wanting an SUV, I was really wanting a TL or an RL but room (2 kids now) means the 03 accord wouldnt cut it and the TL/RLs dont have much more room. I have never owned an SUV but have driven a lot at an old job. I didnt like the truck feeling of most SUVs so I didnt think the MDX would be so "car-like". I was quite surprised when I test drove it at the dealer. It had a lot of power and steering was very much like a normal car. I wasnt as attracted to the MDX so much for style. I like it very much, but still have my doubts about the front end. Hearing such good reviews and safety and reliability reports, I drove the MDX off the lot the day I test drove it.

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  Best Car Yet at age 65 well, really 66 - 2005 Acura RL
  By Jerome Ney - July 13 - 7:59 pm

  Ive owned 3 Mercedes 1 BMW 1 Audi and this is the best. I enjoy the performance and great features. I also enjoy the top quality without drawing as much attention as one does with the higher profile cars above.

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  I Love My MDX - 2002 Acura MDX
  By Ramon - July 13 - 10:00 am

  We purchased our MDX in July and are very pleased with the appearance and the comfort of the vehicle. It handles the rode very well and the acceleration is excellent for this type of vehicle. We just drove our MDX from Annapolis, MD to Minneapolis, MN and the ride was a complete pleasure. I also enjoyed the number of people asking us what kind of SUV we were driving since there are not many on the rode compared to the Lexus, BMW, and the Mercedes.

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  When you want everything - 2003 Acura TL
  By Wildp51 - July 13 - 10:00 am

  and dont want to pay a fortune for it, this car will fill the ticket. Literally if you arent watching your spedometer at all times. The cars performance is incredible. The interior is well designed. The exterior rather conservative but thats OK. It doesnt draw a lot of attention from your local law enforcement personnel. The drivers seat could be a bit more cushy and when you are short like me, a telescoping steering wheel makes for a more comfortable ride. The handling is good now but I believe it would be greatly improved with a wider tire. All in all, I feel very confident that I got the best car for the money hands down.

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  Great Car - 2004 Acura TSX
  By jK - July 13 - 9:21 am

  Have put on about 26k miles on it over 3 years. It has handled long trips, couple weekend sessions at the local road track, and commuter traffic. For a FWD car it has been quite entertaining to drive and an excellent winter/bad weather (the other car is a rwd Porsche). I still cant believe 3 years later how much I enjoy driving it (Im usually quite bored by then and get the "new car" bug). I found several things I could do to make it more fun. I put on an intake, some more aggressive tires, some better brake pads with a little more bite and less fade, and had the car lowered slightly. It just makes a great handling car much more spirited.

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  So Far So good..... - 2006 Acura MDX
  By Sam - July 12 - 7:33 pm

  Just purchased this vehicle for my Wife and now I am so jealous of her since she gets to drive it everyday. Overall car cant be beat as it has so much bang for the buck. Nav system is great and a lot of fun to interact with. Car drives incredibly smoothly and power is available as soon as you need it. I am having a hard time keeping the speed low during break-in. Owned 1 Acura before and loved the service and care of brand. Matches to any German brand in my books. Buy this car and youll see what I mean.

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  The best SUV ever - 2006 Acura MDX
  By Tracy - July 12 - 3:50 pm

  Granted I have only had my MDX for less than a month but I LOVE THIS SUV. It is the most comfortable, the most convenient interior vehicle I have ever owned. I have had 3 Lexus before this but now I am an Acura customer forever.

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  BABY BOOMERS RSX-TYPE S - 2006 Acura RSX
  By Phil Epps - July 12 - 2:23 pm

  This car smokes. Great pick up and plenty of power. All aspects of car feel just great. Sound system will blow out the windows. You can hang meat with the A/C going and still get 30-32 mpg on the freeway. A little hard for this 57 year old to get in and out but once in the comfort is unbleveable. Little or no noise from outside. Tight steering and ultra close gears in the 6 speed. Feels great to drive and always has enough power.

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  Reddogs baby - 2006 Acura RL
  By Lyman strong - July 12 - 1:30 am

  it is the prettiest car on the road, fun to drive,unbelievable in the corners and smooth ac celeration ,fine fit and finish and most of all is admired by those who see it.